The Best Gun for Home Defense: What is it, and Why?

One of the primary reasons many people buy a firearm is for home defense. But when faced with an overwhelming number of choices, the selection and purchase process can be paralyzing. Particularly if you’re one of those in a position to make a distinction between the best home defense gun and, say, the best concealed carry gun.

Virtually any firearm can be a home defense weapon, but some are better suited for defensive gun use than others. That rule can be distilled down even further by incorporating environmental factors – but don’t let that dissuade you. We’ll go over some suggestions below, with some commentary about why we made a particular choice.

Top Home Defense Guns

1. Aero Precision AR-15
2. Daniel Defense DDM4 PDW (300 BLK)
3. Glock 17 MOS
4. Beretta 92GTS
5. Mossberg 590
6. Beretta 1301 Tactical
7. CMMG Banshee

This will give you some things to consider when making your own informed choice. If you have questions, corrections, or comments, hit us up in the comment section!

Best Guns for Home Defense

Author’s choice Aero Precision AR15		Advanced Lower Receivers Comes in various calibers, colors, and sizes Easy to Build	Check Price
#2 Daniel Defense DDM4 PDW		Utilizes Easily Suppressed cartridge Greatest potential is when suppressed Super Maneuverable	Check Price
#3 Glock 17 Gen 5 MOS		Optics ready Extremely simple to use and maintain Red dot + WML = *winning*	Check price
#4 Beretta 92GTS		Full load of features Suppressor Ready Proven	Check Price
#5 Mossberg 590		Extremely reliable Simple to use Lighter weight than most cousins	Check Price
#6 Beretta 1301 Tactical		Gas-operated, semi-automatic 12 gauge BLINK system for faster cycling Tremendous potential for customization	Check Price
#7 CMMG Banshee		Long gun accuracy with pistol round recoil Radial Relayed Design Threaded barrel	Check Price

Best Guns for Home Defense: a Starting Place

Now that we’ve run through the overview and looked at our list let’s take time to look at each one individually. In this section, we’ll outline the product specs, speak about the product, and look at the pros and cons. As you see, we’re talking about different types of guns here, not just handgun models.

That’s to give you different perspectives.

Aero Precision AR-15 Review 

In a lot of ways, an AR-15 is an AR-15. I picked the Aero Precision M4E1 for this list because it’s a very reasonably priced AR-15 that is also very dependable. 

You’re not wasting money on a roll mark or on fancy features, you’re getting a great rifle that you can trust your life to right out of the box.

A great handguard, a good stock, accurate, reliable, and has all of the attachment points you need to complete this build. 

The M4E1 might not be the best ever made or the cheapest, but it’s a perfect Goldilocks rifle.

I strongly recommend an AR-15 in 5.56 NATO as people’s go-to home defense weapon because of how easy the AR-15 is to use, how effective 5.56 NATO is at stopping threats, and at how surprisingly few layers of drywall 5.56 NATO penetrates. 

The AR-15 is super easy to use, period. The controls are natural feeling, it’s easy to adjust to fit any shooter, and there are lots of room for lights, slings, and optics. It’s basically the perfect platform.

5.56 NATO gets a bit of a bad rap because it has issues with long-range shooting, but home defense is not long-range. Even if you choose an AR-15 with a short barrel 5.56 NATO still has more than enough punch to end fights in CQB.

Intuitively, it feels like 5.56 NATO should rip through walls. But it doesn’t. Because of the lightweight bullets and high muzzle velocity, 5.56 NATO tends to tumble and fragment as soon as it passes through a barrier. This slows the velocity greatly and means it doesn’t pass through drywall very well.

A clean miss into your wall will still go through 4 or 5 layers, but that’s a lot better than 7 or 8. Note that each wall is normally 2 layers.

Aero Precision AR-15 Pros and Cons

Aero Precision AR-15 Deals

Daniel Defense DDM4 V7P Review 

PDW stands for personal defense weapon, and it has a rich history arguably dating back to the M1 Carbine. Without digging deep into the PDW history, it generally means a small, easy-to-use platform designed for defensive use. Home defense is often a close-quarters, and shorter weapons work best in close quarters. The DDM4 PDW is a .300 Blackout micro-sized AR pistol or SBR that would be perfect indoors. 

