A good high powered rifle for self defense.?

Question

I'm thinking about getting a Smith and Wesson ar style M&P15A rifle for self defense. How powerful is this rifle? is it as powerful as a Ak47?




http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=11101&storeId=10001&productId=44933&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=33803&isFirearm=Y

Answer 1

are you planning to defend yourself from the invasion on normandy?

Answer 2

Rifles make pretty poor personal defense weapons. They are hard to manuver around walls, and the very fast & powerful rounds can easily go through walls and kill someone else inside or outside your home/apartment. You are much better off getting a handgun or short shotgun, something like a security style pump gun. Shotguns are more powerful than .223's or 7.62's at close range, and dont have as much risk of overpenetration. If you still want a tactical rifle, the prices can range from $800 to several thousand. On the less expensive end, i like Bushmaster, also check out Rock River, LMT, and the Smith & Wesson M&P are pretty nice. Whoever told you an M4 jams sooo much is wrong, or doesnt know how to operate it. A clean and maintained rifle with a trained shooter is just as reliable as any other semi auto rifle, and more than many.

Answer 3

I am going to tell you the same thing i told another guy that wanted a rifle for protection. Rifles are meant for long ranges, not 10 feet at the most. When holding any rifle at shoulder level and walking around and not aiming, you arent going to hit what you are trying to because theres only one single bullet and the chances of you hitting someone with that not aiming arent low, but they arent high either. Rifles are very powerful in that they can shoot through someone and keep going for a few houses. Thats very dangerous to everyone around you. A rifle bullet will go through walls like a hot knife through butter. It can injure/kill others in your house of five houses down. They just have too much penetration. A shotgun is a wise choise because with ashot, you dont have overpenetration and it is very good for close range, say 10 feet in a house. you point and shoot, and the shot does the work. any number will work in short ranges because it doesnt get the chance to spread and pattern. A #4 shot will pretty much to the same damage as an #8 shot. Also, pump shotguns are intimidating when you the schukkk, schuuk of someone racking a shell inot the chamber. Anyone in your house knowas what that sound is and it is very intimidating. A shotgun is a much better choise than any rifle. If you arent comfortable shooting shotguns, talk to a friend or relative who has one and tell them you are interested in one, and want to lear more about them for home defense, and they will probly be happy to let you shoot theirs.

Good luck, and i hope you take this into consideration before buying a rifle for home defense.

Answer 4

I would urge you to consider a 12 gauge pump shotgun with a 20" barrel for a defensive weapon. You can use 5 or 6 shot and stop anything at close range and not have to worry about taking out your neighbor. A rifle is more of an offensive weapon and the having bullets going through a half dozen walls and killing a child or something is not really a good idea. Get ahold of a shotgun and get a few 5 or 6 shot shells and a piece of plywood; go to the range or wherever; shoot at the plywood from 12 feet or thereabouts; a good in house encounter distance; look at the size of the hold; think about it.

Answer 5

Military style rifles like the M&P15A and the AK47 are actually poor choices for self defense weapons. In choosing a self defense weapon keep in mind that most self defense shooting occur at less than 30 feet. You must also be aware of the potential for collateral damage. Rounds that go through or miss targets have to go somewhere. Most centerfire rifle ammunition will penetrate wallboard and siding with relative ease. A short barrel shotgun (Mossburg is a good inexpensive choice) is a much better alternative than either of the weapons you have asked about.

Answer 6

For home defense with training it could be a good weapon. I choose another cheaper brand of AR though. I agree a shotgun with buckshot not birdshot or a slug would be a better choice, but I am kind of surprised with all of the knowledge people say they have they would take a pistol to a gunfight, they are simply underpowered for stopping anyone hellbent on doing you harm. As far as over penetration goes anything mentioned here will go through 4 walls with drywall and insulation. If it goes deep enough into a bad guy it will also go deep enough into your house to hit someone. http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot14_4.htm That being said for personal defense outside of the home and a backup to your shotgun or rifle you would need the service of a pistol preferably something 9mm through 45 that you can afford to practice with. Training and ability to effectively shoot the pistol under stress, reliability, and ammo selection are more important than caliber and capacity when kept within reason and when you can get the first three things then you might as well have the pistol that carries the most and biggest ammo you can handle without sacraficing them.

Answer 7

With an Ar-15 type rifle, you would want to get a frangible round (like Glaser safety slug) foe self-defense. There is nothing wrong with using an AR-15 for self-defense as long as the rounds are frangible. People do not understand that perhaps you only want one gun around. There is nothing wrong with that. I do not know how to answer your "power" question because I am not a centerfire rifle man in general (I like rimfire rifle/pistol and centerfire pistol), but it is all realtive and you are comparing two different types of shells with different diameters and loadings. They both do the job, but ,223 is more realistic for self-defense.
However, it must be noted that a previous comment from another poster definitely holds true. Rifles ARE offensive weapons in general and handguns are generally defensive. Something to think about.

Answer 8

Best consult with your local gun dealers on this. You could end up killing half the neighborhood with your 'cannon' which is not a good thing. A 20 gage shotgun with bird shot is good for defense, as it won't shoot through 10 walls of houses. Otherwise, a 9mm up to .45 cal handgun and PRACTICE at a range, plus gun safety training is more reliable and faster home protection than an 8 pound cannon. Cheers.

Answer 9

Get yourself another icecoldbeer and forget that idea.

High-power rifles do not make good home defense weapons, and that damned poodle shooter is not a high-powered rifle anyway. It is a high capacity varmint rifle.

You'd be better off with a medium frame revolver with a 3" barrel or a Rossi M-92 SRC in .357 Magnum.

Doc

Answer 10

You don't need a rifle for self defense. I'd go with the good ol' 1911 Colt .45, or, if you're a good enough shot, a Ruger .22.

Answer 11

There is no such animal.

A "high-powered" rifle and a 'self defense' weapon cannot be the same thing.

A rifle, particularly one like the M&P 15A, is by it's very nmature an 'Offensive' weapon. It is ill suited to the role of defending oneself or property.

Laws and common sense dictate that that in 'defending', you are dealing with an imminent personal danger to your body.

Handguns and shotguns are Self-defense weapons. Rifles are not for a whole host of reasons....power, penetration and manuverability being paramount.

(BTW, the term "High-powered rifle" has been hijacked by the media and anti-gun politicians to scare the uneducated public. Please don't buy into their BS and don't use this term)