Choosing a home-defense firearm is a very important, and very personal, decision. Here’s a few ideas on another to add to your list. READ MORE
Good news is, a relatively small percentage of people will experience a home invasion during their lifetime.
Bad news is, unless you possess the ability to see into the future, you won’t know if you are one of them until it happens.
If you’re reading this, then you’ve probably already had that realization and have decided to equip yourself for home defense. #BePrepared
Many law abiding gun owners will advocate hard for using a pistol vs. a rifle for home defense. We suggest going to the range yourself and putting the two to the test. Once you’ve put in some trigger time and are familiar with the operations of both weapons, your home defense pistol and an AR-15 rifle, put yourself on a timer and keep score. You might just surprise yourself at how well you perform with the AR.
Having said that, here are a few reasons you should consider selecting an AR-15 to defend your legacy.
EASE OF USE
The primary benefit of the AR-15 platform lies in its intuitiveness and comfortable ergonomics. The position of the fire controls and its overall light weight make the AR easy to operate, and that’s an important factor, especially under pressure.
As with any firearm though, familiarity and continuous training are mandatory. Those who have spent a lot of time with the M16, like so many of our military veterans, will most likely find use of the AR-15 seamless, but first-time rifle owners will obviously need to invest time in training at the range.
EASE OF ACCESS
The biggest challenge to having a firearm for home defense is ease of access. If you need to defend yourself quickly, accessibility is obviously pertinent!
An AR can be just as easily accessible in a home defense situation as another type of firearm. It can be stored in many of the same locations as a shotgun or even a pistol. The sheer size of an AR-15 rifle may also make it easier to grab when things go bump in the middle of the night.
But it’s also mandatory to be diligent with security. It’s common sense and common knowledge, but all firearms must be stored in a secure location, so that non-authorized users cannot gain access.
So, if that means you must unlock your AR-15 at night so you have quick access to it, and then lock it back up in the morning (after you’ve put on your EDC gun), then that is what you must do — every day and every night. #GoodHabits
CAPACITY OPTIONS
Many self-defense shootings involve only a few fired shots, but if you can gain extra capacity with your home defense weapon, you may as well have it. While many double-stack pistol magazines can hold 15 to 18 rounds, a standard AR-15 magazine capacity is 30 (although not legal in some states).
Another, often over-looked, option is the 20-round AR-15 magazine. It makes the rifle just a tad lighter, and you may really like how much more maneuverable it becomes.
SIGHT ACQUISITION
Another great aspect of using an AR-15 for home defense is its ability to be customized with attachments. Putting on a red dot optic will make “finding” your sights far easier in a high-pressure, low-light situation. Again, training is paramount. Those of us who have firearms with optics know that initially, that little red dot may not show up in the center of the scope as quickly as we would like it to.
Mounting a flashlight or laser sight onto the handguard can also be beneficial, though there are pros and cons to these illuminating options. All of the SAINT
models have either Keymod, or M-Lok rails, so attaching a light or laser can be done quickly and easily.
PENETRATION
A common knock against the AR-15 for home defense is that the 5.56×45 NATO chambering will over-penetrate. This statement is somewhat controversial.
All ammunition, whether for pistols, shotguns, or rifles, is developed for different uses / purposes. With the plethora of 5.56 and .223 ammunition on the market today, you have many options. Most of the lighter weight rounds, and many “varmint” hunting rounds, are designed to break apart when hitting a hard object. There are several other cartridges designed specifically for personal / home defense, such as Hornandy Critical Defense, Black Hills TSX, Federal Vital-Shok, and Winchester PDX-1 Defender.
Take a look around YouTube too. You can search for penetration tests where 9MM, 40S&W, 45ACP pistols and 5.56mm and .223 rifles penetrate a variety of materials such as wood or cinder block.
Do your research, and choose the option that fits your needs within your fortress.
And always make sure your home defense firearm is zeroed with your ammunition of choice.
In the end, regardless of what gun you choose for home defense, if and when the time comes to take a shot, you must always be aware of what’s behind your target and what’s in the line of sight between you and the target.
Check out some great choices HERE