A home invasion can be very bad. Home invaders normally run in packs of two to four people. They may be buzzed on meth or heroin and can be very violent. They may be looking for valuables or drugs. Even worst, is they could be looking for fun and have their sick way with you and your family members. Rape and torture are a sport for many thugs.
What are you going to use to defend yourself? A knife or baseball bat? Most likely one or all of the home invaders will be packing a pistol. A baseball bat or knife will do you no good in a gunfight.
Having a high capacity pistol or revolver will put you on an even playing field with the criminals. Having a pump shotgun or rifle is even better, and could give you the upper hand.
Defend Your Community: Autoloading Rifle
A weapon for this purpose needs to reach out there, plus have firepower. Prepping for war, you need a good semi-auto rifle with open sights.
With practice, you should be able to hit a basketball-size target at 200 yards. Low-cost ammo is important too, as you will need to stockpile. My first choice would be the AR-15 M4 rifle as parts and accessories are plentiful.
The second choice would be a toss-up between an AKM (AK-47) and Ruger Mini-14.
Both excellent weapons. See the Cheap AR-15 rifles website, as they list the best AR rifles on the market priced under $750.
Protect Your Home: Pump Shotgun
The autoloading shotguns are cool but have limited capacity. Get yourself a pump shotgun that carries at least 5 rounds of 12ga 2 3/4 shells in the tube. An ammo sling or shoulder bag with 15 rounds of backup ammunition is a good idea too. Pump shotguns are cheap, with prices starting under $200 for some imports.
My favorites are the Mossberg 590 and Remington 870 police. The Escort Aimguard and Rock Island M5 are two of the best cheap shotguns.
Keep an ammo stash of #8 target, #00 buck, and slugs. The #8 will be your cheap practice and hunting ammo. The pistol grip 18″ barrel shotguns look cool, but are not that fun to shoot.
Protect Your Family: High Capacity Handgun
If you can only afford one weapon for home protection, choose a high capacity handgun. A good pistol you can shoot well should be your first choice. One without an external thumb safety is best. In panic mode, all you need to do is pull the trigger. Calibers 9mm, 40 S&W;, and 45 ACP are all great with easy to find ammo. I would give the advantage to the 9mm for the high magazine capacity and cheaper ammunition. I am not going to tell you what brand of the pistol is the best. My advice is to see what the cops carry. The Best 9mm pistols site ranks and reviews over 30 handguns.
Some family members may not be able to grasp the function of a pistol. A double-action revolver may be a better choice for them. A D/A revolver is simple to load and easy to shoot. The first choice should be the 357 magnum, as it can also shoot popular 38 special ammunition. Even a cheaper single action cowboy gun in 357 makes a good home defense weapon. It is natural to pull the hammer back then fire. My wife does this with D/A revolvers too.
Protect Yourself: EDC & Concealed Carry
I always liked the concept of concealed carry. It is good to be armed when you are out and about. Nothing makes you feel more free and safe than a loaded gun.
For many years I could never grasp the EDC or “everyday carry” when you are at home. I thought EDC was only for paranoid nut jobs. What I have learned is there are times to be paranoid. A few examples: Riots are breaking out a few blocks from your house. Some of your neighbors have reported home break-ins. Three convicts just escaped from jail. People in the house down the street are rumored to be dealing drugs. You just fired a bad employee. Your daughter had a nasty breakup with her boyfriend. You are a witness to a crime.
My first EDC weapon choice would be a sub-compact single stack 9mm like the Kahr CW9 or Springfield XDS. A 380 ACP pocket-size handgun would be good too, as you won’t notice the bulk or weight. See the CCW concealed carry website as they have a weight sorted list of most concealed carry guns.
Stash Guns: Keep Weapons Within Reach
Don’t let bad guys get between you and a gun. In a home invasion, seconds do count. I think about how terrible it would be if someone broke into my home while I was in the shower. What if meth-heads got in through the bedroom window where I keep my pistol in the nightstand and shotgun in the closet? Meanwhile, the wife, kids, and I are watching TV in the living room. We would be in trouble!
