10/22 or SKS for Apt. Defense?

[SFT]

Of your two stated choices, lets look at reliability. Your 10/22 is lightweight, compact and has an excellent rotary magazine that seldom if ever jams. Added to that are the numerous choices for higher capacity magazines that will not add a great deal of cumbersone aspects to it.
The SKS, unless you got a really good copy that's been worked on by a gunsmith, the chances of having a jam are quite great, add to that the high cap magazines and you'll have a less reliable weapon that's harder to bring into use in a stressful situation.
Now, before the flame wars start, let's all agree that the AK/SK copies we see here in the US aren't the ones being built for foreign armies, and I know some of you have ones that shot great right out of the box without a jam in 10,000 rounds, but those are the exception to the rules gentleman.

Add a simple laser pointer (10-15 bucks?) to the Ruger, one that has a simple swtich that you can turn on and leave on, and you've got a fairly decent home protection rifle. Go to the range, see where the bullets hit compared to the laser dot and adjust the tape, homemade mount or whatever means you've got (read inexpensive). At 10 yards if the bullets are within two inches of the dot you are good to go for use in your home defending it with as many shots as it takes to stop the attack.

I can't quote the article or exactly when it occurred, but a little old lady successfully stopped and killed a man intent on invading her home with a 10-22.


Those are my choices right now due to finances. (Read: poor college student)
I know neither is ideal for the job but either one is better than nothing.
I am leaning towards the Ruger for the fact that it is a lightweight compact rifle. I'm not loading it with any "stingers" or other higher power rounds so it is *fairly* quiet and it won't have the penetration of the 7.62X39, obviously.
The SKS is a bit cumbersome with the grenade launcher and bayonet and it's harder to wield in a confined space.

How's my reasoning thus far?
-Griz

BTW I do keep them both next to my bed with a loaded 22 mag and a full stripper of 7.62 in case they're needed. Still trying to get the GF used to them.
__________________
FWIW- having the SKS at hand along with a full mag may give a prosecutor the means to accuse you of making a weapon available to a minor. Choose one or the other for liability sake.

 

[106rr]

I think your best choice is the 10-22. You can afford to shoot the Ruger anytime and you can use indoor ranges to practice. You can also teach a nice girl friend to shoot with the 10-22. It almost never jams and is less likely to overpenetrate the cheap walls of your room.
I hope your living conditions are better than mine in college. I had an "studio apartment" near San Jose State that cost only $85 a month with utilities paid. It was an uninsulated converted back porch with no sink in the bathroom. The next apt kitchen was right next to my bathroom window. That window was the only ventilation for my bathroom! Neighbors didn't like me much for some reason. The area was so bad that I sometimes had junkies passed out in the yard. My defensive weapon was a 22 lr Colt Frontier Scout.
Good Luck

 

[silverlance]

Well I've actually been in his shoes - so...

When I was in 17 and kicked out of my parent's house I rented a 1920s 2nd floor studio apartment. Walls were stucco and the only door the in whole place was the entrance. That door was constructed mainly of 1/4 inch thick plywood. The running joke was that in the dark one could just about walk through that door.

I owned two guns, an AR15 (god I miss that gun.. may the pos who stole it always have hemmoroids) and a Ruger 10/22. The AR15 was kept unloaded with a loaded magazine in the case, but the 10/22 was kept loaded with a 25 round butler creek hot lips magazine. Gun was $100 and older than I was but never jammed until about 4000 rounds later when I had better guns and was lazy about cleaning.

25 rounds of .22lr (I used federal cheap hollow point, you can spring for the more expensive stuff but imho it isn't necessary.. I've put cheap federal .22lr through 1/4 STEEL at 15 feet) will ruin anyone's day. sure, a single round isn't much of a man stopper but then again you won't be firing only one round and then peering over the top to see what happened to your target. no, you'll be pouring all 25 little birdies down the tube, and if that's not enough you'll eject the mag, flip it upside down, and put the second full one attached and taped to it in (the hot lips mags have little indentations that are designed for mag mating).

furthermore, the 10/22 is light, very short, and cheap enough on ammo that even a tuna fish and rice college student can practice regularly.

anyway, that's what I did. never had to shoot anyone or aim at anyone but many were the tmes when police were searching the neighborhood with ghetto birds and I went back to bed after pulling that rifle a little closer.