SKS Overpowered for HD?

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Ohio Rifleman

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Hello, all. I'm sorry if a thread like this has been posted before. I ran a search and couldn't find one. Anyway, the best tool I have for home defense is my Yugo SKS. The only other firearm I own is a scoped Ruger 10/22. So, is the 7.62x39 round overpowered for home defense? Will the bullet pose a threat to people in other houses/rooms? Would hollowpoints help? If so, can you reccomend some?

PS I live in a nice neighborhood, so I'm not terribly worried about a home invasion, but you can never be too careful. I've thought about buying a 12ga shotty strictly for HD...but that's a heck of an investment for something that likely won't happen. My guns are for range fun first, defense second.
 
If you live in an urban area, the 7.62x39 not ideal. It would have great over penetration problems. How ever in a rural area, that probably wouldn’t be a problem.
 
Personally I don't know if I am a big fan of a large rifle/shotgun for HD. I want something lightweight, and short enough to manuver in the house. I would keep on the lookout for a pistol-grip shotgun, or better yet a folding stock shotgun, with 18 inch barrel. With a little shopping around I bet you can find a nice one for ~$300.

Or possibly move to a pistol. Nothing wrong with opening the door with one hand and keeping the other hand behind your back with a friend, unless you decide you will never open the door to anyone you don't know/completely trust.
 
I do live in an urban area. In the 'burbs, to be exact.
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IMHO the best self-defense weapon for someone in the ‘burbs is a .357 revolver. It is Simple, reliable, and very user friendly.

Hope that helps.
 
My next gun will hopefully be a .357 revolver. Good for both plinking and HD! Now I just need to scrape up the money...

Edit: I don't keep my SKS loaded. I also keep it in a hard plastic case. I don't keep it "ready" per se, but should the worst happen, it's probably the best I've got.
 
You use what you have...

However, a rifle is not the best weapon for home defense, especially the Yugo SKS. It's a LONG ungainly heavy rifle (NOT a carbine, I refuse to call a rifle that weighs almost 9 pounds a carbine) that really isn't suited for close-in tight quarters, leaning around the corner to find the perp kind of things. It's suited for outdoors use really.

Add into the fact that if you live in a townhouse or apartment, the round WILL penetrate a wall very easily possibly harming a person on the other side.

Shotguns are probably some of the best home defense weapons ever made, but there tend to be many "myths" associated with them. Do yourself a favor and keep an open mind while considering their purchase. Myths like the ever so vapid: "Just the sound of chambering a round with a pump action will scare people". No, it means you just gave yourself away in an odd sort of sense of posturing. The smart thing to do would be having the round in the chamber already with your shotgun to the thug's back, then you own him! My favorite is the: "you don't have to aim with a shotgun" This myth is complete and utter bunk. In close quarters, the shot pattern hasn't spread out that much, so you DO need to aim it.

Now that we have gotten past the annoying myths, the 12 Gauge pump shotgun's advantages are excellent: reasonable cost, excellent stopping power, simple to operate, reliability, price, configuration, ammo cost and availability, ability to mount a light (EXCELLENT idea)etc. The "tactical" kinds of shotguns like the Mossy 500, or Remington 870 fill this niche just fine.

My advice, if you can only afford one gun, get a Mossy 500 or a Remington 870 12 Gauge Pump action with interchangeable barrels. The 12 Gauge can do it all, from hunting to SHTF situations, to Self Defense. You won't be sorry.
 
If you were to dig up all the "Armed Citizen" articles from the American Rifleman magazine, you would be amazed at just how many times the lowly 10/22 has been successfully used against home invader/burglars.
 
If you were to dig up all the "Armed Citizen" articles from the American Rifleman magazine, you would be amazed at just how many times the lowly 10/22 has been successfully used against home invader/burglars.
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Yup. In the end, Shot placement is king.
 
Get a nice 50 round mag for the Ruger 10-22. Even though they are small rounds, a lot of them will do some damage.

The SKS with softpoint or hollowpoint ammo may still penetrate further than you would like at those close ranges.

Im voting for the shotgun. I picked up a Mossberg Maverick 88 with an 18' barrel in 12 gauge for 100 bucks! And this was in NJ! lol

Im sure you can find a nice economically friendly pump. I know that Dicks Sporting goods around here sells a New England Arms HD kit for 149.99.

I believe thats what the gun was called.
 
A many opinions as there are rear ends. Anything in the ready, works!
A 7.62x39 ball will go through sheetrock as will most ball ammo. Expand-
ing bullets, maybe not so many walls. Close up even shotguns make
single holes through walls. If wall penetrations are the considerations
from inside shots, I would think your 10/22 would be the kinder of your
selections. If your hits are center mass, it doesn't matter!:)
 
An SKS would make a HORRIBLE home defense weapon IMO. The sound would be deafening, it's large, heavy, unwieldy. It shoots large bullets well over 2000 FPS...it will go through multiple walls, even 2x4's, like butter. I would almost call it "irresponsible". Anything powerful enough to stop an intruder in their tracks will pass through sheetrock easily, but the SKS or anything like it would be over the top.

www.theboxotruth.com for anything you'd want to know about penetration/ballistics.

