Home Defense Rifle

[gbinga]

I've been thinking about buying a medium caliber semiauto rifle. Probably a .223, since ammo is readily available. What our loving and caring politicians call an assault rifle. Kind of thing they'd like to protect me from owning. :?

Anyone have experience with the Ruger Ranch Rifle? What they used to call a Mini-14? Or suggestions about an alternate?

Going off on a totally different tack, I've pondered a semiauto carbine in 9mm, since I have a 9mm pistol, or a Marlin .357, since I have a couple of .357 revolvers. I suspect that the .357 would have quite a bit of punch coming out of a rifle barrel, and the 1895 has pretty good magazine capacity.

George

George

 

[oldsparkey]

When a handgun and a rifle both take the same fodder it sure makes it easy to know what to take with you.
A rifle shooting 357 would be something for all round use and then the same in the pistol as a back up. Heck for plinking you could shoot the 38 wad cutters or regular 38 special ammo.

The 9mm has a lot less punch then the 357 but it does offer more rounds to do the job.
We tried a 38 and 20 feet on the back window of a vehicle , a angled shot , it ricocheted off , same thing with a 9mm but the 357 , that was one gone window.
Same thing shooting at the trunk of the vehicle , the 38 made a hole in it and that was all , same with the 9mm but the 357 made a hole in it , the backseat , the front seat and a dent in the engines fire wall.

Personally for home defense I like a hand gun , a lot more maneuverable then a long barreled weapon. Unless you are holding the bad guys off from a 100 yards away. :roll:

Chuck.

 

[bearridge]

Friend George,

The Mini 14 Ranch Rifle iz a fun gun ta shoot, but not off no dang bench. Some folks buy 'em, then spend a heap a dough tryin' ta make 'em what they aint. Hard ta beat 'em out ta 100 yards...rite outta the box. Ammo iz cheap too.

I shot a .357 Marlin lever gun once. Smooth, but not fer drivin' tacks either. Fer things that go bump in the nite, I'd likely pick up one of them .357 magnums, but puttin' the bullet in the rite spot likely matters more'n which one of 'em ya grab.

regards
bearridge

Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.  Winston Churchill

 

[bearridge]

I love ta visit Old Painless' site on a rainy Saturday....like today. He run some test like the High Sheriff done. I figger I posted that one before, plus the one frum the tactical forum where they fired all the shotgun shells inta the gelatin? It wuz tryin' ta git folks ta give up that "bird shot will save the day" shotgun talk. Here it iz agin.
http://www.theboxotruth.com/

 

[tx river rat]

George
Ranch rifle a big YES
357 lever NO I have owned a couple and never had one I could get to shoot and group.
9 mm are the most overated pistol cartridge ever made ,you never see anyone shooting them in pistol matches , A 38 special is a heck of a lot more accurate and has better balistics.
The only thing a 9 does in my estimation is shoot a bunch of times, a 357
will out preforme both as Chuck says.
Now you didnt ask this but my favorite hand gun is a 41 mag it will do it all.
Ron
My 2 cents

 

[oldsparkey]

1979 ... A good ole boy had committed three felonies and was in his 79 Ford truck when I arrived at the scene. With that he wanted me to be his 4th felony and tried running over me and missed , on his 2nd try I killed his truck , stone cold dead , with 6 rounds out of my 357. The truck was totaled and I drug his posterior (a$$) off to the county jail.

Got my rear chewed out real good for not doing it to him but he was intoxicated and all I wanted to bag/kill was that dam truck so it would not go anywhere, which I did. A 9mm could of never accomplished that. Yep I don't care for them overrated and under powered for the job I was in.

In all fairness , I have and like the Walther PPKS 380 for my personal use today but I'm not on the road where the problems are , only at home or camping for me now. The wife still has the 357 and a 45 available for home use. If I got rid of her 45 she would kill me. :lol:

Chuck.

 

[islandpiper]

Go look at the Keltec site and see what sort of rifles they have you'd like. piper

 

[Bilgerat]

Fergit the rifle and get a shotgun. A good Remington 870 12 gauge pump shotgun is great for home protection. Load that bad boy up with 00 buckshot followed up with #4 bird shot just in case you missed with the buckshot and your assailant gets close. Don't go getting a goose barrel, either. It's too long to maneuver in close quarters. Get the shortest barrel they have. Heck, you might even want to switch out the butt stock to a pistol grip. That makes the overall length even shorter. A word of caution, though - it ain't a lot of fun shooting a 12 gauge shotgun with a pistol grip. Of course, you're after protection, not fun.

