home defense: m1 carbine or sks paratrooper

[greyling22]

I'd take the sks. a whole lot cheaper, more powerful, and in paratrooper configuration, pretty handy.

Though I would much rather have a shotgun. or vz2008 if I had to have a rifle.

 

[Don357]

Even though ammo is more readily available for the SKS, I chose the Carbine. It's lighter, shorter, and ballistics are more suitable for home defence.

 

[mavracer]

I'll go with a M1 carbine, I have plenty of ammo for it and no X39

 

[Art Eatman]

I'd go the SKS because of the more effective ammo. Heavier bullet going faster. IMO, a better "stopper".

IMO, relative cost of ammo doesn't matter in a defense weapon. "Muscle memory" from a lot of handling and even a modest amount of actual shooting would suffice. Pre-planned tactics are also very important--scenarios and what-if stuff.

 

[USAF_Vet]

Phaedrus, you've gotta get yourself one. It's about as handy as a wristwatch.

Which is to say, old, archaic and replaced by newer technology.

I voted SKS. I've never had the pleasure of owning an M1 carbine. I have woned, and still own, an SKS, although not the paratrooper model. The SKS is loaded on an empty chamber upstairs ready for HD, next to my cruiser ready Remington model 48 semi auto 12 gauge.

 

[HankB]

With military ball ammo, there's no question I'd go with the SKS; maybe there's a bit of my Dad's influence there, because during WWII he and a buddy shot a Jap 11 times (torso hits) with M1 Carbines and he kept running until he bled out, a couple of hundred yards later.

Lots of tales out of Korea of M1 Carbines failing to stop Norks and Chicoms; some said their heavy padded winter clothing stopped the rounds - this was incorrect; the FMJ rounds penetrated OK, they just didn't do enough damage to put the enemy soldier down right now.

With softpoints (assuming your M1 Carbine is reliable) . . . the choice becomes murky. It's hard to imagine an expanding 110@1900 wouldn't be at least as effective as a premium .357 load - perhaps a bit more so. But use softpoints in the SKS, and you step up in effectiveness too.

I'd say whichever is 1. More reliable, and 2. Easier for YOU to shoot (and hit!!) rapidly with.

 

[Goosey]

M1 Carbine, lighter and handier with higher capacity. A 110-gr softpoint at 2,000 fps is making near 1,000 foot pounds, that is plenty for home defense. Extra power of the SKS is unnecessary.

 

[bannockburn]

I would go with an M1 Carbine; better yet make it an M1A1 Carbine.

 

[Ash]

Wristwatch old and outdated? I have kids at school who claim just that. However, they cannot read a clock. Yeah, 14 years old and are baffled by big hand and little hand. Sure, they got a phone they can use, and they pull it out of their pocket, check it, and put it back into their pocket. The more things change they more they stay the same as I imagine a train conductor pulling a pocket watch out, flipping open its case, and then returning it to his pocket.

My archaic wind-up takes less than a second to use and works all times during the day and doesn't mind getting wet.

Guess that's why I voted M1 Carbine. Not too big, easy to move about, more rounds even when just 15 rounds, cheap to shoot, shoots a round that is effective at defensive ranges you experience for home and hearth.

Oh, and easier for my 10 year old son to use should things get bad.

 

[Cee Zee]

but I don't think I could put a 10 rd. stripper clip in an SKS as quickly and cleanly as I could load a 15 rd. mag in the Carbine

It's possible to load from a stripper clip very fast. Plus there's how much ammo you can carry with you. You can carry a lot more if it's just on clips and not in mags. The mags are pretty heavy.

It "is" possible to get an SKS to work with detachable mags. I have several that have never failed even once to feed. I can stuff a 30 round mag in my SKS and not worry about reloading the gun until the action is likely over. If you find yourself in a situation where you have to fire more than 30 rounds you probably need other things besides faster reloads. Like somebody to help you.

If you can get this video to work you might get the idea that my SKS does work with detachable mags as long as they're USA brand mags. You may just have to download the video then play it. My web site doesn't do streaming unless I want to go through a lot of hassle. And every time I've set it up it's no time before it's back to not working again.

 

[M1key]

SKS is better for turning cover into concealment should the need arise.

M

 

[chicharrones]

We're still talking home defense here right?

So, perhaps I missed a detail. Are we talking home invasion defense as in people kicked your door open? Or, are we talking "castle" defense where we are shooting out of "loopholes" at people outside our home?

 

[M1key]

OP didn't specify, so I was assuming anything can happen at the worst possible time.

M

 

[Bexar]

OP didn't specify, so I was assuming anything can happen at the worst possible time.

M

Always does.

 

[cfullgraf]

I voted M1 Carbine for home defense. Small handy carbine with enough oomph fo a home setting.

