[gogpaintballer]

I live in the country and have to deal with some wierd people and drunk onese so a new gun is needed, I have several older shotguns and 30-06 and 30-30 rifles. But now the Ar15 style has come to my area and everyone has one. So I am in need of a lightweight carbine that shoots a round smaller than a 556 but bigger than a 9 mil. I would any newer style firearm preferably under 800 bucks. Any reccomendations?

[SOUP]

I'd build an AR-15 personally, You can build it to your specs and customize it however you want. If you're using an assault rifle for self defense you might be on the extreme side though. A shotgun does the trick for self defense, an AR would be overkill unless of course they are zombies.

[YoungGun32]

If your looking for home defense get a pump shotgun. If your looking for something with a lil range get an AR.

[A&MBaller]

I shot an AR-15 before. I don't see why you would use that for self defense but it will do the job alright!

[tallsmallboy44]

For self defense why not get a handgun? For home defense why not get a shotgun with some birdshot? For a handgun I would get a larger caliber, like say a .45. You might also want to check into (what I believe is a newer round to the public) the 5.7.

This post has been edited by tallsmallboy44: 29 August 2012 - 09:58 PM

[Specter]

tallsmallboy44, on 29 August 2012 - 08:33 PM, said:

For self defense why not get a handgun. For home defense why not get a shotgun with some birdshot?

This.

[YoungGun32]

Bird shot won't kill someone unless you are within arms length away, I use #4 steel shot in my shotgun. If your in a house an Ar is the wrong choice for many reasons. The round is moving so fast it won't have time to actually tumble do it'll just put a little hole in someone. If you miss it will more than likely go through 2 walls before it stops which is horrible unsafe. Unless you have some training they are hard to clear small areas with.

[tallsmallboy44]

YoungGun32, on 29 August 2012 - 09:57 PM, said:

Bird shot won't kill someone unless you are within arms length away, I use #4 steel shot in my shotgun. If your in a house an Ar is the wrong choice for many reasons. The round is moving so fast it won't have time to actually tumble do it'll just put a little hole in someone. If you miss it will more than likely go through 2 walls before it stops which is horrible unsafe. Unless you have some training they are hard to clear small areas with.

I only said birdshot, because it would be in close proximity, and the pellets won't spread as much, and the intended target recieving most of the pellets, and inflict a large wound with massive blood loss.

[SOUP]

For home defense my weapon is a Remington 870. It's an ex- police shotgun that has a surefire led flashlight forend (pump handle) which is bright enough to distort vision. It's pretty much perfect for home defense, and the pump stroke is on CCM's level lol.

When it comes to firearms your choices are endless though. Choose something practical.

[NJC]

SOUP, on 29 August 2012 - 06:51 PM, said:

I'd build an AR-15 personally, You can build it to your specs and customize it however you want. If you're using an assault rifle for self defense you might be on the extreme side though. A shotgun does the trick for self defense, an AR would be overkill unless of course they are zombies.

overkill huh? sounds perfect

[YoungGun32]

tallsmallboy44, on 29 August 2012 - 10:07 PM, said:

YoungGun32, on 29 August 2012 - 09:57 PM, said:

Bird shot won't kill someone unless you are within arms length away, I use #4 steel shot in my shotgun. If your in a house an Ar is the wrong choice for many reasons. The round is moving so fast it won't have time to actually tumble do it'll just put a little hole in someone. If you miss it will more than likely go through 2 walls before it stops which is horrible unsafe. Unless you have some training they are hard to clear small areas with.

I only said birdshot, because it would be in close proximity, and the pellets won't spread as much, and the intended target recieving most of the pellets, and inflict a large wound with massive blood loss.

In theory your idea is right but in reality the shot slows down so fast that the penetration is less then lethal normally. The shot spread can be controlled by chockes so that is all preference.

[OEFVeteran]

i have one rifle... and FNH SCAR 16s... its my home defense, range plinker, target rifle, and varmit hunter... shoots both 5.56 and .223, which means ammo is cheap, i get 500 rounds for 200 bucks...
an ar-15 with a 16.25 inch barrel and adjustable stock is a good self defense/home defense rifle, you just have to have the right ammo for it, like the Hornady TAP ammo... frangible rounds that wont over penetrate if you miss or hit soft tissue... i keep a 20rd mag with my SCAR at all times loaded with Hornadys Zombie Max ammo, and no, no because its zombie ammo but becuase its a frangible round thats match grade quality....

if you are dead set on an AR-14, companies to avoid are new Armalites and Olympic Arms... i also cant stand busmaster, ever since freedom arms/remmington bought them, they have gone downhill... i've seen a few Colt ar's come for sale for less a grand, and you cant go wrong with a colt...

one last piece of advice, if you plan on budgeting 800 for the rifle, unless you have more to spend on an optic, then i suggest you read up on the ilitary iron sights and how they work and how to zero them, its not like shooting with standard open sights

[Irish725]

I personally use a Mossberg 590A1 for my home defense weapon, and I use Bird shot in my shotgun, as I have thin walls and neighbors that live next door to me, hence I don't want over penetration.

