you .38 snubby is fine for home defense..... its not about the ammo, its about shot placement, so by some good ammo, practice with it then buy more and repeat..... you can defend your home and loved ones with a can opener if you must. its motivation.

All pistols are about the same in the way they'll deter a perp - just having a gun will stop many, getting shot once will stop a lot more (who wants get shot a second time?). If the bad guy is determined then you've got to hit a vital organ - you need a lot of penetration and unless you have a 357 or 44 mag you're not gonna get it - and if you do have that you're neigbors may be at risk - but would be with any misses shots.

A shotgun is still an excellent defense weapon - no need to worry much about aim, no need to worry about killing your neighbors in their beds, and it will stop just about anyone with a couple of shots cause you'll be pelting them from head to toe and likley at close range especially if they first shot or two won't stop them.

As others have said accuracy counts more than anything. You can get XTP loads - a good bullet. Not sure if your gun can handle +p or that you'd want to shoot that from a snubby.

It's a fine pistol for HD.

Thanks for the replys guys. I'll def pick up some new ammo and get to the range with my snubby. Might consider a less bulky shotgun too.

Originally Posted by prof_fate

. . . A shotgun is still an excellent defense weapon - no need to worry much about aim, no need to worry about killing your neighbors in their beds, and it will stop just about anyone with a couple of shots cause you'll be pelting them from head to toe and likley at close range especially if they first shot or two won't stop them. . .

I'll agree a shotgun is "an excellent defense weapon".

Pardon me for disagreeing on the "no need to worry much about aim" and "pelting them from head to toe" with ANY shotgun in a confined space.

I'll just assume you have never actually fired a shotgun at "home defense ranges". Let's us say less than 10 yards (30 feet) is most likely ?
BSJ177 says he has several 12 gauge shotguns. So, he's probably familar with "patterning" for various barrel lengths, and for various "chokes".

As a kid, I hunted with a 12 gauge Win. Model 12 pump. 30" barrel, full choke. This is pretty much the "definition of a TIGHT pattern". With #2 or #4 shot, it was deadly on ducks out to 70 yards.
I live way out in the country. When my house was built, I got a Mossberg 500 pump, "self-defense" eight-shot. 20" barrel, "cylinder bore" -- no choke, just a tube.

I "patterned" it at 3, 7, 10, 15, 20, 30, and 40 yards. With both #7 1/2 birdshot (that's "small") and with 00 buckshot.
If you aren't "aiming on the target" out to 10 yards, on firing you will be relying on the "sound scaring the holy bejeezes" out of the perp. Which sound will have him (them) bailing out pronto.
Forget that BS about "racking the slide". If they are already in your apartment/house, why give up one round on the chance "the sound will scare them off".
Remember, if they are breaking in to your place, they are probably high on alcohol or meth or who knows what. Just scream "I got a shotgun". And use it if necessary.

For any apartment, which probably has some insulation between two layers of drywall, I'd sure recommend small birdshot, like #7 1/2 or even #9.
If you don't believe this, get a couple of pieces of drywall, and run a small test to "see what happens" with "small birdshot" and any of the buckshot SD rounds at 7-10 yards.
You will see that at "apartment distances" birdshot will do a REALLY fine job on any two-legged animal. Provided you hit it.

Of course, your mileage may vary, and I may just be an old duffer stuffed full of it up to my eyelids.