Vic family terrorised during burglary

A man has narrowly avoided being shot during a violent home invasion in Melbourne's west.

Two men armed with a metal pole and gun forced their way into the Caroline Springs home of a couple and their three children about 10.40pm on Thursday.

Christian, not his real name, said he was watching TV when his wife alerted him to a banging noise at their front door.

But he couldn't believe his eyes when he realised two men had kicked their way in.

"I told them to leave, screaming really loud," Christian told reporters on Friday.

"They told me to get on the floor but I was throwing household items like a fruit bowl at them."

He said one of the men then instructed his accomplice to shoot him.

The bullet narrowly missed Christian and landed at the back of a fridge his wife was hiding behind.

"It's really sad that you can't be safe in your own home," he said.

Detective Inspector Steve Clark said it was traumatic enough for people to have their homes violated but to be menaced with weapons and have a firearm discharged was horrific.