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Welcome to the forum
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Welcome from near Raleigh NC, what’s your 20?
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Welcome from germany.
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Welcome to the forum!
Acutus, when you mention home defense it dredges up pictures in folks mind based on what they picture it to be. I liked MAC82s post then read the post about the AR15 and realized precisely what I just wrote in the preceding sentence.
Don’t even think about a handgun unless you intend to practice alot. They are much more difficult to use effectively as compared to a shoulder fired firearm. If you miss that bullet is going somewhere and every bullet has a lawyer attached to it and “Whoops” won’t cut it if it kills someone. That leaves a smooth bore (shotgun) or a rifled bore shoulder fired gun. In a rifle the AR15 is not a bad choice, but fire one indoors and that will cure you of wanting to do that again. If you put a suppressor (silencer) on it that problem is cured and the blast is removed. But they are expensive and have lots of paperwork and your state might not even allow them. But if you look at a PCC (pistol caliber carbine) you get enhanced accuracy, virtually no muzzle blast, and enhanced terminal effects on the target due to the increased velocity from the longer barrel. If need be they will reach out 100 yards. There we are with everyone picturing what “home defense” means to them. 2 years ago I was in a situation where home defense had the potential where I would defend home from someone shooting up to 100 yards away. Realistically I never saw that coming and if it had been suggested to me I would have called the person suggesting it insane. Yet it happened.
Shotgun? Maybe, but there is recoil to contend with and there can be lots of that. Maybe not the best choice for a new person to firearms? But they hit like a sledgehammer and that recoil on your end means they have lots of energy coming out of the muzzle.
While I am pushing the PCC for you, and I have them, my personal HD weapon is a suppressed AR15; and a 5" handgun, and a 3 1/2" handgun that I use for EDC (every day carry) so it’s also available for my HD. But again, if you select a handgun you had better be prepared to practice. I shoot competition, not so much with handgun anymore, but definitely with PCC.
I hope I didn’t swamp you. My intent was to give you things to keep in mind for consideration. Any of us here could have given you far more and that definitely would have swamped you.
So I ask you, when you mention home defense what do you have in mind?
You choices could be exceedingly inexpensive as firearms go, or a bit spendier. But for now expense isn’t the overriding factor. The form of the firearm is what needs to be considered. Maybe it’s best to take this discussion to another thread? There you can better give us under what conditions you live, what you expect, yada, yada. Don’t hold back. We’ve heard it all and mind gamed situations (What if…?) that would make you cringe. I guarantee you’ll get all sorts of suggestions to explore. But the more you can nail things down for us the better we can help you.
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Great point on the carbines. Ruger is in 9mm and i believe it takes Glock mags, so if the handgun is also a Glock in 9mm, then they can share more than ammo.
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Welcome from NC.
PCCs are great little tools.
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PCCs are a great choice as well. I have one in the process of being boat-eligible. I have been distracted by other squirrels and have not finished it yet.
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Old guy, first gun, no practice, doesn’t want to miss if he needs to use it… Get a shotgun. They’re the best home defense gun anyway.
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Welcome to full30.
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Also has harsh recoil, slow follow up shots , limited capacity. A .45 acp or 10mm PCC really seems pretty neat though. With multiple shit heads now invading homes Ayoobs old claim on shootings lasting a few shots is a moot point, and obsolete really. Now 3 or 4 guys come threw your door armed and its on. 9 round shotguns would be cool but fuck relying on 6+1 rounds. Not to mention buck shot and slugs fly threw walls fairly easy and I would not trust anything else.
Just my preferences and opinion though, give me a firearm with hollow points and at least a 10 round capacity though.
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I know im not alone here @srdiver had a neat post comparing carbines to shotguns for SD awhile back. Apple’s to oranges but the pros and cons are pretty substantial and different.
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Yeah, we need to remember, this is a newb. One test round on the range with a 12 ga and the shotgun might be up for sale and he might have a flinch for life. Even with reduced recoil rounds it might be too much. Maybe a .410 shotgun would work. But even then, capacity sux. Forget SloJoes advice of firing 2 rounds into the air, he’s a moron with dementia.
Handgun is out. I think most agree about that. He might want a handgun but that’s only because of hellywierds influence. Handguns require expertise that only comes with LOTS of practice, and by a lot we don’t mean a round box and call it good. It takes dedication.
Acutus, there is a truism that we all know about. Every bullet launched has a lawyer attached to it. Any misses will travel through walls and “Whoops!”, won’t cut it if someone is hit or killed by one of your bullets. So hitting the intended target is vital. (Hitting the vitals is vital 
)
High pressure cartridges can work, but most have too much blast for use indoors. In an AR a subsonic 300BLK might work out of a rifle length barrel (IMO). But that requires expensive subsonic expanders (Lehigh or some such) to prevent drilling a hole straight through the perp. I think I’d still want a suppressor on it though for the blast.
Acutus, If you can pass the background check for the firearm you can probably pass the ATF check that will allow for you to buy a suppressor. But they require passport photos, fingerprinting, $200 tax paid in addition to the price of the can, and then a 6 month or more wait while your stamp is processed. In the meantime your suppressor is in a safe at the gun shop and it’s not yours until the tax stamp is in hand. You might not want to undergo that. Oh, and that’s only if you live in a free state where they are allowed. Putting a can on a rifle can easily cost more than the rifle itself.
I think that leaves a PCC. 9mm would be sufficient. It would have reduced blast by the time the 16" barrel comes uncorked, and most (excluding Hi-Point ? ) have 30+ round mag’ capacity. Plus recoil is easily manageable. I have heard of some shooters who claim the recoil of the mouse cartridge is horrendous, but most folks not made of snowflakes can handle it. They also don’t need to break the bank. But if this option is chosen I’m a huge fan of red dot sights on them. They make hitting the target too easy.
I’m deliberately not mentioning arm braced handguns. 
OK, I am now. We’re back to short barrels and no dwell time for the pressure to drop before the bullet comes out of the barrel. Also, with ATF quietly trying to come up with new secret regulations regarding arm braces I just think it’s good for him to steer clear of them.
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Remember he is shopping for guns and ammo NOW. Not a whole lot is available for sale.
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I mentioned that in the very first reply. Ammo availability pretty much rules out everything but a shotgun right now.
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I stick with 5.56 , would like a .300 BO in the future though. One thing I wont be doing is 10.5" .308 pistols for HD…yikes!
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You have to have cash in hand and spend a few weeks checking certain sites. I still see AR15s in stock at places though, HD shotguns are not anywhere to be found though. I think area plays alot into the equation, I live in a rural hunting area so shotguns are known but hit the city and the scary shit sells faster.
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I can’t believe no one mentioned a shotgun.
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I have a detachable mag that holds 12 rounds and is a semi auto. It’s not slow and has more capacity than my 8 round P220 45acp
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