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?

[LIConFem]

I would forget about a rifle and go with any good 12 ga. pump (loaded w/00 buck) and a sidearm.

[johnny7]

Any good varmint rifle for punks.

[Lancer_N3502A]

Mini 14 will do you good, but your still better off getting an AR-15/M-4 system. Ammo is the same, but alot more toys to add on and the mags are more readily available

[strange1]

that you could just sit on your front porch with a rifle and hold them at bay?

You mean like my son-in-law did in Slidel LA this past summer? Ahem, yep, that's precisley what I'd do.

[hispanichoosier]

I would forget about a rifle and go with any good 12 ga. pump (loaded w/00 buck) and a sidearm.

I agree. A .223 slug will go right through a wall inside your home and possibly hit somebody that you don't want to hit.

I think the ideal combo for defense is:

1. A 12 gauge shotgun (pump action) for indoor defense

2. A .223 semi-auto rifle with 2 or 3 clips for defense at 100 yards+

3. A 30-06 or other 30 caliber bolt action rifle for accurate long-range (300 yards+) shooting.

4. A 9mm or 45 cal. handgun for short-range defense

Buying all 4 is expensive but can be done over the course of a few years.

[Lancer_N3502A]

4 gun rule: pistol (.357/.44/.45), shotgun (12 ga), rifle (.223/.308), long range hitter (bolt or semi) (.308/.30-06/.300 Winchester)

[hispanichoosier]

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?

I think you underestimate the psychological shock that a person receives when he or she sees the effects of a .223 bullet or two ripping through a nearby individual. An untrained, undisciplined person is going to cut and run, not ignore what happened just feet away from him.

[Lancer_N3502A]

A good site to check out: http://www.americanminuteman.net/

[n230099]

Agree w/.308. For me, I steer clear of the .223s. Save the money up for something like a Springfield Armory SOCOM. The short barrel contributes to a very loud report but they are very reliable.

[dhuffman@awod.com]

Long guns are often considered not defensive weapons and deadly force is often not appropriate in defense of property. I am troubled by the premises of your question.

If you are responding to the troubles in Europe, their problem is chicken leaders/LEO. The rioters need to be shot on sight.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

You may be right, but an automatic weapon can stampede a crowd. If faced with a hostile crowd, I'd prefer an automatic. My grandfather's grandfather was a police captain in NYC during the 1863 draft riots. Blacks, police and "the gentry" were the targets.

The police were heavily out manned and did not have superior firepower. They were hard pressed to prevent as many lynchings as they could. In fact they were hard pressed to prevent police stations from being overrun. Fear of firearms kept the rioters out of many middle class homes. People did not band together for self-defense and many homes were looted and burned.

The riots only ceased when Union troops fresh from Gettysburg arrived to quell them. (It was the causality lists from Gettysburg, published in the newspapers, that sparked the riots.)

When the U.S. Forces seized Saddam Hussein Airport, the Iraqis apparently intended to assemble a mob of about 5,000 unarmed people and march en masse on the airport, defying the U.S. forces to gun them down in front of an international TV audience. Seems the U.S. got word of this tactic and dropped a 500 pound bomb on the assembly point just as the crowd was gathering. Caused just enough carnage to deter the others.

[son of caesar]

sam adams, i too think that in most situations, real caution would dictate very delicate actions. especially
since i think our police would come after self defending
citizens instead of the vermin. however, isnt it better to be prepared? i have learned alot reading these posts and i do know guns already. just the sound of these weapons being fired would scare well over 99% of the vermin who would be out there. weapons planning is one thing but if you are way outnumbered, you also need a movement plan. its all part of modern life regardless of what the liberals say.

[ncountylee]

4 gun rule: pistol (.357/.44/.45), shotgun (12 ga), rifle (.223/.308), long range hitter (bolt or semi) (.308/.30-06/.300 Winchester)

Good advise. About like mine, (2).45, 10 ga, 12 ga, .308, and a .303. Thinking about a mini 14, too.

[chris1]

American law does not permit deadly force to protect properry alone, including your home if the person is unarmed and not threatening you physically.

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

I recommend a Maadi MAK-90. It is a semi-automatic, Egyptian-made variant of the classic Kalashnikov (AK-47). It fires the 7.62 x 39 cartridge which has the same ballistics as the Winchester .30-30. From my personal experience, within a hundred yards, this rifle is as accurate as any available. They are relatively inexpensive to buy and Russian-made ammunition can be purchased cheaply. Cheap ammunition gives you the opportunity to practice a lot without incurring great cost.

No rifle or handgun will be of much value unless you practice with it. The ballistics and stopping power of any bullet is irrelevant if you cannot hit a damn thing with the firearm.

[Falcon4.0]

I've got an SKS. 7.62x39 cheap to shoot. Very accurate, even to 1000 meters. Lots of add on toys. And the price is right.

[Lancer_N3502A]

Good selection, if I could do it over agin I'd have two sets:

.357/Rem 870/7.62(Ak)/Moisan
.45/Rem 870/M-21

[Lancer_N3502A]

But right now it's just .357/.45/12ga/.223/.30-06(M-1)and Mosian