For personal defense on the go, I carry my Glock 22C in a Kydex IWB holster, the .40 cal is a good trade off in controllability and stopping power between the 9 and the .45.

I wouldn't get an AR-15 for home defense unless I got it in a SBR format, and even then that's iffy as it could easily over penetrate something and hurt someone on the other side.


As for the person who said that an AR-15 will only put a little hole in someone when shot from close range, first of all you do realize the round will still start to tumble as soon as it strikes a soft flesh target right? Plus your body is filled with spongy squishy soft organs, so if I shoot you in the chest or in the stomach (where most shots will be fired it as it is the largest target, and nowhere in any military do you find people trained to shoot for the head all the time (including snipers, as most are looking for a killshot, and need to make that first round count). So if the round hits and ricochets off a rib, it will tumble, ripping open all your gooey insides and fuck your shit up. So saying a "close range shot" with an AR-15 is "less dangerous then a long range shot" is completely incorrect.

[Superman]

Three excellent weapons you could get would be an AR-15, a shotgun, or a rifle in a pistol caliber
Hi-Point 45 ACP
Smith and Wesson AR-15

Mossberg 930 semi-auto

Remington Tactical Shotguns

Weatherby Tactical Shotgun

Mossberg Tactical Shotguns

All of these are amazing weapons that will be perfect for self defense. Also if you are looking into a AR style weapon make sure you get one in 5.56 NATO because it can shoot 223 and 5.56 NATO as opposed to a weapon in 223 cannot shoot 5.56 NATO because of pressure and velocity issues with the different rounds (NATO shoots hotter than 223). Also make sure when buying ammunition you get a round that will expand and dump all it's energy on impact. The key to self defense is stopping power. Ask you're local store for what's best.
If you're getting a shotgun you can go with a semi-auto or pump (doesn't matter) but i suggest one with a stock because you will be able to control the weapon easier and in case someone tries to grab it from you (the links posted above have multiple shotguns in the remington and mossberg links).

I would not recommend handguns because you cannot control them. If someone tries to grab it they are more likely to succeed with a handgun than a full shotgun or rifle.
Personally my favorite weapon i listed was the Hi-Point 45 ACP it's a rifle that shoots a pistol round. It's easy to control and shoot and the 45 ACP is in my opinion the best self-defense round.
The 45 ACP is a big slow moving bullet that will dumb all of it's energy on impact. With self defense/hollow point rounds you will take down a person with one shot anywhere to the body.

In order i'd pic the hi-point, a shotgun, then the AR-15
any questions feel free to ask

[Superman]

Also
DO NOT get FMJ rounds you will just poke holes in your target without much knock down power and you will over penetrate like crazy

[YoungGun32]

Just set up some ballistic gel and shoot it st 10 feet then shoot a different one at 50 yards and see the difference in the wound cavity.

Op its your choice in the end but OEF is a trained soldier and knows his limitations when it comes to his ability to clear an enclosed area. Unless you have some type of formal hands on training I really urge you to get a shotgun for home defense.

This post has been edited by YoungGun32: 30 August 2012 - 01:21 PM

[Antonious]

If you want a firearm for specifically defending the household, a good shotgun can't be beat. I'll be getting me a Saiga 12 for this purpose once I move out of the dorms

Anyway, If you still want a carbine, I'd say get an AK74 variant. Atlantic firearms has many nice ones in stock: http://www.atlanticf...ategory105.aspx
It uses the 5.45x39 which can be bought in bulk for about 25 cents a round.

Also, AKs are very reliable and simple firearms and they work quite well for personal defense.
The accuracy (or lack thereof) of an AK is very overstated. With a bit of practice, you can still easily hit a man-sized target at 100 yds. There's really no need to hit anything smaller or further away in terms of defense.

Though I will admit, I am a bit of an AK fanboy...

This post has been edited by Antonious: 30 August 2012 - 07:12 PM

[MZinCamo]

tallsmallboy44, on 29 August 2012 - 08:33 PM, said:

For self defense why not get a handgun? For home defense why not get a shotgun with some birdshot? For a handgun I would get a larger caliber, like say a .45. You might also want to check into (what I believe is a newer round to the public) the 5.7.

The 5.7 is in my opinion, the future of handgun rounds. A "modified" rifle round? Plus it goes through body armor?

I know politicians will have a field day with it but I personally am a fan.

[Superman]

MZinCamo, on 30 August 2012 - 09:23 PM, said:

tallsmallboy44, on 29 August 2012 - 08:33 PM, said:

For self defense why not get a handgun? For home defense why not get a shotgun with some birdshot? For a handgun I would get a larger caliber, like say a .45. You might also want to check into (what I believe is a newer round to the public) the 5.7.

The 5.7 is in my opinion, the future of handgun rounds. A "modified" rifle round? Plus it goes through body armor?

I know politicians will have a field day with it but I personally am a fan.

Except the 5.7 isn't as good as stopping someone as a .45
and it cannot be silenced just an FYI

[Antonious]

Superman, on 30 August 2012 - 09:43 PM, said:

Except the 5.7... cannot be silenced just an FYI

Yes it can.

Though I'm not a fan of the Five-seveN mostly due to the price and availability of both the the gun and its ammo.