Mike

 

[tx river rat]

Mike
You are dead on about the scater guns . The most underated gun out there.
Ron
PS I like number 2s

 

[oldsparkey]

Mike
You are dead on about the scater guns . The most underated gun out there.
Ron
PS I like number 2s

Walking into a bar fight all that was needed to get everyone's attention was the Ker-chunk of a round being chambered in a 12 ga. That is a sound everyone knows and they know not to mess with it.
:lol: :lol: :lol: We had one in each patrol car just for that reason and knew how to use them.

Someone wanting to do a home invasion and they are in a quiet , dark , house and they hear that ..... Man would they ever grab air getting out of there. Almost as bad is a doubler shotgun closing after being loaded.

I had one of what they called the Stage Coach doubles ( overland) made by Rossi back in the 70's , short barrels and rabbit ears on it .... No one argued with that , especially when those ears were pulled back and they could see it meant business , especially when looking at the open end of the double stovepipes. :wink:

Chuck.

 

[tx river rat]

There are two sounds I will never forget ,drunk ,dead asleep, been up for 48 hours. Pump shotgun being racked and the pin coming off a hand grenade.
Ron
I am wide awake thinking about :lol:

 

[jimsong]

Many years ago, I was thrown in a relationship with a habitual criminal.
One heck of a nice guy to talk to, but he just could not stop himself from stealing stuff. He ultimately escalated his activities, killing two kids and stealing their motorcycle, and died in prison.
One thing he told me during the time we were associated- "Nothing gets your attention, like being in a place you're not supposed to be, in the dark. And hearing a pump shotgun cycle.
I liked him, but I was glad when our paths parted ways. His, speaking with experience, fear of the sound of a pump shotgun, has lead me to keep a pump shotgun as my primary home defense arm.
I keep hand guns in unlikely, strategic places around the place, and if I need to investigate something in the middle of the night, I stick a pistol in the back of my belt. But a scatter gun is my main gun.
Another thing he told me- "You can't argue with a 12 guage. It don't care, and you're gonna get hurt, no matter what."
I ran across him in a truck stop in Nevada about ten years after we parted company. About a quarter of his face was gone. Due to a shotgun.
Apparently he didnt take heed of his own wisdom.

 

[seedtick]

shotgun is my choice for home defense also

several companies that i know of - likely more - Mossberg, Remington, Winchester e.g. , make what they call a home defender shotgun. A pump with about an 18" barrel. Used to be a model with a pistol grip instead of stock

Don't think I'd go with a magnum unless you shoot a lot - besides inside the house a magnum isn't that much difference that the standard 2 3/4", except for recoil and noise

Oh BTW, did you ever shoot a shotgun inside a house? or closed room? if you do you won't be hearing anything immediately

 

[oldsparkey]

Cabelas has an interesting one....... In Black Powder and Percussion cap.

**********************************************************

Davide Pedersoli Howdah Pistol
With twin barrels packing a one-two wallop, this big-bore pistol was popular with Europeans exploring the vast jungles of India and Burma in the mid-1800s. On a typical excursion, explorers and soldiers were part of an elephant caravan. Riding on a howdah (the basket perched atop an elephant) may look safe in today's world, but a century ago danger was imminent. Tigers could scale the side of a slow-moving elephant in the blink of an eye, causing great concern for startled riders. To combat surprise big-cat attacks, the Howdah-style side-by-side pistol was created. Two cavernous 20-gauge smoothbore barrels may be loaded with buckshot, a single slug, or the devastating "buck and ball"-load common in big-bore muzzleloaders used on dangerous game. Whichever you choose, this 4.4-lb. hand-cannon will square up on a target with a sense of authority not seen since the days of Victorian-era British imperialism. Squeeze one of the triggers, and you'll appreciate the hand-conforming checkered walnut grip and the recoil-soaking end-cap counterweight as this charge-stopping pistol lays down its withering hail of lead. Its case-hardened lockplates are engraved with detailed wild animal scenes. Mold your own 20-ga. round balls with our easy-to-use bullet mold (available separately). Also available is a top-quality leather Holster custom-built to carry the formidable Howdah Pistol.

http://tinyurl.com/d8tgtt
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Chuck.

 

[bearridge]

The "racking sound".
http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=164876

As Clint Smith says, "If you want to scare 'em, get a rubber mask. If you want to Stop 'em, shoot 'em."


Birdshot talk.
http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtop ... sc&start=0

thumbs down on birdshot
http://www.firearmstactical.com/briefs10.htm

why not birdshot agin?
http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=169036

 

[Bilgerat]

Friend Bearridge, you ever seen a man shot with bird shot from a full choke barrel 12 gauge at 10 feet?

