Looking for opinions on which gun to buy for home defense
Posted by Character-Sound-8024@reddit | Firearms | View on Reddit | 63 comments
But I live in NY and can't buy a semi auto rifle without a pistol permit. My friend suggested a 5.56 bolt action scout rifle but I was thinking something like a lever action to make up some speed and something with a little more bang like 45-70. What would you get if semi autos were off the table?
devil4life87@reddit
If you trying to strike fear in invaders 200 meters out on your property line and maybe blow a hole in their engine block, this is a solid option. If you have neighbors within line of sight, maybe not the best idea lol.
Shagogod1964@reddit
Revolver, the boom of a .357 hitting the first intruder will absolutely dissuade any others. Went to the range and fired my snubby and it’s the only one that made every one around jump(not saying it’s the most powerful but it’s fucking loud and it’ll more than do the job). Plus a charter arms is like $500
Abundleofstick@reddit
If I was limited to one shot, I would definitely go 12 gauge
mikediazaz@reddit
Is this for self defense only or do you need a firearm you can hunt with? A Good pump shotgun would be my recomendation for self defense. You can use it with slugs as well for hunting. If it's self defense, think about over-penetration with a rifle. If you miss, where will the bullet go? Remember, you are legally responsible for every round that you shoot. I also have a lever action that I like in 44 magnum, but that's my camping gun, not for self defense due to the overpenetration.
Frustrated_Consumer@reddit
IWI Tavor TS12. 12 gauge semi auto shotgun. 3 magazine tubes. Israeli military approved. NY compliant. You’ll love it.
NinjaBuddha13@reddit
Own a musket for home defense, since that's what the founding fathers intended. Four ruffians break into my house. "What the devil?" As I grab my powdered wig and Kentucky rifle. Blow a golf ball sized hole through the first man, he's dead on the spot. Draw my pistol on the second man, miss him entirely because it's smoothbore and nails the neighbors dog. I have to resort to the cannon mounted at the top of the stairs loaded with grape shot, "Tally ho lads" the grape shot shreds two men in the blast, the sound and extra shrapnel set off car alarms. Fix bayonet and charge the last terrified rapscallion. He Bleeds out waiting on the police to arrive since triangular bayonet wounds are impossible to stitch up. Just as the founding fathers intended.
StrikeEagle784@reddit
DashMcGee@reddit
So, no cutlass? You seem ill-prepared without a cutlass or saber of some sort.
NinjaBuddha13@reddit
Thats a weird way to spell bayonet
DashMcGee@reddit
You also need an Incan war club.
NinjaBuddha13@reddit
What is a musket, once fired, if not an Incan war club?
Correct-Avocado5426@reddit
I will always upvote this copypasta
StrikeEagle784@reddit
Shotgun, just get a shotgun from one New Yorker to another.
Stock_Block2130@reddit
Lever action .357. It’s home defense. You don’t need a bear cartridge. You need more cartridges in the tube.
UsernameO123456789@reddit
I’m a NYer.
A300 or 1301 (my personal pic).
I have a Marlin 1894 and a 1301. 1301 any day
StoutNY@reddit
Start the permit process.
Running a bolt gun under stress in house isn't the world's easiest thing. You would need a quite of bit of practice.
If you have NO firearms training, you need to get it.
A quality pump is probably the best bet but again, they are not the easiest to use under stress despite Internet cliches. You need to practice and learn how to use it. You can miss with the guns.
Get a permit, take a course or two.
ColdResolve_12@reddit
4 buckshot if you’re in the suburbs / apartment. If you’re out in a remote area 00 buckshot is fine.
Valiant4Funk@reddit
Pump action shotgun or .357 lever gun. You don't want to fire a 45/70 inside unless a grizzly bear has broken in.
A_Queer_Owl@reddit
sometimes you just gotta put a golf ball sized hole in a motherfucker.
ColdResolve_12@reddit
A 12 Gauge slug can handle that easily. More so than a 45-70 I’d say lol
walmarttshirt@reddit
And 3 of your neighbors.
A_Queer_Owl@reddit
who may or may not be motherfuckers, so it could be quite efficient. or horrible if they're not. more likely to be horrible. who wants to gamble?
