Yugoslavian SKS as a home defense rifle?

Dang,, The U.S. coulda saved truckloads of money using a 7.62X39 since it does the same damage as a .50 bmg:eek::D:rolleyes:

will zip through your assailant and the wall behind him and potentially several houses
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As i have said, A rifle may be, and is, alot of peoples only choice choice for home defense. and since the 7.62x39 is an intermediate cartridge it should be ok.....Probably will end in the headline, "man defends home with an Assault Rifle" even though its not an assault rifle.

If my only choice is an sks, I'd use it....Better than throwing left over biscuits at the intruder. Hope that it does not retain enough energy to destroy the neighborhood
 
I'm in the camp that would avoid an SKS for home defense in an urban setting of any kind. Just too powerful and you can't tell where it's going to land.

However, if money is tight, it's an inexpensive way to go, both for acquisition cost and for ammo costs. Note, it's not the ONLY inexpensive way to go, but it's a good all around rifle.

Above all, select low-penetrating ammo if you can find it.

I rather think that racking the bolt on an SKS might actually have a similar effect to pumping the action on an 870. :D

rickyrick said:
2. 2nd or 3rd good dog of a differing age. (i'll explain If need be)
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You've piqued my curiosity and I'm interested in your explanation..... Only because I'm thinking of getting a dog.

--Wag--
 
The dogs should be of differing ages because they may fight if they are the same age. They will certainly not get along in most cases if they are litter-mates. They can have the same parentage as long as they are from different litters. Dogs usually form rankings by age but not always

A combo made of a dominant dog and a shy dog is the best ... the shy dog will be alert for strangers early and the other dog will be in tune sooner.

Above all, treat the dog well. Even if the dog won't defend himself, if you are the most important thing in the dogs life, they will screen your visitors.

I recommend female labs, or a lab/terrier mix. Female dogs are smarter and more easily trained. They have a protector instinct. Labs generally make good family dogs and have keen senses. Mixed with terrier, they become smaller, a little heartier in the elements, and lessens the chance of genetic problems that are common in pure breeds.
 
An SKS will do, but I am on the side of the folks who believe overpenetration can be a problem in a truly suburban environment. A shotgun is probably a better choice for home defense. For that purpose, a 20 or 12 guage are probably comparable in utility.
 
Human nature

Bart,

If a guy is worried about getting the cheapest gun, he is generally too cheap to feed it the best ammo and will resort to whatever is the cheapest he can find. Comblock HP ammo from what I've read acts pretty much the same as the FMJ version. High dollar frangible ammo is not common and therefore the chances of it being used in a defensive situation from an SKS is about the same as Willard Scott squeezing back into his original Ronald McDonald costime:rolleyes:. FMJs drill through what they hit and the next thing and the next thing until enough energy bleeds off to stop unless something substantial is hit and the bullet's path is effectively obstructed. Care to stand behind five layers of sheetrock while I rock off a clip of ammo? Let me know how that works out for you...;) I'd wager you would not see 1 pellet of birdshot penetrate 3 conventional walls but would be a might unconfortable betting your life on layers of drywall protecting you from one or two 7.62x39 FMJs..
 
If a guy is worried about getting the cheapest gun, he is generally too cheap to feed it the best ammo and will resort to whatever is the cheapest he can find.
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Which is why I qualified my comment by stating that it depended on ammo selection. However, a lot of people seem to believe it is simply not possible to use an SKS safely in a surburban area, and that is not true.

Comblock HP ammo from what I've read acts pretty much the same as the FMJ version.
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Actually, some versions of the Wolf 123gr SP do very well at reducing penetration; though you have to do your research and make sure you get the correct version.

High dollar frangible ammo is not common and therefore the chances of it being used in a defensive situation from an SKS is about the same as Willard Scott squeezing back into his original Ronald McDonald costime.
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You can buy a box of the Hornady TAP online for around $20 and have it delivered to your door in most states. This is not frangible ammo; but Hornady's Vmax bullet.

FMJs drill through what they hit and the next thing and the next thing until enough energy bleeds off to stop unless something substantial is hit and the bullet's path is effectively obstructed.
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Any bullet, regardless of caliber or type, continues down range until it bleeds off enough energy to stop. FMJ doesn't start with more energy; but penetrates because it is more likely to stay together and retain its momentum. A slow moving pistol bullet also stays together and retains its momentum, which is why it can sometimes penetrate more than a faster rifle bullet that breaks up due to velocity and/or small size.

