I only have handguns in 45acp right now. I have sold off all of the handguns I dont use and money is very tight due to the economy. I have agreed with the wife to buy one or the other, but not both right now. Even if I found a way to afford both, the wife wants whatever I dont spend on the gun and some ammo to go into savings, so what Im trying to say is please dont simply post "just buy both".
I own a house on 8 acres surrounded in two directions by 400 privately owned acres of woods and on the other two sides my closest neighbors are about 600 - 1000 yards away depending on the direction. Our entire township (20 square miles) has two police cars and only enough police to man both of them at any one time. For example, my wife called the police station and got an answering machine, although Im sure 911 would be more responsive. the nearest state police barracks is about 45 minutes to 1 hour away. The police do not monitor (as in NEVER) my area of town unless called for an emergency. My neighbors cannot see my house from their land and could not hear screams. gunfire is a regular occurrence due to the country setting, so hearing gunfire would most probably not cause a reaction from neighbors (we often shoot in our backyards).
I would like a gun that would give me enough firepower to defend my home from multiple intruders and something that I could hunt medium size game with in an emergency situation. An intruder in our area would most likely know that the house contains a firearm, so I consider them more dangerous than an unsuspecting intruder.
I am stuck in the middle, here is my list of pros and cons of each:
AR-15
Pros:
Cheap to practice with and ready supply of ammo
Easily customizable to my immediate needs
High capacity
Fast reloading
suppression capability
Easier to shoot and reload one handed if injured
Can use multiple uppers including 6.8 and 22LR if desired
Cons:
Underpowered for hunting deer a major food source here
May not stop the size bear we have here (small black bears) if one would ever attempt to get into the house (which is doubtful really)
Illegal for hunting on state land and heavily enforced
more moving parts that could possibly break
12 Gauge shotgun (home defense model, shorter barrel length):
Pros:
Devastating close range weapon
less precision required
Can use slugs for hunting deer at closer ranges
Slugs would most probably stop or redirect a small bear if needed
Legal to hunt with on state land
Cons:
much shorter range than AR-15
Low capacity
Harder to carry extra rounds
lack of precision while hunting, even with a slug
harder to use with one arm if injured / disabled
I am completely stuck in the middle and just cannot figure out which one would be better for my situation as its almost like comparing apples and oranges, but seeing as for the foreseeable future (next 12 - 18 months) I can only have one, I would like some opinions on which would be better for my situation. Eventually I plan to get a hunting rifle, but that would solely be for hunting and my primary goal right now is home defense in a worst case scenario.
I own a house on 8 acres surrounded in two directions by 400 privately owned acres of woods and on the other two sides my closest neighbors are about 600 - 1000 yards away depending on the direction. Our entire township (20 square miles) has two police cars and only enough police to man both of them at any one time. For example, my wife called the police station and got an answering machine, although Im sure 911 would be more responsive. the nearest state police barracks is about 45 minutes to 1 hour away. The police do not monitor (as in NEVER) my area of town unless called for an emergency. My neighbors cannot see my house from their land and could not hear screams. gunfire is a regular occurrence due to the country setting, so hearing gunfire would most probably not cause a reaction from neighbors (we often shoot in our backyards).
I would like a gun that would give me enough firepower to defend my home from multiple intruders and something that I could hunt medium size game with in an emergency situation. An intruder in our area would most likely know that the house contains a firearm, so I consider them more dangerous than an unsuspecting intruder.
I am stuck in the middle, here is my list of pros and cons of each:
AR-15
Pros:
Cheap to practice with and ready supply of ammo
Easily customizable to my immediate needs
High capacity
Fast reloading
suppression capability
Easier to shoot and reload one handed if injured
Can use multiple uppers including 6.8 and 22LR if desired
Cons:
Underpowered for hunting deer a major food source here
May not stop the size bear we have here (small black bears) if one would ever attempt to get into the house (which is doubtful really)
Illegal for hunting on state land and heavily enforced
more moving parts that could possibly break
12 Gauge shotgun (home defense model, shorter barrel length):
Pros:
Devastating close range weapon
less precision required
Can use slugs for hunting deer at closer ranges
Slugs would most probably stop or redirect a small bear if needed
Legal to hunt with on state land
Cons:
much shorter range than AR-15
Low capacity
Harder to carry extra rounds
lack of precision while hunting, even with a slug
harder to use with one arm if injured / disabled
I am completely stuck in the middle and just cannot figure out which one would be better for my situation as its almost like comparing apples and oranges, but seeing as for the foreseeable future (next 12 - 18 months) I can only have one, I would like some opinions on which would be better for my situation. Eventually I plan to get a hunting rifle, but that would solely be for hunting and my primary goal right now is home defense in a worst case scenario.
