FAL for Home Defense?

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Fisherman12

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Would a 16" barreled suppressed FAL be good for home defense?

Would overpenetration be the only concern? Are there any light .308 loads or low penetrating loads that are practical?



Also, are there any other practical self defense reasons to own an FAL? I'm trying to find an excuse to get one :D
 
I think wanting a FAL is enough of an excuse to get one. Don't pretend that it would be good for HD though. A $200 shotgun would be better IMO. Without even discussing overpenetration, a 16" 308 is going to be LOUD and REALLY BRIGHT when you touch the bang switch.


Sorry, missed the part where you said "suppressed."

I need more coffee this morning.
 
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I've got 2 and enjoy owning them, but it wouldn't be my choice for home defense. I have other rifles & pistols that fill that role better. The only excuse you need to buy one is that they are fun to shoot!
 
Love Fals. It is the gun that got me to get on the internet ten years ago as I wanted to build by own.

Having said that, there are better options for Home Defense.

And having fired a .308 indoors without hearing protection before, I would certainly looks for something else.
 
For a "home defense rifle" I'd go suppressed 5.56 SBR instead, because it will be MUCH shorter and lighter.
 
What are you defending your home FROM?

Where is this standoff actually occurring?

Anybody considering mounting a defense of their townhouse with a 7.62 rifle really should consider what will be the consequences of firing that thing even one shot in closed space.

You better make that one shot count, because you likely won't be firing any more after the first one.

Do you have any idea how much blow-back gas is generated by a suppressed 7.62 rifle?
Do you realize how loud a 7.62 rifle (even a suppressed one) is in an enclosed space?

The correct gun for mounting a defense of your person in an enclosed space that you own is the same choice as is correct for mounting a defense of your person in an enclosed space that you don't own.

Answer:
Something that is maneuverable in close spaces.
Something that can be handled with one hand.
Something that can be held in such a manner than a close attacker cannot easily get hands on it.
Something that can be quickly secured and transported if you need both hands for an immediate task.
Something that will not deafen, blind or asphyxiate you on the first shot.

A 14-pound rifle in large caliber aint it.
 
If its a home in the country, might be perfect. But in city limits with neighbors a few ft apart, forget it. You are looking at a lawsuit after the smoke clears. And expect to scratch your head if you killed your neighbor 's wife or husband or kids. You are setting for a long hard battle in court. A 1911 45 acp is about perfect for HD. Its fast and furious. Most home invasion are carried out by multiple badguys. A handgun can be brought to bear easily and finish the job done if you are that fast. The Fal can be long and the blast will damage your eardrums in a confined room. And then the overpenetration goes way yonder into your neighbors house.
 
A FAL is probably not the best rifle for home defense, especially if you live very close to your neighbors. I would say it is borderline for the suburbs, but it would be a good choice if you were out in the country. If you can find a round that limits over penetration, it might be ok. The problem is that most of those rounds are high velocity, and velocity is the thing you're trying to avoid with suppressors (at least if you want to keep it subsonic, which would be a good bit quieter than if you were shooting supersonic ammo indoors).

Something else to consider is that most .308 suppressors are going to run around 8" long, which means your 16" barreled carbine will become a 24" somewhat hearing safe rifle. Personally, I would look at shortening the rifle (turning it into a SBR or buying one premade).

Another option (and something that I'm actually working on right now, so I'm probably a little biased) is to SBR an AR in .300 Blackout. It has 7.62x39 ballistics using supersonic ammo, but is only 126-129db using a suppressor and subsonic ammo (as quiet as a 9mm suppressed). It also works well with short barrels, so a 8" barrel and suppressor would put you at 16" out front. That gives you 7.62 ballistics that is as quiet as a suppressed 9mm and as short as a normal (Title 1) AR.
 
Be careful if you buy a FAL.They have a way of reproducing in your gunsafe. Not a home defense weapon,but one hell of a battle rifle.
 
No i would not use it for self defense but i live in a suburb with neighbors. I guess if its just you in the country go ahead. Keep ear muffs near your gun lol.
 
I agree with what the others said....

Buy one anyway. They're beautiful, handle great (for a 50's battle rifle!), and are really fun. I have two, and am planning on getting a parts kit to build one.
 
The perfect HD carbine if you are being attacked by carnivorous moose or elk. Or soft-armored deer.

For more typical uses, rather long and high recoiling, and I wouldn't buy one primarily for HD use.

As for this:

A 14-pound rifle in large caliber aint it.
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Why would I add 5+ pounds of extra weight to a HD carbine? They're not a mousegun, but nowhere near 14lbs.
 
Love the FAL. One of the premier battle rifles and calibers. Would be a top choice for SHTF...

Rural HD. Yes.

Urban HD. No.

Either way, wear earpro. .308 noise is no joke. Permanent "I wish I wouldn't have done that" damage.
 
There are better dedicated home defense platforms.

Those who are advocating a .45 ACP over the correct. 308, however, because they think it has less penetration, unfortunately do not understand terminal ballistics, and are too lazy to either shoot their own comparison, or look up the performance in gel of both.

I think most AR15s would be a better choice, but the right .308 bullets will be considerably more effective at stopping a threat, while offering LESS risk of shoot-through than any common handgun defensive rounds. If you don't handload, Hornady TAP would be a fine choice. The 110-grain TAP causes massive damage, but penetrates only 10"!