Care to stand behind five layers of sheetrock while I rock off a clip of ammo? Let me know how that works out for you...
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Sheet rock isn't a substantial barrier. If you are basing your choice of defense in a lethal force situation on what doesn't penetrate sheet rock, you have your priorities ass-backwards. If I was worried about damage to sheet rock, I'd use airsoft.

I'd wager you would not see 1 pellet of birdshot penetrate 3 conventional walls but would be a might unconfortable betting your life on layers of drywall protecting you from one or two 7.62x39 FMJs..
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Which is why:

1. I don't use birdshot to defend myself from an immediate threat of death or serious injury if I can avoid it.
2. I don't use 7.62x39 FMJ for self-defense if I can help it.
3. I don't rely on drywall for a safe backstop; but assume any round (pistol, rifle, shotgun) is going to penetrate to the brick exterior at a minimum.

People get wrapped up over overpenetration to the extent they make questionable choices ammo-wise. It seems they also assume every confrontation is going to go down just like at the range - an unobstructed silhouette target presenting an open frontal shot. If you've got someone inside your home that rates lethal force, THAT is your primary problem. It represents a greater threat to the safety of you, your loved ones, and neighbors than overpenetration does. I can always choose not to take a shot with a bad backstop. I can't take a round that won't penetrate drywall and magically make it go through whatever is between me and the bad guy's vitals.
 
I immediately thought, as did everybody else, about over-penetration. But Bartholomew's explanation was very thorough, so I really don't have anything to add.

Just a question, is it true that houses in the US are frequently built from wood? Here in Europe almost every house is build from stone, and while a military surplus 7.62x39mm may penetrate 2 layers of stones (which is the thickness of the outer wall), properly selected ammo won't.

A rifle is really a silly concept as a SD/HD gun. You may be restricted to handgun access due to where you live but you can buy a shotgun and rifle all the same and shotgun is hands down better for HD/SD unless you are being engaged by your enemy from more than 50 yards away...not happening in today's world.
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I tend to disagree, a handgun is definitely less effective in SD then a rifle, the only issue is over-penetration which has been explained before. I stand with the saying "Your handgun is for fighting a way to your rifle". There is really no comparison because a handgun is less accurate, way less powerful and less easy to shoot fast. About shotguns... I'm not a shotgun person, I don't know much about them. I do know that they are a better choice then a handgun and I'd prefer them in an urban setting. Where I live, I'd go with my rifle though.
 
I'd like to add that birdshot at close range will make one 2x4 into two 2x4's...you can try it. and also bird shot back in your face after it bounces off of a hard surface, is not very pleasant at all....and you may disorient yourself in the process.

the whole longarm in a house is not a very convenient way to defend yourself.
but its better than nothing is the point some people are trying to make


Bart said it best
 
A rifle is really a silly concept as a SD/HD gun. You may be restricted to handgun access due to where you live but you can buy a shotgun and rifle all the same and shotgun is hands down better for HD/SD unless you are being engaged by your enemy from more than 50 yards away...not happening in today's world.
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While a shotgun is certainly a formidable weapon, it does have distinct disadvantages to a rifle even in a home-defense role. The biggest disadvantage is that a shotgun of any decent gauge has substantially more recoil than an intermediate-caliber rifle like a 7.62x39, .223/5.56, or 5.45x39. Even a 20ga has substantially more recoil than an SKS does. Another issue is capacity: even in states with the most draconian gun laws, you can still by and large get a rifle with at least a 10-round capacity. With just a couple of exceptions, most shotguns are limited to 5-8 rounds (certainly most shotguns in the same price point as an SKS). The final issue is reloading, even an SKS with a fixed magazine can be reloaded quite quickly with a 10-round charger. By comparison most shotguns use tubular magazines that require shells to be pushed in one at a time.

As to the OP, an SKS could be a decent HD gun so long as good quality expanding bullets like the previously mentioned Hornady V-Max are used. The biggest issue I would have with a Yugo SKS is that a 59/66 with its grenade launcher is quite long and heavy and would proably be a bit unwieldly indoors. One of the shorter Yugo M59's as well as a Russian, Chinese, or Albanian SKS would be better due to their shorter OAL, but these rifles are expensive enough that they're not much, if any, cheaper than a decent AK variant these days. For about $350, you buddy could buy a Saiga in .223, 7.62x39, or 5.45x39 and have an arguably better defensive rifle.
 
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