Trust me on this, it ain't pretty and it's not something I want to see again.

Bird shot should not be the primary load in a home defense shotgun. The primary load should be 00 Buck or something thereabouts. The bird shot is for close-range keep-him-off-me time. It makes a huge hole at end of the bed range. :shock:

Mike

 

[bearridge]

Friend Mike,

I like Old Painless' point. Why put birdshot in a home defense shotgun when you can put in slugs or 00 buckshot? No, I have never seen anyone shot with birdshot at close range. I doubt I ever will. :wink:

I have a good pal who gives me grief fer choosin' 00 fer my 870. He sez slugs...minimum. Hiz point iz 00 dont go thru furniture worth a dang. He likes the .45 with 230 gr bad boys 'er 12 ga. 3" Breneke slugs.

respectfully
bearridge

ps I aim ta save my bird shot fer birds. :wink:

Pour us a drink Woodrow arguing with you always made me thirsty. Why dont ya relax, ya caint save me? Augustus McCrae

 

[JEM]

shotgun is my choice for home defense also

several companies that i know of - likely more - Mossberg, Remington, Winchester e.g. , make what they call a home defender shotgun. A pump with about an 18" barrel. Used to be a model with a pistol grip instead of stock

I have one of those with the stock. When I lived in the base housing complex off the main base (the AF owned land across the highway from the main base), we had some punks that decided they were going to stir the pot on the military housing area for a few nights.

Only time I picked up that gun thinking I'd have to possibly use it was a night the punks broke a neighbors sliding glass door window about 3am. Dogs went nuts, I heard yelling, someone or something slammed into the outside wall of my house. Left my wife and son in the bedroom with the dogs, stepped outside, chambered a round.

Found out the next day the SP's (Air Force version of MP's) K9 unit finally got a hold of one of them and he squealed the names of his buddies before they called the dog off of him. The neighbor with the broken window told me this and he also told me he ducked for cover and almost crapped himself when he heard my shotgun load up. :lol:

 

[gbinga]

There is an 870 with an 18" cylinder bore rifle sight barrel already in the house, with #4 buck and rifled slugs near it. Also a 9, a 40, and two different .357s scattered about where my wife and I know where to find them. (I don't know that I actually NEED that many ready for work, but I own them, and the concensus between the two of us was that they might as well be scattered around and ready.

If some nutcase kicks our door in while we are home, looking to rob us (which has actually happened around Atlanta lately, and not just in bad neighborhoods) they are in for a nasty surprise.

I figure the 870 is as much as anyone needs for home defense. If you call yourself defending the home, you aren't doing anything that calls for any more reach than a 12 gauge provides (that might vary according to what sort of homestead you live on - I live in a subdivision on a less than one acre lot).

So "Home Defense Rifle" probably wasn't the right title for this post.

The idea with getting a middleweight, high capacity rifle is to have it available if things ever get really wierd. The kind of wierd that all off us hope we never see.

The thing is that you never know what is going to happen. I keep a fire extinguisher around the house - several, actually. Never in my life pulled the pin on one. Never needed one. Keep them around, though.

Think about what happened to Germany between the wars. An educated, civilized, industrialized nation. Place went utterly to Heck in a handbasket and a bunch of raving lunitics took control - not by force, but by winning elections! Japan, same kind of deal. At least their leaders weren't stuffing their own citizens into gas chambers, but they were a pack of fruitcakes, none the less. And once again, that was a civilized, industrialized, educated country, just like ours.

Now I'm not predicting anything like that for us. I'm not THAT worried about the pack of jack@$%ses we have in Washington. Far as I can tell, these aren't that type.

So maybe that better explains the kind of rifle I'm talking about, what it would be for. For gathering dust in a closet, I hope.

George

By the way, I appreciate the enthusiastic response on this. Getting opinions out of you guys is usually like pulling teeth. Can't get anyone to open up and say what they think. Bunch of wallflowers in here.

 

[bearridge]

Now I'm not predicting anything like that for us. I'm not THAT worried about the pack of jack@$%ses we have in Washington. Far as I can tell, these aren't that type.

Friend George,

I most respectfully disagree, but whatever you buy likely wont make any difference anyway. Dont let that keep ya frum makin' a good buy.

regards
bearridge

The Tenth Commandment sends a message to socialists, to collectivists, to people who believe that wealth is best obtained by redistribution, and that message is clear and concise: Go to hell! It's as simple as that.  P. J. O'Rourke