Good beginner rifle for range and home defense

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Does anyone have any recommendations for a good beginner rifle in the 400-800 dollar range? I'm new to the world of long guns and am looking to buy a solid rifle for casual range time and home defense. I've been looking at the S&W M&P15 Sport and the Ruger Mini-14. I'm going to try to stay with .223 but am open to .308 and .30 calibers as well.
 
.223 and .308 are overkill when it comes to standard "home" defense. Unless your "home" is a large property and want something to reach out. Otherwise you have a very good chance of over-penetrating both the target and your neighbor's home.

There are pistol caliber carbines like the beretta CX4 which seem more appropriate for home defense imo.
 
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If you're looking at the m&p sport, I'd suggest also looking at the new ruger AR-556 coming out. Same price as the m&p sport but includes forward assist, dust cover and a CHF barrel. If thats something that matters to you.
 
.223 and .308 are overkill when it comes to standard "home" defense. Unless your "home" is a large property and want something to reach out. Otherwise you have a very good chance of over-penetrating both the target and your neighbor's home.

There are pistol caliber carbines like the beretta CX4 which seem more appropriate for home defense imo.
The upside of a pistol caliber carbine is cheaper ammo.
 
You got it right with an AR15. The S&W Sporter is a great choice. You can have all the fun you want at the range and as for home defense, an AR15 with a 30 rd pre ban magazine is pretty devastating. You don't have to worry about over penetration in the home, just need to use the correct ammo. As an example, read this.. http://frangiblebullets.com/
 
Don't forget all the other stuff you'll need, sling, pre-ban mags, optic and sights, case, and of course ammo. Do you have any handguns?

consider the classifieds, great choices pop up in there for ARs.
 
A pistol-caliber carbine which shared magazines with your pistol would be an AWESOME combination . . . .

Also -- don't rule out a lever-action rifle in .357 paired up with something like a ruger GP-100 w/ four inch barrel.
 
An AR15.
S&W , Windham, Bushmaster are all good choices for what you want to do.
Get a base model and add what you want as you go along.
No need to bust the bank right off.
Ammo is back to somewhat normal prices , so buy cheap and stack deep.
Besides , every time you buy one , a liberal cries. [smile]
 
.30 caliber is a bit overkill for home defense IMO. Someone wrote this earlier this week and I found it very accurate:

1. Rifle keeps em off your property
2. Shotgun keeps em out of your house
3. Handgun keeps em off your person

What I'm saying is if you don't have acres and acres of land a rifle in general is not a good hd weapon. Not saying don't ever buy a big bore rifle.....I live on 1/3 acre and own three of em.....but its not my "go to" home defense weapon.......my 357 mag loaded with 38 plus p and the 20 gauge shotgun are good for that.

So......do you own a shotgun? If not you might want to consider a good shotgun for your HD weapon if:

1. You don't have one already
2. You live on a small property
3. additionally you can get a good shotgun WAY under your budget......like under $300!

If you just want a rifle.......go for it.......but it's not the gun I'd be grabbing if the wolfs are knocking on my door.
 
Get an AR15, load it appropriately, and never be under gunned. Don't worry about over penetration, that nonsense is tired, 5.56 is no more dangerous then any other useful cartridge you should be using for self defense.

My opinion, buy this http://www.bravocompanyusa.com/BCM-BFH-16-Mid-Length-Upper-Receiver-Group-p/bcm-urg-mid-16 bfh.htm and a set of MOE hand guards.

Then find a reasonably priced lower and assemble it how ever you want. You can come in under $800 if you do it right, and you will have a rifle you will never have to worry about.
 
AR15. You'll buy one eventually. Do it now instead of later.

Affordable. Very common. Good for home defense. Good for the range. Good for SHTF. Good for tinkerers. Good for the guy who wants to be different. Good for the guy who wants to be same.

If you plan to buy a gun every few weeks then you'll overthink this and come up with a clever plan like a lever gun and revolver, or Glock and a carbine in shared calibers. Lots of people do it , I did it. I carefully wipe the dust off them every week when I take my AR out.

You'll convince yourself you need a Ruger 10/22 , a Remington 870 , a 357 lever gun , a Mosin , a 308 model 700 , an AK ( btw , you do need an AK - that makes liberals anxiety rise in fun ways ).

It's sort of like buying your first handgun. " I need as micro 308 auto. ... I mean a midsize 9mm ... I mean a full size handgun ... "
 
Nailed it!!!!!

