Self Defense Weapon for home

[J. Mark Flint #31954 LIFE]

At night my hands often go numb.  Not completely, but enough I worry that if I ever had an intruder, I worry I could not grip, or operate the controls on my 1911.  So my 12 Ga Coach gun is likely to get some buckshot loads and become my new bedside gun.

 

Does anyone have better options?

 

(I live alone and there is little chance of shooting through the walls)

[Eyesa Horg]

1 hour ago, J. Mark Flint #31954 LIFE said:

At night my hands often go numb.  Not completely, but enough I worry that if I ever had an intruder, I worry I could not grip, or operate the controls on my 1911.  So my 12 Ga Coach gun is likely to get some buckshot loads and become my new bedside gun.

 

Does anyone have better options?

 

(I live alone and there is little chance of shooting through the walls)

Mark try some wrist braces when you sleep. They are a bit annoying as the Velcro sticks to blankets etc, but it has helped mine a noticeable amount. Mine have opposing Velcro (2 different brands) and they stick to each other sometimes!! Cheap enough to be worth trying though. Good Luck

[Chantry]

I'd go with a pump or maybe reliable semi-auto.   Results from a quick search:

 

Copilot Search
Buckshot Wall Penetration — Risks and Best Practices
Buckshot is a common home defense choice, but it can penetrate multiple layers of drywall and other interior walls, making over-penetration a real concern Second Call Defense+1.

Why Buckshot Penetrates Walls
Drywall is not bulletproof — it’s made of lightweight gypsum board and paper, so most buckshot pellets will pass through it Second Call Defense.

00 buckshot (double-ought) is the most common home defense load, delivering 8–9 .33‑caliber pellets per shot. While it spreads energy over many pellets, it still retains enough momentum to punch through several drywall layers gunvera.com.

Slugs are far worse — they can penetrate 12+ layers of drywall and exit with lethal energy gunvera.com.

Even No. 4 buckshot (smaller pellets) can still penetrate up to 8 layers of drywall, though it carries less energy and is less likely to kill someone on the other side www.shootingnewsweekly.com.

Real-World Penetration Data
Ballistic tests show that buckshot can pass through multiple interior walls, potentially hitting occupants on the other side AmmoMan.com.

The risk is not just to neighbors — pellets can also hit family members if you’re in an adjacent room Second Call Defense.

Energy loss occurs with each layer, but enough remains to cause injury or death in some cases www.shootingnewsweekly.com.

Reducing Over-Penetration Risk
Choose buckshot over slugs for most home defense scenarios — buckshot spreads energy and is less likely to exit through multiple walls gunvera.com.

Use reduced-recoil loads like 00 buckshot with a FliteControl wad for better pattern control and less wall penetration gunvera.com.

Know your home’s layout — identify what’s on the other side of each wall before firing.

Consider pellet size trade-offs — No. 4 buckshot penetrates less but also delivers less stopping power; choose based on your threat model www.shootingnewsweekly.com.

Plan for legal and safety responsibilities — you are responsible for every pellet that leaves your firearm Second Call Defense.
Bottom Line
For most home defense at 5–15 yards, 00 buckshot is the standard choice because it balances stopping power with reduced over-penetration compared to slugs gunvera.com. However, you must accept that buckshot will still penetrate walls — the key is to minimize the risk by selecting the right load, understanding your environment, and making informed decisions before firing.

I strongly encourage everyone to do research on penetration of ANY home defense load.  A miss could injure/kill a relative in the same house or a neighboring house making you criminally & civilly liable.

 

For me, living in a condo/apartment I use the out of production Federal reduced recoil load of #2 SHOT, 1 1/4 @1145 fps.  Enough for the maybe 25 feet from bedroom door to front door.
 

[J. Mark Flint #31954 LIFE]

Anywhere I shoot from my bedroom would be backed up by multiple walls and most are backed by brick.  I'm confident that a .45ACP would be more likely to over penetrate.

