AR15 for Home Defense?

The Glock 26 can NOT use a 33 round magazine
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I’ve been using a 33 round magazine with a G26 for several years and experienced zero failures. Obviously there may be a specific gun and/or magazine that doesn’t work reliably, but not sure it’s some widespread problem. Also, I have used the G17 magazines with excellent results in the G26. So, there are ways to reliably increase the capacity of the G26.
 
Let's avoid the discussion of assault something or other definitions. That's discussed elsewhere.

While it might have some legal relevance, the thread is not about that.

BTW, I've seen the Glock brand 33's run in 26s. A little harder to reload quickly for some but they worked.
 
Ask you friends just what is acceptable to them, then go buy that. However, do insist they purchase a car or live in a home that is acceptable to you, first.
 
I read the linked article, and would like to address a couple of the points made, in practical terms.

First, the 30rd AR vs the 10rnd Beretta. More is better, right? But why do you have a 10rnd Beretta? Is it because you live somewhere the law says 10rnds is all you can have? If so, then you won't have a 30rnd AR.

Next, while there is no argument that the AR with the right bullet, penetrates less through walls, with any other bullet, it penetrates MORE. And I find it a very likely thing that someone who is not well versed on the difference will buy whatever the store clerk hands them, FMJ most likely. There goes your penetration "advantage".

But mostly, consider this, have you ever fired ANY weapon in a dimly lit (or dark) room?...

Seriously. If it all possible, see if you can experience this, with your chosen HD gun, BEFORE you decide for certain.

Imagine someone flashing a strobe light in your face from just beyond arms reach, combined with slapping you in the face with a pillow. And that's WITH hearing protection. Admittedly this problem happens with all guns, but a short barrel AR is worse than some in this regard.

And that brings us to the "multiple intruders". Who are not going to stand still and be shot, not going to wait for your vision to clear from the muzzle flash, and may even shoot back!

While it is of no concern during the actual fight, every round you fire goes somewhere, and you are legally responsible for them all.

And sticking with the legal issues, are you justified in shooting? Some places just the fact that they broke in is enough, in others it is not. Know the law where you live.

THINK about things, beforehand. The AR points well, is light, has low recoil, and so is easily fired fast. Can be used by women quite well. BUT, there are risks to this, as well. Mostly after the fight risks.

Consider this variant of the situation, 2AM, half a dozen intruders in the kitchen, Mom grabs the AR to save the family, (Dad is working nights), confronts them, one of them has a gun, points, maybe shoots, Mom opens fire, and shoots until she can see the threat is gone. Maybe the whole mag. (Mom's training has been a range session or three, and what she sees on TV, all the time)

Mom saves the family, and faces one justifiable homicide and 5 counts of MURDER. Farfetched? sure. Outside the bounds of possibility? I don't think so.

Could something like this be even remotely possible in your situation? THINK about it. Same exact situation, except Mom, grabs rifle and kids, hunkers down behind a locked door, prepared to repel boarders until the police arrive. Different tactics, much different result likely.

THINK ABOUT IT!

I'm not saying the AR is a bad choice, I'm saying what you DO with it (or whatever you use) matters more.
 
"Consider this variant of the situation, 2AM, half a dozen intruders in the kitchen, Mom grabs the AR to save the family, (Dad is working nights), confronts them, one of them has a gun, points, maybe shoots, Mom opens fire, and shoots until she can see the threat is gone. Maybe the whole mag. (Mom's training has been a range session or three, and what she sees on TV, all the time) "


Definitely fits the "disparity of force" justification plus being inside the victim's home.
 
We all must answer the question, posed by the Poster? I am saying this, Mr. wonderer!

Well here goes, my AK and AUG live in the safe.

My EDC is a Glock 19, sits on the bedside table, plus bright LED Flashlight, I shoot one handed real good.

Two story Town House. AR for me? Too long Too loud.

Glock 19 = 16 rounds, step in to hall, two strides, I am behind the perps who would be coming up stairs, shoot first one in the back, a lot.

The others would have to negotiate a screaming, clawing friend, to get to me, muzzle flash and bang would be awesome at the front!

Hope my Wife had success with 911.... Description of what was happening would not be necessary just about now!
 
Hello all,

Great comments I would love to address... 44AMP, I agree everybody needs to think about their state, their laws, etc. before answering the question or making a decision about how they would defend their family.

We use to live in CA where 10 rnd mgs was it. The AR's were illegal - we never brought them out of the basement unless it's a SHTF sort of scenario - world ending... And in our house in CA with those laws, I probably wouldn't start shooting unless they broke down the bedroom door where my kids and I would be hiding.

HOWEVER, here in AZ ... I can shoot to defend my property, so simply entering my home, leaves me open to defend it - their loss. And yes I have trained in close quarters, with both the AR and the handgun (sig's at the time). The AR is a big gun fr close quarters and I don't recommend it by any means to everybody -I just like posing what if questions to get people thinking.

Honestly, if I was in the scenario that I posted. I would not leave my children to go 'find' the intruders downstairs. I would wait for them to come to me and if they opened that door, then ... well ... I'm sorry. You're NOT putting my kids in danger.

But you're right the general public doesn't even know the different between a HD AR and an 'assault rifle' IMO, so they probably won't know what rounds to buy to limit that penetration. But this is exactly why I pose these questions, to get people who know about them thinking and to get people who don't know to consider different options and hopefully think about it and be smart.

Thanks for all the comments though. I love it :)
 
The usual objection for using a long arm in close range SD is that it's rather awkward, hard to maneuver in low light in cramped areas.
Again, we're hung up on this "One Shot Stop-Zapped By Lightning" idea. Close range, opponent all drugged up, multiple opponents. Adequate caliber. Might take more than one shot, but they will go down, in such situations it seems forever, in real life, only a few more seconds. I have seen enough surveillance tapes showing perps running away only to collapse a few seconds later and declared DOA.
 
