Semi-automatic assault rifles in self-defense, such as AK-47 and AR-15?

[Ivy Mike]

I do believe the suggestion to use blanks is either the worst advice I've ever heard or is the best trolling sarcasm I've ever heard.

You absolutely want a live round ready should you need it. I know blanks can cause short cycles in many types of guns and although the AK's gas system is robust and overbuilt, it ain't that good.
If you ever have need to point a gun in anger, make sure its going to stop whatever is on the business end.

as far as an AK or AR being good for self defense...well they were designed to shoot people. Can't argue much with that. You would be fine with either although I'd make sure to load a soft point or hollow point in whatever you get. Its cheap insurance that offers some protection against massive overpenetration.

 

[briansmithwins]

just get an AK47 with a lot of mags and ammo. load the first round that goes into the chamber with blanks!

if the bad-guy break into your house, just shoot the first rounds BANG ! (Blanks) and scream (FREEZE...!!!) but you'll have a live round ready to go if things go bad!

You do know that most self loading rifles need a blank firing adapter to function? You also know that from close range blanks are lethal?

Either you are justified using deadly force, or you aren't. BSW

 

[dalepres]

if the bad-guy break into your house, just shoot the first rounds BANG ! (Blanks) and scream (FREEZE...!!!) but you'll have a live round ready to go if things go bad!

The bad guy, in one regard, is very likely to be just like you. When someone is firing a gun at him - and he is armed - he is going to shoot back. It's called self-defense - not legal "self-defense" but instinctive self-defense. So while you're shooting blanks, he's shooting live rounds. You will probably never know that he did not follow your plea for him to freeze because, like the shotgun pumper, you will not hear the shot that kills you.

Either you are justified using deadly force, or you aren't. BSW

Absolutely. Either you are willing to shoot or you are not. A gun that gets drawn as a bluff is very likely to get taken away from the user and used against him by someone who is not bluffing.

If a man is not willing to use a gun, that's ok. It is his choice. He can get a baseball bat and be willing to use it. If he is not willing to use a baseball bat or any weapon, then he must be willing to live with the consequences when some home invasion gang comes in his door.

 

[GuyWithQuestions]

Good for motor vehicle self-defense?

Are military-style semi-automatic rifles that are chambered good for motor vehicle self defense (you'd have a concealed permit), or mostly for home defense? I was wondering about mobility in a motor vehicle, of course it would only supplement my semi-auto handgun. At the same time I know that rifles are more powerful than handguns and have heard that police usually carry long guns in addition to their handgun if they know there's going to be guns involved from the other side.

 

[dalepres]

What kind of attack are you expecting in your vehicle? You can't possibly swing and manouver a long gun well enough to do anything but get hurt when in your vehicle.

Yes, police keep long guns - usually in the trunk or a shotgun locked in the front but they only use them when they get out of the vehicle.

I don't know what state you're in but in Oklahoma, concealed means not visible - even when in the vehicle. I hate that part of the law; my vehicle should be considered private and anything in it should be considered as concealed because to look in my vehicle should be considered a search. But the law is what it is for now. If you're thinking about carrying any weapon in your vehicle, make sure you know the laws in your state.

 

[HorseSoldier]

I'd think that most places a locked and loaded AK or AR or whatever would be pushing past what most district attorneys and grand juries might consider legitimate self defense in a motor vehicle. (Before anyone starts getting worked up, please note the "in a motor vehicle" part.) While your motives may be completely legitimate, I think you're looking at an appearance of looking for trouble or even being an active aggressor when a jury starts trying to sort out why you keep a loaded M4gery in your Corolla (especially if you keep it handy enough to get to in a car jacking scenario, etc.).

And, as someone already noted, long guns are a lot harder to manuever and employ in a car or truck than a handgun. It makes good sense if you're in a situation where the bad guys are coming at you with long guns, too, but unless you do a lot of driving in downtown Baghdad or owe a lot of money to Colombian import-export entrepreneurs it's probably a touch excessive.

 

[strat81]

Are military-style semi-automatic rifles that are chambered good for motor vehicle self defense (you'd have a concealed permit), or mostly for home defense?

Check your state laws before you carry a loaded rifle in your vehicle, either in the trunk or under the front seat. For example, my Nebraska CCW permit is a concealed handgun permit.

Laws also vary with the legality of unlicensed people carrying in their vehicles only, or carrying open versus concealed.

A work-around to all of this is the Kel-Tec PLR-16. It is a pistol that uses AR-15 mags and is chambered for 5.56 NATO. Krinkov-style AK pistols are also in this group. Of course, be conscious of your weapon choice: a jury may view your gun in a very negative light, especially if you chose a rifle or AR/AK pistol instead of a good old fashioned revolver.

 

[Ignition Override]

A quotation on a previous page about a shot in the darkness caught my attention.

Years ago, a gent in Louisiana heard a 'perpetrator' coming into his house and met the person in the hallway.
He raised his pistol and hit the person in the neck.
It was his daughter who wasn't expected home-she died in her father's arms (her last words: "I love you Daddy").