[Rip Snorter]

In re the hands. If I rest them under the covers in military sleep position by my hips or on my thighs they don't go numb. As to the shotgun, if there are neighbors and potential penetration issues, smaller shot is in order and it will still blow a big hole at close range. Capstick used #4 Buck for Leopards.  I have big dogs and a 1911 45 with 11 230 GR HST on call plus another mag or two.  Where I live I can safely fire anything short of field artillery in any direction.

Edited August 1 by Rip Snorter
Typo

[Sheriff Dill]

Have you seen the Bersa guns. ? They range from $500-$1000 but they shoot non lethal pepper balls. ( I am not in anyway against lethal force if needed) but the less lethal may be easier on your hands and wrists. 
 

I know my wife has the same hand and wrist issues. The braces work well for her most of the time. 

[Rip Snorter]

1 minute ago, Sheriff Dill said:

Have you seen the Bersa guns. ? They range from $500-$1000 but they shoot non lethal pepper balls. ( I am not in anyway against lethal force if needed) but the less lethal may be easier on your hands and wrists. 
 

I know my wife has the same hand and wrist issues. The braces work well for her most of the time. 

Certainly a more attractive option, but... At the point where I feel I MUST shoot, inside my own home particularly, whatever I use must terminate the threat.  

[Eyesa Horg]

And hopefully with only one shot!

[Trailrider #896]

Use light birdshot. With the plastic shot cups found in most modern shotgun shells, at very close range the charge will act like a slug. But the shot will spread sufficiently to hopefully keep wall penetration to a minimum. Any shot hitting an intruder will likely be a sufficient distraction to allow more accurate shooting, or enough of a threat to cause an intruder to either flee or surrender!

[Sheriff Dill]

1 hour ago, Rip Snorter said:

Certainly a more attractive option, but... At the point where I feel I MUST shoot, inside my own home particularly, whatever I use must terminate the threat.  

Completely get that. Let us know what you decide as it may be a good options for others or our wives at home. 
 

Stay safe 

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

I keep my Mossberg loaded with Remington Tactical Buckshot rounds. Eight instead of nine 00 Buck pellets, a slightly reduced powder charge, and a buffering material, (I don't remember what), to help keep the pattern small. 

Since you live alone and aren't concerned about overpenetration, something like this might be a good choice. Most of the big ammo guys have a selection like it.

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

Birdshot, way less chance of damage to pipes and electrical.

Have you considered a double action revolver? 

[Texas Lizard]

Four legs and big teeth....

 

Texas Lizard

[Alpo]

1 hour ago, The Original Lumpy Gritz said:

Have you considered a double action revolver? 

I thought of suggesting that. My bedside gun is a 45 ACP double action revolver.

But he says he worries about having the hand strength to handle the controls.

The only controls you should have to worry about is thumb off the safety and pull the trigger.

A double action revolver does not have the safety to worry about, but the trigger pull should be about twice as much (or more) as for a 1911. That might be something to consider.

[J. Mark Flint #31954 LIFE]

Thanks for the thoughts. Its a rental unit, so f the pipes and electrical, I have insurance. If I grab a gun from bed, I have no concerns of overpenetration.  A double barrel shotgun with  buck shot has joined my 1911 and spare mags.

 

 

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

I don't mean to be gruesome, but I have been told by multiple police officers, if you shoot, shoot to kill.   A dead man can not testify against you and say it was not self defense.   Shooting to wound proves that you had enough time to think and realize that your life was not in danger, so therefore deadly force was not needed, so therefore, you had no legal reason to shoot.  So with that in mind, make sure you use something that will have enough lethal force to do the job.   Typically light birdshot loads used in SASS might not hit hard enough to kill.   Use at least a hunting or medium trap load if if you wanna use birdshot.   

 

[Tennessee Stud]

LTT Baretta 1301 E. Langton Blackout.   And look... don't worry about stuff like over-penetration... just worry about fire-power.  Many rounds of #4 Buck... not #00 Buck.  The LTT comes equipped with all the stuff you will need.

 

ts

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

Shotgun through drywall tests. I mean, since we're discussing it anyway...

