Home Defense ARs?

[Black Tail Hunter]

i live in a neighborhood, a rifle caliber AR for home defense would be a terrible idea for me. i have an AR9 with a 10.5" barrel and shockwave brace with a light that i can manipulate with my support hand. loaded with hollow points so hopefully it won't penetrate a neighbors house. it takes glock mags so i have 31 rounds of 124 gr hollow points (i think they're sig sauer brand). i have a bushnell TRS on it right now, but i'm shopping around for a unit that will stay on all the time. once the kids are out of daycare it'll be getting a suppressor.

My house was hit last year in a random drive by shooting. The guy was shooting a 9mm pistol, only 1 round hit my house but it went through an exterior wall, ricochet off a fan and went through an interior wall. We recovered the bullet (fmj) in the drywall behind my refrigerator. It really got me thinking about how easily bullets pass through walls. My ar's are used for defense outside the home only, when awareness of your surroundings and flight path of the bullet is easier to anticipate.

 

[Derral Crance]

You might consider the new Ruger 57 pistol. Accurate to 100 yards and holds 20 rounds of hot 22 caliber rounds. I understand that the secrete service is carrying them.

 

[SavageHunter11]

My house was hit last year in a random drive by shooting. The guy was shooting a 9mm pistol, only 1 round hit my house but it went through an exterior wall, ricochet off a fan and went through an interior wall. We recovered the bullet (fmj) in the drywall behind my refrigerator. It really got me thinking about how easily bullets pass through walls. My ar's are used for defense outside the home only, when awareness of your surroundings and flight path of the bullet is easier to anticipate.

I think there's something to be said about using the right bullet for any situation though. If that had been a hollow point I have serious doubts if it would have even made it through the exterior wall and even if it had most of the energy would be dissipated and there's no way it would have gone much further. FMJ anything is going to just plow through most housing construction materials. If I'm talking strictly from the standpoint of my neighbors safety, I would rather shoot 110gr supersonic Hornady Critical Defense 300 blackouts in a home invasion than FMJ 9mm.

 

[RetiredSniper]

Anyone got one? My mind has been so set on Long Range ARs that I dont know what to look for in a home defense one. Caliber, barrel length, tacticool accessories?

I have tried a few and find the 10 inch barrel to be the best for me. Tried a 7 inch barrel and it was very inaccurate at 25 to 50 yards. I settled on the 10 inch barrel because the accuracy is very good out to 50 yards and acceptable at 100 yards yet the shorter than 16 inch is great for close quarters. I put a red dot on it for a sight and a 300 lumen light on it with a momentary switch. The light switches back and forth from on to strobe each time you hold the switch on. I find this to be the perfect home defense gun which can also be used at 50 to 100 yards.

 

[hunter67wa]

Honestly mines a double duty predator/ home defense rig. 16" barrel, collapsible minimalist stock and a full length 15" handguard. One rail for a light up front. Light comes off if I'm hunting and goes on when I get home. Topped with a vortex strike eagle 1-6x24. At 1x with the illumination turned on it's basically a red dot (also effective on short range fast moving coyotes) at 6x its good to for popping coyotes at 300 yards.

This is almost exactly what I have also.

Ruger Makes a nice AR pistol at a reasonable price. Ive been thinking about buying one with a can it would be 17 inches of barrel and can.

 

[George Dean]

Sig Sauer P320 Full-Size Nitron 9mm Centerfire Pistol with Night Sights, 17 rd mag or

Sig Sauer P365 XL 9mm Optics Ready Pistol, 12 rd mags.

Both pistols are high quality and under $600.00 & come with two magazines.

I'm not a fan of long guns for inside the home self defense, unless you're in a stand-off situation.

For intruders, my choice is a handgun. Very subjective topic, typically contingent on immediate circumstances. Always better to have more ammunition than the other guy.

 

[ntsqd]

Build a PCC in .40 S&W. I shot one that authoritatively clanged any plate it was pointed at out to ~100 yards with iron sights & half-decade plus old eyes. It was built on a New Frontier lower that employs Glock mags. Uses a Sprinco recoil spring, an ACT trigger, Kak Ind barrel, and I forget whose bolt. Fairly simple and inexpensive build from the looks of it.

Or buy the Ruger PCC as they use different inserts so that they can work with either Ruger mags or Glock mags.

 

[Ron Burton]

Anyone got one? My mind has been so set on Long Range ARs that I dont know what to look for in a home defense one. Caliber, barrel length, tacticool accessories?

Just use an old shotgun. Cut the barrel off to 18 1/4 which is the Minimum length.

 

[Corn Star]

Why not an AR 9mm? Lately it's become my favorite gun. I have a zero magnification red dot with a laser from AT3 Tactical and love it. It shoots well and I don't need to worry about repairing drywall in the neighbors house! Lately I have been shooting 124 gran subsonic hand loads through a new suppressor I just finished (yes I have a stamp for it) and it is the best thing since pockets on shirts. To you guys suggesting shotguns for home defense, yes they are well suited for that. But that was not the question. My friend, go get yourself an AR and have a blast!

 

[ajkellerusmc]

BCM Pistol 5.56 with 10.5 inch barrel, added suppressor and a light plus an Eotech on top. 30 rounds at your fingertips.

 

[DSheetz]

When it comes to inside the home self protection there are so many things to think about people in the home , people out side the home . Bullet design , bullet speed ect. . A good shot gun with the proper barrel length and for the ammo you want to use my at times be the best choice . Ask some special forces guys , or Seals what they use at home you may be amazed with the answer . We have a tendency for over kill and over penetration , we do not want to kill any of our family or neighbors accidentally .

 

[Black Tail Hunter]

I think there's something to be said about using the right bullet for any situation though. If that had been a hollow point I have serious doubts if it would have even made it through the exterior wall and even if it had most of the energy would be dissipated and there's no way it would have gone much further. FMJ anything is going to just plow through most housing construction materials. If I'm talking strictly from the standpoint of my neighbors safety, I would rather shoot 110gr supersonic Hornady Critical Defense 300 blackouts in a home invasion than FMJ 9mm.

I feel you are correct, and also a Vmax out of an AR is going to stop alot sooner than a FMJ as well. I had just never really thought about how poorly houses stop bullets given the right scenario.

 

[eklarsen]

300 subsonic black out, pistol length.

 

[Corn Star]

Mine uses a 7 inch 1:10 barrel. It uses Glock magazines, which can be found everywhere. BG defense lower and upper. You can add any sort of fluff to yours that you want. Endless amount of possibilities. My can is pinned to my barrel to add length and make it 16 inches eliminating convoluted rules and tax stamps needed for short barreled rifles, or the need to defend brace vs. stock. I will also admit I had to look up the correct spelling of "convoluted".