ArceusTwoFour_Zero@reddit
Remington 870 or Mossberg series shotgun or a lever action loaded with 357 mag or 38 special +p.
CoreMillenial@reddit
Semi auto shotguns are probably best.
I see many suggesting lever actions, and theyre not bad, but you could also opt for a pump action rifle. Pedersoli makes a nice one in .44 magnum. https://www.davidepedersoli.com/en/jackal44
Whole_Fudge_4243@reddit
Smith 686 4 inch barrel 357 mag….. Ruger GP-100
Why not just get a semi auto permit, or is this some NYC thing?
Character-Sound-8024@reddit (OP)
I might try at some point but it's like a year long ridiculous process where I am.
CoreMillenial@reddit
Better get cracking.
DashMcGee@reddit
jdubb26@reddit
I also live in NY. The two best guns you're going to get without a semi auto permit are a semi auto shotgun like a Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol with 7+1 of 12 Gauge. Also a Henry lever action supreme in 5.56/.223, takes AR mags and you'll be able to have the full 10 rounds and be able to reload it way easier than a normal .357/.38 lever gun that has to be loaded one at a time through the tube.
.45-70 is extremely overkill for defense against humans and lacks capacity, it's meant for taking down charging Moose and Grizzlies, and hunting larger game. Go with one of the options above.
You can also buy an AR lower receiver without the permit, and build your own AR. If you go that route I'd build it in a featureless configuration, fixed mag is fun for the range but you can't clear a jam quick so it's not really good for home defense...could be used in a pinch but not ideal.
Zippo963087@reddit
For home defense? Maverick 88.
BA5ED@reddit
FortunateHominid@reddit
With limited options for home defense, lever action for many reasons. Especially over a shotgun considering semi-auto is off the table as well.
Ergonomics. You can put modern rails on one to add everything you need. Light, red dot, sling, extra ammo, laser, pressure switches, etc. They are also light weight and easy to maneuver. Many smaller framed individuals who might not comfortably handle a shotgun can easily shoot a 357 lever with a little practice.
Follow up speed. A 357 out of a lever action is extremely light recoil. Far less than a shotgun making accurate follow ups faster. There still is a potential to "short stroke" similar to a shotgun, but there are aftermarket parts to take care of that. Cowboy action shooters do the mod often.
Worth noting, you can get close to 2k fps with some 357 rounds out of a lever action 16" barrel, that's close to some rifle calibers.
SetNo8186@reddit
A shockwave type shotgun for HD, Adler is importing one for $200. RIA has another, mag fed, on sale now for that, too.
All NYC and NFA rules apply.
jacgren@reddit
Those are illegal in NY
SetNo8186@reddit
Only a few states left to fix.
moebiusgrip@reddit
Pump shotgun.
El_BadBoi@reddit
Shotty. Mav 88
TacosNGuns@reddit
I have four score and twenty more home defense options. Rem 870 is my go to. Every skeet shoot, dove & duck hunt is HD practice.
Aubrey_Lancaster@reddit
Whats the mag limit on pistols? If 10 you can get a pretty sweet 10mm 1911 or something. Otherwise id stick with a tried and true mossberg 12ga shotty
jacgren@reddit
You need a pistol permit in NY to even touch a handgun, and it's quite the process to get one. Without any permits he can own any shotgun that's SAFE Act compliant, and any manually operated rifle. Semi auto rifles have their own permit, and stuff like "firearms" and basically anything NFA are banned.
He could also build an AR legally outside of NYC if I'm not mistaken, no permit required.
Aubrey_Lancaster@reddit
Thats absolutely heartbreaking. In that Case a Mav 88 or 500 is probably king of the remaining options
jacgren@reddit
If you're in NYS you can get your semi auto rifle permit easier than the pistol permit, but you can also get a semi auto shotgun without any restrictions besides the usual NY SAFE Act bullshit.
microphohn@reddit
Get an AR15 with no gas system. It’s basically a straight pull bolt action. All the advantages of the AR platform. You’ll want to tweak the basic design with a super light buffer and a very stiff spring, but that’s easy to do.
