AR as a home defense gun?

I am also in the "grab the shotgun first" crowd. Mainly because I have hunted with one since I was a kid. I have fired more rounds through a shotgun than any other type of firearm I have, to include .22lr.

The second reason is because of payload. I use 00 buck. With one pull of the trigger, I am delivering nine, .30 caliber projectiles towards the target, and with the longest shot in my house, the spread is only about the size of a softball. I'm not going to see what is making the noise, that is the dogs job. I'm going to be at the end of my hallway, waiting for whatever it to come to me.
 
cyphertext said:
I'm not going to see what is making the noise, that is the dogs job. I'm going to be at the end of my hallway, waiting for whatever it to come to me.
Click to expand...

That goes back to "It depends on what your definition of home defense is"...see above. That's great strategy for a burglar in the suburbs with a 911 response in reasonable time.

It sucks in a rural area where 1). Your closest deputy is at least 30 minutes away. 2)....or its SHTF time.:D
 
My strategy is to ALWAYS try to keep hearing protection available. That said, sometimes circumstances dictate otherwise.

My situation is fluid - Sometimes we're at home and have multiple types of firearms available. Other times we're either working a camp host gig (45 minute deputy response time) or traveling for pleasure. Governor for inside the trailer, with PDX1. I also have a SCAR 16. This would be for fending off a group of bad guys (robbery, intimidation of guests, etc). Finally, I have my CCW Bodyguard .380.

I must admit, it pains me to out myself in public this way. I doubt any of my guests would ever guess that their host is armed.

My biggest fear is that if I have to use one of our guns, it'll traumatize our dog :(

I asked the wife to cover his ears in case an emergency occurs...
 
686-380 said:
...I also have a SCAR 16. This would be for fending off a group of bad guys (robbery, intimidation of guests, etc)...
Click to expand...

I for one, would like to hear more about the scenario of employing the use of a SCAR 16 when your guests are being "intimidated" by a group of bad guys.
 
Three words. Or two words and a number, however you want to look at it:

12-gauge shotgun.

More words:

My current HD weapon is a Mossberg 930SPX, loaded alternately with 00 and #4. Eight or nine shots, depending on if you keep one in the chamber. Easy to work (and find in the dark) tang safety. Ghost ring rear sight and an Elzetta 900 lumen light out on the end with constant on and strobe mode. The light isn't shown in this photo.

Backup is a Colt 1911.

I figure that ought to do it.






 
Choose the platform that you have the most training with. It's all about what you hit, not what you hit it with.
 
Best tool for the job.

Anything effective penetrates common building materials. Anyone that thinks a handgun or shotgun won't is dreaming.

Long gun should be the primary, always. Whether a shotgun or carbine the advantages are many and immense over a hand gun.

A 5.56 AR-15 has the energy of a 44 Mag at close range and usually has the same or less penetration than defensive loads in a handgun or shotgun. The ease of use, low recoil, capacity, and the effectiveness of the cartridge at close range make it a winner for me.

Having something is always better than nothing.

It's good to have options, but the handguns will always be relegated to back up duty in the home.
 
I figure the best gun for the job is the gun I have with me. For home protection... If I have pants on there's either a LCP or 642 in the pocket whether I'm mowing the lawn, watching TV or whatever, there's a gun in the pocket. In the bedroom there's a 12ga Winchester Defender loaded with 00 on the side of the bed and a Colt 1911 on the nightstand. My AR will be in the safe so that puts it out of the fight. I would have no hesitation or reluctance to use an AR for home defense, but for up close work if a 12ga is an option there are no other options, IMO.
 
My line of defense starts with my 870, would be a pistol, but I am under 21, then my M&P-15, but only because I have 6 30 round magazines full at all times, mainly because I shoot all 6 several times every weekend, but also in case of an emergency that may arise.
 
Rastoff said:
I was excited to get rolling with the shooting. I forgot to put my ear plugs in. The first shot was painful. While this was not inside, it was under a cover. I can tell you that it felt much worse than any shotgun I've ever shot. I don't know why it was so painful, I just know it was.
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db is just one measure of sound. Another is pitch or frequency. Generally smaller faster moving objects are higher pitched and the sound generated by the faster object impacts your ear over a shorter period. That higher pitched sound impacting your ear over a shorter time can be more painful.

Think of the sound difference between a 125cc 2 cycle and 500cc 4 cycle engine. There is definitely a difference in sound quality.
 
I have a Mossberg 590 Special Purpose pump for my primary HD long gun. Handguns are a backup whenever I have access to a long gun. We live in the country, so I also have a CAR-15 fitted with a Leupold VX-II 1x4 for longer range accuracy. I wouldn't hesitate to use the CAR inside my home, if it became necessary, however, IMO the shotgun is simply better suited for my HD purpose.
 
As has been noted here, a 12g 00 load will penetrate walls much better than 55gr .223, FMJ or HP. Big, medium velocity projectiles are the worst over-penetrators and 8-12 00 balls pretty much act as one big projectile at close range.

In my humble opinion, the great advantages of an AR-type rifle would be the easy use of a low light friendly optic and ease of follow up shots. It would absolutely be loud and with anything less than a Commando-style 5" flash hider would create quite the fireball.

With that said, my "bump in the night" gun is a Glock 34 with a mounted light and tritium sights. I simply can't store and secure a long gun in my bedroom right now. If we had a disaster in my area, I have an AR-like rifle with a Meprolight M21 holographic optic and Streamlight. I also have a Mossberg 500 with a flashlight mount + Streamlight but no optic. A lengthy power outage (or worse) and one or both of these would come out. My wife's Kimber 1911 with factory tritiums would too.
 
I think the 5.56/.223 AR-15 is a good home defense weapon. The caliber is an effective man stopper, using the right ammo limits over penetration over many other rounds. Capacity is outstanding. As a long gun, it's relatively light and easy to maneuver/aim.

On penetration though... to this point in time, they haven't developed a round that will penetrate a human to the necessary levels to stop them that won't penetrate a few pieces of sheetrock as well. It just has to be that way - if it's going to penetrate deep enough to stop a man, it's going to penetrate walls.

Of the three basic styles of guns, handgun, shotgun and rifle, the rifle is the last one I'd pick for home defense.
Click to expand...

I think that's true of many rifles, but not military style carbines.
 
My Sport is sitting in the corner of my closet loaded with Hornady TAPs. My primary HD gun is my 1911. I figure if 8 rounds of .45acp can't handle what is being thrown my way, I'm in a world of hurt and I'm going to need a bunch more ammo.....thus the AR as a backup.
 
Colt 6920 (sorry not a S&W), Surefire light mounted on the Knights rail, Eotech w/ARMS buis, SOPMOD stock, 30rd mag. When the lights go out, things go "bump" in the night and the dog alerts this is my first choice. My handgun is my back up. But that's just me with a bit of life experiences that've helped me learn.

We are all free to make our own choices, I won't disregard another's choice for their situation.

IMG_4036_zpsf433871f.jpg
 
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Getting back to Rastoff's original question, my Sport is definitely lighter and smaller than my HD 870, but obviously larger than any handgun I have. A Sport is almost exactly the same size and weight as my M1 Carbine. Where the Sport (or any M4 clone) bests my 870 is in ergonomics. A pistol grip makes the Sport easier to handle.

Yes, the AR is larger than a pistol, but it is smaller than most pump shotguns. I agree with Rastoff that the best strategy is to barricade and wait for the cavalry. However, I am a fairly new AR owner and I still like the 870 as it is what I am most familiar with.
 
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