Home Protection Recommendation

[vygen52]

Sorry guys, I'm not a gun aficionado so please suffer me kindly. I have owned two hand guns and lived in PA where laws were better and had a concealed carry, etc. Never anything serious.

With all the AR15s in the US basically out of stock new I'm seeing the only options to be online through basically auction websites. I want to get an AR15 or something with similar performance for future home protection before the ban comes in. This is not for sport. I'm not a gun guy. But I want the best protection possible for my family in the event that I need to really hold fort one day, which wouldn't surprise me. I know the ban will be coming and I want to get something before then.

Knowing this isn't for sport and I just want capacity capable, performance and stopping power, do you recommend something lesser than an AR15? I know little about guns.

Do you recommend any websites other than gunbroker.com?

Can I just get 30 round mags later since you can't buy them IN MD? I can pick them up from someone and bring them into state, just not purchase here right?

If I bought an AR that comes with a 30 round mag, would the local FFL deny transfer of the mag?

Any bans already in MD I should know about? I looked at the law and I don't see anything prohibiting what I want.

Any other tips welcome!

 

[INMY01TA]

Should have been asking yourself all this two months ago.

 

[Catch-This-22]

Should have been asking yourself all this two months ago.

hindsight is 20/20. I'm sure he appreciates your help.

 

[angler]

Do yourself, your neighbors and the kids on the other side of your own drywall a favor and get a Remington 870 or Mossberg 500 with an 18" barrel and a couple of boxes of low recoil self defense buckshot. This is a cash and carry transaction, too.

Or buy one of the SKSs for sale in the classifieds. Face-to-face transaction. No paperwork and about a third the cost of an AR......

If you still want an AR there is also GunsAmerica.

Can possess 30 round mags in MD, but you cannot buy them here. Will not be possible to transfer a gun into MD with a 30 rounder.

Also, the search tool on this site is your friend. All of this stuff has been covered in depth.

 

[Mikey Supe]

I live in PA too, if you stalk (just kidding) Gun stores, you will find AR being brought in. I am so serious, that I had a guy bring in one while I was buying my SKS. The Dealer offered 1100, I was short on cash, so I couldn't grab both that day. But don't think you just need an AR, for home protection. Look for other stuff, even slowly piece an AR together over time.

https://www.nra-2013.org/default.aspx

 

[soco]

ffl will not approve transfer with 30 round mag. You may be able to have the shipper not send it/keep the 30 rounder and send you a 20 round mag. thats legal. Ruger mini-14's are great guns (if you can find them). At this point looking online for price point comparisons, then going around to the dealers within an hour of you is your best bet to start with. also, supporting local businesses is always a good deal! These guys are our friends (and fight for our rights) so putting money in their pocket over some warehouse in nevada is a good thing to shoot for.

 

[SigMatt]

One thing to keep in mind with personal defense, don't have just one option. Why? Because if you are forced to use it, they'll take it as part of the investigation and leave you with nothing.

I subscribe to the notion that a pistol is what you use to fight your way to a rifle. Or as the following anecdote describes:

The local town sheriff was heading off to church Sunday morning with his finest pearl handled pistol on his hip. On the way in noticing his pistol, a lady asked the sheriff if he was expecting trouble. He replied, "No ma'am. If I was expecting trouble, I would have brought my rifle.".

In general, I only peel the rifle out if the potential for trouble exists. We had a double burglary in our neighborhood a few months back and a rifle was kept nearby. Otherwise, I defer to my pistol as my first line.

On magazines, you can buy larger capacity out-of-state. Possession is not prohibited. However, I strongly recommend 20 round magazines for a PD firearm like an AR. Simply to avoid one additional prosecution data point. Even though possession of a 30 rounder isn't against Maryland law, an overzealous prosecutor may (and likely will) paint you in a bad light for the magazine. Use of the AR will be the other big data point.

An FFL cannot accept a 30 round magazine or accept it into stock. Any AR shipped here must be minus the 30 rounder completely or have a smaller magazine substituted.

Select suitable ammunition. Look at hollow points or frangible. You don't want significant overpenetration. Do not use reloads for personal defense, factory only.

