Semi-auto rifle for home defense

[ATN082268]

Sometime in the near future I will probably purchase a semi-auto rifle for home defense. I live in a fairly rural area, have a fair amount of experience (a while ago) with the government issue M-16A2 and a budget of around 1500 dollars. I wanted some input about possible choices. My first thoughts for a home defense and close in engagement caliber was 5.56mm/.223 but I'm not sure about the model. Any thoughts? Thank you.

[Wyosmith]

You will find this interesting.
Scroll down to the 223 (5.56 NATO FMJ)
Note that this is fairly typical of this round. If you use a "varmint bullet" you have an even higher degree of safety from over penetration.

http://www.theboxotruth.com/the-box-...sulated-walls/

[kilimanjaro]

Unless you're looking for a 600-yard zombie shooter, your budget is enough for a good AR15 and either a shotgun or revolver, good simple backup pieces. You could sub a Mini14 for the AR if you felt like it, or get three SKS rifles, if you want instant arsenal status.

The 223 is fine, if you want that zombie killer go to 308, avoid oddball calibers if you want to find ammo when you want to find it.

[stephen426]

While superior firepower is almost always desirable, firing a rifle indoors is VERY damaging to your hearing. Obviously in a life and death situation, your hearing may not be the top concern. With that said, I think a model with collapsible stock and shorter barrel make the gun more maneuverable. I have a S&W M&P Sport which I think would be almost ideal.

[9x18_Walther]

From what you are describing, you should get a HK G3 with a ThermoSight T75. You need infrared and 7.62x51mm to be effective (I'm kidding).

For budget ARs, take a look at the:

S&W M&P15
ArmaLite Defender 15
DPMS Oracle
Bushmaster XM-15
Ruger AR-556

A lot of law enforcement agencies run these "budget" ARs because of cost. If it is good enough for them, it is good enough for me.

Since you do have a bit more money to spend, take a look at the Colt LE6920 line. Absolutely the best bang for your buck. Nothing beats Colt quality and I've heard good things about them recently. Take a look at Rock River Arms at this price range as well.

[kraigwy]

Build one, its easy to do. For what you're asking, I'd go the M4 route, which is nothing more then an AR with a 16 in barrel

They would be good to 600+ yards if you go with the 1:7 twist and 77 gr. bullets.

Go the flat top receiver route and you can add a carrying hander with irons or Red Dot type or conventional scope.

You could go this route well below budget and spend the extra on ammo learning to shoot it.

I wouldn't let any one talk you out of the 223/5.56 rounds. It meet your goals and would be cheaper to feed (I don't use junk surplus ammo).

[Jim Watson]

For rural home defense, i.e. a firefight around the barn, the AR is just about right. A pistol or pistol caliber carbine would be good for playing armed hide and seek indoors.

Jeff Cooper once suggested you greet a suspicious stranger by stepping out the door with your carbine (He called the AR an "assault carbine".), scanning the sky, and asking the stranger "Did you hear a crow?"

[tirod]

Your familiarity and use of the M16 in the past would take years longer to accomplish with some other rifle. Suggestions like posted on TOS won't bear fruit. Stick with the AR. You know the weapon already and it's advantages - mag release button where it belongs, bolt hold open, and it's user serviceable, right down to swapping barrels at home.

Nothing like it on the market, HK's and AK's are less ergonomic and proprietary to a much higher degree, with far fewer accessories on the market. An AR with 16" barrel is a good truck gun, highly corrosion resistant, and handles well indoors when needed.

As for penetration, know your shooting lanes, and be prepared to take advantage of it as needed. Someone trying to shoot you won't pick low penetration rounds anyway. You need to stop them sooner to prevent it - shoot thru the concealment.

NO weapon discharged inside a building is quiet, spend money on hearing protection you can put on. Amplified hearing protection muffs are a great advantage on the range or hunting anyway. I bought a set with 500 hour battery life and they can pick up sounds I wouldn't notice otherwise hunting. Great for all around use - even on machinery. They dampen high decibel noise while improving low decibel detection. They are also a good deal in late fall and winter to keep your ears warm where hats and caps muffle things. Store those on the nightstand, wear a pistol around the home, take the rifle and muffs together when further out of the property.

