Also post your question on www.thehighroad.org ... lots of very knowledgeable, helpful folks there ... expert civilian shooters, LEO's (law enforcement officers), military, etc. I'll throw in my $0.02 from what I've learned.
Remington 870 pump shotgun with an 18 inch barrel is the classic home defense firearm. Takes more aiming than implied above, but it is an excellent defensive firearm ... can fire 00 buckshot, bird shot, slugs, etc. Very versatile.
There are rifles that fire the same ammo as handguns. For example, Marlin makes excellent lever action rifles that fire .44 magnum, .357 magnum ... both popular cartridges for revolvers. However, such rifles do not have the range / punch of a rifle firing a true rifle cartridge.
One of the best defensive rifles is a Bushmaster AR-15 ... more suitable for rural than urban defense due to the range of rifles / overpenetration. Less expensive is an AK-47, and reliable (NO, this is not a "machine gun" ... just a vilified semiauto rifle). Both are quite legal in most states (CA is a notable exception. I note you're from Indiana ... check out www.packing.org/state/indiana/ ... appears to be a free state ... Indiana State Constitution Article I, Section 32: "The people shall have a right to bear arms, for the defense of themselves and the State.")
Great handguns are Glocks, Smith & Wesson revolvers (stainless steel sounds good for you), Ruger revolvers, Sig's, H&K, perhaps in that order considering your comments.
Try to standardize on cartridges ... 9mm / .40 / .45 ACP for semi-auto pistols, .38 / .357 mag / .44 mag for revolvers. Usually .223 or 7.62 x 39 for the rifle. 12 gauge for the shotgun.
Bottom line is you can spend hours debating the relative merits of different firearms for different uses, but these are some classic choices.
Definitely get some training ... not too expensive, can usually take some good courses over the weekends, consider concealed carry training even if you don't want the permit (they'll spend a lot of appropriate time discussing the psychological and legal ramifications of armed self defense).
Then seek out intelligent storage devices ... if you have one or two firearms that make up your main defense, they should be clean, sighted in, loaded, and stored in a secure container ... they make pistol safes, a riflelocker (also for shotgun storage), etc. Yes, you'll have people tell you it's foolish to store a loaded firearm ... but if you ever need it, it is more foolish to have it unloaded. The right storage container makes it a moot point ... you're preparing for an event you hope never occurs ... but does in this country many times a day. And that storage container will keep the firearm away from unauthorized users, but quickly available to you and anyone else you authorize.
Best of luck.
Remington 870 pump shotgun with an 18 inch barrel is the classic home defense firearm. Takes more aiming than implied above, but it is an excellent defensive firearm ... can fire 00 buckshot, bird shot, slugs, etc. Very versatile.
There are rifles that fire the same ammo as handguns. For example, Marlin makes excellent lever action rifles that fire .44 magnum, .357 magnum ... both popular cartridges for revolvers. However, such rifles do not have the range / punch of a rifle firing a true rifle cartridge.
One of the best defensive rifles is a Bushmaster AR-15 ... more suitable for rural than urban defense due to the range of rifles / overpenetration. Less expensive is an AK-47, and reliable (NO, this is not a "machine gun" ... just a vilified semiauto rifle). Both are quite legal in most states (CA is a notable exception. I note you're from Indiana ... check out www.packing.org/state/indiana/ ... appears to be a free state ... Indiana State Constitution Article I, Section 32: "The people shall have a right to bear arms, for the defense of themselves and the State.")
Great handguns are Glocks, Smith & Wesson revolvers (stainless steel sounds good for you), Ruger revolvers, Sig's, H&K, perhaps in that order considering your comments.
Try to standardize on cartridges ... 9mm / .40 / .45 ACP for semi-auto pistols, .38 / .357 mag / .44 mag for revolvers. Usually .223 or 7.62 x 39 for the rifle. 12 gauge for the shotgun.
Bottom line is you can spend hours debating the relative merits of different firearms for different uses, but these are some classic choices.
Definitely get some training ... not too expensive, can usually take some good courses over the weekends, consider concealed carry training even if you don't want the permit (they'll spend a lot of appropriate time discussing the psychological and legal ramifications of armed self defense).
Then seek out intelligent storage devices ... if you have one or two firearms that make up your main defense, they should be clean, sighted in, loaded, and stored in a secure container ... they make pistol safes, a riflelocker (also for shotgun storage), etc. Yes, you'll have people tell you it's foolish to store a loaded firearm ... but if you ever need it, it is more foolish to have it unloaded. The right storage container makes it a moot point ... you're preparing for an event you hope never occurs ... but does in this country many times a day. And that storage container will keep the firearm away from unauthorized users, but quickly available to you and anyone else you authorize.
Best of luck.
