Choosing a Handgun for Home Defense - Part 1 - Handgun Type

There are few weapons as capable of defending your home as a handgun, they are compact and lightweight, making them a good option for discreet, or even non-discreet, carry and storage around the home. This is part 1 of our 5 part series. The goal of this series will not be to tell you which handgun to choose, but to present you with options that will assist you in choosing the right handgun for you. There are four basic very important options that you need to decide on when choosing a handgun for home defense. They are:

• Type
• Size
• Caliber
• Capacity

To begin with, let's discuss the handgun type and hopefully that will help you begin to narrow down your search.

Handgun Type

There are two most common types of handguns (excluding muzzle-loaders, double barrel, single-shot, etc.):

Semi-Automatic

Semi-Automatic Pistols (and all semi-automatic firearms period) fire one bullet per trigger pull. So to shoot 5 bullets, you have to pull the trigger and release it 5 times. While the other handgun types are also of the semi-automatic type, 'Semi-Automatic Pistols' generally move to the next bullet using the energy from the previously fired bullet. In most, the previously-fired bullet's energy pushes the slide back, the extractor releases the bullet casing, and the next bullet in the magazine is pushed up and into the barrel for firing. Pretty simple, and amazingly quick. Most typically use a magazine to hold the bullets, inserted into the grip.

Pros:

• Generally have a higher capacity of bullets than the other handgun types (modern full-size 9MM Luger pistols contain around 15 rounds or more, compared to the 5 rounds of most revolvers)
• Controls are not too difficult to learn and operate
• Most modern semi-automatics have rails underneath the slide/frame to allow mounting of lasers/lights

Cons:

• Might be more difficult for those with disabilities (specifically arm/hand disabilities) to operate (even using proper technique)
• Possibility of jamming/failing (from Failure to Eject (FTE) to Failure to Feed (FTF) to a complete magazine failure)
• Less reliable (to not fail) than revolvers

Revolver

Revolvers also fire one bullet per trigger pull. They basically consist of a cylinder that contains the bullets to be fired, and a barrel. There are single action and double action revolvers. Single action require you to 'cock' the hammer before being able to fire. Double action does not require you to cock the hammer, simply pulling the longer trigger pull will both cock the hammer and fire the revolver. With each cocking turns the revolver's cylinder to the next bullet.

Pros:

• Very reliable design (if bullet fails to fire, you pull the trigger again and can fire another bullet)
• Typically uses more powerful bullets compared to a similar size (diameter) bullet for semi-automatics
• Simpler to operate than semi-automatics

Cons:

• More limited ammunition capacity (many only hold 5 rounds, which you may or may not be comfortable with)
• Thickness
• Most do not have a rail underneath the barrel for mounting lasers/lights

Handgun Material

The two most-commonly used materials (with both types of handguns) are polymer and metal for the frames.

Polymer is a high-strength nylon-based plastic. It is resistant to extreme temperature changes, isn't metal therefore cannot rust/corrode, lightweight, and resistant to shock. It does not absorb recoil as well as metal.

The first successfully marketed version of the polymer handgun:

Your other option is metal, typically stainless steel. Stainless steel does not stain, corrode, or rust as easily as plain ole' steel, but isn't rust proof. It is metal so therefore it has a little heft to it. Metal absorbs recoil better than polymer.

The Browning Hi-Power, a classic steel 9MM:

Click this link to continue to Part 2 of our Choosing a Handgun for Home Defense blog post series.