 

[watab kid]

12 hours ago, J. Mark Flint #31954 LIFE said:

At night my hands often go numb.  Not completely, but enough I worry that if I ever had an intruder, I worry I could not grip, or operate the controls on my 1911.  So my 12 Ga Coach gun is likely to get some buckshot loads and become my new bedside gun.

 

Does anyone have better options?

 

(I live alone and there is little chance of shooting through the walls)

i dont live alone and there is someone directrly in the line of fire should an intruder get here - im using the shotgun as it wont penetrate the library books and wall behind them , but it will stop the intruder - to be fair its my 1897 so there is that sound factor to signal whats coming 

[Sedalia Dave]

Be very mindful of how you place your arms and hands when you lay down to sleep. You don't want to tightly curl your arms,  fingers, and wrists.  For reference it called the T-Rex position or sleeping with Dinosaur Hands.

 

Braces help prevent this. But a better solution is to be conscious of when you're doing it. Hugging a pillow can help keep you from curling your arms and wrists so tightly.

[Blackwater 53393]

I sleep with my hands flat on the bed or stretched out on my hip or a pillow.

 

I have peripheral neuropathy in my hands and feet. It’s not so bad that I can’t tell when I am holding a gun or a tool, but it requires my close attention.  I still do most of my mechanical stuff and I reload and shoot without issue.

 

I practice my home defense routines often and I use my Para 13/45 for my bedside gun. Schoolmarm has her ‘97 beside the bed on her side. Hatfield has his Mossberg and an S&W .40 in his room. Our positons when sleeping make it so that none of us are in the field of fire where any threat would HAVE TO PASS to do us any harm.

 

It isn’t obvious, but it’s not by accident!

 

I occasionally have my ten round 12ga semiautomatic shotgun standing beside the bed. The ammunition for all of these shotguns is #1 buckshot loaded hot enough to be effective at distances greater than the confines of my home.  #1 buckshot is roughly .30cal and there are twenty-one of those little pills in each shell.

[DeaconKC]

Maybe look at the Kahr polymer framed pistols. They are hammer fired, but it's internal, so the trigger feels like a long, but lighter DA revolver. No extra controls to mess with, just point and click. Their 9mm feeds anything and a light recoil load will not over penetrate. 

[ORNERY OAF]

Beretta A300, Federal 12 00 Buck,flight controlled load. Even a numb hand can operate an easy bolt and you got a super reliable 12g with 7rds...if you need more than that, buy a rifle.

 

[Three Foot Johnson]

I bought this Montgomery Ward Hawthorne Viking used ~45 years ago, cuz I couldn't afford anything better back then, cut the barrel off at 19" and added a mag tube extension for 6+1 capacity. If I loaded 2 5/8"ers, it would easily take 7 in the tube.

 

[Matthew Duncan]

For home defense I have hand held red laser.  I’ll point the laser at the intruder’s chest and the wife’s cats will shred them.

[Rye Miles #13621]

I have .38spl revolvers in different rooms and a pump shotgun in the basement.

[Chantry]

1.  There is no single 'right' answer, what is right for a person with brick walls and no one else to worry about, is not the right answer to someone with sheet rock walls and innocent people potentially in the line of fire.

 

2.  If your hands get numb go see a doctor, maybe something can be done to either fix it or prevent it from getting worse.

 

3.  I am a big fan of the Kahr pistols, but the very heavy slide spring may make it hard for people with hand issues to chamber a round.  A helpful tip that works, is to rotate the gun counter-clockwise to 9 o'clock, aka gang banger style, to chamber the round.  There are also devices & attachments online that can be attached to the gun to make chambering the round easier.

 

[Rye Miles #13621]

14 minutes ago, Chantry said:

1.  There is no single 'right' answer, what is right for a person with brick walls and no one else to worry about, is not the right answer to someone with sheet rock walls and innocent people potentially in the line of fire.

 

2.  If your hands get numb go see a doctor, maybe something can be done to either fix it or prevent it from getting worse.

