# Review: My Home Defense Handgun



## Dirty Dog (Dec 13, 2018)

I've posted before that my EDC is a Glock 19. But it's not my bedside gun. To my mind, there are a lot of differences between a gun I carry all the time and one that is intended solely for home defense.
My bedside gun is a Glock 41. The G41 is an extended slide polymer handgun chambered in .45 ACP. It has 13 round double stack magazines and when I bought mine, it came with three mags.

Here's Mrs Dog with the bedside gun.




The mods:

I chose fiber optic sights rather than tritium, because while I might fire in low light, I would NEVER fire in the dark. How would I know what I was shooting? I don't think there's any significant difference between major brands, so while I strongly endorse the use of these sights, I don't recommend any brand.

The TLR-4 is an under-barrel flashlight and laser combination. It can be set to turn on the laser, the light, or both in either a locked on or "pulse" manner. It fits well, the laser is easily adjustable for height and windage, and the whole setup is rock solid. It's removable via thumb screw. It's an excellent choice.

I've never cared for the stock Glock trigger. They're typically 6-8lb pull, which I think is too heavy, especially for a bedside gun. While 2lbs is not a good choice for carry (it would be too easy to catch your shirt in the trigger while holstering and shoot yourself...) it's excellent for a range toy or bedside gun. The lighter, crisper pull makes it easier to remain on target and thus makes follow up shots quicker and more accurate. It's a drop in system, and if you can detail strip a Glock, you can install it yourself.

The Lonewolf extended/threaded barrel supports the addition of a ported muzzle brake or a suppressor. It is fully drop in, and comes with a thread protector. If you can't figure out how to install it, you shouldn't be shooting.

One of the reasons I chose this gun in the first place was that the .45 ACP is and always has been a sub-sonic design. This matters because I always intended to suppress this gun. There are two major noise makers when a gun is fired; gas expansion and a sonic boom. Sub-sonic rounds eliminate the second. The Osprey 45 deals admirably with the first.

The Osprey 45 is a multi-caliber suppressor. It is also a rectangular design, offset to the bottom, so it does not interfere with the use of the open sights. Nor does it interfere with the light or laser. The baffles can be filled with water or a specific gun-goo to further suppress firing noise, but I have never done this.

I chose to suppress the gun for a number of reasons.
1 - If I ever do need to use it, I will not have ear protection on, and I'd rather not destroy my hearing.
2 - The weight on the end of the barrel, combined with the controlled gas expansion, helps decrease muzzle flip. Combined with the light trigger, this makes follow up shots MUCH faster as well as more accurate.
3 - I like gadgets!

This is me, single handing the G41 at the range, with no particular effort to shoot fast. The group from this magazine was about 3" across.






As you can hear, despite the nonsense in the movies, a suppressor is NOT a silencer. It doesn't make a gun sound like a quick fart. It still sounds like what it is; a gun shot. However, even without filling the baffles, the Osprey 45 makes firing a .45 caliber handgun without hearing protection perfectly safe. You will not damage your hearing, nor will you have any ringing.

There is a lot of misinformation about obtaining a suppressor. The process is actually quite simple. It's not fast, because you're dealing with a government bureaucracy, but it's simple.
1 - Find a dealer who sells suppressors and buy one. This is done first because you need the serial number for the paperwork.
2 - Fill out the paperwork the dealer gives you.
3 - Get it signed by your local Sheriff, Chief of Police, or a Judge. Or set up a gun trust.
4 - Mail all the paperwork to the BATF with a check for $200.
5 - Wait while they process it, send it over to the FBI for your background check, fold it, spindle it, file it, lose it, find it, file it, lose it a few more times and then send it back.
6 - You'll get it back with a tax stamp. You can now bring the suppressor home. It took me about 4 months to go through this process.

You do need to keep a copy of the paperwork with the tax stamp with the gun. I have a copy in the bedside safe, and one in my range bag.
You cannot lend it to your buddy to try out at the range unless you are there with them.
If you travel, you have to check local laws (which is true regardless). I've had no problems traveling with mine in a custom Pelican case (reviewed elsewhere on this site).


----------



## CB Jones (Dec 13, 2018)

Nice.

My bedside gun is the first duty weapon issued to me in the Academy.....Sig P220 .45 cal.

I carry glock 17 or a Glock 43 edc now but I still prefer the .45


----------



## Bruce7 (Dec 13, 2018)

Dirty Dog said:


> I've posted before that my EDC is a Glock 19. But it's not my bedside gun. To my mind, there are a lot of differences between a gun I carry all the time and one that is intended solely for home defense.
> My bedside gun is a Glock 41. The G41 is an extended slide polymer handgun chambered in .45 ACP. It has 13 round double stack magazines and when I bought mine, it came with three mags.
> 
> Here's Mrs Dog with the bedside gun.
> ...


I like your weapon especially the suppressor.
My bed side gun is an unloaded Colt Python, If I can load it with a quick loader I am awake. I am more afraid of shooting someone I love than a bad guy. Besides my 6 dogs will slow him down long enough to load my gun. I  have a 1911,  but I like to the use a revolver for the reliability.


----------



## Dirty Dog (Dec 13, 2018)

CB Jones said:


> I carry glock 17 or a Glock 43 edc now but I still prefer the .45



Why?



