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All,
Since this is the General Ragchew area I am going to add something a little unorthodox. Through the years I have had a lot of people ask me what is the best “defensive” firearm. My standard reply is the one that is with you. It doesn’t do you any good if you are here, having a “thing”, and it is back at the house, in the car, whatever. In the context of the best home defense firearm I go with what Clint Smith of Thunder Ranch (and Gunsite before that) fame says – A handgun is used to fight your way to a carbine. Then I usually add that opinions are like a$$holeos; everyone has one and most stink. After the laughing dies down I say that I believe it is the AR15 carbine. They make them very compact these days so the weight is negligible. They are the same price today as they were forty years ago, at least at the low end price-point. They hold plenty of ammo and they hit hard. And then I usually segue into “If I said retired Sgt. Maj. Kyle Lamb would you know who I am talking about?” Used to some knew of him, but today few do. Lamb was a US Army Delta force operator for most of his career. When he wrote “The AR for Home Defense: One Expert’s Choice” in the June 2015 issue of the National Rifle Association’s American Rifleman it wasn’t the writing of an academic, an egghead, no, he has used the M16 and M4 on our behalf to good effect all over the world. So, I always suggested that they read that article and consider his background and then make an informed choice. I can hear it now, some will say “Too powerful for inside. If you miss it will over-penetrate. Wrong, wrong and wrong. Police SWAT teams all used to use the H&K MP5-SD, right? Yes. Now they all use 5.56 M4 carbines. Ditto US military special forces types. There is a lot of science behind the change. Ask me about it sometime. In the meantime, maybe think about what Lamb says and buy a quality AR15, some spare Magpul mags, ammo and a small “spare parts kit” of springs, pins, detents, etc. One guys opinion.
73
Phillip Beall (W5EBC)
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