Good Rifle For Auto Defense? (Vanity)

11/08/05 | JoeGar

[JoeGar]

I have a SIGARMS P239 .357 SIG for concealed carry and inside-the-home defense, but I feel I need a good rifle for neighborhood defense outside -- just in case somebody wants to torch some cars. I'd love an M1 Garand -- just to hear the ka-ching when the clip ejects -- but it's too expensive. The Ruger Mini Thirty looks interesting. What are your suggestions?

[Caipirabob]

*ping*

Good question. I'd like to know as well.

[scout34]

Depends upon your circumstance. The Mini-30 is reliable and benefits from cheap ammo, but the mini-14 and 30 are not known for their accuracy. I personally have settled on a .30 caliber cartridge and use the M1A in .308. A rack grade rifle is easily capable of 3 MOA accuracy (15" @500 yds) with iron sights and surplus ammo. Hornady's 110 grain TAP ammo is a good choice if you are worried about over penetration, and the rifle is brute simple and utterly reliable. They cost 3 times what a Ruger does but are worth every penny. Get a copy of Boston's Gun Bible from Javelin Press for the most thorough evaluation of battle rifles and battle carbines that I've ever seen.

[scout34]

Sorry, just noticed your cost caveat. If you go with a Ruger, get one in .223. More and better ammo available, magazines easier to obtain and ballistics are better.

[A Jovial Cad]

My Dad owns a Ruger "mini thirty" carbine: I'd highly recommend it.

One thing I wouldn't recommend is taking any of the advice that the so-called "Second Amendment" *pinglist "experts" hereabouts suggest: most of them are poseurs who don't have the slightest idea of what they're talking about.

My own personal recommendation, if you don't go with the Ruger "mini thirty," is a Springfield M-14 (civilian version, obviously). Best all around rifle ever produced, pound for pound and performance by performance, ever, Period.

It's well worth the thousand bucks or so you'll invest, and will provide both shooting pleasure and confident protection benefits for a lifetime.

[G.Mason]

I have both, Ruger Mini 14's and M1 Garands. They cost about the same at present.

The M1 Will reach out and "touch" someone. The Mini 14 isn't named the poor mans assault rifle for nothing.

Ammo is also a key to weapons choosing. the .223 is readily available and cheaper than the 30-06. Both are excellent killing machines.

Have you checked CMP?

[fifthvirginia]

I, too, use an M1 Garand for long distance and a 1911-A1 [45 cal. pistol] for the close stuff. I have used both "in the heat of battle" and for target. These two weapons have great hitting power, are very accurate, and are very reliable.

[G.Mason]

" ... They [M1's] cost 3 times what a Ruger does but are worth every penny ... "

I was going to argue with you over that, as my M1 cost just under $400.00, and then I looked them up on CMP. Wow! I should have bought ten, or twenty of them 15 years ago. ;)

[BigCinBigD]

Winchester Model 94 in 30-06.

[tcostell]

If cost is a concern you have to go with a .223. there are several good choices available. An AR type rifle is light, reliable, accurate and notoriously easy to handle but they can run into a little money for a good one.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=39893169


There are ultra low cost AK knockoffs from Romania and Bulgaria which while inexpensive and easy to take care of, they are heavy, and start to push the reliability envelope.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=39682954

For a do everything type of rifle I personally like the Kel Tec SU16: http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=39651039

It's gotten good reviews and is inexpensive, but I confess it's not exactly combat proven technology.

[MaDeuce]

M1A's are best choice (I have 2), but at a $1,200 minimum you could purchase almost 3 Mini-14's.
I have a Mini-30 also, but problem with them is magazines. Anything over 10 rounds are VERY unreliable. Mini-14's have a better selection of 20/30/40 round magazines as well as a 100 round drum.
Pick up a 1,000 rounds of .223 (Wolf is good if not reloading). cheaperthandirt.com, ammoman.com, ammunitionstore.com

Oh, if you do decide to go with a M1A (God's rifle), contact Fulton armory (fulton-armory.com) and order one from them (via a FFL dealer of course), they have the best M1A out there right now. Then contact fredsm14stock.com and get some accessories and some Army Qualification Targets and become a Rifleman!

