Hello All,

I have decided to buy a firearm for home/property defense. I have been reading other posts in this forum about the subject, but since we have a very restrictive legislation about firearm possession in Brazil, it's dificult to me to make a final decision.

My situation is: couple without children, living in a five acres rural property with two rural employees. A few cases of violent robbery in the neigthborhood in the last years, and some accidents with feral dogs and venoum snakes.

I can legaly purchase a long and a short gun.

My options for long guns are:

01- .22 rifle, bolt action or semi-automatic

02 - copy of winchester 1892 in .38 spl (Rossi Puma)

03 - 12 gauge pump shotgun

my options for hand guns are:

01 - a revolver in .22, .32 or .38 spl

02 - a semi automatic in .22, .32 acp or .380 acp

The aquisiton of ammunition is also severely controled.

what combination of long and short gun do you think is the more adequate for my situation?

Thank you very much in advance,

Best regards,
Fabio

I would recommend for your situation the Rossi Puma (which i believe is a lever action) in .38 special and the revolver in 38 special. That way the ammunition is interchangeable between the firearms.

BUT depending on your firearms experience you may be better off with the 22 caliber firearms but I would worry about using 22s on the feral dogs and as self defense weapons.

The acquiring of ammunition is the biggest problem I can see in order to be proficient in the use of the firearms.

If it was at all possible I would recommend getting 4 firearms total the 22s for practice and small pest/snake control and the 38 special for self defense

Being that you are in Brazil I would recommend Taurus as a nice 22 revolver as I own a model 94 9 shot 22 from Taurus.

YMMV
Kirby

Shotgun with the caveat your wife, in fact everyone will need practise to become accustomed to the recoil. Forget 00 buckshot. The next pellet sizes down provide greater projectile # and chances of hits. Your limitations on ammunition should guide you to buy some shot usefull on snakes and the big stuff for feral dogs and feral people. For a handgun get the 38 or 32 REVOLVER.Anyone can master the 38 and lesser calibers. The famed pistol master, Ed McGivern stated it was the most powerfull cartridge that could be used for rapid fire under full control. The .32 is something of a ne plus extra for outstanding accuracy and little recoil.Again, your wife will probably be able to shoot it well under stress. Semi automatic firearms involve safeties and various loaded conditions.In a high stress situation a double action revolver is very simple, just pick it up and squeeze the trigger.

Assuming these weapons are intended for personal/home defense, the long gun should be: 03 - 12 gauge pump shotgun -- feral dogs, snakes, two legged varmints.

The only thing the handgun adds is that you can carry it easier; with the options you have, .38 Spl.

Personal opinion, mileage varies.

Hello from Oklahoma USA. We have lots of guns and ammo here and hope that you figure out what may be best for you soon.

IF I were in your situation and could only get one long gun and one hand gun (Can your spouse get one each also?????), AND I could get any ammo I wanted for the shotgun (OO Buckshot, Slugs, and birdshot) I would go with the shotgun and either a 22 revolver or a 22 semi automatic pistol.

IF I could not get good ammo (OO buckshot and slugs) for the shotgun I would go with a 22 semi automatic rifle and 22 pistol, either revolver or semi automatic.

A good pump action 12 gage shotgun such as a Remington 870, Mossberg 500 or 590, Winchester etc.. loaded with OO buckshot is handy for 30 yards and closer against bad people and bad dogs. Load it up with slugs and you should be able to hit out to 100 meters on bad people.

IF I could ONLY get birdshot I would skip the shotgun and go with a 22 long rifle semi automatic rifle that was RELAIBLE.

IF you could get a semi auto 22 "Ruger 10/22" rifle with several ten shot, or even 25 or 30 shot high capacity magazines loaded up with high velocity 22 long rifle, that could be an option for fighting bad people and bad dogs in an emergency.

A RELIABLE 22 handgun such as a Taurus revolver (4 inch barrel), Smith and Wesson Revolver,, or a semi automatic Ruger MKII or III or Browning Buckmark would be best for a handgun.

