AR Pistol for HD?

[turnburglar]

Im in the camp that says: "stay away from pistol calibers for home defense".

Theres far too many reports and videos (a new one in General discussion) where perps survive MULTIPLE pistol wounds and keep fighting. ANY pistol caliber is a poor man stopper. Every single one. If someone is perceived to be breaking into my home to do me and my family harm, I am grabbing my 10.5" AR pistol loaded with Gold Dots. The glock is for concealed carry only.

"But your 10.5 is gonna be louder than your 16". Yea, I already have well documented hearing damage, and its way lower on my list of nice to have's over: bodily harm or legal prosecution.

[halfmoonclip]

Said earlier, there's a reason the cops go for a longgun when things get serious.
That said, it is a balancing act; safe storage, one hand operation, expected seriousness (the 'civil disorder' business).
Pays you money and takes you choice, as some carny once said.
Moon
ETA- you have a brace on that AR pistol?
M

[CrashAxe]

My approach has always been to keep jeans with a holster and a shirt and shoes I could slip on next to the bed. Once my kids were old enough, that became a holstered pistol.

If time permitted, which it always did and has for me thus far, I put the clothes on first, which:

1. Arms me with a pistol.

2. Gives me some protection in case I fell or got in a fight. Long experience taught me that while you don't die from scratches, scrapes, and broken toes, they still suck and broken bones in a foot can degrade your mobility and fighting ability, even with adrenaline. Plus if I were to end up outside for some reason, I have shoes on.

Then I grab a rifle, sling it, and do what needs to be done.

If someone were to get the jump on me and try to grab my rifle from me, well, I have a solution for that which I have been drilled on to muscle memory and well past that until I was bored to tears and used IRL. Transition to pistol, start mag dump to face and upper body until bad guy's hands let go of the rifle and he social distances. Holster pistol. Transition back to rifle. Apply lead from rifle if necessary. Target. Cease Fire. Scan. Breathe. Next...

[halfmoonclip]

Certainly concur with the notion of getting dressed.
Also like the housegun in a lockbox; mine has a Simplex lock with an easy combination. If I'm not awake enough to open the box, I'm not awake enough to deal with a loaded gun.
Moon

[Uni-Vibe]

Huh? Can you imagine the blast and the flash from a 16 inch M4 in a room, let alone a 10 inch 5.56?

That's why my HD gun is a 9mm carbine. Quieter than a pistol, no flash to speak of.

[1168]

I don't know. I've gotta go against the tide on this. I don't think that any firearm that requires two hands to handle is a good idea for home defense. I mean, it would be fine for warding off someone trying to get in, but laying in bed asleep and being awakened because two guys just broke in and you can hear them downstairs. You have no idea where they are. You have to sweep, if you're gonna go looking for them because you have others in the house that you need to protect. Come around a corner, one bad guy grabs the weapon and points the barrel away from him. His buddy comes running when he hears the struggle. Now, you aren't fighting them, you're just fighting to keep your weapon away from them.

In the same scenario, if you were armed with a handgun, you come around the corner, the guy makes a grab for you, you push him away with your free hand and put a pair in him. Eh, what could/might/will happen. Who knows?

Training issues. And probably worse with a pistol. Either way, don’t go flagging your weapon around corners. And don’t be surprised if someone does not let go of your pistol when you push them with your weak hand.

[MegademiC]

Huh? Can you imagine the blast and the flash from a 16 inch M4 in a room, let alone a 10 inch 5.56?

That's why my HD gun is a 9mm carbine. Quieter than a pistol, no flash to speak of.

This is definitely an advantage. A short 556 with silencer is the best of both worlds, but I understand thats not an option for everyone.

[Gunnar da Wolf]

My approach has always been to keep jeans with a holster and a shirt and shoes I could slip on next to the bed. Once my kids were old enough, that became a holstered pistol.

I read that you pants are your primary “bugout” if you are awakened by an “oh shit!”. Wallet, cash, car keys, etc. If I need to investigate I’m grabbing yesterday’s pants and holstering yesterday’s EDC. IF the dog tells me there is a real problem I also keep a pair of Keen sandals, a IPDA vest, electronic ear pro and my 16” AR next to the bed.
But I basically live alone and securing the gun isn’t a concern.

[daddyusmaximus]

Im in the camp that says: "stay away from pistol calibers for home defense".

Theres far too many reports and videos (a new one in General discussion) where perps survive MULTIPLE pistol wounds and keep fighting. ANY pistol caliber is a poor man stopper. Every single one. If someone is perceived to be breaking into my home to do me and my family harm, I am grabbing my 10.5" AR pistol loaded with Gold Dots. The glock is for concealed carry only.

"But your 10.5 is gonna be louder than your 16". Yea, I already have well documented hearing damage, and its way lower on my list of nice to have's over: bodily harm or legal prosecution.

I'm in this camp as well... and for the same reasons. That said, an AR pistol, even in a pistol caliber, would still be a better choice than a normal handgun. It's just a more stable platform to shoot with, so your accuracy is going to be much greater. That's gonna help no matter the caliber. Add to that, a more effective caliber like the 5.56 in a 10.3" and up pistol or SBR, and you're even better off. I use a 10.3" Danial Defense AR pistol. much more accurate, much more effective, and yes... much louder.

If things go wrong, and I ever have to use it, my ears will be ringing for 3 days, but I'll have a much better chance of both hitting, and stopping any threat, so it's worth it.

Then again, I also have a 9mm AR as well. I'd chose it over the handgun, but not over the 5.56.

[Devildawg2531]

Said earlier, there's a reason the cops go for a longgun when things get serious.
That said, it is a balancing act; safe storage, one hand operation, expected seriousness (the 'civil disorder' business).
Pays you money and takes you choice, as some carny once said.
Moon
ETA- you have a brace on that AR pistol?
M

Yes I have a Sig Brace on my BCM AR pistol. It's 11.3 but no silencer. I do keep electronic ear muffs next to the bed. As I've weighed the pros and cons I think the 16 DD AR will remain my go to for HD. Couldn't create a "need" for an AR 9mm pistol lol