I can tell you without any shadow of doubt, from personal real world experiance.
Shooting a .223 indoors our of a 16 inch barrel, is louder than a 4 inch barreled 9mm. And theoretically a 9mm should be louder than a 45 yes?
Again I am not looking to pick a fight, but my experiance has been completly different. the 223 was not only louder, it rocked my world completly.
The peak sound level is indeed about the same. The sound spectrum is different (the rifle probably has more "bass" than the pistol, and you may feel it more, which may account for the subjective difference, but the effect on your hearing will be the same (i.e., bad either way). Neither is as loud as a .357, though (high pressure cartridge + barrel-cylinder gap).
I can think of a LOT of reasons why you WOULDN'T want to use a .223 AK for home defense, including but not limited to
-risk of overpenetration
-lack of maneuverability
-a rifle requires two hands, taking away your ability to manipulate a flashlight, telephone, door handle, etc
Once again, .223 JHP penetrates
less, not more, both in both building materials and gelatin than do JHP's in handgun calibers, as has been demonstrated over and over.
I can't think of a single reason why you would need to choose the AK over the 1911. Is there a home defense situation where a 1911 would not solve your problems, but an AK would?
A clean, reliable 1911 in good repair, 3 mags loaded with JHPs, a good flashlight and a charged cell phone. And lots of practical training. That's all you need or want.
Capacity (20 or 30 vs. 7-10, and you may not have access to spare magazines), easier to shoot quickly and accurately under stress, less likely to exit the structure (assuming JHP).
The 1911 is a fine choice, but it's not the
only rational choice. A .223 carbine is a rational choice also. So is a 12- or 20-gauge shotgun, or a Glock, or a revolver. There is no one right answer.
1 – Irrelevant, we’re talking about .45JHP. No.
Appropriate .223 JHP also penetrates less in both building materials and gelatin than .45 JHP.
My 16” barreled AK measures roughly 34” long and weights almost 10lbs. My 1911 is about 8” long and weighs less than 3lbs. Now you’re telling me you can move through the close quarters of a house, open doors, manipulate phones, and still maintain control of your firearm? No.
Depends on your house. And generally speaking, moving through your house with a 1911 looking for bad guys while talking on the phone and holding a flashlight would be a poor choice as well.
Again, the 1911 is not a bad choice, but neither is it the only choice. Length, weight, and two-handedness criticism apply equally to all carbines and all shotguns, yet plenty of rational and knowledgeable people choose shotguns and carbines.
Plus what happens when you need to quickly conceal your firearm? What happens when the cops show up? What happens if you have to walk outside, or even worse, bug out? A pistol easily goes into a pocket or holster – strolling around out in public with an AK over your shoulder is a great way to invite unwanted attention.
If you need to carry concealed, obviously a rifle or shotgun won't be the first choice. For most HD scenarios, concealment is not a requirement. For "bugging out" in "SHTF" scenarios, I'd be in my car.
It is not either/or; you can own both a handgun and a carbine/shotgun, and use them in different roles and at different times. I don't understand the "There Is Only One Right Answer" mindset here.
See, the inherent problem with rifle-mounted flashlights is that they require you to throw rule #1 right out the window – anything you want to shine your flashlight on, you also must cover with your muzzle. Check out a “bump in the night” with a flashlight equipped AK, and you’ll quickly find yourself pointing your rifle at your family, neighbors, pets, etc.
No, you don't, and no, you won't. You can illuminate anything in the room with the muzzle pointed safely at the floor. We're not talking Wal-Mart narrow-beam flashlights here.
Plus you lose a lot of control over your light, because you either have to rely on a pressure pad (take your hand off the rifle, lose your light), or you’re stuck with a constant light attached to your muzzle, which isn’t a good tactical decision either. Try again.
Modern lights generally use dual-mode tailcap switches, and why wouldn't you have both hands on the rifle if you don't need to open doors and aren't trying to walk around with a phone in your ear?
Yes, if you live in a home with lots of closed doors and for some reason forsee the need to clear it by yourself before the police show up, the handgun is a better choice. If not, a shotgun or carbine are perfectly workable.
A 1911 is not an “assault weapon,” nor does it accept “high capacity magazines,” both of which are common targets for unwelcome legal scrutiny. This ultimately has to come down to a matter of opinion, but it would appear that most of the thread, along with authorities on the matter (Ayoob, among others) agrees with me on this one. One more try...
Ayoob has never said don't use over-10-round magazines or modern-looking carbines. He says, think through the issues and be able to explain your choices rationally. I recall that he used a 20-round magazine and a mounted light with his Beretta 92 HD pistol that he kept at one time.
A loaded rifle propped against the corner of your bed is hardly what I would consider “securely stored.” It may work for you in your state, but for most of us (those of us with family, or who live in states with storage laws), that ain’t gonna cut it. I'll have my pistol out of my gun vault before you can get the flashlight on your AK turned on. Wrong again...
Plus a shiny rifle sitting out in the open makes a great target for theft.
Why the animosity? Again, there is not One True Way; pistols work, revolvers work, long guns work. Some of us own both and use both at different times and in different circumstances.
Yes, long guns require more thought (well, more expense) to securely store while you're away. You can, however, take the carbine out of the safe when appropriate, and put it back when appropriate; it is not required that you leave it unattended.
If a 1911 works for you, that's great! Run with it. But if someone else chooses a carbine, a shotgun, or whatever, don't bash them and call them names because they may choose differently. It's a free country (at least most of it).
