Gun recommendation for home defense? (Canada)

[Lishy]

Hey guys. I wish to become a gun owner to protect my home and family from intruders. However, I live in Quebec, Canada, and I wish to own a gun which will not pierce walls (As my home is connected with theirs..)


Any gun recommendations for what I can legally get here in Quebec, Canada? I hear a shotgun is good for my purposes since the spreaded shot doesn't pierce?

I don't want something suspicious though, since Quebec is that one uptight gun-control province in Canada where they're the only ones demanding to keep the long-gun registry...

So what gun should I get to defend my home and family from intruders?

[brushfire]

Anything with enough power to stop a man will penetrate a wall, and possibly kill a family member

Always know your target, and whats behind it.

The shotgun will work fine with the right ammo, but as with anything, you should train. 20ga is a good choice for a shotgun. You'll get a wound that is very close to a 12ga but much less recoil. http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/ayoob120.html

Remington 870 or Mossberg 500 will do - take your pick, as far as pump actions go. I like the 870 myself.

Good luck

[CaptainAmerica]

shotgun that makes a loud "chik chik" to scare anyone away

[Lishy]

Seriously, I don't want to accidentally break something in my neighbor's house or hurt someone...

So, assuming something DOES pierce the wall, is there any particular gun which wouldn't be fatal to my neighbor?

[pauljmccain]

Don't get a shotgun unless you're planning to train tactically with it. The last thing you'll feel comfortable doing is poking a barrel around corners. And there's no way you're going to keep it stored safely and also have it ready to use unless you want a large gun safe by your bed.

Don't pump the shotgun to make a noise- if the intruder is armed, that just tells them where to look when you do swing that thing around the corner. Someone loudly, confidently, and firmly yelling "I am well trained and am prepared to kill you with my firearm right now, get out" is just as effective.

Get a 9mm or .45 handgun with a laser, good defense hollowpoint ammunition, which won't pierce walls, and a bio or "keypad" safe which keeps your firearm safely stored, but can be hidden from plain sight and also opened at a moment's notice.

[Verrater]

Don't get a shotgun unless you're planning to train tactically with it. The last thing you'll feel comfortable doing is poking a barrel around corners. And there's no way you're going to keep it stored safely and also have it ready to use unless you want a large gun safe by your bed.

Don't pump the shotgun to make a noise- if the intruder is armed, that just tells them where to look when you do swing that thing around the corner. Someone loudly, confidently, and firmly yelling "I am well trained and am prepared to kill you with my firearm right now, get out" is just as effective.

Get a 9mm or .45 handgun with a laser, good defense hollowpoint ammunition, which won't pierce walls, and a bio or "keypad" safe which keeps your firearm safely stored, but can be hidden from plain sight and also opened at a moment's notice.

Pretty much this, except for the fact hollow points will pierce walls, but that leads back to know your target, rule 4.
Shotguns are horribly unwieldy in hallways and around tight corners.
So unless you live in a studio apartment or a very open house, I'd wait on that.
The most important thing you can ever buy, is training and practice. Take a class and make sure that class has some focus on retention.
Know the laws and have a script. Practice it and know it by heart.
I'm not familiar with Canadian gun laws but if you are required to have a safe. Get something like Paul suggested.
http://www.gunsafereviews.org/wp-con...e-Gun-Safe.jpg

I abhor the biometric ones as they can be unreliable. Make sure you practice with the opening the safe. When your alarm goes off in the morning open the safe. Open it every morning when you first wake up. It will become like second nature and you wont have to worry as much about trying to remember the code or fumbling with the buttons in an emergency.

[alucard13mmfmj]

i assume with training and target practice there would be less chance of missing and piercing walls.

i hope canada is not like in the USA... where if you shoot to defend, you can get in trouble or get sued until you are bankrupted . or if you shoot a person that is of different skin color or is a minority... u are a racist.

[osan]

Hey guys. I wish to become a gun owner to protect my home and family from intruders. However, I live in Quebec, Canada, and I wish to own a gun which will not pierce walls (As my home is connected with theirs..)

Good for you, but be damned sure to consult with a lawyer or other "proper authority" on the legalities of self-defense. In dumps like England self-defense is pretty much a crime that will get you into very hot water. Assuming Canada is not that bad, make sure you are confident that you have been given the right information. If perchance you are ever called upon to discharge your weapon whilst staving off an attack, you want to be reasonably certain that you will not be clapped into irons for having done so.

Any gun recommendations for what I can legally get here in Quebec, Canada? I hear a shotgun is good for my purposes since the spreaded shot doesn't pierce?

Shotguns are perhaps the best overall self-defense weapons, though some will argue this. Nevertheless they are well suited to the task, and perhaps in some ways better so than in the USA because as I recall you can buy short-barreled guns there down to 13". This may be good from several standpoints. Firstly, the weapon is shorter, making it more readily maneuverable in tight quarters. Secondly, the shorter barrels will most likely result in lower muzzle velocities (shorter time at pressure == slower mass exiting barrel). Thirdly, the shorter barrel will allow for a bit broader spread, which aids one when they are gushing with adrenaline, making aim slightly less critical. This does NOT mean you do not have to aim at all, but only that you have a little more margin for error. If you get a short barreled gun, you'd best get your hide to a range and fire at targets at varying distances so you will know precisely what you have going on with the gun in these respects.