Regular Joe said: Why do people post things that they know less than nothing about? The Glock 26 can NOT use a 33 round magazine....
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I agree that people should NOT talk about what they know less than nothing about. The internet would be much more reliable if that were the case... Now let's examine FACTS.

Let's go first to the manufacturer - I'd suggest that Glock designed the gun and mags, so they probably have a good idea of what works. http://us.glock.com/products/model/g26gen4

G26: Standard capacity 10 rounds. Optional 15/17/33.
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Next, lets look at a big vendor - one of many that market the 33 round mags.
Midway markets the 33 round magazine to function in a G26.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/11...-17-19-26-34-9mm-luger-33-round-polymer-black

Video of G26 using 33 round magazine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jslSym_bLPY
 
When deadly force is or is not justified varies by jurisdiction. If I ever had to shoot someone in my house, I would call 911 and tell them "There is a person who looks dead inside the house at 1234 Anywhere Drive. Please send the police and the ambulance quickly." I would then have no further comments about what happened. My lawyer would make those statements for me.
 
A reminder - stick to issue and don't wander into politics. Post deleted.

HOWEVER, here in AZ ... I can shoot to defend my property, so simply entering my home, leaves me open to defend it - their loss
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If this implies you can just shoot someone entering your home - you might want to check the laws more thoroughly.
 
Glenn E. Meyer said:
The AR is a wonderful weapon but let me ask you - have you trained with the Glock or with an AR?

I really don't buy that you can't protect yourself with a handgun. One could replace the 26 with a 17. Then you have 18 rounds.

If you have kids, you may have to wrestle them, a phone, a light, etc. That is hard with a long gun.

As far as accuracy - train. I shoot handguns or ARs in household distances and you can be equally accurate at these distances - if you train.

The penetration issue has some validity.

However, folks looking for a gun based solution often ignore the hard work of training solutions.

So, have you tried to navigate through a house with a long arm and herd your kids?

I have a good to go AR with an Eotech but it's a hunker down gun.

Folks argue that if you think you may be faced with a rapid home invasion, you need to carry the gun.

Where is the AR stored, can you get it in real time? Look at the Petit family, would they have had time to get a gun from the safe? Those poor folks should have had one of the adults carrying.

So carry a pistol, have the AR as back up and train the heck out of learning to use both.
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Each person's scenario is going to be different of course, depending on location, presence of family/kids, training, etc.

As far as weapon storage, well both the rifle and pistol should be stored securely especially if there are kids in the home. The handgun doesn't necessarily become easier to acquire; it all depends on the storage setup.

If a person has trained with both rifle and pistol, both can be effective but with pro's/con's depending on personal situation. Mobility gives advantage to the handgun obviously. But a long gun is not necessarily inferior; it depends on the person and how they use the weapon of their choice.

For example, for a married man with 2 kids (say between 7-16yo), if he chooses a long gun/carbine for a HD scenario, the wife can attend to the children while calling 911 and also have a pistol (holstered or handheld). If the husband needs both hands for a task, he can sling the rifle in the low-ready position.

In my case, having no kids but access to all 3 types of weapons, the rifle is my primary and the pistol is secondary. I attend 3Gun events and are equally proficient in the 3 weapons, but the rifle/carbine has been the most effective choice in my experience.

YMMV
 
The long gun has its place in home defense, but I believe a handgun should be first. Both the AR 15 and the VZ 58 have loaded mags available to me, but it's the CZ 75 with two 16 round magazines that I keep closest. The long gun would only come out when I know there's a threat, the door is locked, and we have time to put on hearing protection - not a very likely scenario at all. At that point the handgun would go to my SO while we hunker in the room and wait for the cops to show up.

I have to think that something like this would be my absolute preferred if it weren't for all the bureaucratic mess to get and use one. http://2vyl0i2veiai1uu9bv3ai7wj.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/nggallery/aac-honey-badger/101211od_ausa11147.jpg

Very short barrel and length of pull, suppressed, maybe with subsonic high expansion loads like those offered by Lehigh defense. That one there is a .300 Blackout. It would be small, very quiet, and very maneuverable but have a power advantage over a standard handgun
 
That is one great piece of kit! Loaded, silencer in place, snap the safety off, extend the stock, awesome. Twenty rounds should fix the problem!
 
The usual objection for using a long arm in close range SD is that it's rather awkward, hard to maneuver in low light in cramped areas.
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Which is why, if I chose to have an AR at the ready for HD, it would be an SBR.
I think it just makes sense...buy the rifle with a 16" barrel, figure out the specifics for the SBR conversion you want to make, then send in the Form 1 with the $200. Order the barrel after you get approval- not before.
 
I live in LI NY. a few years ago 10:30 pm both cars in the driveway. Watching TV in the downstairs den, bang sound, I think a truck drove by, then another bang, get up to look out the basement window thinking rain & lightening & bam the third bang,very loud. I have a 357 S&W 3" brl I carry at work, that was down stairs with me. Came up the stairs to see my front door was bent like a bannana. If my wife didn,t close the dead bolt on the door things would have been different. they unscrewed all my senser bulbs around our home. The police said that was a bad sign, they must have been planning the home invasion. I feel my 6 shot revolver would have been enough but not the best choice. there are homes across from me & at that time I wasn't thinking of that, only after you see what could have happened. Now I have a 36 S&W 2" 5 shot 38 spl. with me at all times but a go to weapon is a 20 gauge pump that I hope never to use.
 
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