What kind of rifle should I buy my wife to help me defend the homefront when shtf?

A better question to ask may be --

"What kind of gun do I want to be shot by?"

Unfamiliar as I am with firearms I have though fired tactical rifles AR and Benelli and these are awesome weapons at intermediate ranges. To secure your perimeter, nothing beats this kind of weapon in my opinion. For very short range I guess the Judge has it with .shotguns.

reply to post by Campy61


A scoped rifle in .243 or .270 would be perfect for a lady. Accurate and has range. Also make sure she can shoot and maintain everything in your inventory whether she likes it or not. You may not get time to pick and choose what you want.

Originally posted by hdutton
A better question to ask may be --

"What kind of gun do I want to be shot by?"

usually people dont get the chance to ask a criminal aggressor what they are shooting them with. The idea is to be behind the barrel not in front of it, genius. This site sure has the "guns are bad" crowd around here. A gun is a tool like a hammer or a broom. It has a specific ability that can be used for good or bad. If you were to ask the possums around my house they would tell you my broom is an evil tool that should be taken away. It is what you make it on an individual basis...good or bad.

Originally posted by Ghost375
AK-47...can't go wrong with that.

ak's cant hit the broad side of a barn

You could check out the Ruger Mini-14 which is .223 which would use the same ammo as your AR which means you only need buy & stock one caliber.

Or you could go the route of a bolt action rifle in .223 or another small caliber like a .243, 25-06 or .22 hornet

You could also get her a larger caliber rifle in .308 0r 30.06 and outfit it with a good muzzle brake and the recoil is
WAY, WAY less than normal. I had a 30.06 with a nice muzzle brake on it and it had about the same recoil as my mini-14.

That way she has the ability to reach out there 500+ yards without the bad recoil.

Id suggest a lever action 30-30 or a lever action .45 . Marlin has some that are good quality and somewhat inexpensive. I just bought a Marlin model 30 for 250 bucks out the door at a local pawn shop. It was basically new, no wear marks on the bolt or anything. Its a straight shooting gun, with good range, accuracy, and stopping power. Plus its also cool that I can rattle off 7 rounds is less then 10 seconds.

The Marlin .45 I got for 400. A bulletproof vest wouldnt be much help with that gun, it will take down an elephant.

Originally posted by ConspiraCity

Originally posted by Ghost375
AK-47...can't go wrong with that.

ak's cant hit the broad side of a barn

Yeah, but they sure can put a lot of lead over a wide area pretty fast. Just sweep the barrell back and forth and my guess is you'll hit your target!

Originally posted by Scott495
im just curious but under what circumstances will your homes be under threat that you need to arm your wives?

what kind of $hit will hit the fan?

here is a list of my favourites

zombies (boom headshot)
aliens (no gun will help you here)
tax man (go for the nuts)
the government (theirs is bigger than yours)
invading coutry (get them commies!)

or the guy who broke down and mistakenly comes to your home for help at 4AM?

No doubt where you're coming from. None of the above, most of which are straw men anyway. I would say a general breakdown in social order with gangs roaming the streets and breaking into houses at random. My neighbors are not going to come after me, but some idiot punks and bullies might decide they "deserve" to steal from me and put my life in danger. Kind of like what's happening in the UK right now. Your neck of the woods, right? (Just guessing)

1. zombies? Hah ha. very funny, so serious
2. aliens? Hah ha. very funny, even more serious
3. tax man? Nah, you just get a very polite letter from the IRS. Been there, done that.
4. government? Wouldn't tackle them. there's IS bigger.
5. invading country? "I would never invade America. There is a gun behind every blade of grass." --Yamamoto
6. the guy who mistakenly comes for help? B.S. I've heard that excuse before. Castle state. Yer dead.

The best defense is not to allow the enemy to see you.
Underground bunkers are the best.
If you can afford it , put one under your garage and if your house is invaded you can wait for them to move on, if they don't , you can detonate pre planted small explosive charges and pick them off , using enstalled video cameras ie they go to the front door to let mama zombie in .....poof two zombies dead.

reply to post by bobs_uruncle

A 357 magnum round is easily strong enough. High velocity if you need to penetrate walls and if you don't want it to go through the perp you get hollow points. I can't believe you say you use 9mm and say you are unsure of a much more powerful round to get the job done. I'd suggest you look up bullet ballistics so you can get an idea of how they actually work.

Originally posted by ConspiraCity

Originally posted by Ghost375
AK-47...can't go wrong with that.

ak's cant hit the broad side of a barn

Your wrong here. Ak's are accurate when shot on single shot. Because only idiots use full auto and they can't compensate for the recoil. I'd take a Ak over a M16 any day.

Originally posted by chopperswolf
reply to post by Bramble Iceshimmer

 

the new leverrevolution (sp)ammo. effectively makes this a 250 to 300 yard rifle, and the winchester lever action is a go to rifle for many people i know, mainly because its what they already got handed down to them.

edit on 12-8-2011 by chopperswolf because: cause im silly like that.

That's correct. It's what I used to kill my last Elk with (in 30-30)

Originally posted by buster2010

Originally posted by ConspiraCity

Originally posted by Ghost375
AK-47...can't go wrong with that.

ak's cant hit the broad side of a barn

Your wrong here. Ak's are accurate when shot on single shot. Because only idiots use full auto and they can't compensate for the recoil. I'd take a Ak over a M16 any day.

No, he's right. Somewhere on these here Internets there is a ballistics test comparing an AR-15 with an AK-47 under controlled conditions using a bench vise, etc. (I've seen it, damned if I can find it now. I think it might have been via gunslot.com) The AR-15 was extremely accurate, though in semi-auto mode, inconvenient speed wise. The AK-47 was wildly inaccurate, but in full-auto, it doesn't really need to be.