But back to the main topic.
For home defense, if one has a rifle available (instead of a shotgun), why must it be as accurate as an AR-15 or M-14?
An M-1 Carbine (like mine), a Ruger Mini or an AK should slow somebody down quite well. Are we not talking about from 10-30 feet or so?
'Somebody' has set off our loud security system a few times by bumping things from a kitchen shelf or breaking an orange juice glass at 0200...maybe forgetting that it is still armed at 0800. The only house in any nice suburb here which suffered a home invasion was because the smart homeowners let service people know that their security system was out of order. Everyone survived ok.

 

[GuyWithQuestions]

Military-style semi in your bed?

How is a good way to store one next to your bed if you want it for that purpose? I heard about someone who slept with a loaded and cocked shotgun under his bed covers with him, although that may make me a little nervous. I sleep with a chambered handgun with no manual safety under my pillow (an XD) and sometimes under the covers, but then it's in a holster and so I feel quite safe. I plan on getting a mount to put the factory default holster on sometime so I can pull it out faster if needs be but still have the trigger guard area protected from fingers during sleep. But then a handgun sounds different than a long gun. How would a semi-auto rifle next to your bed or in your bed work? I don't think I'd want it in my bed under the covers unless there's something I'm not familar with that would help me out. What do you do for bedside protection with rifles?

 

[General Geoff]

I place my M1A next to my bed, popped up against the wall. Mag in, empty chamber, safety off. The way I see it, the time it takes to pull the op rod back and release it, is shorter than it'll take to actually bring the rifle up to my shoulder and align the sights properly.

 

[Titan6]

just get an AK47 with a lot of mags and ammo. load the first round that goes into the chamber with blanks!

if the bad-guy break into your house, just shoot the first rounds BANG ! (Blanks) and scream (FREEZE...!!!) but you'll have a live round ready to go if things go bad!

Now that is the funniest thing I have heard in a long time . Unless you were serious... in which case.... well... that would be the opposite of smart.

 

[General Geoff]

^^just remember that blanks don't cycle actions reliably, so you may very well end up with a *click* instead of a *bang* when you need it most.

 

[dalepres]

How is a good way to store one next to your bed if you want it for that purpose?

I sure would not sleep well if I had a loaded and cocked firearm under the sheets with me. Besides the fact that the gun is very likely to get tangled when you try to pull it out in an emergency.

I suggest that for a shotgun or carbine, keep it next to the bed, barrel up, safety off and no round chambered or safety on and round chambered. Practice grabbing the gun and turning off the safety until you can do it without thinking. A lot of people have been killed because their self-defense weapon was on safe. Then again, a lot have been killed because there wasn't a round chambered. I guess you have to weigh the risks before deciding which direction you go for safety when it comes to chambered round with safety or no chambered round without a safety. Or you can risk life, limb, and family with a chambered round and no safety.

But, for the ultimate safety in a loaded and ready-to-fire bedroom weapon, I suggest a revolver with an empty chamber under the hammer. Taurus makes an 8-round .357 revolver that should, even with only 7 rounds loaded, be enough to stop any home invasion gang I have heard of. If it doesn't stop them, then at least by the time the revolver is empty, you should have a couple seconds to grab that AK, chamber a round and check the safety.

Keeping a handgun in an already opened nightstand drawer is good - the handgun can't fall or get knocked to the floor when you reach for it as it might on top of the headboard or on top of the nightstand.

My headboard has a bookshelf and the mattress is a little higher than the shelf. The shelf is divided into small widths that give me a safe place to keep a handgun where I can find it quickly if I need it without fear of accidentally knocking it to the floor while reaching and without having it under the covers to get tangled in sheets.

 

[KI.W.]

Some thing for home defence?

http://splodetv.com/video/hot-women-smoking-barrels.

 

[SwampWolf]

Why an empty chamber under the hammer?

 

[dalepres]

Why an empty chamber under the hammer?

Well, that seems like a trolling question since I would expect a senior member here to know the answer. If you have comments on the idea, you should just post them.

But the answer is that some revolvers, particularly single-actions, can fire when dropped on the hammer. And some mechanical failures of guns designed not to fire when dropped on the hammer could theoretically cause them to fire. It is a manufacturer's recommended safety procedure for virtually all revolvers, old or new, single or double-action.

On most modern revolvers it is a peace of mind option that leaves your weapon safe yet ready to fire. I'm pretty comfortable with 7 rounds of .357 in a self-defense situation.

 

[SwampWolf]

Well, no, it's not a "trolling question". The question was asked because I thought you might have some logical reason for keeping a modern Taurus da revolver partially loaded for self-defense purposes. Since even "junior" members should know that almost all modern da revolvers are perfectly safe with a round stored under the chamber, I offered "no comments on the idea".

But, since you asked, I think it's a bad idea. If you plan on using a handgun to protect yourself or your loved ones, it's a good idea to keep a modern da revolver loaded to its full capacity. As a leo for thirty years, I can assure you that no officer in my agency or any other agency to my knowledge ever carried a revolver partially loaded or a semi-auto without a round in the chamber. There is no practical safety advantage in keeping the chamber of a modern da revolver empty under the hammer. There is obviously a tactical disadvantage in keeping a self-defense weapon partially loaded when there's no good reason to.

If it makes you feel safer to employ that practice, you are obviously free to do so. I only hope you don't end up with a "click" someday when you really, really need another "bang".

 

[dalepres]

I agree with everything you said. Since you're a 30 year LEO, obviously you know more than I do on the subject. I may add that 8th round to my revolver... maybe.