 

3.  I am a big fan of the Kahr pistols, but the very heavy slide spring may make it hard for people with hand issues to chamber a round.  A helpful tip that works, is to rotate the gun counter-clockwise to 9 o'clock, aka gang banger style, to chamber the round.  There are also devices & attachments online that can be attached to the gun to make chambering the round easier.

 

I’ve been told to hold the slide and “push” the gun forward instead of pulling the slide back. It works for me!

[Badlands Bob #61228]

Move to a safer neighborhood.

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

12 hours ago, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said:

I don't mean to be gruesome, but I have been told by multiple police officers, if you shoot, shoot to kill.   A dead man can not testify against you and say it was not self defense.   Shooting to wound proves that you had enough time to think and realize that your life was not in danger, so therefore deadly force was not needed, so therefore, you had no legal reason to shoot.  So with that in mind, make sure you use something that will have enough lethal force to do the job.   Typically light birdshot loads used in SASS might not hit hard enough to kill.   Use at least a hunting or medium trap load if if you wanna use birdshot.   

 

I was trained to 'shoot to stop', I survived 2 gunfights with that mindset and training.

 

[Rye Miles #13621]

1 hour ago, Badlands Bob #61228 said:

Move to a safer neighborhood.

It can happen in any neighborhood. 🙄

Edited August 2 by Rye Miles #13621

[Three Foot Johnson]

On 8/2/2026 at 6:41 AM, Badlands Bob #61228 said:

Move to a safer neighborhood.

 

On 8/2/2026 at 8:02 AM, Rye Miles #13621 said:

It can happen in any neighborhood. 🙄

 

About 26+ years ago, my mostly blind and deaf old cocker spaniel alerted one night, so I got out of my chair, went to the door, and turned the outside lights on. Nothing, so I grabbed a gun and a flashlight and stepped out to take a look see. What I found was a block of firewood thrown through the drivers door window of my pickup... maybe not unheard of in some neighborhoods... but I live several miles out of town, a mile and a half up a dead end dirt road and my closest neighbor is a mile away.

[Doc Shapiro]

On 8/1/2026 at 7:25 AM, J. Mark Flint #31954 LIFE said:

At night my hands often go numb.  Not completely, but enough I worry that if I ever had an intruder, I worry I could not grip, or operate the controls on my 1911.  So my 12 Ga Coach gun is likely to get some buckshot loads and become my new bedside gun.

 

Does anyone have better options?

 

(I live alone and there is little chance of shooting through the walls)

 

Sorry to hear about the issues with your hands.  I have my own.  

 

A pump or semi auto shotgun might be a better selection just because there are more than 2 rounds at hand.  Best of luck figuring out the right solution.

 

FWIW, I have a 686 handy when in bed.  Nothing to jam, always goes bang.

[Blackwater 53393]

20 minutes ago, Three Foot Johnson said:

 

 

About 26+ years ago, my mostly blind and deaf old cocker spaniel alerted one night, so I got out of my chair, went to the door, and turned the outside lights on. Nothing, so I grabbed a gun and a flashlight and stepped out to take a look see. What I found was a block of firewood thrown through the drivers door window of my pickup... maybe not unheard of in some neighborhoods... but I live several miles out of town, a mile and a half up a dead end dirt road and my closest neighbor is a mile away.

Whose Cheerios did you pee in??

[sassnetguy50]

On 8/1/2026 at 10:33 AM, Sheriff Dill said:

Have you seen the Bersa guns. ? They range from $500-$1000 but they shoot non lethal pepper balls. ( I am not in anyway against lethal force if needed) but the less lethal may be easier on your hands and wrists. 
 

I know my wife has the same hand and wrist issues. The braces work well for her most of the time. 

Hmm, not sure a Bersa 45 is less lethal than a 1911.  Possibly you mean a Byrna launcher?  They do have entertaining commercials. 

 

Serious question, is there a minimum distance away from the attacker to safely use pepper balls?  Is it possible that some of the pepper will drift back to the shooter when both people are in a small room?

 

Edited August 4 by sassnetguy50