Thread: any rifle recommendations?

If you want a long gun for home defense, get a shotgun, preferably a 12ga. All you have to do is point it in the general direction and you will hit something!

There are two things an intruder does not want to hear:

1. A loud barking dog
2. A shotgun being pumped

Scott

Curious as to why you want a rifle for SD? Not very maneuverable and a lot of over-penetration i.e., you just shot the bad guy AND your neighbor. If you're using it at a long distance like a rifle is designed for, then it's not really self-defense, is it? Plus, if you go the "assault rifle" route, you just know some ambulance chaser is going to use that against you. If you really want a long gun for SD, stick with the shotgun IMO.

+1 with the shotgun. A Remington 870 or Mossberg 500 make great HD weapons. They both are a little shorter than the average Turkey gun. A 12 gauge with some 00 buck shot is great for clearing the room if it becomes infested with bad guys..

What they said.

Mossberg 500 with a 20 in cylinder barrel..Short, easy to maneuver, and you can later buy a longer barrel for around $130 if you want to go hunting or if you want to shoot clays. it is a win-win situation.

Originally Posted by Todd

Curious as to why you want a rifle for SD? Not very maneuverable and a lot of over-penetration i.e., you just shot the bad guy AND your neighbor. If you're using it at a long distance like a rifle is designed for, then it's not really self-defense, is it? Plus, if you go the "assault rifle" route, you just know some ambulance chaser is going to use that against you. If you really want a long gun for SD, stick with the shot gun IMO.

Forgive my newness: but didn't kinow there was any difference between a "rifle" and a "shotgun". Always thought the two were interchangeble. Ignorance isn't always bliss. thanks for the info.

Let me preface this by saying there is no flaming intended at all here. That being said, have you considered taking any firearm classes, such as NRA Basic Pistol? Judging by a lot of your questions, I think a class along these lines would really be beneficial to you.

Originally Posted by jimmy

Mossberg 500 with a 20 in cylinder barrel..Short, easy to maneuver, and you can later buy a longer barrel for around $130 if you want to go hunting or if you want to shoot clays. it is a win-win situation.

+1 on this, I purchased a Mossberg 500 with the 18.5" bbl for home defense. Then I purchased the 28" bbl for hunting with my son's. love the dual purpose.

There are a lot of fragmintation loads available for easy to handle hand guns now that won't penetrate your kids bedroom wall but will get the job done.

i vote shotgun not rifle

If your going to go with a rifle, something in .223/5.56 AR/Mini-14. I'd vote for AR-15 but not cheap,2nd choice for the $$$$$ Remington/Mossberg 12ga shotgun.

J.R.

I'd take the shotgun over an AR any day if it's a HD weapon. At least the AR is a little easier to get around the house than some big honkin rifle. Maybe a 30 carbine too of a rifle was a must have for some twilight zone reasoning.

Hard to argue with the shotty recommendation. I have an 8-shot 870 myself. That said there are some shortened rifles that would work well for this purpose. Beretta's Cx4 Storm chambered in 9mm or 45 ACP comes to mind. But without question the 12 GA is a real show stopper, albeit a messy one.