Sig makes an excellent gun but they are expensive and I am not a big fan of the DA/SA firing system. That type of operation requires a long heavy trigger pull on the first shot to cycle the hammer, which is good if you are a municipality worried about liability claims, not so good if you need a quick shot or don't practice a lot. Subsequent shots are single action, like a 1911, which means you have a big difference in trigger pull between the first and subsequent shots. I just find the striker-fired systems, like a Glock or Taurus, to be more straightforward, but I suppose they have their minuses as well. Obviously, the ideal is a SA 1911-style system, but some people are nervous about having a gun locked and cocked.
That's what I used to think. I just scanned through a gun forum yesterday though on that very question about carrying with one in the pipe. The overwhelming response was they carry with one in the chamber.
Two gangsters are playing cards. Gangster #1: "Three kings and two aces! Let's see you beat that!" Gangster #2: "I already have." Gangster #1: "That's impossible! What beats a hand like mine?" Gangster #2 (unholsters guns): "A pair of twos and a forty-five."
Short answer: get a Smith & Wesson M&P R8 and load it with .38 special, and a Benelli M4 Tactical 12 gauge shotgun, loaded with 00 buckshot. If you find you hate revolvers, get a Glock 17. Attach a flashlight mount and laser sight to both handgun and shoottie, and a bayonet to the shotgun. Keep them in a gun safe in your bed. Then, train intensively with both, using an NRA qualified instructor. Get a SOG Navy Seal 2000 knife, and carry it with you at all times in the home on a proper knife sheath. Long answer: for home defence you need the following as a minimum: 1. Prevention is better than cure - get security doors, windows, and locks. Make your bedroom into a nearly impenetrable safe room with a fast-action door lock, keep a first aid kit, flashlight, and charged cellphone with the emergency number on speed dial for all buttons, and 2 gun safes. Get good security lights, cameras, alarm, and warning signs to deter intruders. Consider getting a guard dog. Each time you arrive home, do a quick check for signs of intrusion, then lock all the doors and ground-floor windows, before you relax. Consider getting a guard dog too. 2. One long-gun, preferably a shotgun (12 or 20 gauge), load it with 00 buckshot. Semi-auto is easier to operate under stress, and has less recoil. Pump-action is less likely to jam, but offset by more chance of short-stroking it. So, I prefer semi-auto. Something like a Benelli M4 Tactical, with a flashlight mount, laser sight mount, and bayonet/knife attachment, so even once you are out of ammo, you can still slash, stab, or club an intruder to stop them. Mossberg and Remington also do good shotguns, the pumps are cheap too. 3. At least 2 handguns of the *same* kind (training is critical, and you will shoot the gun you train on far better than one you don't), preferably a revolver (superior reliability, especially when stored for long periods; easier to operate than a semi-auto pistol), loaded with .38 special (revolvers) or 9mm (semi-autos). Do not use .357 magnum, .40 S&W, .45 ACP - the higher recoil, muzzle blast, and flash, makes them harder to maintain speed and accuracy on followup shots, especially in a small dark space like a bedroom at night. Only a small minority of experienced shooters can shoot the bigger calibres as accurately as they can the .38 special and 9mm. Bullet placement is 90% of stopping power - a .22 LR to the vitals will kill better than a .44 magnum to the elbow, let alone a miss. Good quality .38 special or 9mm ammo has 80%+ one-shot stop statistics, even the best .357 or .44 magnum only gets up to a bit above 90%, so not much difference. 4. Get several good combat knives (e.g. SOG Navy Seal 2000, or Cold Steel Black Bear Classic), and place them hidden around the house, 1 in each room. 5. Get two gun safes, a big one in the bedroom for the shottie, and a small one in the bed stand or under the bed, for your handgun. Keep your other handgun accessible elsewhere. 6. Ideally, take a shoulder holster and knife sheath, and carry 1 handgun, 1 knife, and 1 non-lethal weapon (pepper spray, taser) at all times. This will get you used to constantly carry weapons, which is a must for concealed carry outside the home. 7. Get the best instructor you can find locally, and get taught and train intensively until drawing, aiming, target ID, gun safety, shooting, reloading, clearing jams, gun retention, taking cover and returning fire from unconventional positions, home defence tactics, and legal issues around gun and knife use become second nature. This will take at least 6 months. Once you get better, start getting tactical training at police/soldier level, using sim ammunition, pop-up targets, or (best) other people shooting back at you with the non-lethal ammo. This will be expensive but is the only way you will learn to shoot under stress. Even pro cops and soldiers without sim-ammo training, only get accuracy of around 15-30% of shots, whereas properly trained pros get 80-90% accuracy under pressure situations. Boosting accuracy by a factor of 3 to 6 fold is BY FAR the best thing you can do. A trained shooter with a .22 LR handgun is more deadly than the typical gun owner with a .44 magnum or even a .50 BMG, just on accuracy and calm under pressure alone. Ignore the calibre and firepower fanatics, and focus on what is proven to work - training under as near to live-fire situations as you can get. 8. Keep in practise, study up on home defence drills, instruction etc. Call your local police and gun stores, NRA-certified instructors, get advice and do all the courses. If your local cops are decent, they may even send someone to take a look around your house and give you a home defence plan - you might be able to get one off-duty to advise you, for a modest fee. Get a CCW if legal in your state. Training is what saves lives, a weapon in untrained hands is as much of a liability as an asset. Doing some unarmed combat training is also useful, for weapon retention, getting to your gun/knife if surprised by an attacker, and so on. Also gets you into better shape and helps you fuck your woman better 9. Defense - get a stab-resistant ballistic vest/jacket with rifle plates, and a quality helmet. Hang the jacket by your bed, and put it on as soon as you suspect intrusion. A good vest will stop almost all handgun and shotgun rounds (on the protected part), and many rifle rounds, and will resist most stabs and slashes from sharp objects. You and your wife/gf/kids wearing vests will massively increase survivability against armed intruders. 10. You are in the country which has the best self-defence, gun, and weapons rights in the world. It would be a dereliction of duty and a waste of that privilege if you did not adequately arm, train, and defend yourself, your family, and other innocent people. Self-defence is a fun hobby, a good way to meet cool people, and unlike most things people do in their spare time, it is highly productive and might one day save lives. 11. Join the NRA or whatever local pro-gun & knife/self-defence rights groups and training organisations that exist. All it takes is complacency and a few knee-jerk authoritarian politicians and public figureheads for those rights to disappear.
Great list! I would also put that list up where the future intruder could read it before he decides to break in
Don't leave home without one. Keep your pistola's. Break into my house and you don't kill me with the first shot, and you probably won't, I'll be sending you straight to hell, and right quick. <iframe width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0NAgvEvxoIE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
You wear one of those to bed, Cap'n Obvious? Had to use a stilletto knife I had under my pillow once,worked on that occasion. Still can't stand the sight of blood.