An honest question but framed in an absolute.So, I would have trouble hitting a target at 100 yards with no magnification (he's10 years older than me), and he wants to be able to shoot 300 yards.
Is an RDS his best option really?
Up a 300 yard driveway....Dats a lotta friggen lead. Nobody's gonna advance through that.30 rounds of 3000 fps ammo in the mag well.
60 more in your hip pockets.
Not to be taken lightly .
'Murica!
Pushing 70 years old and now living in the country on acreage with a house set back from the road, I figure it is time to acquire a rifle that can provide some good perimeter defense fire power out to about 300 yds in the event of a SHTF situation where pretty much anyone that plows through my gate is up to no good and would need to be quickly convinced to move on and find easier pickings. I am no longer the kind of rifle shot that I used to be so at this late stage I am looking for the right combination of accuracy, capacity and penetration power. Not a big fan of the 5.56 but I realize its advantages of light weight and accuracy over the 7.62 rifles I have used all my life. I have never owned an AR although I am familiar with them and have shot enough of my friends' to be comfortable with their capabilities for perimeter defense. My two main rifles in the past have been a Remington 742 in 30-06 and a Winchester 100 in .308. Both excellent and accurate rifles for me and the main reasons I never bought an AR. Neither, however, has the capacity or reliability I would want in something that my life or family depended upon to hold off a half dozen or perps intent on bodily harm.
Given that I intend to buy a quality AR in 5.56, I am a bit at a loss about the following:
I hope these questions don't sound stupid, but I have spent my life relying on handguns for home defense. Of course, living in the cities and suburbs is a different animal and I now realize the I am a bit out of my element in the country and want to have a plan to defend my property if need be. I feel perfectly safe where I am now but, then again, no place is really safe these days, especially when some folks view older citizens as easy targets. Part of me says having a rifle at the ready with several hundred rounds loaded is foolishness, but the other part tells me it is no more foolish than when I lived in the city and had several pistols stashed in different rooms of the house so I would never be caught off guard.
- 30 rd magazines seem to be the right compromise between capacity and weight. Are there better options if defending a well entrenched position?
- What kind of optics? I am used to using quality 3 X 9 variable scopes but it seems I might be better with a more rugged "point and shoot" optic that provides better sight picture instead of magnification.
- Night vision is fine for hog hunting but is there any rationale to have it on a defense rifle?
- Is a suppressor worth the paperwork and cost for this kind of rifle? Will it provide recoil advantages in a combat situation?
Maybe I should have said, trouble hitting the target because I can't see it well enough.Yes. Along with practice.
And here I was gonna suggest an ACOG. And frankly, I still am going to do so. A 3x magnification will suffice to give excellent shots from close-in to the range the OP is interested in. Also, it will give him target identification capabilities that he won't have with a red dot device.Yes. Along with practice.
Pushing 70 years old and now living in the country on acreage with a house set back from the road, I figure it is time to acquire a rifle that can provide some good perimeter defense fire power out to about 300 yds in the event of a SHTF situation where pretty much anyone that plows through my gate is up to no good and would need to be quickly convinced to move on and find easier pickings. I am no longer the kind of rifle shot that I used to be so at this late stage I am looking for the right combination of accuracy, capacity and penetration power. Not a big fan of the 5.56 but I realize its advantages of light weight and accuracy over the 7.62 rifles I have used all my life. I have never owned an AR although I am familiar with them and have shot enough of my friends' to be comfortable with their capabilities for perimeter defense. My two main rifles in the past have been a Remington 742 in 30-06 and a Winchester 100 in .308. Both excellent and accurate rifles for me and the main reasons I never bought an AR. Neither, however, has the capacity or reliability I would want in something that my life or family depended upon to hold off a half dozen or perps intent on bodily harm.
Given that I intend to buy a quality AR in 5.56, I am a bit at a loss about the following:
I hope these questions don't sound stupid, but I have spent my life relying on handguns for home defense. Of course, living in the cities and suburbs is a different animal and I now realize the I am a bit out of my element in the country and want to have a plan to defend my property if need be. I feel perfectly safe where I am now but, then again, no place is really safe these days, especially when some folks view older citizens as easy targets. Part of me says having a rifle at the ready with several hundred rounds loaded is foolishness, but the other part tells me it is no more foolish than when I lived in the city and had several pistols stashed in different rooms of the house so I would never be caught off guard.
- 30 rd magazines seem to be the right compromise between capacity and weight. Are there better options if defending a well entrenched position?
- What kind of optics? I am used to using quality 3 X 9 variable scopes but it seems I might be better with a more rugged "point and shoot" optic that provides better sight picture instead of magnification.
- Night vision is fine for hog hunting but is there any rationale to have it on a defense rifle?
- Is a suppressor worth the paperwork and cost for this kind of rifle? Will it provide recoil advantages in a combat situation?
Being the "not so privileged" the closest I can justify is the Primary Arms ACSS.And here I was gonna suggest an ACOG. And frankly, I still am going to do so. A 3x magnification will suffice to give excellent shots from close-in to the range the OP is interested in. Also, it will give him target identification capabilities that he won't have with a red dot device.
I've never really liked having a red dot and then a flip-off magnifier. I just hang with the ACOG and done. I've got plenty of rifles and pistol-caliber carbines wearing just a red dot; however, none of those are what I'd use for "perimeter defense".
As to OP's question, I think an AR15 is the way to go but personally, I'd choose something a bit heavier-hitting, like the 6.8SPC. Though, if you choose to stick with 5.56/.223, I don't see your abilities being problematic at all.
I don't know what rifle will fix that.Maybe I should have said, trouble hitting the target because I can't see it well enough.
If you want to stop vehicles the .50 Beowolf would be my 1st choice... fits any milspec ar-15 lower & magazine
Yeah, I just say "ACOG", but not tied at all to that brand. Any fixed 3x or 4x prismatic setup is the shizz. But I do love the ACOGs I've tried a LOT.Being the "not so privileged" the closest I can justify is the Primary Arms ACSS.
I don't know what rifle will fix that.
Using a scope, even low power, takes practice.
Acquiring a target with a scope isn't easy.
If it's moving, it's down right hard to do.
Once OP settles on a setup. It's still gonna take practice.
Trigger time is fun though. Shouldn't be a problem .
I surely understand .I can shoot rifles just fine, my eyes need magnification now is all.
I understand what you're getting at, but past 100 yards, I'd want some magnification.
Yes. Along with practice.