How does everyone set up their home defense AR?

[Cameramonkey]

If you're not willing to pony up for an M203 attachment... I question your commitment.

Then load it up with the .22 beehive insert. LOL

 

[patience0830]

Just my opinion but I won't use an AR for home defense. I've watched many videos (both good and bad instructors) and the flash and blast are beyond what I want to have as I believe it would be very disorienting to me in a time where I need all of my senses working when under duress.

My home defense weapon of choice is a 12 gauge pump gun

Suppressor. Light. True 1x to 6x LPVO set at 1x. Collapsible stock. Plate carrier. Spare mag. Not usually going hunting. That's a police job. Back in a solid corner where I can see the entrances. Just me and the wife. Be different if I had kids upstairs.

 

[gassprint1]

A handgun or shotgun is the only thing I'd use. Maybe a bullpup but i don't ever see myself getting one. More useful is a gun you can manipulate in any situation which is a handgun. My ARs would never be pulled out, pretty much about useless for a lobg gun.

 

[Dean C.]

One of these three , but lately the shotty has been my preference, longest sight line in my house is 15 yards and Flight Control 00 at that range is devastating, plus with ghost loading I get 8 in the gun with another 5 on the stock and the stock has slugs on it. All have SureFires, slings and optics of some sort. The AR is just a bit too loud for my taste inside a house. Plus call me weird but 5.56 ballistics at under 16” barrels don’t really interest me, velocity kills in a 5.56 and SBRs give up velocity fast.

 

[KJQ6945]

10.3 inch Colt factory SBR with a Deadair Sandman K, and an Aimpoint Micro T1, for indoors. No light needed inside. Small house, and I keep enough lights on.

Outside the house, Colt 6920 with a SuperHogster thermal and a Deadair Sandman L. I can see anything alive that’s not up in the woods. Wood line is 120 yards out. This rifle has a light in case it gets up close and personal.

 

[patience0830]

10.3 inch Colt factory SBR with a Deadair Sandman K, and an Aimpoint Micro T1, for indoors. No light needed inside. Small house, and I keep enough lights on.

Outside the house, Colt 6920 with a SuperHogster thermal and a Deadair Sandman L. I can see anything alive that’s not up in the woods. Wood line is 120 yards out. This rifle has a light in case it gets up close and personal.

I have an old Rock River heavy varmint that I'm considering putting my thermal on and having AllenM cut a couple inches off and thread. Think I need a cats ass suppressor for that.

 

[MindfulMan]

Are any of you prepared to do some stabbin' ? (in honor of rhino)

 

[DadSmith]

I set mine up with boolits, lots of boolits

 

[DadSmith]

Then load it up with the .22 beehive insert. LOL

I seen one of those that had 18 22lr rds. I wonder what the velocity is for them? Same as a 2" barrel?

 

[Pepi]

An AR is a fantastic home defense gun. With 5 or 6 people rushing into a house, I would not want to cheat some of them to only 1 round each using a 7 round shotgun! Use fragmenting rounds or something like a vmax bullet that will come apart or deform if hitting drywall. A regular bullet will tumble and lose a ton of energy, but if you live close to anyone, better safe than sorry.

A shotgun with any decent sized shot like buckshot or a slug will go through multiple walls. A rack of a shotgun will not deter anyone, now they just know you have a gun and only have 7 rounds! You give up tactical advantages with that simple but very identifiable sound. There are firm believers in shotguns so the argument will go on until the end of time. But use whatever you are comfortable with. I like more rounds at the ready when dealing with the unknown in a groggy state if I just woke up.

16" is fine. As stated a shorter barrel gives up velocity but gains maneuverability. Your set up looks solid! Now just get it a little brother if you want another one! I keep the short barrel by the bed and my long barrel with an LPVO by the rest of my equipment if it is a "go outside and see" mission. Lol My short barrels have a Noveske Pig style flash suppressor that directs all blast forward.

I don't prefer lights that hang off like that for inside the house because it could get caught on something. I bump my front sight back and put a Streamlight TLR1 HL in front of it on the top rail or I also have the Streamlight RM2 on a couple in the same configuration. It keeps enerything mounted vertically rather than horizontally to the sides.

Now your making it sound like a riot (5 or 6 guys). I use the Gatling gun for this

 

[Ark]

Less "home defense" than general purpose. Primary weapon at home is the A300.

