Help me finish off my home defense line up.

[BobR1]

I am guessing that you live in a rural area, with very slow law enforcement response time. Not all that uncommon. I was a reserve deputy sheriff for 15 years in a 1000 sq mile county in rural missouri. One Sunday I put over 400 miles on my car, all answering calls, no patrol. I was the only one on. It seemed that day that every call I went on was a 50-60 mile drive.

Today with several more deputies than we had back then, my guess is response time to my house at say 2:00 AM on Tuesday would be no less than 30 minutes, and could be as long as an hour depending on where the one deputy is at when the call came in. What this means is, It's all over by the time law enforcement show up. All the deputy is going to do is the follow-up paper work.

Considering you are on a tight budget, and probably a dual purpose long gun would be a better choice in your situation. I would agree with several posters above and suggest a Marlin 30-30 as the best choice. Simple to operate by anyone, no magazine to worry about, hard hitting, easy to find ammo for almost anywhere in rural america. It is also plenty accurate, can be bought for under $300 used, and doubles as a deer rifle. With this platform in a gun fight, all you need to remember is to keep topping it off when shooting.

Bob

 

[revolvergeek]

Depending on the construction of your house, size of the yard, layout of the neighborhood I would likely go with either a .357/.44 mag lever action or a .30-30 lever/SKS.

When I was pondering this question myself about 20 years ago (in a suburban neighborhood with big yards and old houses) I ended up buying a Rossi 92 in .357 magnum and a ?Yugo? SKS. Both shot well and gave a lot of versatility, cheap to feed, and powerful enough but not too much penetration with the right ammo selection.

If I had been somewhere rural I would have gone with a .44 mag or .30-30 for more penetration / better power at longer ranges.

 

[auburn2]

I'm not sure exactly what you are looking for, your post says "main battle rifle" - that would mean a high power full size rifle firing a .30 caliber full power round. I don't think any of these are great choices for home defense unless you live on 100+ acres near the Mexican border where you might be engaging multiple soldier-drug smugglers at very long range. If that is the case I would get a class 3 machine gun if I could, if not I would get an M1A, FAL or M1 Garand in that order. I would also consider a scoped version. Personally I would forgo the bolt actions becaue this is a situation where the ranges will likely close and you need to maintain a high volume of fire.

If you live in the country, say 20 acres or so a good intermediate rifle is your best bet. A 30-30 lever action would be a good choice as would a short AR-15 or AK. Personally I would go with a 16" collapsable stock AR-15 for this use case.

If you live in the suburbs or the city, an AR or AK would still be a good choice but I would opt for a M1 Carbine. Inside a house I have not found any semi-auto rifle that I like better. The intermediate rifles mentioned above all penetrate more than you will want and the .30 carbine is plenty accurate for the ranges we are talking about. It also has milder recoil and muzzle flash and is actually easier to handle than an even an AR-15. A 12 gage is still better in most cases, but the M1 Carbine is the next step down for home defense inside the house and yard in my opinion.

If class 3 weapons are an option I would also consider a Tommy Gun. When I lived in college my roomate had one and I think that even trumps the 12 gage. It is unbelievable how fast you can spray bullets with one of those and they are hard hitting .45. It has suprisingly little recoil for a full auto.

 

[sheriffoconee]

Of course, home defense means any number of things. In the average, residential subdivision, taking a 300 yard "self defense shot" with a "battle rifle" is gonna be dern tricky to explain to the DA unless and until civilization collapses.
Now, if someone just wants a rifle, I don't care, I like rifles, and have quite a few myself.
Now, if you are Iggy's next door neighbor, as it is, and his house if a 45 minute hard drive from yours, then the need for a LONG range SD rifle seem to be more likely, certainly if you are in bear country as well (sorry, i just had to throw that in there)
Now, if you just want a rifle, then get all the rifles you want. However, for defending hearth and home against any reasonable threat as long as the courthouse is still functioning, and if you live anywhere near "town", then I suggest as others do a good lever gun, or a basic AR package. However, virtually any shoulder fired weapon can and has been used for home defense, so you should get the rifle YOU like, and you can use it for any number of purposes....including self defense

 

[jimmyj]

Hi:
I know where you are coming from-Father of six.
1. used Winchester or Marlin 30/30
2. Russian M1891 7.62X54
3. SMLE .303
4. Mauser M98
good dependable used rifle at a affordable price. extra money invest in ammo.

 

[bharner]

I'd look for a good, used Marlin lever-action 30-30, and never look back.

This. I've got one that's my main woods gun but it's always close to hand in the home. I HIGHLY recommend a Wild West Guns Big Loop lever and "Bear Proof" extractor for it. If you've got big hands, gloves on, or are in a hurry the big loop is wonderful. And the heavy duty extractor is nice peace of mind.

Or any lever gun in either .357, .44 mag, or .45 LC. Good for close ranges, not tons of recoil and can handle 100+ yard shots of need be with leverevolution ammo.

 

[StuperDan]

Thanks for all the help guys!

 

[orion1]

If it is strictly a home defense gun, I would add to the many voices voting for the Marlin lever gun. I would choose the short barreled model in .44 mag. If you want more of a dual purpose gun (home defense & hunting or plinking at the range) I would get the same gun in the 20" barrel chambered in 30/30.

 

[Lost Lake]

I'm surprised so many recommend a lever action 30-30. Hmmmm.

I think the best home defense gun is a 12 gauge pump with a slug barrel. They are absolutely devastating at close range and harmless past about 60 yards using birdshot.

 

[StatesRightist]

Marlin 30-30 or Mini-14, easy to shoot and clean.

Do not let these guys talk you into an AR. They are not for newbies.

 

[elm_creek_smith]

My home defense carbine is a Ruger Mini-14 with a red dot sight zeroed at 25 yards. (If I lived in a truly rural area, I'd zero at 50-100 yards.) The Ruger is for sale all day long at the local WalMart for $607.00. And, all Ruger Mini-14's starting with the 580-series have heavier barrels and fewer problems with hot-barrel stringing, not that it would be an issue at home defense ranges anyway.

A pistol caliber lever gun would be a good choice without scaring the neighbors if you're worried about such stuff.

ECS

 

[1 old 0311]

SKS, and for a few bucks more ANY AK, they ALL work.

 

[Larry from Bend]

My home defense rifle is a Ruger Mini14. It's the stainless, synthetic stock model with a 2x7 scope. It's always loaded with 20 rounds of 55 grain soft point ammo. Out here, a problem could be anything from a coyote, a skunk or a strange truck pulling into the yard in the middle of the night. Nearest neighbor is 2+ miles and law is 20+ miles away (if available at all).

I've had Minis since 1984 and know and trust them. Others like ARs.

 

[Arik]

I live in a townhouse development so if I used a rifle I'd hit at least 5 neighbors. However, my rifles are mainly AKs. I love them! For a MBR I have a FAL 308 and a Garand. For me best home defense......12G pump!