Thought experiment, what is *MY* best choice for HD rifle?

[Mike1234567]

All state and local laws unaccounted for and negating how some future jury may see the "evil assault rifle"...

I'd convert the SKS for 922r compliance and remove all the superfluous gadgetry except a good light and laser (or combo). I'd opt for the JHP ammo first followed by the SP. The semi-auto will be much speedier to operate than a lever.

 

[Sebastian the Ibis]

HD? Shotgun. Each round counts much more. If you are planning on shooting more than 25 yds then SKS however it may be hard to claim self defense at those distances.

 

[Mike1234567]

A shotgun wasn't on the list.....

 

[oldpapps]

You should answer the question. Which weapon do you feel more comfortable with?
I will take it that both are fully operational. Energies, where not the same, are both suitable.
I would opt for the lever action. Not that I prefer them (I don't have one). As stated above, after the unwanted happens, explaining a 'lever action deer' rifle would be much simpler.

OSOK

 

[Robert]

^^^^^^
Only you can answer this question. All we can do is give you our opinion of what might work best for us. Ony you know you and your abilities. So shoot the heck out of both till you have a fair idea of what would work best for you.

 

[murf]

both. have as many weapons available as possible. never know which room you'll be in when the bad guy comes knockin.

murf

 

[HDCamel]

I contacted my cousin. He's not a corporal anymore. He's apparently been a sergeant for over a year now...
Anyway, apparently I misinterpreted him. He never saw the bayonets himself, he heard about it from a guy in a different company.

So yeah... it probably never happened.
Still a fun idea though.

 

[bubba in ca]

I`d go the semiauto sks for multiple intruders. Bullet is not important because they are about equal. Fast reloading is unimportant because we are talking HD, not civil disturbance fantasies. Bayonet is a 1 in a million thing. lawyer proofing may depend on your area, but having a competent lawyer should help with silly prosecution arguments.

I once looked into taking off the grenade launcher. From what I remember I would have had to take off the bayonet and tritium site at the same time. Look up the rules before you modify anything--they really defy reason. Too much work, so I left it all original.

I live in urban/suburban areas so my main gun is a shotgun with a handgun backup. The rifle is for the very unlikely chance I would have to `go long`.
In the country the rifle starts to come into it`s own.

 

[CowardlyHero]

For your experiment I would vote 336 for the same point you made that if you ever were forced to use it its not an assault weapon(I use the term loosely) and less *evil* then the good'ol marlin.

Now that I have answered your question, you already stated that in a HD situation you would most likely grab your shotgun, why not use slugs? I have an 870 with ghost ring sights and a side saddle. I keep a couple slugs in the saddle and practice slug change overs (recommend watching Art of the Dynamic Shotgun lots of pointers and drills). Not very effective for 100+ yards but with good sites and your weapons preferred ammo its doable.

 

[MacTech]

I totally forgot to answer my own question, D'oh!

Anyway, after trying some late night "room clearing" with an unloaded weapon, simulating both a "bump-crash-bang-clunk-@#$%-in-the-night" and a "home invasion hunker down" situation, I came to the conclusion that the Marlin 336 .30-30 would be the rifle of choice, the SKS was too long and ungainly, too unbalanced, wheras the 336 felt natural

I did the same tests with my Rem 870 Express Supermag and H&R Topper Deluxe Classic shotguns, the 870 with the 18.5" barrel and the H&R with it's 26" barrel (single shot break actions are much more compact than a pump/auto of similar dimensions, the H&R's 26" barrel sticks out about 3" longer than the 18.5" barrel on the 870), and the shorter 870 performed marginally better

as I posted in my OP, the shotgun would always get the nod over the rifle, but I was curious as to which rifle would work better if that's what I had immediately at hand

 

[Germster]

Lying to the cops is a bad idea. They figure you out most ricky tick. While we may think that it'd be easy to lie to those guys in blue when some actually happens only the real good criminals can lie. We regular guys just can't. Nor can you on the witness stand.

I feel comfortable (wrong use of words) shooting someone if I'm genuinely afraid for my life or someone elses and I'll take my licks in court. The family of the perp, now pushing up daisies will sue the living dickens out of you and it'll cost you a ton of $ to defend yourself.

I think that when a citizen saves his life by shooting the bad guy, that he should be given a metal. Trouble is the attorney's won't look at it that way.

 

[rori]

Given the parameters in your question the Marlin would be the one I would choose. It most certainly wouldn't be my go to gun the shotgun would and I sleep with one loaded with buck right next to my hand. Frank