SmoothSlavperator@reddit
Remington 7615. It's a pump action 556 that takes STANAG mags
A_Queer_Owl@reddit
your instincts are pretty on point thinking of a lever gun, but your choice of caliber is a bit much. I'd go for a Henry H23 LASR in your situation. 5.56 doesn't over penetrate a lot, making it ideal for home defense, and that's a relatively readily available lever action in 5.56 that uses readily available AR-15 mags and is probably within budget if you were looking at .45-70.
nanneryeeter@reddit
I have a 45-70 and it's a fun rifle but would be really low on my list of preferred defense guns.
I wouldn't go with a scout scoped weapon. Modern optics are just too good to bother with that.
Obvious answer is a quality shotgun. If you want a rifle a good magazine fed, bolt action would be handy. Shotgun is my go to but I grew up hunting with them. Have killed over a thousand animals with one and who knows how many clays I've dusted. It's fast and intuitive for me.
EivorKS@reddit
m590
Done
been enough for the military for years, every version is acceptable and its easily customizable
Rocket1575@reddit
Pump action shot gun is probably your best bet. Great for close quarters, no special permits required, reduced risk of over penetration of walls (reduced risk being the key word). I don't know if this is a hot take, but if you're goal is not concealed carry and you are looking for the most versatile firearm a 12ga is hard to beat.
Dangerous_Moment5774@reddit
A pump action 12 gauge or a lever gun in .357 are your best choices
WillBrink@reddit
Your friend gave bad advice. Why not a shot gun, the most trusted and popular HD choice of all time?
Excellent_Mall8819@reddit
Maverick 88 security, 7 plus 1 rounds
bikumz@reddit
Are semi autos in general off the table, or just semi auto rifles?
I really have come to love semi-auto shotguns. They are the bees knees. As AR prices rise it seems we are getting more and more semi-auto shotguns in the affordable range. Beretta A300UP seems to be one the community loves. I have had a gen1 1301 for years and adore it.
45-70 is a lot for home defense gonna be real with you. Where a shotgun you also get versatility with that power whether you want shot or slug, with 45-70 you really don’t get a lot besides a few different weights which are great for enthusiasts not so much for home defense. If I had to pick up a lever gun for home defense I’d say lean more towards either the Henry supreme line in 556 or 300 blackout or the new marlins which can be chambered in 10mm and hold I believe 10 rounds in that caliber. The marlin is extremly attractive to me as it gets back to the roots of higher capacity lever guns cambered in pistols rounds without the crazy length.
You also have pump ARs, like the Troy, but I don’t dig Troy industries as a company so not gonna really dive into that.
Pjb7490@reddit
All semi automatics (except shotguns) are off the table in NY
bikumz@reddit
I would lean towards a semi-auto shotgun or a lever action in a modern round.
moronic_potato@reddit
45-70 is perfect for home defense if dinosaurs are after your TV. I would go with a pistol caliber lever gun personally, wouldn't want to over pen and shoot my neighbor
walmarttshirt@reddit
I fucking love my Henry big boy in .357. It’s so easy to shoot. It’s heavy and that helps a lot with the recoil. You can barely feel .38 special and it feels like an air rifle.
Hkfn27@reddit
Shotgun. Maverick 88 with 00 buck
Pjb7490@reddit
Semi auto shotgun works Lever action works too just don’t chamber it in 45-70 that’s an absurd round for HD. You’ll rip through the intruder and poor little Susie in your neighbor’s, neighbor’s house
Pork_Confidence@reddit
Shotgun for primary reason of preventing injuring your neighbors while defending your home
EngineerFly@reddit
45-70 is a perfect choice if you’re defending against a rhinoceros, hiding behind a thick wall, in your neighbors house, across the street.
Threather19@reddit
Mossberg 500
Gatsby1923@reddit
Pump action shotgun
Armand5005@reddit
I'd chose a shotgun personally. A lever gun is a good second choice but a 45-70 is a bit overkill imo. Follow up shots will be slow and practice will be a bit expensive. For home defense I'd look at a .38/357 or .44 mag caliber. Coming out of a 16" barrel they have plenty of power for HD and the 38's are far cheaper to train with.