There is more than Gun Broker. I suggest reaching out to local FFLs and seeing what they can get for you and establish a relationship. You're going to need one anyway if you want anything other than an HBAR AR-15 since they'll need to hold the rifle and submit the paperwork to the MSP.

All I can say is: Order now. Unless you're desperate, don't overpay and wait. You've selected a real bad time to decide on an AR.

Matt

 

[hvymax]

There are plenty of hi cap options out there but if you are not planning on seriously training etc you should stick with a shotgun or revolver. Even with those a safety course will make you a more responsable gun owner.

 

[INMY01TA]

I believe you guys are wrong. An FFL can accept a transfer of an AR with 30 round mag, he just can't give it to you. He will turn around and sell it out of state. They do this all the time. Ohh amd ditto on the Mossberg.

 

[Second Amendment]

Based on the times we live in and if you want something now, get a good
12GA shotgun.

 

[amoebicmagician]

yes, the FFL would not transfer the mags to you, and if the seller did in fact send them along, the FFL would keep them.

Gus at accurate pawn has a whole bin in the back of magazines he couldn't release to customers.

To answer your question, if all you want is home defense and are not concerned with long range accuracy, I'd go for a mini-14.

In truth the mini is much more rugged, handy, and robust than the ar-15, and if all you want is something you can easily hit an assailant with at less than 100 yards, the mini will serve PERFECTLY.

That said, however, magazines for mini-14s are kind of expensive for factory magazines, which traditional wisdom says are the only ones that work reliably. I've had the pleasure to get to know a stainless steel mini-14 GB that for a long time was only available to law enforcement, and I've found that TAPCO magazines with the reinforced feed lips and locking area are 100% reliable, and the ones that aren't re-inforced are also extremely reliable, but after extended and hard use tend to wear down the locking area so they don't seat securely- mind you this is only with the polymer mags that DO NOT have the reinforcing metal areas.

Mini-14s are also going to be cheaper than ar-15s right now, and they're all around a lot easier to take care of and more forgiving of mistakes.

That said, there are a lot of things an ar-15 gives you that I like a lot.

First off, you have the ability with an ar-15 to mount a scope on top of your carry handle, so you can use iron sights to deal with close in threats, and the scope to accurately engage targets out to 350 meters or so- it's just a tool you can do a lot with.

And you know that adage, jack of all trades master of none?

Doesn't apply to the AR, it shoots tighter groups than some of my bolt actions rifles.

So it's up to you to decide what's best for your needs, do you want a good handy little rifle that has enough power to put em down, and is about as sturdy and reliable as an ak-47, but lose a little bit with accuracy falling off past about 150 yards (that's one and a half football fields to put that in perspective)

OR

Do you want a rifle that has the capability to be finicky if not cleaned (although cleaning is really not that hard to do and this assumes you don't get a gas piston kit to address this for your AR), but has an abundance of magazine options that are reliable and will have the ability to accurately and reliably engage targets out past 300 yards?

For holding down the fort, as you said, I'd go with the mini-14.

 

[Mooseman]

I believe you guys are wrong. An FFL can accept a transfer of an AR with 30 round mag, he just can't give it to you. He will turn around and sell it out of state. They do this all the time. Ohh amd ditto on the Mossberg.

You are 100% correct on everything you say here.

 

[hdatontodo]

Besides the excellent prior posts, note that AK style 7.62x39mm semiautomatic rifles generally cost less than AR style rifles, and the ammo is cheaper. Online ammo for the AK is about $350 per 1,000 rounds. For AR, it's about $550-800 (if you can even find it.) Also, you're firing a 30 caliber AK round vs a .223 AR round.

Also, some out of state firms won't agree to ship a rifle which they list with a 30 round mag to MD, even if they keep the mag.

Also, if you are concerned about home security, focus first on the home itself: metal door jambs, window security film, nighttime floor mount door braces, alarm, sturdy interior panic room door, etc.

 

[Forest]

Do yourself, your neighbors and the kids on the other side of your own drywall a favor and get a Remington 870 or Mossberg 500 with an 18" barrel and a couple of boxes of low recoil self defense buckshot. .

