The search continues for a good home defense/TSHTF semiauto rifle…

My small but efficient arsenal is almost complete. I now want to add a fairly compact, reliable fighting rifle to my kit. I have looked at many different rifles, listened to many different opinions, and checked my bank balance many times. Good rifles are expensive! My training with James Yeager at Tactical Response left me with a new respect for the basic AK47 platform. I couldn’t believe how much punishment this rifle took, and kept functioning flawlessly. It seems like the Glock of the rifle world.

My main experience with rifles stems from my brief stint as a deer hunter when I was younger, and under my father’s tutelage. I had (and still have) my trusty Remington Model 760 pump-action hunting rifle chambered for 30.06 Springfield, with a Leupold scope on it. I know it kicks a bit when shooting it, but I suppose it could be called upon in time of need if I was required to reach out and touch someone (a bad guy) from a long distance. It is sighted in for flat shooting at 100 yards. It is a bit long an unwieldy to be deployed in the house, however, or in other tight quarters.

I have shot the AR15, the AK47 and several smaller subguns, like the Uzi, the MAC11 and the H&K MP5. The AR15 platform guns are easy to shoot, and easy on the shooter. The .223 round seems a bit small, and I instinctively gravitate towards slightly larger calibers, like the AK’s 7.62×39 or even the .308. I know you can store and carry more .223 ammo than anything else, and it is cheap, but I somehow (maybe ignorantly) feel like I want a rifle with a larger round.

The AK47 was a breeze to shoot in my training exercises, and its simple and robust design, and ability to shoot under adverse conditions appeals to me. However, this brings me to my one weakness where firearms are concerned: I don’t want to have something everybody else has. I find ARs and AKs to be visually BORING.. I like futuristic things! Unique firearms appeal to me, as long as they are tried and true. I love the FN P90 and FN F2000, because of their unique designs.

I liked the look and feel of the SIG rifles as well.

As you can tell by the image at the top of this post, my favorite rifle right now is the FN SCAR.

Looking cool doesn’t always keep you alive in a fight, however. I do realize this. And looking cool costs lots of money.

So I guess what I need to do is really put aside the cosmetic desire to stand apart from the crowd, and simply choose a rifle based upon its reliability, ease of use and caliber. I want something that functions flawlessly under any circumstances, like my Glock handguns, and something that hits hard out of the gate. I want something fairly compact, something with a good flashlight/laser combo on it, as well as something like an Eotech holographic sight. I used one of those once and loved it. Very easy to acquire and shoot the target. And I want to be able to make a far shot, as well as one up close if need be.

So the search continues, as I continue to accumulate the funds necessary to purchase this last piece of my home defense/WTSHTF arsenal. It will be interesting to see what I end up with.

– David

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~ by davidgiuffre on November 16, 2010.