$1500 will get you a serviceable AR AND a pistol - or you could build it yourself. There is also the alternative of building an AR pistol - a 10.5" AR wth no stock, which is even shorter for use inside dwellings and still an adequate longer range weapon if shot with some practice. It's got 1,000 foot pounds of force out to 85-100m for hunting and what some use in multiple seasons in their state. No government approvals needed, your state laws are the key.

For $1,500 you could have an AR rifle and pistol at the current prices. It seems 1911's are more expensive.

[marine6680]

1500 will get you a lot of AR these days...

I really like the PSA premium line... Quality up there with the big names, but you can buy a separate upper and lower, and have a rifle for $600... Entry level pricing, with mid high quality.

Their premium line doesn't pop up on their site as often as their budget lines though.


Colt makes a good rifle, but I prefer and recommend mid gas rifles, and colt doesn't really do mid gas, they use carbine gas.


Heck, a BCM or DD can be had for $1500. You can get a BCM lower and basic BCM upper for a combined $1000.. If you are inclined to own a higher end rifle, get one of those two brands.


For defence, a good 50-55gr varmint load works pretty well, and has very low over penetration though walls and barriers. If you can find slightly heavier varmint loads, then they would work too, bit better terminal ballistics, at a slight increase in barrier penetration.


For defense, I recommend a red dot sight.

There are several decent ones available, but I recommend an aimpoint pro for its turn on and leave on ability... 3 years of constant use battery life. I see them on sale for $400 now.

Other sights offer instant on capabilities, through vibration/movement detection.

You can spend less, primary arms has aimpoint like models for half the price. Similar battery, and 80% the quality.


I also recommend a good weapon mounted flashlight,bright enough, but not too bright so you blind yourself with reflections off the walls.

[Targa]

$1,500? My thoughts are to pick up an entry level AR...Del-ton, M&P, Ruger...etc..for $600 or so, then grab a decent 12 gauge shotgun for $300-400. Now you have $500-600 left over for ammo or possibly a mil-spec 1911 of some kind..

[Fishbed77]

That budget will by you a Colt 6920, Aimpoint PRO, and a VCAS sling, and you will be good to go.

Avoid the hobbyist brands/makes (Del-Ton, Bushmaster, DPMS, Armalite, etc.) for a serious defensive rifle.

[marine6680]

The Armalite rifles I have seen, have all been very good quality.

[Mobuck]

"I wanted some input about possible choices. My first thoughts for a home defense and close in engagement caliber was 5.56mm/.223 but I'm not sure about the model. Any thoughts? Thank you."
Pick a low to mid price range AR if that's what you're comfortable with. A 223/5.56 is eminently suitable for your needs. I have an AR within arms' reach most of the time and carry one constantly from December to May so I put a lot of miles on the rifle. I'm more of a "gun guy" than some so my summer AR is a 5.45x39 since it uses steel cased ammo and I just hate losing brass. In fur season, I carry either a 16 or 20" in .223 since they're slightly more accurate than the 5.45 (I hate missing more than I hate losing brass when there's a few bucks worth of fur on the line).
I've had excellent results with DelTon uppers and recommend them confidently. All my lowers are self built and have ALG triggers(which I consider a necessity for best accuracy).

[kcub]

The other night an incident arose that made me realize I need a carbine ready to go at night.

Lots of door knocking and doorbell ringing at 11:30 pm. I look through the peep hole and the person on the other side has intentionally obscured it with something! I go over to the kitchen window to look out and flashlights are looking through my living room window! I then notice the car in front is a cop car and I put my .40 away and open the door. AT NO TIME DID THEY ANNOUNCE THEY WERE POLICE.

I open the door slightly as I'm in my underwear and ask what's the matter and the 2 policemen ask my name and I give it and state the address. They say someone on the internet said someone was about to commit suicide at this address, some Hispanic name I've never heard of. I live alone and am Caucasian.

I suggest maybe they transposed some of the numbers and its another house on my street. Weird. I don't know what came of it.

I wonder given that if I hadn't answered and there being my car in the driveway if they would have broken in. I probably would have started shooting out of fear for my life not knowing they were police. It made me realize if God forbid I get into a shooting at night I want something more than a handgun.