[G.Mason]

"I, too, use an M1 Garand for long distance and a 1911-A1 [45 cal. pistol] for the close stuff. I have used both "in the heat of battle" and for target. These two weapons have great hitting power, are very accurate, and are very reliable."

I have a couple of 1/2 " x 1' x 1' steel plates that I shoot at while at the range. The .223 leaves a splat mark, the 30-06 leaves a hole.

I'm envious of that 1911 though. When I was arming the budget wouldn't allow the expenditure. ;)

I have an older [circa 1960] 6" S&W .357 that has a re-worked action and is my body guard. The home arsenal should not be without a Remington 870 [or equivalent] either.

Here's to good shooting!

[Caipirabob]

Hi there, Caipirabob posting. Bang_List "poser" at your service! ; )

I'd like to relate what I don't think you should buy.

I have a Norinco AK-47 variant. Chinese make. It's a pure "vanity gun" and I bought it because at the time 3 of my neighbors had them and I thought they were way cool.

Several years of shooting it and I can tell you the thing overheats like a SOB. I get worried the wood grips will combust.

Still, it's a fairly intimidating looking weapon, but you can do better with one of the above models.

It's a pure vanity gun. It's the same feeling firing I had revving up my "stock" Z-28 and then learning the guy with a 300ZX turbo that could fit in my trunk could drive circles around me.

Basically acquaint yourself with performance and read user testimonies before you buy.

Thanks for everyone who's posted!!! I'll be reading this carefully, as I am going to make a decision on a rifle soon as well.

[ExGeeEye]

Something I haven't seen listed here yet: SKS. Mine is the Chinese variant, and my PC reason for keeping it is as a brush gun (hunting in a heavily wooded area-- lots of trees and/or man-high bushes that cut down on visual range).

1. Price-- low. Under $200...sometimes way under.

2. Ammo-- cheap and plentiful, especially Russian and Chinese manufacture. 7.62x39, same as used in the AK. There is at least one US-made rifle chambered for the stuff. Beware corrosive primers.

3. Range-- I have no trouble hitting a 1x1 foot target 150 meters out. Urban defensive combat should be at closer quarters just because of the buildings etc.

You can get a scope, but for your application, why?

I almost didn't mention the availability of hi-cap aftermarket mags. I personally find them over-large and inconvenient, and open the temptation to "spray and pray" which isn't a good idea in a populated area...even if you think most of the population is after you :)

[Godebert]

Here's a Romanian SAR-1 (.223) which is fairly accurate for an AK and extremely reliable with low maintenance. Over a 1,000 rounds without a single misfeed using the East German Weiger magazines. The Russian Kobra sight allows for quick target acquisition. These rifles run about $300 without the extras.

[Erik Latranyi]

So, you want a battle rifle, but want cheap?

Is your life worth so little that you would invest in something that may fail when you absolutely need it?

Cheap ammo is the same thing.....great for play, stupid for protection.

Do you want the cheapest surgeon or the one that will get it right?

The same applies to firearms.

[primatreat]

Suggest a 1000fps .177 cal one cock air rifle with a 7X scope. Advantage: no noise, and will travel thru buttocks at 40 yards. It will also bring down a yard deer at 30 yards if the shot is placed behind the ear. They go down like a rock.

[SamAdams76]

All this armchair bravado amuses me. You think that if the USA had riots like France, that you could just sit on your front porch with a rifle and hold them at bay? You've watched too many westerns. In real life, this will result in a mob torching your house and torturing/killing your family and I don't care how many bullets you have stockpiled. They won't be enough.

Let's hope that it doesn't come down to shooting looters in our backyard. For if it comes to that, all is lost.

[NAVY84]

I like the M1A (M-14) but if cost is the issue I would go with the Mini-14. I also pack the M1911 45 for close in. Reality is if you are not intimately familiar with your weapon then a Remington 870 12 ga is the best (How many 600 yd shots are you going to get with the big guns?) My wife has the 870 to back me up and pickup any 'leakers'.

[R. Scott]

Whatever you are comfortable with and can afford. It would be best to try it out on a firing range before buying to check for functioning and accuracy – assuming you are already trained in the use of a rifle. The cartridge isn’t as important as comfort. The most common cartridge used by professional assassins is the .22.
Put a couple .22 LR slugs into an arsonist, and he (if able to leave) and his friends will suddenly find a safer neighborhood to play in.