the perfect rifle for home protection... new to the long guns!

You're firing shots in the air? If your wife is okay w carrying a gun...get her trained and a pistol. God forbid she happens upon a dirt bag on your property and you aren't alerted/don't make it there on time.

Yuck. Sorry to hear you're having issues. I've lived in the country and in violent cities and have never had any problems.
 
Thanks, yea, she is now carrying. She isn't fond of it, they scare her, but so do the people breaking in. I only shot in the air because I dont think I can put two rounds out at 200 yards without a real risk of striking my wife. I just don't think I'm that comfortable with my accuracy over 80-100 yards with my 1911. I don't know.

Thanks for all the thoughts on rifles, I'm confused over all the comments about my intent on shooting someone at long range. I don't want to shoot anyone! I'm trying to find a rifle I can trust at a respectable range with my training with it. The land, agreements with other property owners, and use of equipment to light and survey the property is not important in the long and short of my quest to find a rifle. I'm sorry I might have thrown too much info into my question.
 
If you think you can't hit man sized targets with an AK or SKS at 200 meters you're mistaken. Especially with the SKS... Good evidence in this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAr25nP52QQ

I routinely keep 6 inch groups at 150 meters with my SKS (the range only goes that far. If you know your ballistic tables for the 7.62x39 out of a 20'' barrel it's not that hard.

During OIF 1&2, many units took SKSs from the homes of the local populace and gave them Egyptian AKs instead. They did this because they considered the SKS a 'long range platform' (if I remember the memo correctly...) and didn't want to deal with enemy snipers.
 
Anyone that came at me with a wrench is gonna have a real bad day lol.

Sucks you have all these troubles but glad to hear you set your wife up with a means of protection. Hopefully word will spread that you guys are ready to defend yourselves and these clowns will leave you all alone. Good luck.
 
TheDeej:
. . .a warning shot will more than likely be fired in the air . . .
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Please don't do that. If your intent is to just scare these guys get some blanks or buy a starter pistol. Stray bullets are something you generally want to avoid.
 
plouffedaddy, I don't know enough about ballistics outside of handguns. What my next option outside of a AK/SKS platform?
 
since your shop is 200 yards out I would go with a gun that has a decent level of accuracy over range so your average AK47, 30-30 and SKS are out.
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???

200 yards is well within the effective range of the 7.62x39.
 
TheDeej
the perfect rifle for home protection... new to the long guns!
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No such thing as perfect. An AR platform in .223 will provide much less recoil and quicker follow-up, but an AK/SKS is super simple in function and reliable. Unless your wife or you plan on lugging a rifle on your back as you roam around your property, think about carrying on your person. A 9mm with a good capacity mag along with a spare one will provide a nice warm feeling all over as far as I'm concerned.
 
I don't know anything about Georgia gun laws. Here in New York I think it would be nearly impossible to convince a jury that someone 200yds away was presenting a lethal threat under any circumstances. As stated above You are responsible for every bullet you fire, and alot can go wrong at that distance, especially at night.

I can certainly empathize with the feelings of anger, frustration, violation of having your property invaded or stolen.

Now this is the redneck/hillbilly part of my brain talking, not making a suggestion, just talking. If your property is properly posted and your outbuildings secured appropriately and someone were to enter by force, and say, step into a set bear trap that was just lying there on the floor after you got done fiddling around with it....well, wouldn't that put the liability on them?
Of course you'd never consider this if you have kids or invited neighbors running around.
Well.......gotta get back and check the mash. ;)
 
I made the comments I did as I don't want anyone to go shooting someones guts out for stealing their $50 circular saw. Then you get sued by the family if he dies. Or if he lives you pay him the rest of your life? No thanks. I understand laws are different in different places...by why take the risk over stuff being stolen or a door being broken. Now if your life is threated...do what you have to in order to stop the threat.

Any LEOs here please add your advice.

About any rifle can hit a man 200 yards away including the AK/SKS. This wouldn't be appropriate in this situation (in my view).

Also if your wife is uncomfortable make sure she had an appropriate weapon and is trained.
 
This has become a classic case of getting answers to probably wrong questions to begin with. All the Q & A involving long range perps, warning shots, etc, are the type of things that ,in spite of your rationalizations, could very well have you incarcerated for a very long time because fatal force can be used to defend an immediate threat to your life and even then,plenty can put you in legal jeprody. As others have stated get a 12 guage pump with buckshot, the warning impact will suffice.
 
