Rifle as Home Defense?

[Marlin 45 carbine]

I keep my Makarov velcroed to bedpost. SXS 12 ga. in near corner. Marlin .45 w/10 rd mag hanging on wall hook over bedpost and 3D Maglite on bed head board.
I'se arful skeered of tha dark
and I live 450 ft. off pavement.

 

[CWL]

I voted shotgun because I normally keep my rifles unloaded & in the safe. I do have pistols available but would reach for the shotty if I had my choice.

If I knew there were BGs in the house and I had time, I'd load up one of my .223 carbines -pistol is last choice.

 

[AtticusThraxx]

Guess my question was answered poll-wise. I keep a Mo' Berg next to the bed, but if they can get thru alarm system and the dog into my bedroom,I'll just sic my wife on em. Wake her up in the middle of the night ....God help ya!

 

[Geronimo45]

Revolver. Like to get an AR or similar sometime soon. Maybe this summer. I'm somewhat suspicious of the remarks indicating that .223 is unique in the world as a magic bullet, though. Penetrates body armor easily, but fragments when it hits flesh, never goes through too many walls, but it can go through steel plate like butter... sometimes the AR afficianados come off sounding like marketers for Extreme Shock.

As for overpenetration of walls, we'll say that .45 ACP FMJ goes through 20 sheets of drywall... .223 (of what make and model, couldn't say) will go through around 15 sheets. Still going through multiple walls, but not so many as handgun rounds will. Those numbers are made up, FYI - but the real ones are somewhat similar. The .223 round will go through several walls, but the lower-speed, heavier-weight handguns will go through more walls.
Since HD distances for me = spitting distance or closer, thanks to size... well, Ray Charles could point-shoot in my place. And hit the BG every time.

 

[DMK]

What is the first gun you reach for at home?

Usually I'm carrying this:

But my preference is to grab one of these if it's in reach:

 

[RevolvingCylinder]

Longer? My pistols when held in a proper hold with arms out are actually longer than my 16" AR15 shouldered with stock collapsed. Guess I must have long arms.

 

[glockman19]

My preferance? The one closest to the bed. I rotate my nightstand guns so it could be a revolver or pistol. It could be a 10 round mag, (CA), or a 5,6,7 round revolver. Most of the time one of each is in the nightstand. If I need more than 15-17 rounds I'm S-O-O-L.

 

[Ala Dan]

Semi Auto Pistol~!

 

[ernunnos]

Long guns are better than handguns, and home is the one place where you can assure yourself access to a long gun. The only question is which. I started with shotguns, but the more I shot them, the more I discovered I liked slugs, and a dedicated slug gun is... a rifle. For indoor use, a rifle with a minimum-length barrel, a wide bore, and a relatively low-pressure cartridge.

 

[KiltedClaymore]

its hard to over penatrate a house made of thick brick and concrete

 

[browningguy]

The first thing I grab is a pistol, but that's only so I can fight my way to a rifle.

 

[MT GUNNY]

I picked semiauto pistol,

However, If my pistol was not around for some reason the first thing
I would grab would be my AR 15 M4gery.

 

[Squidward]

Pistol; because it is handy.

 

[kyccw]

I voted pistol, as that is all I have at the moment. Hope to be remedying that soon.

 

[Z71]

I keep dogs in the house. Ain't nobody getting in without a major ordeal! By the time the dogs get done all I'll need is a mop and an ambulance for the perp!

Shotgun is what probably should be used, but I do keep a pistol handy.

Don't under estimate how much "house" a bullet will penetrate. Even a .22 will go through a lot of sheetrock, even penetrate exterior walls. A cinder block house(with the block cavitys filled with cement hopefully) might stop a .5.56mm bullet, but I would hate to bet on your average brick house to stop an AR round. It might, but the average brick ain't solid, and the holes ain't filled with morter either!

The usual 2x4 framed and sided house ain't very bullet proof!