Please, don't use an SKS for home defense.
 
Range fun first, home defense second?

Get a saiga-12 conversion. It's got all the benefits of AK reliability, cool factor, and a total blast to shoot.
 
The sound would be deafening, it's large, heavy, unwieldy.
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The muzzle blast is MUCH less than that of a shotgun, .357, or .223; it's more comparable to a .30 carbine. The Norinco "para" models are handy, but even the Yugos are not too heavy for most people (you're only carrying it from one end of the bedroom to the other!) If you're worried about being able to lift an SKS, you'll never handle the recoil of a shotgun.

It shoots large bullets well over 2000 FPS
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The bullets are MUCH lighter than shotgun loads, and the same as popular .357 loadings. Ball would overpenetrate, but as the previous posters pointed out, there are frangibles.
 
pssh... All this talk about over-penetration is a little over the top. A .357 is good to go, but an SKS isn't? I took a gander at the Remington ballistics tables, and there is only maybe a 500 fps difference between the two. Yes, that is signifigant, but the .357 is still moving right along and will do as much damage coming through a wall as a 7.62x39. If penetration is really a major concern, don't use a gun at all, because even a .22 will blow through a 2x4 if it's close enough. The hole will be smaller, but if you hit someone right, they are just as dead. For gods sake, blowing buckshot through drywall is even worse because it INCREASES your chances of accidentally hitting someone.

Noise? A 7.62x39 is loud, but no louder than a handgun or shotgun. Additionally, noise should be about your last concern if things have gotten so bad your firing your weapon in self-defense.

As far as being a large gun, that may be true depending on your model. I happen to have an SKS that is cut down to carbine length, and it sits in a Tapco T-6 stock. It is neither large nor unwieldy, and I keep 3 stripper clips next to it at all times. Keep in mind that when your jacked on adrenaline, your not going to stop and think "goodness, this rifle is heavy", and you will most assuredly be jacked on adrenaline. Beside that, if you can't haul around 9 pounds with relative ease, your probably in a nursing home to begin with.

Is it the best weapon? I would say no, but it is a perfectly viable weapon for HD. You won't find an actual weapons expert around that won't tell you that a rifle is superior to a pistol for defense.
 
SD/HD firearm choice is a multiple variable consideration. It is not merely the power, or lack of power regarding the cartridge, number of rounds, etc.

I live in a suburban environment, but, on a hill with a 20 foot hill behind the house. Closest neighbor to the sides is a good 150 to 200 feet. Furthermore, our home is brick. The compressive nature of a brick home does not lend itself to having to worry about a round of 7.62X39 over-penetrating...especially if one uses a soft point projectile.

I know this for fact, because in a "former life" (in college), I used to work in building demolition. We "tested" many various sorts of firearms against many sorts of edifices....cement, concrete, brick, cinderblock, wood, tin, etc. We tried everything possible to find a short-cut to take down walls, etc. We tried...we failed! Know what worked best...a 4X4 truck, with a good old 1" cable...wrapped around the walls and yank it! Now that worked! :evil:

Back to topic. If you live in a suburban setting, in a stick-built home, with wood siding, your best bet is a 20 or 12 gauge shotgun, with cylinder choke and 1 ounce of 4 shot, or perhaps BB. (This provides your neighbors relative safety). But, perhaps not to your family. There may be over-penetration issues internally. For certain, no buckshot. It can carry and ricochet more easily. Keep the shot small! Also, you could consider some of the wonderful pistol rounds that are guaranteed to not penetrate even an interior wall intact!

Get yourself a cheap, used Remington 870, 20 or 12 gauge. There are tons of articles published about the proper rounds available. Here is a link to a previous thread on the topic...

http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=218156&highlight=apartment
 
THE SEARCH FUNCTION IS YOUR FRIEND This exact issue has come up half a dozen times.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=254680

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=255929

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=46134

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=162646

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=182984

Bottom line--nothing per se wrong with it at all so long as you use the proper ammunition.

You guys who think your handgun rounds won't cut through drywall are dreaming. The fewer rounds you need to launch, and the more powerful and accurate those rounds are, the better.
 
For HD it's the shotgun, hands down. A mossberg or an 870 loaded with 2 3/4 #6s is very effective at the ranges one would normally shoot in the house. Over penetration is likely less than a .22 but the effect on your average intruder is devastating. Cost is as reasonable as it gets.
 
There will always be a better choice, no matter what you choose for home defense, especially on the internet. (You asked about your SKS and have several opinions on the best shotgun load. I tried to count shotgun opinions but ran out of fingers)

Between the SKS and the 10/22, I'd choose the SKS loaded with something like this:

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=340413

Ideal? Probably not. But what is?
 
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