Not CC, but home protection
 

I hope and plan on never having to use it, but is the .357mag "too much" for home protection? Any have one for CC? Also, would a 6" barrel be too bulky?

It depends
 

One of my home defense choices is a Smith & Wesson Model 66 stainless .357 magnum with a 4 inch barrel. Sometimes I load it with .38 Special handloads. A .357 should be just fine in the role of home defense. My recommendation would be to practice, practice and practice and keep it available. You should have confidence in whatever arm you select for home defense. Hope this helps. all the best...
Gil

I think anything suitable for concealed carry would work for home defense, but personally for home defense I think the bigger the better, usually. Not always...but usually. I prefer a 12-gauge with a 18.5" barrel and pistol grip...loaded with 00 or 000 buck. Noone will mess with that.

i would second the 12 gauge, the nra actually says a 1 oz dove load is the best idea for home defense quick shot recovery, no over penetration and less house damage. i say whatever shell you grab first. as for the 375 if you have it, its not too much, i like the idea of .38s in it.no sense in buying a new gun, i just say how well can you click them off in low light, possibly holding a flashlight. imagine though, you hear some one down stairs at 2 AM and you grab the 12 and send a SHUCK-SHUCK! of the pump action through the quiet house any body with half a brain is gonna high tail it. just a thought i like
kt

I prefer a shotgun as well, but instead of dove loads or buckshot, I prefer #2 lead goose loads (well, back when lead was legal:p )....more lethal than #8s, yet will slow down quickly if a stray pellet goes out the window.............
One could also consider Glaser safetly slugs in the 357 mag as well, if one were concerned about a stray round going through a thin wall, as in a condo or apartment.

I also prefer a shotgun, I use #3shot.
A .357 is also great fot home def. I hear that the Glaser safty slugs "can" go through walls, so be carefull.

This brings me to another somewhat disturbing though.

It's the middle of the night and you hear something that awakens you. You grab your tusty ol' 12ga and go investigate. You flick the lights on and see a stranger in your house. They have a weapon so you pump a round or 2 into the intruder. Blood and guts all over the floor and wall. The burglar falls down dead as can be. Wouldn't it keep you up at night knowing some piece of !@#% got blwon away in your home? I mean crime scene clean up can mop up the mess but knowing every time you walked past that spot,a person was killed there?

Yeah I know that if a person breaks into your home, even if they would rather flee than attack, you sinpley don't know. If you fear for your personal safety you have every right to defend yourself even if that means the attacker must die. I am right there with you in that fact.

Also, I'd fear that these days with society gettiong more and more...lets just say liberal for lack of a better term that the courts or jury may see you as being in the wrong. I couldn't handle going to the pen for anything or any amount of time. It would kil me even more knowing I went there to defend myself. It's a real possibility.

I cannot get over these thoughts and home defense is serious business to me. I dunno if I would be prepared to suffer the mental and legal consequenses.

Mod 70,

That really very scary stuff.
-Society judging you
-Getting your belongings trashed with BG goo, and lead.
-The chance of getting charged by the law, even if you are defending yourself.
-Even feeling remorse when you feel when you find out that the BG has a kid:(
-Allot of other stuff we dont know about because it had never happened to us.

These are very serious consequences. Still self-preservation is far more serious. A LEO once told me "Its better being jugged by twelve, than carried by six"
Just remember that its only "self defense" if it is your only option. So be sure that your brain is your primary defense tool.

This is one of the most repeated threads with firearms BBS. I still say what is the best choice for one guy, won't be for another. Skill level, familiarity, practice, and the availability of guns of one type or another, all come into play.
The best advice I can give, is pick something, and practice a LOT with it. Work on securing your home, lights, alarm, locks, better quality doors. Have a plan on what you can / will do if the chips are down. Have a cell phone for emergency use. Know where your family is, within the house.
............and practice, practice, practice.

The best thing to have is whatever you got. I think a 357 is a bit too noisy, but that's just me.

A Ruger 10-22 is a great home defense gun. Not scary to shoot-even for the wife, cheap to practice with, and most folks can point shoot it pretty good. 10 22 rounds in about 2 seconds is pretty impressive.

A 410 or 20 guage are both good home defense guns. Either will provide a one shot stop, and both are inexpensive and easier for most people to handle.

Remember, nobody wants to get shot, even a little bit.

I don't think a .357 is too much. Take a look at the Glaser Safety Slugs: they are perfect for home use. Major knock-down without the fear of overpenetration and dead neighbors.

Yes, the safety slugs are great, but where can Joe Citizen find them. They are often difficult to obtain.

410 with #9's is the same thing, only bigger and cheaper.

Glasser's if you can get them.

You could always try here: http://mysite.elixirlabs.com/index.p...2665&page=1977

Model 70, Not sure if it would bug me that a bad guy got blown away in the house. Wouldn't it be more traumatic to watch a loved one die a slow painful death of natural causes? We didn't move after Dad died even though we thought about him and his last days in his bedroom often.

I second the Glasers or MagSafes for home protection. I have alternately, a .357 and a .45 in the nightstand with a 12gauge propped in the corner. If the pistols don't deter them, I ain't messing with birdshot. 00 buck all the way.

my taurus pt945b loaded with rem 230 grain golden sabershollow[points , and my 870 rem 20 guage loaded with high brass 7 1/2 shot whyseven and half more pellets covers broader areawith an icchoke beats only what 12 00 buck pellets