Originally Posted By: billt460
I'm just not seeing any of that as much, if any advantage in the confines of a average size house. Where you are going to engage at 25' or less.
Accuracy is accuracy. Increased energy, is increased energy. Long gun in sufficient caliber beats pistol in sufficient caliber. Period.
Originally Posted By: billt460
Another thing is most of this high performance 9 MM self defense pistol ammunition, is designed to be driven at the specific velocities that are produced in pistol length barrels. Not rifle barrels. The powder burn rates are set up for handguns... Not rifles.
Out of a long gun, you get additional velocity, which creates faster hollow point expansion, and larger hollow point expansion. As such, a bonded Speer Gold dot 124+P out of a rifle length barrel will probably penetrate 12 inches instead of 14 inches it attains out of a pistol. A non-bonded bullet such as Federal 9BPLE, which is known for fragmenting, will fragment more violently.
Originally Posted By: billt460
If a person cannot achieve consistent hits with a pistol on a silhouette size target, at 25' or less with good night sights, they've got no business using one in the first place. It's not that hard to do with some basic practice.
From all my time I spend on the range, Ive noticed some trends. I can honestly say that at least 75% of the shooting public have no idea what they are doing with a handgun. Wrong grip, bad technique, bad skills, terrible accuracy, limp wristing, can't quickly clear jams, it goes on and on and on. Shooting a stationary paper target is not good training for a defensive encounter. And bad guys dont sit still and tend to move and run.
Originally Posted By: billt460
If you feel a 9 MM pistol with good ammunition is of questionable power for home defense, a carbine in the same caliber isn't going to improve it much, if any. If you feel you need the power a rifle provides, that's fine. No argument there. But carry one in a rifle caliber. .223, .300 Blackout, or whatever. At least then you are gaining enough from a ballistic standpoint to make it worth the effort. And even then, if you're not going to feel safe unless you have the power and accuracy you feel a long gun provides, carry a short barreled shotgun and be done with it.
I own a Beretta carbine and an AR15. I keep the AR15 next to the bed. I certainly feel a .223 carbine is more effective than a 9MM carbine for home defense. BUT. A person is MUCH more likely to get accurate hits with a long gun. One guesstimate I saw was that 90% of long gun rounds fired hit their human target, compared to 25-30% of pistol rounds. I can honestly say, with authority, that a 9MM Beretta carbine is a MUCH better home defense gun than any pistol.
I have a lot of training in this arena. And I cannot and will not recommend a pistol for PRIMARY home defense. Secondary, bump in the night, give to the wife while she is on 911, sure. But not for PRIMARY home defense use.
So like I said earlier, "Lets be honest. A Beretta CX4 9MM carbine with a 30 rd magazine is a fantastic home defense gun. Its better than ANY pistol. "