Maybe I should have yelled who is it through the door? If its kick burglars they aren't going to knock, or are they? Why do I want to tell someone I'm home in the middle of the night who may be up to no good? I definitely don't want to get into a shooting but I definitely don't want to be at anyone's mercy who busts in unannounced whoever it is.

I'm getting an FS2000 today. An ambi bullpup is perfect for me, I am a lefty. Short and perfect for shooting around any corner.

[Fishbed77]

The Armalite rifles I have seen, have all been very good quality.

I won't dispute that, but for serious defensive use I just put more trust in those manufactures who build rifles knowing they will be used by people taking them into harm's way on a daily basis. They tend to have a higher level of QA/QC in my experience. To me this means, Colt, BCM, DD, LWRC, and some others. Fortunately, some of these brands (Colt and BCM, for example) don't really charge much more money for their products, and are well within the OP's budget.

That doesn't mean I'm saying Armalite (which has no relationship to the original Fairchild Armalite other than buying their name) can't make good rifles. But the fact is that they build products primarily with civilian consumers in mind.

[Phoenix54c]

Originally Posted by kcub

Lots of door knocking and doorbell ringing at 11:30 pm...and flashlights are looking through my living room window...I put my .40 away...AT NO TIME DID THEY ANNOUNCE THEY WERE POLICE.

I am really, really happy that I am not reading a headline about an accidental shootout right now.

I'm sure everyone involved was very startled.

[RAfiringline]

Buy a DPMS Oracle for ~$470 plus s/h. Mine gets 1.5 moa w/ no stoppages at 716 rds.

[pgpipefitter]

usgi M1 carbine loaded with hunting soft point rds. in a usgi 15 rd mag

[dakota.potts]

Lots of choices in 5.56. Probably makes the most sense for you to stick with the AR in a 16" barrel though. You have more choices than ever. I would get something middle line from a reputable brand (PSA, S&W, Ruger, RRA etc.) without getting too fancy. Look for something relatively light. My preferred set up for just home defense would be a red dot sight (Primary Arms, Vortex or Aimpoint depending on budget) with light flip up sights, a flashlight, and a small foregrip.

Get yourself a pistol also, if you don't have one. Pistol gets you to your rifle or around your house. Doesn't have to be fancy. Canik makes some that are getting good reviews around $300. The rest of the money should be spent on ammo and training if there's any left.

Also, save $50-100 for electronic hearing protection. You're going to want some if you end up touching off a rifle in your house.

[dgludwig]

For home defense, I think the handy Ruger Mini-14 carbine, chambered in 5.56, is hard to beat. Simple, reliable, rugged and plenty accurate for the stated purpose.

[SR420]

ATN082268 Sometime in the near future I will probably purchase a semi-auto rifle for home defense. I live in a fairly rural area, have a fair amount of experience (a while ago) with the government issue M-16A2...

Muscle memory rules!

Buy/build the M4 type that kraigwy suggested.
If you find a .308, you can always buy/build an AR10.

Later on you could maybe invest in a .30 caliber suppressor that will run on both.

[mete]

Store some ear protection next to your gun.IF you have the time put it on.

[9x18_Walther]

Avoid the hobbyist brands/makes (Del-Ton, Bushmaster, DPMS, Armalite, etc.) for a serious defensive rifle.

That is a brash statement. A lot of police departments run these brands. They have to trust them more than a regular person.

[Fishbed77]

That is a brash statement. A lot of police departments run these brands. They have to trust them more than a regular person.

Who knows - a lot of police departments could probably do better.

And maybe those rifles do receive extra QA/QC than ones sold to civilian customers. I don't know, but I would hope that is the case, based on some examples I've seen.

What I do know is that some makes (BCM and DD for example) have been very open that all of their products receive the same high level of quality control, regardless of customer, and it is no secret that Colt's civilian rifles come off the same line that produces M4s.

Again, YMMV, but I'm just sharing my experience and way of thinking regarding this. The OP's stated budget will accommodate one of the more proven products, and he has stated a requirement for a defensive rifle, so I have to deduce he or she is not looking for a price-point consumer-grade hobbiest rifle.


.

[kcub]

Would that be the same Colt that lost its contract with the US govt. to FN due to quality control?