I can still see why you might prefer an AK. For one thing, they can take a tremendous beating, and full-auto is nice. But from a strict accuracy comparison, they just aren't.

Looks like you have had allot of replies so I hope this reply doesn't slip into the abyss. But I have seen allot of 12ga, Ak type replies, and that is definitely not the direction you should go for her. Since you just bought an AR in .223, I would recommend getting her a non AR platform in the same caliber. There are plenty available from bolt actions, to semi-auto non AR platforms. This will allow you to consolidate your ammunition to a few select calibers, and stock up respectively.

Example 1

Example 2

Why not? Example 3

The Boomerang that the little kid in The Road Warrior has. Hell, if can wield it, she can

Originally posted by schuyler

Originally posted by buster2010

Originally posted by ConspiraCity

Originally posted by Ghost375
AK-47...can't go wrong with that.

ak's cant hit the broad side of a barn

Your wrong here. Ak's are accurate when shot on single shot. Because only idiots use full auto and they can't compensate for the recoil. I'd take a Ak over a M16 any day.

No, he's right. Somewhere on these here Internets there is a ballistics test comparing an AR-15 with an AK-47 under controlled conditions using a bench vise, etc. (I've seen it, damned if I can find it now. I think it might have been via gunslot.com) The AR-15 was extremely accurate, though in semi-auto mode, inconvenient speed wise. The AK-47 was wildly inaccurate, but in full-auto, it doesn't really need to be.

I can still see why you might prefer an AK. For one thing, they can take a tremendous beating, and full-auto is nice. But from a strict accuracy comparison, they just aren't.

well keep in mind if you got to the store to buy an AK it will only be semi auto. same with any AR or any gun for that matter. The only way you will acquire a fully auto is to get a class III weapons license. and that requires lots of paperwork and about 6 months along with the approval of the sheriff of what ever county you live in.

video games and movies severely glorify the AK, yes it can take a beating, but its not very accurate, not to mention AR's have much more manageable recoil due to their bolt design and smaller high velocity rounds. the .223/5.56 has a very high velocity and is one of the better rounds for armor piercing. the minimal recoil also allows you to drill the same spot over and over quickly because the gun does not move much. I will take a .223/5.56 over 7.62 any day for multiple reasons. one major factor being weight. you can carry more rounds and live longer with smaller rounds. remember.. a 7.62 will kill the bad guy just as dead as a .223/5.56 so why waste valuable weight and subject yourself to more recoil with less accuracy with an AK?

reply to post by ConspiraCity


You'd be surprised!

An AK-47 can hit it from inside the barn!

The AK-74 is my choice for a SHTF rifle. 5.45x39mm has very similar ballistics to 5.56x45mm and excellent terminal ballistics.

Check 'em out, you might find an AK you like for once.

AK-74

H&K PSG90.

Originally posted by Campy61
We already have a few guns I recently bought myself a 223 AR and she has been practising with the 22 rifle but I want her to have a little more fire power. We shoot every weekend and she is getting pretty good but she doesn't like the AR platform.


Any suggestions?

For Home Defense you do not want to use a rifle, over-penetration will be an issue with just about any rifle with exception to the 22lr. Lets say you have a .308 rifle and you shoot an attacker that bullet will completely pass through the attacker and then pass completely through the wall behind the attacker through the exterior of your house and possibly even travel into your neighbors house. Now if there is an innocent person or family member standing in the path of the bullet once it exits the attacker your not protecting your family anymore you are putting their lives at risk and possibly your neighbors. They do make bullets for rifles that are supposed to fragment upon impact they are called "Frangible Bullets", they are expensive though. My advice is keep the rifle for long range stuff and hunting etc. buy a 12ga or 16ga shotgun load it with #4 buckshot and keep that as your home defense weapon. With police and military entry teams usually the first guy to go through the door has a 12ga loaded with #4 Buckshot or 00 buckshot heres something to put things into perspective for you with 00 Buckshot one shell is equal to 9, 9mm bullets all fired at the same time. No handgun nor rifle is better at close combat than the shotgun.

last minute thoughts on the subject bring me back.
regarding the SKS someone mentioned, definitely worth looking into. i've not handled one but my mate wants that one, next.

whomever suggested both the 30-30 and 30-06, great rifles, have shot both but the KelTec still wows in comparison.

regarding Her body size/type ... personal disclosure ... am less than 100lbs soaking wet, barely stand 5ft tall and both the Kel Tec and shotgun are my favs ... am getting used to the Storm but it does take a few practice rounds to really get a comfortable feel. The KelTec works well and didn't get as hot as i thought it would shooting a 30rnd clip.

i like The Judge alot but it is a bit much, big kick, heavy and i'm not 'comfortable' shooting it, yet.

lastly, regarding the 'mindset' ... this is a very important ingredient.
shooting paper targets, cans and whatnot is one thing ... shooting any soft target / flesh, entirely different (been there)
one thing to consider about SHTF scenarios, ppl won't be 'knocking' at your door (at any hour) and should you fall, what then ??

One of our considerations has been what the opponent is likely shooting and if we're lucky, we can pick theirs up when they fall. (especially if ammo common between us)
i would NOT stick to a single caliber variety but that's me.

beyond the obvious, practice, practice and practice some more ... i never expected a need to use mine before SHTF, but, sure am glad i was ready (mind, skill, ability) when the time presented itself. One shot, not fatal but got the job done ... why waste the ammo?