I’ve been fascinated by personal defense weapons, or PDWs, as of late. I’ve found myself asking a great many questions in regards to the PDW concept. Like why did the creators of 224 Boz only sell ammo and guns to the police and military? Why doesn’t HK release a semi-auto MP7 pistol? And why haven’t more people chosen PDWs are their home defense weapon? We could call them HDWs! Also, what weapons qualify as personal defense weapons, and which ones can I own?
Why PDWs Rule
These little not-quite rifles and not-quite PCCs provide better penetration and range than a pistol caliber but less recoil and concussion than a 5.56 when fired from a short barrel. PDWs can be super small, lightweight, and very easy to wield with a single hand…even when they are long guns.
The spitzer style rounds are like the 5.56 when it comes to overpenetration through walls. They tumble when they strike a surface and lose energy rapidly. They’ll still run through drywall, but less so than buckshot or pistol rounds. PDWs could be a very capable option for home defense and shouldn’t be tossed out with the bathwater. If a PDW is something you’re considering, I’ve gathered five of the best ones currently on the market.
1. PS90
The O.G. of personal defense weapons, and the star of Stargate command, the P90, brought the PDW to life. The PS90 provides your everyday Joe with a semi-auto, non-NFA P90. This does mean you get an awkward 16-inch barrel, but the bullpup layout means it’s a mere 26.23 inches long with the 16-inch barrel.
This 5.7x28mm gun packs 50 rounds in an odd but effective helical magazine. Home defense rarely allows you to carry a reload, so 50 rounds of 5.7 work quite nicely for home defense. The little gun is light, and as a bullpup, all the weight is to the rear which makes it super easy to use inside a home and with a single hand.
Toss on a red dot and a sling, and you’re good to go! They aren’t cheap guns, and they can be somewhat tricky to find. But, they are effective and well-proven with various special operations and police units around the world.
2. CMMG FourSix
CMMG makes tons of Banshee AR pistols and SBRs in various calibers, and their latest is the FourSix in 4.6x30mm. The 4.6x30mm occupies the famed MP7 and had yet to ever grace American shores in a civilian weapon. Well, until the FourSix.
The FourSix gives American shooters a mini direct impingement PDW that packs 40 rounds of the little 4.6x30mm rounds. It’s all AR-15 with all the controls and ergonomic options millions of us are used to. It’s an easy transition and easy to accessorize into a home defense firearm. Tack a red dot, a light, and a sling, and bam — you’re ready to go.
This little gun is very easy to use, very accurate, and doesn’t have any of the downsides of a bullpup layout. While the 5.7x28mm outperforms the 4.6 ever so slightly at longer ranges, the 4.6x30mm ammo is often a little cheaper than 5.7×28. Plus, it’s the AR platform we are all accustomed to, and it gets that massive aftermarket we all know and love.
3. DiamondBack DBX
One of the most desirable features of a PDW is the lightweight design. So, if weight is important to you, then the Diamondback DBX has you covered. It weighs a mere three pounds! Although, that’s unloaded and without a brace. Most braces add hardly any weight, so this isn’t a major issue. This gun is the lightest route to take for your PDW desires.
PDWs should be easy to handle, and this is one of the easiest to handle. Besides being light and short, it’s thin at only 1.75 inches. The 8-inch barrel launches 5.7x28mm rounds at the right speed and keeps the gun fairly short and sweet. It’s not a AR 15 by any means, but it’s still quite ergonomic.
You don’t need a buffer tube, and you can use a Sig 1913 brace. The DBX uses Five-SeveN magazines, so you’re stuck to 20 or thirty rounds at most, but they work and are easy to find. Accessorizing is easy, and the ergonomics are on point. The low recoiling 5.7 keeps the little gun super easy to shoot and wield.
4. MPA57DMG Pistol
MasterPiece Arms would likely sell more guns if they didn’t use ridiculously long names for their firearms. The MPA57DMG places the 5.7x28mm round into a MAC-type pistol, creating a very short and handy PDW. You can toss a brace on without much difficulty and have a very capable, modern little MAC.
The MPA57DMG uses Five-SeveN magazines, so you get 20 or 30 rounds total in a pistol-sized platform. With the magazine in the pistol grip, the gun is incredibly short at 11.25 inches. It’s slightly heavier than the DBX at 3.68 inches total. These PDWs come optics and light ready and use side charging magazines.
The MPA57DMG won’t win any contests for looks, ergonomics, or recoil control. It uses a blowback system that creates excessive recoil. However, it’s still rather light. The grip might feel like a 2×4. Yet it works and works reliably.
5. Inland Manufacturing M30-P
Finally, let’s step back into time to WW2. Arguably the world’s first PDW was the M1 carbine, kind of. Maybe ‘light rifle’ is a better descriptor, but I consider it one of the first PDWs. A standard M1 Carbine is great, but the new Inland Manufacturing M30-P shrinks it and modernizes it.
We get a 10-inch barrel, a chassis system with a forward optics rail, and a Gear Head Works brace. The old M1 Carbine still has a lot of fight left in it. Now that Inland shrunk the gun to a more maneuverable caliber, the gun fits the PDW concept a fair bit better.
Admittedly the magazines can be a weak point, and it requires you to be a little finicky around to get good 30 rounders. Yet, the juice might be worth the squeeze. The .30 Carbine has put more enemies of democracy in the ground than any of the above calibers. It’s heftier but considerably more powerful.
Defending Yourself
Personal Defense Weapons can easily be home defense weapons. In fact, they might just excel in that field. There are certainly downsides to the idea, but these light, low recoiling, short, sweet, and often highly modern weapons function extremely well in a defensive role. What do you think? Let us know below!