The SKS is a bit unwieldy when compared to the carbine in my opinion.

That said, I feel post war commercial Carbines have a less than stellar reputation for reliability and I feel it is a shame to put a fine, old WWII GI Carbine into home defense service. The 300 BLK with a 16" barrel would be a dandy alternative to the M1 Carbine.

 

[C-grunt]

Hmmm Thats actually a hard one for me.

The M1 Carbine is lighter and handier. Plus it has detachable magazines. Though the cartridge is right on the brink of what I would consider an effective long gun. What I mean is Im not gaining a huge increase in terminal ballistics over a handgun. Though the ease of shooting and detachable magazines kind of make up for it.

The only thing the SKS has going for it over the M1 is greater terminal ballistics.

In the beginning I was going to say SKS but after writing it all out, I think Id go with the M1 Carbine. Hits count and the Carbine to me would be the better gun for a gun fight even if the ballistics are not where Id want them to be.

 

[rondog]

I'll put it this way - I don't have three loaded SKS's in my bedroom, truck and basement.....

 

[Dr.Rob]

I prefer the M1 Carbine. Light weight, more rounds, good choice with soft points. Good open sights, reliable magazines.

 

[Ash]

The ammo weight is interesting and would still go in favor of the M1. While SKS chargers are relatively light, the ammo is heavier than 30 carbine. 30 rounds of 7.62x39 on chargers actually weighs more than 30 rounds of 30 carbine in a single magazine (or in two 15 rounders).

 

[ku4hx]

The M1 Carbine with its 110 grain bullet has a published MV of 1,990 fps. With an appropriate powder, a 6" barreled .357 Magnum 110 grain bullet only misses the carbine's MV by 150-200 fps. That's at the muzzle; at typical combat distances, that difference is less.

If I were going to use a gun with the carbine's ballistics, and wanting my choice to be quickly brought to bear, I'd choose a .357 Magnum 6". Of course there's the increased capacity of the carbine, but I've felt fully protected with six shots for decades.

I'd take the SKS with it's superior ballistics any day of the week if I had to choose between these two long guns.

 

[natman]

The M1 Carbine because it's lighter and loads with a detachable magazine.

The SKS is slightly more powerful, but both are powerful enough when loaded with softpoints.

 

[kBob]

Hmmm 81 to 20 in favor of the carbine at the moment.

Interestingly a carbine with soft points is one of the few things Marshall and Sanow agree with Dr. Fackler with. They all rate it highly. When I met with Dr. Fackler regularly his Home defense gun was an M-1 Carbine with soft points. Go figure.

Don't know about SKS numbers, but am not worried with .30 Carbine being under powered for home defense.

I can't imagine needing a rifle that is a powerful as the SKS inside my home. I rather imagine my neighbors (and I live in a rural area with the closest occupied home a good 200 meters away) not preferring me to use a .30 carbine as well.

I know I can shoot an M-1 one handed and actually hit things at household ranges if I need too. For that matter if it is necessary to shoot from the hip ( though a reason doesn't immediately come to mind) that I can hit with a carbine and not have a spent shell case shoved up my nose at high speed.

I can do one hand reloads and immediate action with the M-1 Carbine. I would not even want to try it with an SKS.

Ammo and feed device weight would seem to be of no import in this discussion. I can not imagine needing more than 15 rounds and still be shooting in a household situation and if so I have a stock ammo pouch on the carbine which houses both magazines when in storage so there are two with the gun when it comes from the safe.

I have not tried using a flashlight with an SKS, but have done so with a M-1 Carbine.

Yep. M-1 .30 Carbine, I choose you!

-kBob

 

[Dr_2_B]

So the OP's pretty impressed by the thoughtful responses.

 

[chicharrones]

Yep. M-1 .30 Carbine, I choose you!

-kBob

You sold me again, kBob.

As a smaller point, definitely magazines over stripper clips. I think stripper clips are neat and all, my first gun was (and still is) an SKS. I used to practice loading it in the dark with stripper clips when it was my home defense gun long ago. I got good at loading the SKS that way, as long as the stripper clip wasn't in a pouch.

However, the SKS isn't my only gun anymore. For defense and the use of stripper clips, all I have to do is think of a C96 Mauser pistol and a Browning Hi Power. IMO, the same goes for carbines in the home.

 

[kBob]

You know the discussions on ammo cost got me wondering.

Does anyone actually use steel cased polymer coated .30 carbine?

Apparently a pile of folks sell the stuff, on line at least, to some body.

I under stand m1911series pistols had trouble with steel case US made ammo in Double You Double You Twice with the extractor breaking. As the Carbine uses a different system I wonder if it would have that problem.

I notice Privy part of son sells a .30 Carbine Soft point at around 40 cents around and I believe that is a boxer primed brass case.

-kBob