IF you can somehow get spare parts and magazines for the semi auto's and lots of 22 long rifle ammunition that may be the way to go.

It depends on what kind of ammo and how much you can get.

Good luck. Just thinking about your limited access to firearms makes me appreciate what we have here.

CP

Fabio,

For the long gun, I would choose the 12 gauge pump shotgun.

Since it appears that you don't currently own any firearms, I have to assume that your experience and training is limited, if at all. A 12 gauge shotgun will offer the best measure of home defense with the least requirement for training. The .22 is essentially worthless for home defense, while the Winchester would over penetrate the structure.

The 12 gauge also offers the most options for ammunition, including 2 3/4" "bird shot" for your snake problem, all the way up to 3 1/2" "buck shot" or slugs for home defense.

Perhaps one of the best features of a pump shotgun is the unmistakable sound that it makes when a round is chambered. More than likely anyone hearing this would immediately exit your home without you having to fire the weapon, and consequently deal with all the legal and civil ramifications that would ensue should you ultimately need to take someone's life.

For the hand gun, I would choose the semi automatic chambered in .380 ACP (essentially a 9mm shorty). This round is probably the bare minimum for personal defense, yet is still something your wife could easily handle with some practice. The semi automatic will offer you significantly more capacity, although will be more likely to misfeed or jam than a revolver, so you should practice clearance drills from time to time.

Jim

For your purposes, I agree with others on the twelve gauge shotgun. Excellent destructive power at close and far ranges and relative ease of use. Buck shot for closer ranges and slugs for out to about 100yards.

For on your own property, a shotgun will probably fill all the roles you need. If you're set on getting a pistol as well, it depends on its primary purpose. For cheap practice and efficiency for killing animals, buy a .22 either revolver or automatic. If you plan on carrying around your property to defend against a human attacker, I would choose either the .38 special or the .380, depending on your preference for either a revolver or an automatic. Automatics in .380 tend to be straight blow back though, so they require a fair amount of strength to load.

For snakes a long handle shovel is usually sufficient (and probably safest). You can pick up and move non-venomous snakes and cut the heads off of venomous ones. Pin the snake behind the head with the blade and then just force it through like you're digging a hole. A sharp shovel will cut through just about anything. Plus the long handle gives you pretty good distance for safety.

The 'two guns, one cartridge' concept is an old one, and a good one. The problem lies in actual performance. First, what shoots well in one system can shoot very mediocre in another. Fabio may be limited to the classic 158 grain RN .38 special. But if,ie he can get semi wadcutters or hollowpoints that little Rossi may enounter feeding problems, especially in a high adrenaline situation where short cycling ( also a wory with the pump) is a potential problem.

My choices would be the 12 gauge shotgun and a 32 or 38 revolver, my preference being the 38.
In my opinion, due to the restrictions you have for the automatics, I would steer clear of them. Not enough power, again just my opinion.

smitty

12 gauge pump, 38 special revolver

Reasons: reliability, simple design, stopping power, ease of use

If you're forced into defending yourself: for defending a fixed position the 12 gauge will be your friend (except for the recoil!) If you're moving about, the handgun will be easier to maneuver.

If you decide to get a 22, stick with the bolt action rifle and/or the revolver. I've never fired a 22 semi-auto anything that didn't jam on occasion. 22's can of course kill, but they're not generally considered strong defensive weapons. More target shooting and small varmint hunting.

380's are marginal in stopping power in my opinion, and the small semi-autos can be real hand biters (the slide comes back and takes a bite out of your hand, depending on how well you grip certain models).

A 32 combines the worst of the 380 and 22 in my opinion.

For snakes, don't try to do the aiming yourself. Let the snake do the aiming. The ones that like to coil and raise their head off the ground (like rattlesnakes) are quite good at guiding shots right between their eyes. They like to look straight on at a threat. Wave the barrel around a little while pointing it towards the snake, so it interprets the muzzle as a threat. Once the snake locks onto the barrel, all's you have to do it pull the trigger.