Home Defense Handguns – Self Defense Handguns

There is a difference in selecting a handgun for home defense and selecting a handgun for self defense. The home defense weapon can be a larger full size and heavier handgun with maximum magazine capacity. The handgun for self defense will most likely be used for concealed carry so the size and weight become a factor.

Handguns for home defense can be either a semiautomatic pistol or a revolver. The full size guns are well suited for the home defense scenario. They are easy to hold using either a two handed grip or one handed grip, easy to maneuver in the tight spaces of a hallway or a furnished room, and can carry the maximum number of rounds without much concern about weight. Inside and around the home the revolver or pistol can be carried in the most comfortable way with no worry about conceal ability.

Handguns for self defense are smaller than full size guns. The compact and subcompact size revolver or pistol are less conspicuous for concealed carry under a shirt, in the waistband, in a purse, etc. Another factor for consideration when selecting the best concealed carry pistol or revolver is weight. The gun tends to get heavier the longer it is carried so weight is indeed an issue. A concealed carry gun must be comfortable to carry or it won’t be carried.

The best handgun is the one that you feel comfortable with, can shoot accurately, and can handle safely. It really doesn’t matter which gun that is as long as you feel good with it and practice to become competent with it. There are many great handguns available and any one of them can easily be considered the “best handgun”. The best 9mm handgun is the one you like. The best .45 caliber handgun is the one you like. I have my preferences of the ones I have become familiar with and shot. My preferences change as I gain experience and try different guns.

My Top Ten Handguns. This list is absolutely subjective. Any top ten list declaring the top ten handguns is opinion. I searched the Internet to review ten different lists and found ten different results. Some were downright comical to me. What I discovered is that there are few handguns that show up time and again on just about every list. The model 1911 is a favorite, the Beretta 92 is a top choice, the Glock 17 and other Glock pistols are always very popular. HK pistols, and Sig Sauer pistols are well known as quality firearms and are most always among the top choices.

My top ten list is made up of guns I own and shoot. You will notice that all my guns are pistols. I agree that revolvers are extremely reliable but I like the ease of loading a magazine, magazine capacity, and the trigger on the semi-auto pistols. If I ever buy a revolver, I think the Smith & Wesson 627 with 8 rounds of .38 special/.357 will be the one.

My top Ten List of Best Handguns (in no particular order)

  1. Glock 17 9mm – My first handgun and popular world wide
  2. Glock 19 9mm – Love the feel of this gun, will be a great CCW
  3. Glock 26 9mm – Baby Glock is small, easy to conceal, and is very accurate
  4. Glock 21SF .45 ACP – My first .45 ACP, discovered I love to shoot the .45
  5. Glock30SF .45 ACP – Liked the Glock 21SF so much I bought this for CCW
  6. SIG Sauer P226 9mm – Used by Navy SEALs, 15 + 1 Rds
  7. Beretta PX4 Storm 9mm – Easy to shoot, outstanding trigger, accurate
  8. Kimber Crimson Carry .45 ACP – An absolutely beautiful gun
  9. CZ 75B 9mm – A very nice looking gun that shoots as good as it looks
  10. CZ 2075 Rami 9mm – Compact version of the CZ 75B 10Rds or 14 Rds of 9mm
  11. Beretta 92SF Inox Stainless 9mm 15 + 1 Rds
  12. FNP-9 9mm – Got it new for $389.00, comes from FN with 3 mags
  13. Browning BuckMark Plus .22 Cal, A beautiful, accurate, fun to shoot pistol
  14. Smith & Wesson 686 Plus in stainless 7 Rds of .357 magnum
  15. Kimber Solo Carry 9mm Subcompact – 6 Rds, A beautiful pocket pistol looks like a mini 1911

NOTE: My Top Ten List has grown to 15 handguns listed. I just can’t help myself, I keep buying guns. I also owned an FNP-45 but exchanged it for the Glock 30SF.

Handgun manufacturers

  • Taurus handguns – First to offer a Lifetime Free Repair Policy. At one time owned by the company that owned Smith & Wesson. Purchased the Beretta Brazil factory, gun plans, machinery, and tooling 1980. This resulted in the Taurus 92 9mm pistol, and the Taurus 99 9mm pistol. The Taurus 92 is an improved Beretta 92. Also makes the Taurus Judge Public Defender.
  • Beretta handguns – Beretta is owned by the same family for over four hundred years! The Beretta 92 series is famous for its reliability and is used by the U.S. military as the M9.
  • Kimber handguns – builds the world’s finest 1911 pistols with exceptional quality, fit, and finish.
  • Springfield Armory handguns – builds several 1911 models and polymer frame XD series pistols.
  • Smith & Wesson handguns – Made in the USA since 1852, manufactures revolvers and polymer frame M & P series pistols, also a distributor for Walther.
  • Sig Sauer handguns – World renowned firearms are high quality, reliable, and provide unmatched performance. A third of all law enforcement professionals prefer Sig Sauer firearms
  • Glock handguns – Not pretty but elegant in its simplicity. The most popular pistols in the world. Famous for reliability, light weight polymer frame, “safe action” trigger, ease of use, and high magazine capacity. Available in all popular calibers.
  • Ruger handguns – makes rugged and reliable revolvers, pistols, and rifles.
  • Desert Eagle Handguns – Manufactured by Magnum Research, Inc., Large caliber semiautomatic pistols in .44 Cal. and .50 Cal.
  • CZ handguns – CZ USA produce very high quality rifles, shotguns, and semiautomatic pistols such as the famous CZ-75B.
  • FN USA handguns – Produce machine guns for the U.S. military. Produce high quality accurate rifles such as the FNAR .308, and the polymer frame FNP-9,FNP-45, and the new FNX series of pistols.
  • Colt handguns – Produced the first 1911 pistol. Famous for line of Colt revolvers, Colt rifles, and Colt pistols.
  • Bersa handguns – Manufactured in Argentina. Bersa pistols are high quality, dependable, and reasonably priced self defense handguns.
  • Rossi handguns – Rifles, revolvers, and shotguns manufactured in Brazil. Family operated since 1889 but now owned by Taurus.
  • Tanfoglio handguns – Manufactured in Italy. Produce high quality sport, competition, self defense, and 1911 model pistols.

The sources to find Handguns for sale include your local gun store. My local store happens to be Scheels Sporting Goods. They have a wide selection of rifles, shotguns, and handguns. I made some very good buys there buying guns on sale.

My favorite site to buy handguns online is Buds Gun Shop. They have a brick and mortar store in Lexington, Kentucky. I find the best prices on handguns at Buds Gun Shop online. It is just hard to beat their low prices which include delivery to your FFL dealer. Buds also has listings for used handguns for sale. Their used handgun prices are also quite good.

Another great source to buy handguns online is GunBroker.com. I purchased my Browning BuckMark Plus through GunBroker and am very pleased with the purchase. I also bought a rifle and a shotgun using GunBroker.com with excellent results.