AR15. You'll buy one eventually. Do it now instead of later.

Affordable. Very common. Good for home defense. Good for the range. Good for SHTF. Good for tinkerers. Good for the guy who wants to be different. Good for the guy who wants to be same.

If you plan to buy a gun every few weeks then you'll overthink this and come up with a clever plan like a lever gun and revolver, or Glock and a carbine in shared calibers. Lots of people do it , I did it. I carefully wipe the dust off them every week when I take my AR out.

You'll convince yourself you need a Ruger 10/22 , a Remington 870 , a 357 lever gun , a Mosin , a 308 model 700 , an AK ( btw , you do need an AK - that makes liberals anxiety rise in fun ways ).

It's sort of like buying your first handgun. " I need as micro 308 auto. ... I mean a midsize 9mm ... I mean a full size handgun ... "


I'LL SAY IT AGAIN... IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... NAILED IT !!!!
 
.30 caliber is a bit overkill for home defense IMO. Someone wrote this earlier this week and I found it very accurate:

1. Rifle keeps em off your property
2. Shotgun keeps em out of your house
3. Handgun keeps em off your person

What I'm saying is if you don't have acres and acres of land a rifle in general is not a good hd weapon. Not saying don't ever buy a big bore rifle.....I live on 1/3 acre and own three of em.....but its not my "go to" home defense weapon.......my 357 mag loaded with 38 plus p and the 20 gauge shotgun are good for that.

So......do you own a shotgun? If not you might want to consider a good shotgun for your HD weapon if:

1. You don't have one already
2. You live on a small property
3. additionally you can get a good shotgun WAY under your budget......like under $300!

If you just want a rifle.......go for it.......but it's not the gun I'd be grabbing if the wolfs are knocking on my door.

This is the only post that made sense so far. Exactly what I was thinking.
 
If you're new to long guns, You might wanna get a .22 as well. Doesn't have to be a clone of your defense rifle either, or even the same action. You can pick up old JC higgins and Sears bolt-actions for well under 100. Pistol caliber carbine is a good idea. Kel-tec or a Levergun is fine, I'm partial to Uzis though :I
 
.223 and .308 are overkill when it comes to standard "home" defense. Unless your "home" is a large property and want something to reach out. Otherwise you have a very good chance of over-penetrating both the target and your neighbor's home.

There are pistol caliber carbines like the beretta CX4 which seem more appropriate for home defense imo.

^^this
.224 for HD is nuts unless you live on farm.
a pistol carbine far safer and plenty nasty within 50 yards. Shotgun speaks for itself.

if youre looking for a .223 rifle I agree M&P sport is an insane value. Personally i dont care for DI rifles but the price is awesome. The mini 14 is great too but the magazine system is annoying. The AR15 platform is just incredibly customizable and mags cost near nothing.

if youve got some $$ to spend i would go either tavor, new beretta arx or maybe an ACR or scar.

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This is the only post that made sense so far. Exactly what I was thinking.

We know the end of civilization is approaching when the only person making sense is Whacko!
[laugh2]
 
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Stick with an AR in 223 or a Tavor. I would avoid the mini 14 and variants as AR stuff is everywhere. Mini 14 stuff, eh, much less in the way of options. Plus it is a mini 14.

Everyone should have a good rifle and know how to use it.

Sent from my Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk Pro - typos are from the GD auto correct unless they are funny substitutions those I'll take credit for.
 
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^^this
.224 for HD is nuts unless you live on farm.
a pistol carbine far safer and plenty nasty within 50 yards. Shotgun speaks for itself.

if youre looking for a .223 rifle I agree M&P sport is an insane value. Personally i dont care for DI rifles but the price is awesome. The mini 14 is great too but the magazine system is annoying. The AR15 platform is just incredibly customizable and mags cost near nothing.

if youve got some $$ to spend i would go either tavor, new beretta arx or maybe an ACR or scar.

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We know the end of civilization is approaching when the only person making sense is Whacko!
[laugh2]
223 over penetrates less than pistol calibers out of pistols, I'm sure carbines are worse. The light bullet of the 223 makes it one of the best combinations of effective self defense rounds with a reasonable amount of over penetration. People who think 223 is terrible at over penetration need to look up the drywall box of truth.
 
The humble mini-14 serves two purposes in this state: getting around Boston's AWB ban and reliving 1980s television. If you have no need for either of those things get an AR.
 
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