The .300 Blackout round is designed to function from short barrels, and the DDM4 PDW has a 7-inch barrel and an overall length of 24.75 inches. The rifle weighs 5.7 pounds, and its short and lightweight design makes it easy to shoot, even with a single hand. The short barrel also makes it easy to add a suppressor without making the gun overly long. 

The .300 Blackout cartridge is easy to suppress, and hefty subsonic cartridges are commonly available. The included muzzle device is a linear compensator that directs sound forward and away from the shooter, as well as muzzle flash. Daniel Defense makes outstanding rifles and pistols, and the PDW is no different. 

The platform is incredibly modern. It’s equipped with a Maxim collapsing brace to save a lot of space. The handguard is an M-LOK design that allows you to mount a weapon-mounted light, which is a must-have for defensive applications. The DDM4 PDW comes with an ambidextrous extended charging handle, and the safety is also ambidextrous. 

This platform is expensive, but it offers an easy-to-manage platform that’s got light recoil, easy to suppress, and fires a proper rifle cartridge. The DDM4 PDW is a true personal defense weapon and offers a superior option for home defense. 

Daniel Defense DDM4 Deals

Glock 17 Gen 5 MOS Review 

If you want a no-brainer choice that will fit everyone well enough, Glock is the answer. The Gen 5 Glock 17 is especially good because it’s a full-size pistol with interchangeable grips — big hands or small hands, you’ll get a good grip on this gun.

The MOS means this is optics-ready via Glock’s MOS mounting system. This is, frankly, not a great mounting system but it’s what Glock offers from the factory.

I strongly recommend red dots on pistols, especially for home defense, but if you go with the MOS system I would also recommend aftermarket steel mounting plates for your red dot of choice.

Put it all together and the Gen 5 G17 MOS gives you at least 17 rounds on tap, easy to aim, easy to handle, easy to lock up, easy to carry, and unbeatable reliability no matter what.

Even if you don’t want to go with the route of a red dot, this is still a great pistol — but you can save a little money by getting a normal Gen 5 G17.

Or if you want to make this your EDC carry, getting a G19 will reduce your footprint while still giving you a great platform to use.

Besides the legendary reliability of Glock, what makes this a good option is how interchangeable they are. A G19 for EDC, a G17 for home, a G43x for jogging, a G20 for in the woods — they’re all Glock, they all shoot basically the same, and they all have unbeatable reliability. 

Whether the G17 is your only Glock or just the start of your collection, it’s one of the perfect first gun choices.

Glock 17 Gen 5 MOS Deals

Beretta 92GTS Review 

The Beretta 92GTS represents the pinnacle of the Beretta 92 series. Its evolution as a platform has come to its ultimate conclusion as one of the most tactical pistols ever created. What makes a pistol tactical? Typically, it’s ability to mount modern accessories, its design features, and its overall intention. The 92GTS is designed to be a dedicated defensive and duty pistol that would work exceptionally well for home defense. 

The 92GTS implements three modern features that allow for excellent defensive potential. First, it comes with a red dot ready slide to make aiming the best sight option possible. Second, it has a rail that allows you to integrate a light, which is a must-have for home defense. Finally, the barrel is threaded for muzzle devices. For home defense, a suppressor matched with 147-grain ammo is a quiet, effective option. 

The 92GTS ditches the classic slide-mounted safety for a frame mounted decocker. The DA/SA design offers some advantages. The first shot has a longer, heavier trigger pull that’s less likely to be pressed accidentally in the stress of the moment. The single action converts to a lighter, easier-to-manage trigger for fast and accurate follow-up shots. 

The 92GTS comes with the Vertec Style frame that provides a more 1911-like grip angle, which is easier for those with smaller hands to shoot. I love how little recoil the gun has. It’s all metal and weighs 33 ounces unloaded. Weight helps mitigate recoil, and so does Beretta’s lightweight slide, which means less weight rocking rearward. 

The 92GTS descends from the 92 series, which are some of the most proven pistols ever made. The 92GTS provides an excellent all-around gun that’s perfect for home defense and duty use. The gun is fairly expensive, but a clear premium option for defensive use. 