Stash guns should be low-cost firearms that you can afford to buy plenty of. Handguns are the best, as they are easy to stash. Good stash points are Bathroom cabinet (inside Ziplock bag). Kitchen cabinet. Under the living room couch (the invaders will force you to lay on the floor). In the garage. The utility room. In the basement. If you have young children in the home, make sure guns are secure or out of reach.
The price limit is set at $350 for stash guns. A few good ones are the Taurus 85 revolver (pictured), Smith & Wesson SD9 (pictured), Walther PPX, Kahr CT9, SCCY CPX-2, Taurus 111 G2, Kel-Tec P-11, and Bersa Thunder 380.
See The Best Cheap Pistols Under $350
Cache Weapons: Guns, Ammo, & Knives
Cache weapons are for when your home security has been compromised. You flee out the back door and grab weapons from your hidden cache. Now you can go back inside to save a family member or property. When you re-enter your home, you may need some serious firepower. The cache is good for if your house burns down too. You may be homeless, but well-armed.
Your Cache: An old large Igloo cooler, or another watertight container. Loaded pistol grip shotgun with ammo sling. Loaded medium-size pistol with a nylon holster on a rope; so you can tie it around your waist or hang on your shoulder. Hunting knife. Include your choice of survival stuff like; snack food, water, blanket, and a tarp.
Load up your cooler and bury it in the back yard, far away from your house. Make sure the lid is only 3 inches below the surface so you can dig it out with your hands. Another idea is to place it under a birdbath or flower pots flush with the ground, instead of covering with dirt. Don’t spend a lot of money on your cache weapons.
22 Rifle Food Getter: Ultimate Survival
A semi-automatic 22 rifle is awesome for hunting small game. With the firepower, the 22 autoloading rifles will work for self-defense in a pinch. At cheap prices, a 22 rifle should be part of your weapons collection. Keep quality ammunition on hand like the CCI Mini mags, Remington Golden, and Federal bulk pack. The hard-hitting Winchester 42 Max and Remington Viper ammunition are best for defense.
Good ones are the Ruger 10/22, Marlin Model 60, and Savage 64. The 22 rifle is a great tool to get your family involved in a shooting.
High Power Bolt Action Rifle: Stopping Power
A scoped deer rifle can double as a sniper weapon. This is not the main reason we have it listed for home defense. A high powered deer rifle can kill a car engine. It can shoot through a car long-ways. Thugs are smarter than you think. Some of them may be wearing body armor. At close range, an 300 Winchester magnum will shoot through level IV bulletproof vest, including the breast-plate! The 300 Winchester can shoot through cinder-block walls too. The 270 Winchester and 30-06 Springfield will penetrate the popular level III vest at about any range.
I would stick to the long action popular calibers, like the 270, 30-06, 7mm Remington Mag, and 300 Winchester. If Walmart has it, it is popular. Ruger, Remington, Marlin, Mossberg, and Savage make good budget-priced high power bolt action rifles.
Bug-out Bag Gun: Get Out Of Town Fast
What are the best firearms for a bug-out bag? Really just about any that will fit, that isn’t too heavy. You need to take the weight and bulk of the ammunition into consideration too. A bug-out gun will not only be used for protection but may be used for small game hunting too.
There is no real wrong choice, but a 22LR pistol is almost ideal. Do some research, as half of the 22 pistols on the market are jam-o-matics. The top 3 choices are the Smith & Wesson M&P22;, Ruger SR22, and Bersa Thunder 22. These three are lightweight and feed premium ammo just fine. The hard-hitting Winchester 42 Max and Remington Viper ammunition is best for defense.
Why America Stays Free
Here in the USA, we have the best army in the world, but sometimes it is stretched thin from conflicts around the globe.
The main reason we will never be invaded is our quiet civilian army. We are talking about 120 million gun owners in America with 270 million firearms. Over 15 million have a hunting license. This is 15 million hunters that know how to shoot and handle a high powered rifle or shotgun. 15 million hunters that know how to stalk, find a target and kill. They also have camping gear and 4×4 trucks!
Take the state of Michigan for example. There are 700,000 hunters in Michigan. This would make Michigan hunters the 6th largest army in the world; bigger than France and the United Kingdom combined!
