Food 4 Thought Friday: Defensive AR’s

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Varminterror

Varminterror

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Just a fun thought experiment at close of business on a Friday. I don’t usually indulge this type of silly stuff, but a conversation about business operational risk management versus inventory cost management today - for some reason - hit me squarely upside of my “gun brain,” and I thought it might elicit some interesting discussion.

Parameters:

• Home defense on a budget
• Relatively remote area
• Any one of those scenarios people like to discuss such your choice is an AR-15 carbine with irons, red dot, or LPVO
• No other purpose specified for the rifle(s)
• Solitary person (context for which makes sense later)

Given these options only, would you consider yourself better armed with:

A) A single $700 AR-15
B) Two identical $350 AR’s

Which of these two options, and why?

ETA:

• Optics not included in price. Dealers choice of optics, but consider the same optic is used on all rifles. Not giving an unfair advantage to two rifles by using two different optics (relatively different purposes)

• Consider both price classes are bound by the same purpose design. Whatever the HD/SD AR should look like in your mind is effectively, within the budgetary constraints both classes would look like, i.e. comparing a pair of $350 mil-clone-ish 16” Carbines to a $700 mil-clone-ish 16” carbine.
 
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Varminterror said:
Just a fun thought experiment at close of business on a Friday. I don’t usually indulge this type of silly stuff, but a conversation about business operational risk management versus inventory cost management today - for some reason - hit me squarely upside of my “gun brain,” and I thought it might elicit some interesting discussion.

Parameters:

• Home defense on a budget
• Relatively remote area
• Any one of those scenarios people like to discuss such your choice is an AR-15 carbine with irons, red dot, or LPVO
• No other purpose specified for the rifle(s)
• Solitary person (context for which makes sense later)

Given these options only, would you consider yourself better armed with:

A) A single $700 AR-15
B) Two identical $350 AR’s

Which of these two options, and why?
Click to expand...

Price of optic included in the total?

If yes then I want the $700 budget for optic, rifle, a few mags, and ammo.

BSW
 
I'm so detached from AR prices these days that I don't know what $350 get you. But, assuming a serviceable and reliable weapon:

I'd take two at the lower price. I'm not walking around the house with an long arm slung over my shoulder or across my chest, or carry it in my hand from place to place as I move through my home.
 
If it's just a "home on the range" with one small house I'll be in, I'll take the one $700 rifle and stick it in the bedroom. But if there's somewhere like a barn that I visit often, I'd take the 2 $350 rifles and stash one out there. Heck, you could even use one as a truck gun if you ride out in one a lot.

If you're more interested in the thought process than the answer, I'd say

-$350 vs $700 AR, not a major difference, don't care too much.
-Scopes aren't counted in the price, slightly biases me towards 2 ARs and more free scopes
-HD scenarios are most likely to happen on the night, especially in open country where you can see intruders coming from a mile away in the daylight. If trouble is going to happen, you'll pry be in your bedroom when it does.
-Exception to the above is if you're not going to be at home a lot, which makes 2 guns a lot more appealing.

So I'm leaning towards 2 guns, unless the scenario is more strictly drawn to where you'll only be at home, in which case a second gun seems superfluous.
 
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I can’t say I’d want a $350 AR if I lived in the boonies and it was my only rifle. For that matter, given your budget, I’d probably prefer a decent lever or even a bolt scout type gun.

But given the alternatives you provided...one $700 AR
 
One reliable AR of whatever caliber you choose is good enough.
Most of us aren't Jerry Miculek. So dual wielding isn't a viable option.
Personally I prefer an 18" riot gun with extended magazine.
I started shooting shotguns at 9 years old and ARs at 30. I'm definitely more proficient with my shotgun.
 
A) A single $700 AR-15

I don't believe I'd need the redundancy of two ARs. If I'm not arming others, any home defense situation that I relied on only myself would entail me using one gun for probably a very brief period of time. If I didn't feel safe after an encounter, due to lack of law enforcement response or whatever, I'd be skedaddling out of there right away.

As it stands, I only have one AR anyway. So that choice has been made already.
 
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AR-15 A2, A3, or A4... Carbine or 20" HBAR? How far are we talking about shooting in daylight?

Midway carries A2-type night sights. No need to worry with a scope in the dark, but all the cool youtubers would say have a light on the bedside gun. The truck/barn gun could have an optic or A2/A4 carry handle.

Biggest problem I see with a barn gun is dirt daubers plugging the bore.
 
My experience with $350 ARs is not good, nor is my experience with sub-$100 optics, so by default I'm left with 1X$700 AR. I think a very serviceable package could be put together in that price range for any 2 legged threat one could imagine defending against rather than running away to ranges of 400 yards or more, probably including a cheap lazer or co-witness backup sight system. Not a fan of iron sights for defense outside of shotgun ranges. Extensive practice and good eyesight are needed to use them effectively, and target ID and aquisition is slower. Real life bad guys tend to use cover and concealment, not stand upright like IDPA silhouettes.
 
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Buzznrose said:
I can’t say I’d want a $350 AR
Click to expand...

I bought a $350 DPMS Oracle a few years ago, with the primary purpose to shoot a case of ammos through it in a weekend and see if it failed. It didn't.

troy fairweather said:
Plus I don't think there's much difference between. $350 and a $700 AR.
Click to expand...

I would agree with that statement. Now, before you go all '...but I read over on ARF dot com that...!' on me, I will acknowledge that little DPMS didn't have some of the build features my Colt or my RRA have, I got that. In fact, if I kept it, the first thing I would have done was twist the barrel off and replace it with something not resembling a spaghetti noodle. Having said that, I found it to be excellent overall... not one stoppage in 1000 rounds, slow fire, mag dumps, shoot n scoot, old USGI mags, nothing. I think 2 of those would have made a dandy start to the OP's basic premise... whatever optics or sights you wanted optional, of course, given the entry price. Is this an AR you would want to run in competition every other weekend? Probably not, but that was not the OP. Would I go into battle with it? Again, probably not... but I would if that's what I had.

As far as an answer to the basic question... 2 is better than 1, I love redundancy.
 
Varminterror said:
Just a fun thought experiment at close of business on a Friday. I don’t usually indulge this type of silly stuff, but a conversation about business operational risk management versus inventory cost management today - for some reason - hit me squarely upside of my “gun brain,” and I thought it might elicit some interesting discussion.

Parameters:

• Home defense on a budget
• Relatively remote area
• Any one of those scenarios people like to discuss such your choice is an AR-15 carbine with irons, red dot, or LPVO
• No other purpose specified for the rifle(s)
• Solitary person (context for which makes sense later)

Given these options only, would you consider yourself better armed with:

A) A single $700 AR-15
B) Two identical $350 AR’s

Which of these two options, and why?
Click to expand...
2 is 1, one is none.

I would go with option B if both ARs are in good working conditions.
 
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