John
 
I use to believe in the "overpenetration" hype; but after research and reading it seems to be a bit of a 2nd order concern... Summarized he says that worrying about an off chance your round will punch through the subject (or a wall etc) and happen to hit a bystander ith enough remaining energy is low compared to an errant shot doing so; or you "reduced penetration" load having inssufficent performance on the subject.
docgkr said:
Failures to stop a suspect because of under-penetration, poor bullet placement, and completely missing the target are far more significant problems than over-penetration. With shots to the center of mass, if a handgun or rifle bullet fails to have enough penetration to reach the large blood bearing vessels and organs in the torso, rapid physiological incapacitation is unlikely and an opponent may remain a lethal threat to officers and citizen bystanders. Conversely, if a bullet fired by officers completely penetrates a violent criminal and exits downrange, the bullet will certainly have had enough penetration to reach the large blood bearing vessels or organs in the torso. As a result, it is more likely to have caused sufficient hemorrhage to induce hypovolemic shock--the only reliable method of physiological incapacitation in the absence of CNS trauma.

Unfortunately, according to the available published date, the majority of shots fired in the field by U.S. LE officers miss their intended target. According to published NYPD SOP-9 data, the NYPD hit ratio by officers against perpetrators in 2000 was 12.3% of shots fired and in 2001 13.5% of shots fired. The Miami Metro-Dade County PD had hit ratios ranging between 15.4% and 30% from 1988-1994. Portland PD reported hits with 43% of shots fired at adversaries from 1984-1992, while Baltimore PD reported a 49% average hit ratio from 1989-2002.

Given that the reported averages for LE officers actually hitting the suspect ranges between 12% to 49% of shots fired, more concern should be given to the between 51-88% of shots fired by LE officers which completely MISS the intended target and immediately result in a significant threat to any person down range, rather than excessively worry about the relatively rare instance where one of the 12%-49% of shots fired actually hits the intended target and then exits the perpetrator in a fashion which still poses a hazard.
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Remember that misguided "artist" who the police took down last month? It took many rounds to get him, and the collateral damage was rather significant. The baddie didn't fire a shot, yet a handful of other folks on the street were shot.
 
Having run shoot houses with an FAL, I can say it is quite a handful. I'd take shorter and lighter (and correspondingly quicker and more manuverable) if I had any choice.

As I've said previously:

I've run our shoot house with an FAL (Stg.58)...it is fun, but it's a bit like steering a boat! Rather than a tool you've got with you as you maneuver through the structure, it's more like a cooperative journey the two of you are on together.

("After you!" "No, I insist, after YOU!")
Click to expand...
 
Perfect rifle to sit behind cover with, with a view of the entrance, and wait for the LEO to arrive from the cell phone call.

All of the other comments above seem to presume your personal conditions, which you have not shared. Therefore any comments on the viability of the FAL as a SD weapon are suspect, without particulars.

My idea of home defense does not mean clearing a house of possible bad guys.

Reasons to own an FAL:
One of the best battle rifles ever. Collectable. OK, maybe a bit of a stretch on the last part but, it sounds like a justify the gun to the wife scenario.;)

With a suppressor, it would be an excellent weapon for a women to cover entrances with. It weighs 10 pounds, and with light bullets, doesn't recoil much at all.

It is one of the most accurate battle rifles ever. Hit what you shoot at.
The open sites are fantastic.

Marshall & Sandow give most of the .308 rounds very high marks, over 91%
one shot stops, IIRC, with as high as 93 or 94%.

Ammunition for practice is inexpensive, and very accurate.
It is one of the most proven battle cartridges of all time, and one of the most effective. It's pretty amazing how similar ballistics are settled on by almost all the major military war cartridges, until war changed after WW 2.

Great magazines, and capacity, provided you don't live in a anti-second amendment state.

Even if you do, 10 rounds of .308 is no joke.

If attacked by Zombies, we are invaded, etc. you will have a rifle able to use a bunch of old mil-spec surplus ammo.;)

If you are concerned about ammo compatibility with our current .223 cartridge, and the corresponding cheap ammunition, you need FAL's
in both .308 and .223.

JUST BUY ONE!

If we get a Democratic Congress, a Democratic president, and a couple key Supreme Court justices resign, the FAL might become like a machine gun in value.

Hope this helps.
 
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Would a 16" barreled suppressed FAL be good for home defense?
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The Brits found the FAL to be woefully mismatched to the task of clearing houses in, say, North Ireland. They chose to move to a different platform and different chambering in large part due to those protracted lessons.
 
The Brits found the FAL to be woefully mismatched to the task of clearing houses in, say, North Ireland.
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You mean their L1A1's with 21 inch barrel and extra long flash suppressor were too long? Eh, you can get a short gas system FAL for under 2k that is excellent for tight quarters use. Even a standard length gas system with 16" barrel is pretty handy. The Para is even better. Or were you talking solely about the penetration?
 
You mean their L1A1's with 21 inch barrel and extra long flash suppressor were too long? Eh, you can get a short gas system FAL for under 2k that is excellent for tight quarters use. Even a standard length gas system with 16" barrel is pretty handy. The Para is even better. Or were you talking solely about the penetration?
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Put a can on the end of a 16" FAL, per the OP, and the L1A1 will look positively svelte. :)
 
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