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A few weeks ago, we did a roundup of features that we would like to see on a good

home defense rifle. To restate the role of this weapon, we are envisioning our rifle

to be primarily used in a medium range sort of environment – essentially, we want to

engage threats inside of 300 meters, and to recap, we don’t want to shoot threats

within the home due to over penetration, rather, we want to engage targets that are

on the property. We had numerous readers write us and ask us regarding the legality

of this tactic, so now is a good time to restate what our thought pattern is.

LEGALITIES OF SHOOTING THOSE ON YOUR

PROPERTY

While each state has varying laws on what

constitutes justifiable homicide, the

overwhelming consensus is that there needs to be

an imminent threat to life in order to justify

deadly force. Note that we did not say an imminent threat to property; few states

allow homicide as a means of protecting property, and really, you need to ask

yourself whether someone needs to be shot dead for attempting to break into your

car or something along those lines. But there is one important caveat that we want

to restate when we say things like “engaging outside threats from your home” – we

are speaking of a societal collapse scenario! There are no rules in scenarios like this;

no laws and no police. These could be nationwide scenarios or they could be

localized as in the post Katrina looting and the 1992 Los Angeles riots. When we

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make a recommendation on a rifle, we are speaking strictly from a battle and efficiency

standpoint rather than a legal one.

The right thing to do, in our opinion, is to delineate between scenarios. You more or less

have the right to shoot an intruder dead who happens to be inside your home in all 50

states. Conversely, should you spot an intruder on your property, the best thing to do is to

arm up, cover the crook, and summon the police. Let them deal with the gray areas, at

least while they can still respond. Consult an attorney regarding the laws in your state.

So with that in mind, let’s look at the ideal home defense rifle for engaging these threats

inside of 300 meters. Again, we were after a gas operated, magazine fed rifle that was

chambered in a military caliber. Here’s what we chose:

AR-15

The AR-15 is the iconic

American battle implement

and is one of the most

recognizable rifles on the

planet. Invented in the mid

1960s and in use by

military forces worldwide

ever since (as the M16), the AR-15 moniker represents a type of rifle; note that

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few if any rifles are actually branded as AR-15s. Think of the term AR-15 like

you would Kleenex; at one point there was an original box of tissues entitled as

such, but now there is one original and millions of copycat brands – that’s the

AR-15. The clones are just as good as, and in some cases, better than the

original, so fear not.

Specifications:

Caliber: 5.56 NATO originally, although there are literally dozens of calibers

available due to the fact that the uppers are interchangeable.

Weight: Depends on the configuration, but count on about 7 pounds in a carbine

(14.5” barrel length) configuration.

Barrel length: Most common in a 14.5”, 16” and 20” barrel although there are both

shorter and longer barrels available.

Muzzle Velocity: 3200 feet per second

Effective Range: 600 meters

Magazine Capacity: 30 rounds

What we like: If LEGO and a rifle had a baby, it would look like an AR-15; this

platform offers more customization options than any rifle on the planet, bar none.

An AR-15 is split up into a lower receiver, which contains the fire control group,

pistol grip, butt stock, and magazine well, and this is the serialized part and thus the

actual firearm. The upper receiver contains the bolt carrier group, ejection port,

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barrel, hand guards, and sights, and thus the AR-15 series of rifles is the only rifle we know

of that you can purchase a single lower receiver and then a series of upper receivers to

shoot any caliber you like. The possibilities are practically endless due to the modularity

of the platform. We love the AR-15 platform so much that we recommend that you stop

reading right now and just go buy one!

Pros:

Modular

Extremely accurate

Interchangeable with literally billions of parts

Cons:

Finicky in dirty or dusty conditions; needs frequent cleaning

5.56 NATO lacks punch in some situations

Can get relatively expensive depending on the manufacturer

AR-10

If you took an AR-15 and scaled it up to shoot a

.308 Winchester (7.62 x 51) cartridge, you’d

have an AR-10, and that’s all an AR-10 really is.

We won’t go into as much detail on the AR-10 as

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it’s basically the same thing as the AR-15, but it very much deserves a closer look if

you want an AR pattern rifle but want more range and more punch.

Caliber: .308 Winchester (7.62 x 51 NATO) although there are other calibers out

there.

Weight: Depends on the configuration, but count on about 8.5 pounds

Barrel length: Most common in 16” and 20” barrels although there are both shorter

and longer barrels available.




What we like: Features the same modularity as the AR-15, although with far fewer

choices out there since the big 10 can get relatively pricy. A hard hitting

semiautomatic rifle that is the answer for you, if you need to have an AR in .308.