Beretta 92GTS Deals

Mossberg 590 Review 

If you’re semi-familiar with shotguns, you might be wondering what the difference is between a Mossberg 500 and a Mossberg 590 — basically, it’s just the magazine tube. The 500 is normally shorter (so you carry less ammo) and is hard or impossible to upgrade; the 590 starts off longer (normally) and is pretty easy to upgrade if you want to.

Because home defense often deals with multiple threats and there is no such thing as too much ammo, I recommend the 590.

But if you want to save pennies, the 500 can work also.

The 590 comes in a LOT of flavors, and honestly, almost all of them are fine. End of the day, you want an 18.5” barrel, a stock, and preferably a 9-shot tube and either 1913 railing or MLOK on the forend or slide to mount a weapon light on.

Models that fit the bill include FLEX Tactical, Thunder Ranch, and 9-Shot MLOK.

That said, there are a half-dozen other 590 models that get you at least most of those features and save you some money.

A shotgun without all of the best features is better than a shotgun you can’t afford.

The 590 is one of the most reliable designs on the market and is made by a company that actually cares about the product they put out. 

It might not be the smoothest action on the market, it might not be the prettiest gun, but it’s dead nuts reliable and something you can 100% trust your life to.

Mossberg 590 Deals

Beretta 1301 Tactical Review 

The 1301 isn’t on this list because it’s a tactical shotgun. It’s on this list because it’s a really good shotgun.

For decades the Benelli M4 has been the king of semi-auto shotguns, but Beretta took that personally, so they designed 1301 to take the crown.

If you’re going to take a shot at the king, don’t miss. Beretta didn’t miss.

One of the smoothest and easiest to use shotguns I’ve ever set hands-on, the Beretta 1301 Tactical is the final word in CQB. A lightning-fast action that cycles shells 36% faster than the M4, the 1301 sends a boatload of lead downrange in record time.

The “Tactical” version has an 18.5” barrel, 1913 railing on top with a ghost ring set of sights. Perfect for working close up.

Most of the controls are oversized and easy to hit, no more fumbling for the right button under stress — just slap it and send it.

The loading port is super large making shoving shells in ultra-easy even with gloves on (just in case you’re wearing them).

And since this is a Beretta, everything about the 1301 is overbuilt and over-designed to handle literally anything you can do to this gun.

Really the only downside is that because of how good this gun is, and how much cheaper than an M4 it is, finding one right now is kind of hard to do since they are flying off of the shelves. 

If you can get your hands on one, I highly recommend it for a home defense shotgun.

Beretta 1301 Tactical Deals

CMMG Banshee Review 

A pistol caliber carbine combines some of the best features of an AR with some of the best features of a handgun. The CMMG Banshees are AR series rifle and braced pistols that feature the radial delayed system for the pistol caliber versions. The Banshee is a total series of firearms and comes in 9mm, 10mm, .45 ACP, and even 5.7x28mm. The numerous cartridges allow you to pick what works best for your setup. 

I love the radial delay design. It trims recoil to nearly nothing. I have two 9mm variants of this platform, a pistol and a rifle. Both are insanely fun to shoot and offer so little recoil that I can accurately put a magazine’s worth of ammo inside of an IPSC-sized A-zone. The braced pistol is going to be the best option for home defense. It’s small, easy to maneuver, and can even be fired with a single hand. 

As a pistol cartridge, the CMMG Banshee suppresses exceptionally well. Combine a subsonic round with the suppressor, and you can save your hearing inside a home. The CMMG Banshee handles well and scores high in reliability. The various models utilize various magazine designs, which provide you with plenty of options. I like the Glock magazines because so many are available in various capacities.. 

The CMMG Banshee series is not cheap guns, but they are cheap to shoot via pistol rounds, especially 9mm rounds. They are insanely fun guns and can be cheap to train with. The downside is that the Banshee is still just firing a pistol round. Pistol rounds don’t have the same power as rifles or shotguns and rely on strict shot placement. 

CMMG Banshee Deals

Best Home Defense Guns – Buyers Guide

Choosing the firearm to defend your home with can be a stressful topic to think about. I’ve often come across a would-be new gun owner that knew they wanted a firearm for home defense but were paralyzed with indecision.

