Assault rifles offer a bit too much for home defense

Indy Star ^

[SauronOfMordor]

I am so sorry, but the main purpose of an assault rifle is to wound, NOT kill.

Using mil-surplus FMJ ammo, that's true. But you can also get hollow-point expanding hunting ammo in those calibres that will do a lot more damage

[Travis McGee]

Only if they are wearing hard composite armor plates, which cover the 8X10" of their "center mass".

They are under 4 pounds now, and while not common, are getting fairly common for police raiding units in full gear.

Ditto kevlar (pistol proof only) helmets.

[Inyo-Mono]

Gee, I am sure under powered with my $50 rusted Sears (Stevens) single shot 16 guage.

LOL! I've got an old 16 guage Stevens double barrel hammer gun for home protection. It was made in the 1930s, and it's quick, no safety, just cock the hammers and fire.

[Constitutional Patriot]

"If you are looking at the sub $500 FAL's"

Does this include the Cemte rifles (.308) that I have seen at a lot of the gun shows lately? They look a little rough, but not to the point of being junk. I was thinking of getting one.

[from occupied ga]

Modern JBT body armor will defeat a AK round

Yes standard rounds and IF they have trauma plates, but.. look here

I understand that if you "roll your own" you can get similar performance with a core of hardened T-15 (NOT that I would do anything like that of course :-)

[sneakypete]

I'm curious why people always tout pump shotguns.

The theory is that they are less prone to jam than a autoloader. Provided that your high state of excitement doesn't cause you to "short-stroke" it,that is.

They are also the cheapest multi-shot shotgun,and I'm sure that has something to do with it.

[SauronOfMordor]

You forgot about the one where the home invaders are wearing kevlar vests. Shotgun is worthless in this situation. AK or AR round will do just fine here.

If the first shot doesn't do the job, aim low. Most non-SWAT-level vests don't cover the pelvic area, and having your testicles blown off and your femoral artery severed will take the fight out of most people.

[sneakypete]

My home defense weapon is a Ithaca model 37

THE finest pump shotgun ever built! I keep mine loaded with #4 buckshot. If I lived in a city or in a apartment,I would probably keep it loaded with #6 or #4 shot. This is providing I lived in a warm climate. If I lived in the north where a intruder is likely to be wearing layers of clothing or even a leather jacket,I'm most likely go to #2 shot or heavier.

[Squantos]

I have fired a whole lot of AK ammo both professionally and for fun at all sorts of materials and targets . Even the steel core russian issue didn't bust an engine block on our range targets. Exhaust manifolds, radiators, batteries, car doors and PS1 and 2 glass with deflection but never saw a water jacket or block crack. But that is just my experience with it.

Recoil is indeed the Benelli's nemisis IMO. As you know a spare round can stack on the follower if loaded carefully giving a capacity of 9 rounds. With the "Vang" modifications to the barrel the recoil is lessened to a certain degree while enhancing the lethality, accuracy and speed of the hits in the "A" zone.

Ability to handle recoil is a skill that must be "learned" with regards to such a firearm as the M1 Benelli. Managing such recoil is not easy but when mastered the Benelli is indeed a wonder to watch in the hands of such a skilled shooter.

Uncle Sugar sent me to a lot of schools to learn such or I may have done as you did, dropping / selling the M1 for a new Scatter-Gun Tech /Wilson or stock remington pump.

Stay Safe !

[sneakypete]

For the less-well informed, you post is entirely misleading.

The AK round IS the ballistic equivalent of the old 30/30 Winchester,though. When was the last time you heard a 30/30 being refered to as a "high-powered rifle"?

BTW,generally speaking,the AK series of rifles are the most inaccurate pieces of crap ever made,and if you hit a man with one at 200 yards,it could be considered to be a accidential shooting. Even the old 30/30 lever actions are much more accurate.

They are super reliable,though.

[Squantos]

Properly loaded with nickles ya can buy all the time ya need Bert :o)

Stay Safe !!

[sneakypete]

Okay, what about HomeLAND Defence???

Don't you see? That's the job of the new Office of Reich Security! Leave it to those professionals and the professionals at the airports to protect us. They are trained and have badges!

[sneakypete]

Until recently, the military refused to buy semi-auto shotguns because they would tend to fail under harsh battlefield conditions.

While it is true they used Model 97 Winchester pump shotguns as "trench guns" in WW-1,there was also no shortage of Model 11 Remington semi-autos configured the same way. You used to see a LOT of these things with "Property of the US Gov't"" stamped on them. The reason the gooberment went to pumps after WW-1 was they were cheaper to buy.

[SauronOfMordor]

Quite frankly, I'm less worried about an Al Qaeda terrorist bursting through my front door than an Al Qaeda attack which leads to civil breakdown, in which case home-grown looters and criminals may come through my "defenseless" neighborhood looking for easy prey. I would like to have something that can stop them further away than my front door.

If things break down to the point where there is no reliable food delivery into your nearest inner-city, the gang-bangers will not be expected to sit around going hungry

Taking a clue from Somalia, you can expect the gang-bangers to come out looking for what they need. Realisticly speaking, you will expect them to strip the local stores rather than bother home owners, because that way they maximise the loot and minimize their chances of getting shot

[harpseal]

The .416 Rigby is suitable for absolutely any big game. It is generally an African use cartridge and I happened on mine at a big discount a few years back. I have never had the chance to shoot African game but I personally would feel comfortable with this rifle for such.

[PatrioticAmerican]

To a point, this article makes sense. A shotgun will inflict the damage necessary to stop an invader, while usually not over penetrating into another house. Even shot that goes through a window will likely not do any damage to the neighbor. Shot placement is also less of a concern than with a rifle. #2 steel shot is my favorite. A nice $350 Remington 780 or $240 Mossberg 590 will do just fine.

[sneakypete]

I am guessing I am pretty well off unless a T-Rex comes through the front door.

I'm pretty sure the 45/70 would insure you would end up eating T-Rex steaks.

[harpseal]

We really have no real disagreement. It so happens I purchased some flecette rounds a few years back. I most heartily agree that a good rifle is what is needed when dealing with body armor. Penetration will do the job whereas blunt trauma might give a chance for a good follow up shot. I really have not seen many tests with the .308 AP round against body armor vs the .30-06 vs body armor. I would also think the .300 win mag might do well or any number of sabot rounds. Again no data to base this on but it seems logical.

[sneakypete]

A full fledged .50 Barrett firing armor piercing rounds won't go through a cast iron engine block.

Say WHAT? I guarantee I can load up some CAST 44 Magnum loads that will bust a cast engine block all to pieces. Hell,jacketed 357 Magnums were doing this in the 30's. That's one of the reasons they were developed and accepted for police use. Cast iron is so hard it's brittle.

[from occupied ga]

BTW T-15 steel can be purchased from Kahl Specialty Steel in NC for about $10 a lb