And have more problems with overpenetration than most 5.56 rounds..

Seriously guys you need to get out of the 1970s mentality. There is a reason why 5.56 is the preffered caliber for CQB in an urban environment and it's due specifically to how those lightweight/high speed bullets behave after entering a body, or going through a wall.

 

[amoebicmagician]

oh yeah, and as has been said, I second the SKS idea. You put a 20 round fixed mag on it as easy as field stripping it and charge it with stripper clips LIGHTNING fast, or you can convert it to detachable magazines the same way, except they (edit for clarification, the detachable magazines, not the SKS it's self) are kind of a pain in the ass since you have to be 100% empty before you can reload (can't snap in a magazine until the bolt is held back).

The SKS is constantly under appreciated and I don't know why. Since you can't get a full auto AK anyways, you almost prefer the SKS for it's longer barrel and better accuracy.

Also, the SKS will truck on forever, and it's every bit as durable as the mini-14, maybe just the SLIGHTEST bit less durable than an ak, but we're talking a hair's breadth.

They're good guns, and as has been said, cash and carry

 

[Song Dog]

The choices/options to AR's for home defense:

1. Shotgun, use heavy bird shot in side house
2. Nothing wrong with M-1 carbine for close quarters defense work
3. Lever gun in pistol or light rifle caliber like 30-30

 

[LargemouthAss]

I would recommend a 9mm or a .45 handgun since they are easier to keep in a bedside drawer (with trigger lock of course) and have enought power and ammo capacity to get the job done. Rifles should be kept in a safe or a locked case, imagine being woke in the middle of the night by an intruder getting out of bed and going to the closet only to then unlock a case to get to your rifle.... it takes too long. Grab that handgun next to your bed unlock the trigger guard and you are good to go.

Only have a self-defense firearm if you are 100% positive you are capable of killing an intruder, if you approach an intruder while armed but find yourself unable to kill him the gun WILL be used on you. Also do not shoot to wound, shoot to kill.

 

[Semper Noctem]

.

The choices/options to AR's for home defense:

1. Shotgun, use heavy bird shot in side house

... just going to piss off an intruder. Bird shot =/= self defense round. I'd stick with 00 buck shot, YMMV

3. Lever gun in pistol or light rifle caliber like 30-30

IMO, f*cking around with a lever in a SD scenario is the last thing I want to do.

I would recommend a 9mm or a .45 handgun since they are easier to keep in a bedside drawer (with trigger lock of course) and have enought power and ammo capacity to get the job done.

Trigger locks have no business on nightstand guns. How much time will it take for your to find your keys and unlock your weapon before you're ready to fire? Not to mention you better not leave your keys outside the bedroom, and the amount of noise you are going to make. If you want to secure your weapon, use a combo gun vault.

Rifles should be kept in a safe or a locked case, imagine being woke in the middle of the night by an intruder getting out of bed and going to the closet only to then unlock a case to get to your rifle.... it takes too long. Grab that handgun next to your bed unlock the trigger guard and you are good to go.

Rifles are excellent for HD applications, and I know of many members that have ARs next to their bed.

Only have a self-defense firearm if you are 100% positive you are capable of killing an intruder, if you approach an intruder while armed but find yourself unable to kill him the gun WILL be used on you. Also do not shoot to wound, shoot to kill.

Shoot until the threat is gone, not to kill.

 

[LargemouthAss]

I have my trigger lock key on my actual keys which always spend the night on my dresser, the same dresser has my 1911 in the first drawer with the trigger lock.

A rifle will definitely work for home defense I just think a pistol is easier. I have a two year old daughter so I keep all my guns off the floor in their case (currently they are in my closet on the top shelf but as soon as my new safe arrives they will probably go in the basement since the safe is too heavy to lug up the stairs).

Agreed that you shoot until the threat is gone but aim center mass/head, in order to do that you need to know that you could very well kill the intruder. Don't aim for the legs hoping to wound.

 

[Semper Noctem]

Agreed that you shoot until the threat is gone but aim center mass/head, in order to do that you need to know that you could very well kill the intruder. Don't aim for the legs hoping to wound.

Agreed completely. Wording is very important thought.