Another vote to forget warning shots and 200 yard shootings - no protection from you being prosecuted under those circumstances

Good dogs, using the buried "invisible fence" will keep them around the house and protecting you
Then grab your 12 gauge
 
200 yards is well within the effective range of the 7.62x39.
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how accurate is your average AK shooting cheap ammo? I'm not talking about an accurized saiga shooting hornady sooperpoofs, I'm talking about the cheap polish and romanians that account for 70%+ of the AKs in the US with wolf/tula ammo? yes an AK or SKS will hold minute of man with a little windage but for a shooter that is admittedly not an expert with rifles over range a 7.62x39 is not going to hold much better than 12 inch groups. when you own everything left, right and behind what you are shooting at...that is not the level of accuracy I want with a home defense gun. I'm the kind of guy that offers "a warning shot across the bow" as it were. I'll let one rip right by their ear and if they try to make a run for it I'll take out the tires of their vehicle and make sure they know that they F***ed with the wrong house. I dont want an AK for that level of accuracy at that range.
 
.223 AK


maybe its just becuase i own one but it seems like this setup is always overlooked.

just as reliable as its 7.62 counterparts and 300+ yards is candy.

saiga .223's are currently going for around $299.
 
.223 AK


maybe its just becuase i own one but it seems like this setup is always overlooked.

just as reliable as its 7.62 counterparts and 300+ yards is candy.

saiga .223's are currently going for around $299.
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also a viable option
 
Wow.
You guys have a lot of experience with distance. Thanks, I am now on the look for a .223 chambered AK. Cool. Most of the ones here are norinco made, and I have been told some of the best. Through all this, I have learned to beef up security, get a stout dog, train the wife (better yet find her some classes to take for training) and invest in bear traps!

I'm sorry I used all the "warning shot", "shoot in the air" talk. All those things can be dangerous and fair horrible in real life situations. I guess the thought of my wife and soon to be child in the grasp of some punk looking for my 50 dollar saw and decided they were worth the work more than the tool.

I would defend them with my life, as any of you would, I think I have made the random petty thiefts more than they actually are. And I apologize.
 
more than 1 way

I think a good scare is in order....take all the pellets out of a 12 ga. shell get a rat trap and solder on a carpet tack to the flipper, drill hole in rat trap to accept the shell and not fall through, rig the barn with fishing line tied to the trap tripper.......well, you get the idea....motion detectors hooked up to car horns.... motion detectors hooked up to a tape player saying that the cops have been notified....crazy goes a long way.....I'd bet, at least 200 yrds.....
 
If you decide on the AR route. Check out PSA. They are selling complete rifles for under what your stated budget is.
 
The guy above PSA means Palmetto State Armory. I never understood why when people admit they are novice members insist on using abbreviations and lingo that a novice is likely to not understand. Palmetto State is a great place to get an AR if you decide to go that route.

I think you'd be perfectly justified in shooting someone at 200 yards if that person was chasing your wife with a wrench who was ten yards away. Law says you are protecting you and yours, and YOUR wife is included.

I'd get an AR. I know of a shop that sells AR's around $550 PM me if you want their contact info. An AR should easily be able to hit at 200 yards without worrying about hitting your wife if she is 10 yards away.

If the threat is 200 yards from you and only a handful of yards from your wife, son, daughter, etc you could drop him and be well within your legal right to do so.

There are not many instances I can think of where shooting anyone at a distance greater 10 yards would be justified unless they started shooting you first and you could prove this, but this is one of them.

As for the no trespassing signs and interfering with your "hunt" business. I'd say post them anyway. The people allowed to be there and know it know to ignore them, they are for the questionable people. However, signs tend to only keep honest people out. If they're breaking into your shop/barn they aren't going to heed those signs anyway.

I also like the idea of shooting up whatever vehicle they came in. Surely they'd have a lovely time telling the police what happened to it, "I was in the middle of robbing this guy and all of sudden he starts shooting my truck!"
 
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Even just a fence with a gateway makes the property less invitational to easy access. But it's common in Texas for multiple owners of property behind a gate to either have their own lock in a chain, or for all the owners to know the combination. I've seen chain-locked gates with a dozen locks on them. :)

Most any old semi-auto rifle will do as well as any other. The important thing is to do enough practice to become familiar and competent.

Given the distances to the barn and to the garage, why not get a super-high db screamer siren, coupled to an IR alarm at the entryway? Any thieving intruder will run from the pain. That would be a helluva lot less costly than any legal fees--and any shooting is gonna incur legal fees.
 
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