Rifle - Best Defensive Weapon?

[gwashorn]

I would like to see the evidence that .223 won't over penetrate. Or that a 9mm penetrates more than a .223. Before there got to be too many neighbors we used to shoot at a 1/4" steel plate at my in-laws house. The only handgun round that would so much as even dent it was my 44 mag. Everything else, even the .357 only made shiney spots on it. My Mini-14 punched clean little holes every time even at about 100 yards. The steel plate laughed at the 9mm.

I have copies of the video done on Personal Defense and I think Guns and Ammo programs with the .223, 9mm and 45acp shooting through 4 standard 2x4 sheet rocked walls. 9mm and 45 go through all three sheet rocks walls, both sides and exit the fourth wall with sheet rock and siding on the back side. .223 barely got past the second wall and small fragmented bb style spatter hit the third wall.

Gary

[glbedd53]

Yeah I saw it. Still something I want to see for myself. One of my grandparents must have been from Missouri.

[Zoomie]

Lets say the rifle were talking about is a 16in AR
and the pistol is some defensive pistol.

Stopping Power per round - Rifle

Rate of Accurate Fire - Rifle

Number of Rounds - Rifle

Ability to penetrate hard cover - Rifle

Sighting - Rifle (yes I know you can add a doctor sight to your FNP 45 Tactical)

Accuracy - Rifle

Accuracy while moving - Rifle

Muzzle flash - Rifle (w/ obligatory flash hider / flash hider-comp combo / suppressor )

Maneuverability - Pistol

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Unless you decision Matrix puts one heck of a weight on maneuverability (you live in a rabbit hole) there seems to be a clear winner.

[cbr600]

Yeah I saw it. Still something I want to see for myself. One of my grandparents must have been from Missouri.

For the "show-me state" folks, it's fairly easy to run these sort of tests for yourself on a private range. Plus, you can do them with the exact ammo you carry/use so the results are 100% relevant.

[threoh8]

My father told me about a rancher he knew in South Texas. The man had a thing about '94 Winchesters. He could come up with a levergun on very short notice, anywhere on his ranch or near his vehicles. And he could handle a '94. His saying was, ".30-30, for man or beast."

For his situation - outdoors most of the day, rural setting, long ranges for handguns and short-to-mid ranges for rifles, very limited LEO coverage, pre-cell phone era - it worked. Knowledge of, confidence in, and skill with his tools gave him a fighting chance.