Bruce7 said:


> I like your weapon especially the suppressor.
> My bed side gun is an unloaded Colt Python, If I can load it with a quick loader I am awake. I am more afraid of shooting someone I love than a bad guy. Besides my 6 dogs will slow him down long enough to load my gun. I  have a 1911,  but I like to the use a revolver for the reliability.



I don't worry about shooting someone unintentionally. That's one reason the light is on the gun.
One of our kids (the cop) was out in our neck of the woods visiting a friend and decided not to drive all the way home. So he came by our house at about 0200 and let himself in. The dog woofed when he pulled into the driveway, and I heard the door. I lock doors, of course, but it's possible to forget. So out came the gun and I met him in the hallway. One quick flash of the light and I knew it was him. While the weapon was covering him for a second (or less), there was never any risk that I'd pull the trigger. Because I wasn't touching it yet.
The notion that a revolver is more reliable than a semi-auto is a myth. There may have been some truth to it 40 years ago, but not today. I fire 300-500 rounds a week at the range, and I can't remember the last malfunction I had. Well, I did have a series of "duds" from a couple boxes of cheap crappy target ammo. And crappy ammo is crappy ammo, regardless of the mechanism. But I do not think I have ever, not even once, had a misfire or malfunction with the quality target ammo I generally use, and I know for a fact I've never had a single misfire or malfunction with the Hornady Critical Defense that I carry in all my guns. Not even one.

Semi-Automatic Pistols vs. Revolvers - Which is Better?

The Reliability of the Revolver vs. the Semi-Automatic Handgun

Why Revolvers Are NOT More Reliable Than Semi-Auto Pistols  | Prepared Gun Owners


----------



## CB Jones (Dec 13, 2018)

Dirty Dog said:


> Why



Because they are agency issued and if I shoot someone they show up on scene and replace it.

If I shoot someone with my personally owned it goes into evidence.

Agency switched to .40s nine years ago and 9s  around 3 years ago....no longer issues .45s

Plus I am required to have my department issued with me on duty and I don’t want to carry two different caliber ammo in my vehicle.


----------



## Dirty Dog (Dec 13, 2018)

CB Jones said:


> Because they are agency issued and if I shoot someone they show up on scene and replace it.
> 
> If I shoot someone with my personally owned it goes into evidence.
> 
> ...



So it's not so much that you prefer the .45 ACP, but rather that it's simpler due to job requirements. Makes sense.


----------



## ballen0351 (Dec 13, 2018)

Nice detailed write-up and nice Gun.


----------



## ballen0351 (Dec 13, 2018)

That's a LOOOOONG suppressor does it cast a big upwards shadow with the light mounted under it?  I mean with light cashing the beam out and around it looks like it would block the light going upwards where the sights are causing it to be in the shadow.  So in low light conditions when your eyes adjusted to the brighter light from flashlight does it make it harder to see the sights because of the shadow?


----------



## CB Jones (Dec 13, 2018)

Dirty Dog said:


> ere's Mrs Dog with the bedside gun.



Just noticed the T-shirt hanging in the background....love it


----------



## Dirty Dog (Dec 14, 2018)

ballen0351 said:


> That's a LOOOOONG suppressor does it cast a big upwards shadow with the light mounted under it?  I mean with light cashing the beam out and around it looks like it would block the light going upwards where the sights are causing it to be in the shadow.  So in low light conditions when your eyes adjusted to the brighter light from flashlight does it make it harder to see the sights because of the shadow?



Small suppressors don't make a gun safe to shoot without ears.
I've never tried what I think you're describing. I think it's likely that if you're turning the light off and on, then it's going to impact your ability to see the sights (and the target) to some degree when you turn it off. These lights aren't all THAT bright, though, so I suspect the impact will be fairly small and for a fairly brief time. But I've never experimented to know for sure.
If it's dark enough that I need to use the light to see my target, I'd have the laser on and aim using that. If I'm using the open sights, then it's light enough to not need the light, and I wouldn't use it.
If it were dark enough that I needed the light to identify my target, but didn't want to keep it on for some reason (like, I saw they had a gun, and didn't want to give away my position) then I'd be shooting at their silhouette. I'd just touch the switch and have just the laser on. Using the laser, I don't even have to be behind the gun. So I could possibly maintain some degree of cover/concealment while the gun is in a position to be used effectively.

[Edit]
Ok, so you aroused my curiosity.
I took the gun into windowless room. It was pretty dark; there was enough light to use the open sights, but not enough to know if a target was a burglar or one of our kids. Now, in that situation, I'd likely (as above) be using the light/laser both to aim and to allow me to see exactly what the bad guy is going. But I could easily shoot at a silhouette in that light.
I turned on the light for about five seconds, then turned it off. Repeated a few times. Each time, I was able to acquire the open sights in less than two seconds. If I turned it on for just a second (like, enough to say 'oh ****, he's got a gun') and turned it off, I could acquire the open sights immediately.
In reality, if I did hit the light and the bad guy had a gun, the most likely response would be that I'd shoot them immediately and repeatedly. So I'm pretty unlikely to have to turn the light off and go for cover before shooting.
But it's interesting to know anyway.


----------