If this is the tool that might save your life or your family’s lives, it can feel like a huge burden to choose the right tool.

Keep calm; there is no wrong answer on this list.

Honestly, any firearm that you train with is better than no firearm and a lot better than a super fancy top-tier firearm you keep in the closet and never train with. The best self defense weapon might nothing more than a battered 38 special with the skill and will to use it. The fanciest, finest custom Wilson Combat won’t do you any good at all if you can’t put rounds into the bad guy on demand.

I’ll break down a lot of information for you to consider, but in the end, training is more important than anything else. And if someone ever questions why you need a home defense gun, here’s a fun fact: statistically, almost every home invasion takes place in a home. It’s something like…100% or so.

Rifle, Pistol, Or Shotgun

The first big choice to make is what platform you want to use. They each have pros and cons to them, and each has myths that we should dispel. 

Rifles – Rifles like the AR-15 are a somewhat newer option on the market, but as the AR-15 has grown in popularity, it has proven to be a rock-solid home defense tool.

Big ammo capacity means facing multiple threats is much more manageable.

5.56 NATO is a highly lethal cartridge that also penetrates fewer layers of drywall than 9mm, .45 ACP, or 12ga buckshot. 

300 BLK has more penetration than 5.56 NATO, but it is great for use with suppressors to protect your hearing and the hearing of your family. Choose the right ammo and drywall penetration is roughly on par with 5.56 NATO.

The biggest selling point of a rifle is that they are easy to use. 3 points of contact, natural point of aim, light enough for anyone to use, low recoiling, fast follow-up shots — everything about the AR-15 is nearly perfect for CQB.

It’s also by far the easiest platform to mount optics and weapon lights on.

Pistols – Pistols are a classic choice because they’re easy to lock up and can serve double duty if you carry them daily outside the home.

While a good pistol isn’t a wrong choice, it’s honestly my lowest pick for home defense. That’s why this article is called best gun not best handgun for home defense.

Pistols take a lot of training to become good with. Aiming, follow-up, recoil control, multiple threat management, it’s all just a lot harder with a pistol than it is with a long gun.

There’s also no perfect home defense pistol caliber. While 9mm and .45 ACP are the two most common pistol cartridges, neither are amazing for home defense.

Don’t get me wrong, both are very lethal, but both also carry more drywall penetration than 5.56 NATO or 300 BLK while also bringing much less lethality to the fight.

All of that said — some of it can be mitigated by the use of a red dot and a good weapon light. Also, I strongly recommend full-sized pistols since they are easier to control and provide larger magazines.

Something strongly in their favor is how easy they are to secure when not in use. Biometric, key code, and other rapid-opening keyless safes are commonly available and at reasonable prices when they’re sized for pistols. Safes large enough for shotguns and rifles can get rather expensive.

Shotguns – Shotguns have the most incorrect lore surrounding them of any weapon. 

Some quick facts: racking the action will not scare most intruders away, you do need to aim a shotgun, buckshot does not sweep entire hallways, 12ga buckshot over-penetrates drywall more than 5.56 NATO, 300 BLK, 9mm, or .45 ACP.

With that out of the way — the shotgun is an American classic for home defense and for good reason.

With the massive range of ammo types that shotguns can shoot, it’s not hard to find the perfect balance of recoil, power, and penetration. 

Buckshot is as close as you can get to an almost guaranteed one-hit stopping force, while slugs will defeat all soft body armor (not that body armor is common for home intruders).

Shotguns also have many of the benefits that rifles have in terms of aiming and ease of use, depending on the kind of shotgun you choose.

And then there is the price — many shotguns are pretty cheap, and some of the best pump-actions on the market are also some of the least expensive firearms you can find for home defense.

However, shotguns require more training than rifles. Pump shotguns especially require training to help prevent short-stroking under stress. 

Drilling and perfecting loading a shotgun is another must-do since they are harder to load and often require needing to be topped off due to the low capacity. 

I would still recommend a rifle over a shotgun, but a good shotgun is a very close runner-up.

What Specs Matter Most

Weight – Weight isn’t super critical to me in a home defense weapon, but it might be to you. Personally, I don’t mind if my HD weapon is heavy because I’m not planning on having it out very long or needing to hike anywhere with it.