 

[ArmedBear]

Ain't very fireproof, either, as we've proven around here twice in the past 4 years alone.

 

[648E]

The rifle if I have time and space to use it.

 

[Chris B]

theboxotruth.com indicates that a shotgun loaded with buckshot presents the least concern for overpenetration versus pistols and rifles.

One trigger pull on my 870 delivers either 9 or 15 pellets of almost 9mm sized lead. This means that if I put two rounds of 3 inch 00 buck in to a target it is roughly the equivalent of emtying an MP5 in to a target. The 870 is completely reliable as well.

I used to keep the AR loaded up but .223/ 5.56 is less likely to immediately stop a threat than the shotgun is.

If I currently owned a pistol it would serve as a backup to the shotgun. Remember the old saying: "pistols are only for fighting your way back to the long gun that you never should have dropped in the first place."

 

[Dr.Rob]

I have felt undergunned with a handgun, but never with a shotgun. Best reason for a handgun is to keep a hand free to use the phone or a flashlight.

But I bet SOMONE makes a hands free Bluetooth mount for an AR-15.

 

[Fast Frank]

Clear the house? Who, me?

I don't think so.

I don't know about you guys, but for ME home defense isn't about killing the bad guys.

Nope, it's about keeping me and my family alive.

I'm not going to be clearing any houses unless that's the only option I have left.

Personally, I'm going to hunker down behind whatever cover I can find with my family behind me, and hope the bad guys don't come through the hallway before the police get there.

If they do... then I will make the best of it with my CCW pistol because:

1. It's guaranteed to be out of the safe and loaded.
2. I'm more practiced with it than any of my other guns.
3. It has Meprolite night sights.
4. It is reliable and powerful and totally worthy for defense of my family.
5. The bad guys are walking into a bad situation. I'm behind cover and they are feeling their way around unfamiliar territory. Bad Idea for them.

If I happened to have my combat shotgun (It's a doozey!) out, or my M4gery happens to be there, then fine- I will gladly use either of those as primary weapon.

Those too are worthy, and probably better than my pistol.

But they are most likely clean and secure in the safe.

I'll be just fine with the pistol, thank you.

 

[swingset]

I cannot understand why one would want to grab an AR to navigate through your house at night rather than a glock.

Ballistically, pistols are terrible replacements for a rifle.

An AR holds more ammo, is more lethal, is more accurate, is more adaptable, can be used as a club if all else fails, etc.

BTW, navigating through your house is a terrible idea, unless you have no other option.

Take a carbine course sometime, and your confusion about this subject will go away.

 

[mr_blove]

I grap my XD45 cause its what I practice with, however I belive a good pump action shotgun is the best home defense weapon for the average Joe Blow out there, my reasons:

1. Not much can go wrong with the function of the weapon.
2. You dont have to be pin point accurate with it.
3. You dont have to be worried about over penatration through you house and impacting friendlies in you house or little Susie next door(unless your usuing slugs).
4.If you are out of ammo or it does have a malfunction it works good for hand-to-hand defense I.E. a buttstroke to the face.
5. Last but not least the sound of you pumping a round into the chamber is a terrifiying sound to any BG with ill intent at heart.

 

[Soybomb]

Right, but you also have over-penetration with 223 compared to 357.

As BR said, you need to read some of the other material here, that just isn't true.

 

[Dr. Peter Venkman]

House clearing by yourself is what I would consider a no-no, that is of course you believe in giving the element of surprise to the crook to even their chances. Secure your loved ones, but house clearing? Yeah, I'd like to see the tactics of a single person doing that job without having major concerns in having blindspots covered. Bunker down and call the police. It's their job.

I voted semi-auto pistol. I cannot own an AR-15 unless it has been severely neutered down, and I don't own a shotgun. With a pistol if need be I can move around my home without scraping the barrel along a wall. Maybe a shotgun is in my future.

 

[Zach S]

Higher capacity. More powerful. More accurate. Easier to shoot faster.

That pretty much sums it up...