Nothing wrong with a 16" gun, if you can exercise some discipline and not hang a whole bunch of crap off the front end.

 

[Cameramonkey]

I seen one of those that had 18 22lr rds. I wonder what the velocity is for them? Same as a 2" barrel?

Probably.

 

[wcd]

It was mentioned upstream but muzzle blast , noise are things that need to be considered.

 

[daddyusmaximus]

1. For those who have said you need to train with your weapon, they are right. No matter the choice, pistol, shotgun, rifle, any weapon you will use to defend your life & the lives of your loved ones with... please train accordingly.

2. For those who said the blast of a rifle inside an enclosed area is deafening, they are right too. But then so is that of a shotgun, and to a somewhat lesser extent, a handgun. A suppressor works wonders, but even without... having your ears ringing for a while is MUCH better than being severely injured or killed by an intruder. I am living now with hearing loss and tinnitus from 28 years of Army service, that has included firing weapons from enclosed spaces (many times) without hearing protection, and many other loud noises... but... I'm still alive to complain about it. (My home defense SBR now has a suppressor)

3. For those who say a weapon mounted light isn't needed, even if they say they leave lights on... they are 100% wrong. There is zero guarantees that the lights (electricity) will still be on if and/or when bad things happen. Any defensive weapon needs a mounted light. Yes, you also still need a good hand held light.


Now as for the original question... I have 2 to chose from. Both are set up with a red dot as the sight as this is the single fastest sighting method there is, and it is well suited to low light conditions. I also have a weapon mounted lights on mine. Suppressor keeps the noise levels down, but that's what you get AFTER you can both see/ID and then engage/hit your target if need be.

The oldest is my 5.56 SBR.



The newest is a CMMG Banshee. Not quite as lethal, but good enough, and smaller, lighter, and quieter.



So for me... short and handy, red dot, light, and if you can swing it... a can.
Then train with it as if your life depended on it.

 

[RobertIN]

16" Dissy upper, carry handle, light, YHM Turbo up front, A2 stock. KISS. Weight is no concern to me, weight is an ally. A solid stock is an ally.

 

[Mongo59]

Normally with the barrels sticking out the windows and doors...

 

[Creedmoor]

Suppressor. Light. True 1x to 6x LPVO set at 1x. Collapsible stock. Plate carrier. Spare mag. Not usually going hunting. That's a police job. Back in a solid corner where I can see the entrances. Just me and the wife. Be different if I had kids upstairs.

Don't put Baby in the corner, there's nowhere to move to.

 

[Creedmoor]

Normally with the barrels sticking out the windows and doors...

Better out the sides and tailgate down in a Suburban, extra points if the tailgunner is wearing a Halloween Devil's costume.

 

[wcd]

1. For those who have said you need to train with your weapon, they are right. No matter the choice, pistol, shotgun, rifle, any weapon you will use to defend your life & the lives of your loved ones with... please train accordingly.

2. For those who said the blast of a rifle inside an enclosed area is deafening, they are right too. But then so is that of a shotgun, and to a somewhat lesser extent, a handgun. A suppressor works wonders, but even without... having your ears ringing for a while is MUCH better than being severely injured or killed by an intruder. I am living now with hearing loss and tinnitus from 28 years of Army service, that has included firing weapons from enclosed spaces (many times) without hearing protection, and many other loud noises... but... I'm still alive to complain about it. (My home defense SBR now has a suppressor)

3. For those who say a weapon mounted light isn't needed, even if they say they leave lights on... they are 100% wrong. There is zero guarantees that the lights (electricity) will still be on if and/or when bad things happen. Any defensive weapon needs a mounted light. Yes, you also still need a good hand held light.


Now as for the original question... I have 2 to chose from. Both are set up with a red dot as the sight as this is the single fastest sighting method there is, and it is well suited to low light conditions. I also have a weapon mounted lights on mine. Suppressor keeps the noise levels down, but that's what you get AFTER you can both see/ID and then engage/hit your target if need be.

The oldest is my 5.56 SBR.

View attachment 378530

The newest is a CMMG Banshee. Not quite as lethal, but good enough, and smaller, lighter, and quieter.

View attachment 378531

So for me... short and handy, red dot, light, and if you can swing it... a can.
Then train with it as if your life depended on it.

Banshee looks interesting, as an aside implants are life changing.

 

[patience0830]

Don't put Baby in the corner, there's nowhere to move to.

Don't need to move iff you kill 'em all as they come in