However, if you’re a smaller person or have physical issues like arthritis then weight can be a big factor in what works for you. Lighter is better, but you’ll have to decide how much is too much.

Overall Length (OAL) – OAL is something to pay attention to especially if you live in an apartment or any home with small hallways.

Teenage Marines and soldiers have been clearing mud huts over seasons with 20” barrels for a lot of years, so it is entirely doable with a pike of a rifle. But it’s a huge pain.

If you can, you want something shorter when possible.

Personally, in my pretty average home, a 16” barrel AR-15 is totally fine and I only have 1 corner that I need to be careful with.

Barrel Length – Barrel Length is the biggest contributor to OAL. More barrel is always nice, but you need to balance that with your overall. Also, if you’re using a shotgun or rifle — keep in mind NFA laws about short-barreled weapons. Read up here for more info.

Standard Cartridge – Standard Cartridge is included so you know what you’re looking at. All of the ones listed here are highly effective, easy to get, and have outstanding home defense options. 

Capacity – Capacity is self-explanatory and more is always better. For pistols and rifles, you’re only limited by what kind of magazine you have. 33-round stick mags for Glock are easy to get as are 60-round drums for an AR. 

Shotguns are harder to add capacity to, but both the Mossberg 590 and the Beretta 1301 can use extended tubes.

Optics Ready – Optics Ready means it has a mounting point for optics. For rifles and shotguns this means 1913 railing, for a pistol, this means a plate system or direct cut.

Weapon Light Ready – Weapon Light Ready means there is a 1913 or MLOK mounting area for a weapon light. If you want to add a light to a shotgun, and I recommend you do, you’ll need an aftermarket accessory for it.

Optics, Lights, And Slings

We have a LOT of articles covering these topics, go check them out for a ton more information and recommendations!

Pistol lights – Best Pistol Lights [Hands On Reviews]

Slings – The Best AR-15 Slings [The Accessories You Need!]

Handheld lights – The Best Tactical Flashlights

Red dots – The Best Pistol Red Dots

For now, here is a condensed version of why you need these tools.

My two big recommendations for any home defense setup are a weapon light and a sling. Optics are nice, but the other two are required in my mind.

Weapon lights – Weapon Lights are hugely overlooked and massively underrated by the average shooter. Simple facts are that if your home is invaded, it’s likely at night. 

Maybe you have time to find the light switch, maybe you don’t. 

Maybe the power is out, maybe you need to clear rooms and areas that don’t have great lighting, maybe you need to stick your head outside because you heard a noise coming from the pool house or other detached living space, the list goes on and on.

You need a light. I recommend something that mounts directly to the weapon, at least 500 lumens and 20,000 candelas. If you can, aim for 1,000 lumens and 25,000 candelas.

Lumens are how much light it puts out, candela is how concentrated the light is. Lumens are useless without decent candela.  

Slings – Slings are useless on a pistol, so don’t worry about that. But for shotguns and rifles, I highly recommend it. While not as life or death as a weapon light, I still think if you can have a sling you should have a sling.

If the worst happens, you might get hands-on with the bad guy. Slings are critical for weapon retention and keeping your weapon on your person. Slings prevent weapons from being taken from you easily and allow you to switch back to the weapon if you need to drop it for any reason.

Anything from opening doors to grabbing a loved one to needing to grab your phone to call 911, you never know why you might need your hands free and a sling helps you do that effectively.

Optics – Optics are something that I will always be in favor of. All of my HD weapons have optics and my EDC CCW has a green dot as well. However, for home defense, they aren’t as critical as a light and a sling.

Don’t get me wrong, they help, but if you need to save money this is something you can cut.

Optics are the perfect night sight, no matter what light you do or don’t have you can always see your red dot. They are faster to use since you’re not having to line up iron sights and they help prevent tunnel vision because you’re focused on the target.

Optics also help your total awareness a LOT because you have a wider field of view to work with. 

And lastly, a red dot lets you shoot accurately even when you don’t have the perfect angle behind your weapon. Maybe you’re navigating a small area, maybe you’re on the stairs, maybe you have one hand busy with a phone or child, there are tons of reasons why you might not be perfectly aligned behind your weapon when you need to take a shot.

Red dots give you that flexibility.