Possible disadvantages to the short barreled gun are that they will be VERY loud and the compression wave coming off the muzzle will be more strongly felt. Two more reasons to get to the range and practice. Also bear in mind that there will be a very large difference in noise and shock effects between outside fire and that within a confined space. Get yourself some electronic "ears". Inexpensive sets are readily available. When you put them on and turn them on, they transmit all sound (will even amplify them) but turn off completely any time a loud noise with fast rise time is encountered, such as when you discharge a firearm. I use mine all the time and they are a true miracle of technology. These will allow you, given the lead time to actually get them on in a real situation, to hear what is going on in the house, for example, but not blow out your ear drums if you must shoot. This is a great advantage over an intruder because the blast will likely disorient him, giving you a brief moment to for a second shot while not suffering the same effect as he.

As for over penetration, that can be a problem because if you do not penetrate the intended target your life may be forfeit. You can use a lower powered load with smaller shot sizes. I like #4 buckshot because it delivers a lot of pellets (27 in a standard load) that are large enough to do the job but not as large as 00 or 000 buck which are in the 1/4" neighborhood and larger. KNow the general rules for shooting, one of which is to know what is behind your target. If you feel there is an area most likely to serve as a backstop in the event you must shoot, I would line the wall with some 16- or even 14-ga. sheet metal. For example, if you feel you are most likely to retreat to your bedroom, the wall by the door that would most likely be in the path of your shot can be reinforced in that manner, thereby minimizing the risk of penetrating the wall. It would not be terribly costly, could be hung such that it is readily removed if so desired, and can be painted or powder-coated the same color as the rest of the house to eliminate an eyesore.

Once again, make sure you know the law on such things, but all else equal I would not worry excessively about over penetration. If you justifiably need to shoot, then your very life is hanging in the balance and you cannot cloud your thinking with such worries. You have to be clear and present in order to neutralize the threat before you. Life can be a very messed up affair at times. At no time are you ever obliged to give your life away to anyone else, not even an innocent bystander. If law in Canada says otherwise, then I urge you to live somewhere else. No jokes. Any system of law that would ultimately call for you to go to prison for defending yourself, all protests to the contrary notwithstanding, is dangerously insane. Just my opinion. If, heaven forbid, you ever injured a third party in the defense of your own life, that guilt lies with your attacker and not you, no matter what any law to the contrary might say.

I don't want something suspicious though, since Quebec is that one uptight gun-control province in Canada where they're the only ones demanding to keep the long-gun registry...

What do you mean by "suspicious"?

If you want the most innocuous looking weapon (sporting purposes?), then a double barreled side-by-side gun may suit you. Be absolutely certain that you get a gun with automatic ejectors, which will kick the spent shells from the chambers when you open the weapon to reload. If you go this route, you'd better report back to us that you are practicing regularly with it - at LEAST once every two weeks for your first year, of not more often and if not longer. In a dark house, having just shot at someone, not having had the opportunity to get your ears on, head ringing wildly, adrenaline gushing in your veins, you CANNOT afford not to be well practiced in rapidly reloading the weapon by feel. I would strongly recommend you get at least half a dozen "snap caps", which in your case would be plastic objects shaped and sized like shot shells that you can use to dry-fire the weapon. You get in your bedroom, turn out the lights at night, make like you are shooting at someone, then reload the gun in pitch black by feel alone. You have a standard ammo set up such as a short bandolier-type holder that fixes to the stock so you have ammo right there where you need it. BOOM, BOOM, gun is opened, shells fly out, and you have two more in and the gun is locked and the safety immediately off. Do this over and over and over and over again until either I tell you "stop" or you decide to come to WV and murder me.

This last bit is absolutely crucial to saving your life and you MUST NOT shirk that responsibility to yourself and perhaps any family or guests that may be with you. This shit is serious as a heart attack and a side-by side gun is not the first tactical choice for such situations. So if you want to not be "suspicious" to "them" (not sure why you'd give a shit what they think, but everyone is different and Canada is not entirely rational on these matters AFAIK, so you may have good reason) and have a "nice" shotgun instead of an EvilleBabySlaughtering(tm) one, then you must do these sorts of drills so you will be prepared if the time ever comes. And no matter how well you train, you will never be fully prepared for what will ensue, so be aware of that as well. If you survive, you will have a PTS reaction that may not manifest until after the fact, possibly a day or more removed, so do not think you are "alright" because chances are you will not be. Just be aware of this and do not fear it - it is all part of being a human being to whom bad things have happened. You will recover.

So what gun should I get to defend my home and family from intruders?

See above. Barring that, I would get a pump gun. The Remington 870 is a good choice. Not too $$ at all, and super-reliable. They feed well ( a jam could be a life ending error for the shooter) and go bang when you pull the trigger - the two most important qualities for home defense.

See if you can shoot before buying. Try 12 and 20 ga. If you are not recoil sensitive, I would opt for 12 ga. - 20 otherwise. Do not buy a 16 ga for 2 reasons. First, ammunition is not common and second, they tend to kick like a mule. I am not at all recoil sensitive but when I was 16 I shot a friend's 16 ga. Franchi and it hurt. Never again.

[osan]

i hope canada is not like in the USA... where if you shoot to defend, you can get in trouble or get sued until you are bankrupted . or if you shoot a person that is of different skin color or is a minority... u are a racist.

This differs by state. In places if you shoot righteously you are immune from suits. There are "stand your ground" and "castle" laws on the books in many states such that you are not obliged by law to "retreat to the wall", which is rank stupidity.

[JebSanderson]

shotgun that makes a loud "chik chik" to scare anyone away

Why would you cock your shotgun and lose a shell?