Pros:

Highly accurate

Solves the ‘5.56 is too wimpy’ problem rather effectively

Long range

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Cons:

Weight; heavily loaded AR-10s with long barrels will crack ten pounds easy

Expensive; a custom AR-10 is among the most expensive rifles you can

purchase

Still has the same sorts of aversion to dust and grime as the AR-15

AK47

Few rifles are as instantly recognizable as

the AK47 and the thousands of variants

made globally by all sorts of countries.

Mikhail Kalashnikov’s design is still

running strong today, nearly 65 years after he introduced it and it shows no signs of

slowing down. Cheap, durable, and easy to operate, the AK has half the controls you’ll

find on an AR.

Caliber: 7.62 x 39 originally, although there are variants out there in 5.56 Russian

Weight: Approximately 7 pounds

Barrel length: 16.3”



Magazine Capacity: 30 and 40 rounds

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What we like: The AK looks like the plow it was pounded from. It’s a low tech farm

implement that happens to shoot bullets, and its ability to continue doing so in the

most inhospitable conditions is legendary. The AK laughs at mud, rain, snow, and

dust. On the downside, since most models have a stamped metal receiver,

customization is really not possible except for on external bits you can tack on. Not

modular in the AR sense whatsoever.

Pros:

Legendary reliability

Cheap

7.62 x 39 packs a punch that the AR can’t match at short ranges

Cons:

Legendary inaccuracy at anything over 300 meters

Not modular like an AR

Magazine changes take longer compared to the AR because of the way an AK’s

magazine retention system works

FN-FAL Series

Originally a Belgian battle rifle

that was built under contract in

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several countries, the FN-FAL served as the main battle rifle for a variety of

Commonwealth countries, one of which was Britain, which developed the rifle into a

similar variant, the L1A1. As with the AR series of rifles, the FN-FAL isn’t called that in the

models you can purchase on the street and refers to the military version.

Caliber: 7.62 x 51 NATO

Weight: 10 pounds on average

Barrel length: 21” is the most common




What we like: The FN FAL shoots the very effective .308 cartridge with the minimum

of fuss. It’s inherently reliable although heavy, but hey, 90 countries that have used

this thing for half a century can’t be wrong.

Pros:

Tank like construction and durability

Hard hitting .308 caliber round

Battle proven globally

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Cons:

Tank like weight and overall size

Expensive when compared to similarly chambered rifles

Not many customization options

Heckler and Koch 91 (HK91)

Like most German made products, the HK91

and its slew of variants are over engineered,

highly precise, accurate, and expensive. The

HK91 is the semiautomatic version of the iconic HK G3 battle rifle introduced in the

mid 1950s. The HK 91 is a handsome rifle and an excellent alternative to an FN FAL.

Caliber: 7.62 x 51 (.308 Winchester)

Weight: 9.7 pounds

Barrel length: 17.7”




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What we like: Super accurate and ultra reliable, the HK91 is a rifle that won’t fail you in

the toughest of times. There’s a reason why this design was adopted by the militaries of

over 50 countries.

Pros:

A little more compact than an FN FAL

Punchy .308 round

Amazing engineering and reliability

Cons:

Ultra expensive

Still relatively heavy, especially compared to an AR

Did we mention it was expensive?

Ruger Mini 14 / Mini 30

The Ruger Mini 14 and Mini 30 are two

similar rifles that are chambered in .223

Remington and 7.62 x 39 respectively.

They’re the only rifles we recommended

that have very sparingly been used by military forces and were never intended to be used

in combat, although they do draw many of their design features and pedigree from the

iconic M14 rifle of the Vietnam era.

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Caliber: .223 Remington (Mini 14) and 7.62 x 39 (Mini 30) primarily, although 6.8

Remington SPC chamberings are available on the used market.

Weight: 6 pounds 6 ounces

Barrel length: Most common in a 16.12” and 18.5” barrel although there are both

shorter and longer barrels available.



Magazine Capacity: Varies, but up to 30 rounds in conventional magazines and more

in drums

What we like: The Mini rifles made by Ruger are sporting rifles and as such, they

don’t look all black and evil to politicians even though they fire off the exact same

rounds as the AR and AK series rifles, and in some cases even use their magazines.

Although they are not battle proven, there are still tons of them out there in

existence, and they are stout and reliable rifles.

Pros:

Non-scary, fly under the radar appearance

Does everything an AR or AK can, essentially

Reasonably priced

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Cons:

Not originally intended to be a military rifle and not battle proven. Used by a

handful of nations in mainly police and paramilitary applications

Not much in the way of modularity or customization options compared to ARs

Proprietary parts system common only to other Rugers

CONCLUSION

Any of the rifles we’ve suggested here would make a great home defense rifle. Which

one you select will be up to you; your needs, budget, and let’s face it – your love for

the look of the rifle will play a big part in which one you pick. We’re happy to

recommend any or all of them.

Documents

DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY AND WARRANTY€¦ · The authors and publishers will not be held liable or claim accountability for any loss or injuries. Use, view, and interact with these