No such thing as "best AR for home defense". Unless you go unusually cheap or off-brand, they all work just fine!

Mine is a Ruger AR-556 with red-dot reflex sight, MagPul BUS, weapon light, converted to quad rail, plus bi-pod for range use. Has been 100% reliable since the day I got it... and for $450.00, I consider it a "steal"!

Atlantic has Windham (the original Bushmaster) ARs in stock for ~$800 ish

https://atlanticfirearms.com/w...-ar15-rifle-r16m4a4t

nice for a basic AR

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If $1k is your total budget, I would suggest picking up a S&W M&P Sport II or the IWI Zion, a couple Gen 3 Pmags or USGI mags, a quality no frills sling like the Vickers blue force gear, and ammo. When you have a little more cash, I would grab a light like the Streamlight HLX which comes with a mount and pressure switch. There are trade offs with my rifle suggestions, the Zion needs sights out of the box, but has a rail which will make it easier to mount a light.

o man I shot a Styer AUG A3-M1 I am 5'7 and it fits my like a glove I shouldn't have done that now I want one

Colt 6920 is my go-to rifle for everything.

Daniel Defense is my second, KAC is my third. Those last 2 are out of your price range however.

quote:

Originally posted by side_shot:
I should qualify I would like to be around a thousand bucks but you know how that goes

I currently have a PSA/AERO 10.5 with a brace and Vortex Sparc AR with a Surefire light in a hornady rapid safe for my under-the-bed midnight whatever gun. I have electronic ear pro with it. I have recently been rethinking this as I have several little people in the house and only the wife sleeps with ear plugs. That gun is unpleasant to shoot on an open range so its not better in a tight hallway. IMO as was previously mentioned the big thing is shaking your rig out and making sure it works. I found that I had to change out the springs much more as the 10.5 is a self-destructive jerk. It is capable and under 1k. I would strongly recommend electric earpro and getting a few experiences with shooting a shorty in a compressed space if the OP goes this route.

I have been traveling with my AUG and I am thinking about switching to that. The short OAL while retaining the 16-inch barrel is a huge plus. I am back and forth on mounting my can. I also have an 8" APC300 and this is a tight little setup while letting me get my 9mm can on it which is smaller and lighter than the can I would put on my AUG. I have good sub rounds for it, though I prefer how the supers work in a house. If I go with the supers then I would need to purchase a new can or run my super old heavy .30 can on it. This also might be the answer. I do not have a rapid access vault to lock either up but I might consider one of those drawer style ones. Both of these options are outside of the OPs range of 1k.

Turns out I ramble in the morning with just 1 cup of coffee.

you MAY be able to find a used LWRC for that..I have had Wilson's, BC, Ruger, Colt most al of the big names. Have run my LWRC for the last 7 years and it is, hands down, the best rifle i have ever ran. Including my Sig ARs that run a close 2nd.

quote:

Originally posted by benny6:
I've settled on this...


I've since replaced the Sylvan folder with a LAW Tactical folder.

This is a Palmetto 10.5" pistol. Very affordable minus the optic. I do have Magpul plastic flip-up sights on it as well and they work even with the Aimpoint optic installed.

Tony.

I would do something similar but would add a suppressor. My agency runs 11.5 inch Colt commandos with OSS cans. Firing the guns without the cans the noise and muzzle blast is awful.YMMV

quote:

Originally posted by Sig209:
Atlantic has Windham (the original Bushmaster) ARs in stock for ~$800 ish

https://atlanticfirearms.com/w...-ar15-rifle-r16m4a4t

nice for a basic AR

------------------------------------

wow

they dropped the price by $100

now $700-ish

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quote:

Originally posted by bronicabill:
No such thing as "best AR for home defense". Unless you go unusually cheap or off-brand, they all work just fine!

Mine is a Ruger AR-556 with red-dot reflex sight, MagPul BUS, weapon light, converted to quad rail, plus bi-pod for range use. Has been 100% reliable since the day I got it... and for $450.00, I consider it a "steal"!

You're absolutely right and I've got one of those Rugers with a red dot same as you. Several people I shoot with have them and they've all been flawless, which is no surprise from Ruger.

to bad that Windham is not a 1-7 twist barrel.

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
to bad that Windham is not a 1-7 twist barrel.

Why?

Buy what you can afford to start with.
Buy more than 200 rounds of ammo and go shoot/train with it.

As with all things, if you start using it a lot and start breaking stuff you just replace it with better.

quote:

Originally posted by Nickelsig229:

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
to bad that Windham is not a 1-7 twist barrel.

Why?

technically better with the heavier end of 5.56 ammunition

https://www.nrablog.com/articl...or-your-ar15-barrel/

in theory anyway

but 1/9 is fine for the 'most common' ammo typically shot (55 and 62 gr ammo)

-----------------------

Here's a chart with twist vs. bullet weight for an AR.

quote:

Originally posted by Flash-LB:
Here's a chart with twist vs. bullet weight for an AR.

Interesting! My Ruger AR556 has a 1:8 twist, and the vast majority of ammo I run through it has 55gr projectiles, putting it in the "yellow" band. It has surprising accuracy out to 100' which is the longest range I have access to, so not sure what would happen if I went up to 62gr...

I have seen that green/yellow/red bar chart for 223 bullet weights on the web for quite a few years. IMO is should be used as a general guideline, but not an absolute. Consider it the current version of "The Chart" for AR15s, which so ludicrously pointed out that Colt was the only real manufacturer of proper AR15s. Just because something is posted repeatedly on the web, it doesn't mean it's been blessed by the Pope.

I currently have, have shot out, barrels with twists of 1:9, 1:8, 1:7.7, and 1:7. Every barrel is different, even those from the same barrel maker. Better barrel manufacturers make consistently better barrels. All ammo is different. Better ammo manufacturers make consistently better ammo. Match-grade bullets fly better than FMJ bullets. I will refer here mainly to the accuracy of match-grade bullets and quality varmint-type bullets. They can be HPBT or plastic tipped.

Right up front, there are few barrels that cannot accurately shoot Federal GMM 69 or Hornady 55 Vmax. Barrels that can't shoot these loads well are likely either shot out or crappy barrels from the get go.

My 1:9 Wilson Combat 16" barrel did very well with 40-69 grain bullets, from multiple sources. On really hot days at high altitude, it shot FGMM 77 really well -- producing the tightest 100 yard group in this barrel's history. But in cold weather and at low altitude, 69 grain was the max. FGMM 69 was my match load for this barrel. Being in the "yellow" bar category is completely incorrect.

I've had two 1:7 barrels -- Wilson Combat and LWRC. The LWRC won't shoot 73-77 grain loads accurately if its life depended upon it. Its accuracy only shines with FGMM 69 and Hornady 55 Vmax. The Wilson Combat shot everything well from 50-77 grains. It still did OK with Hornady 40 grain Vmax, but not quite up to the standards of my 1:8 twist Wilsons. The Wilson had great results with 55 Vmax and HSM 50 Berger loads. Being in the "yellow" and "red" bar category is completely incorrect.

Most of my barrels are now 1:8. They shoot 55 Vmax, FGMM 69, Hornady 75 HPBT, and FGMM 77 very well. Being in the "yellow" bar category for 55 Vmax is completely incorrect.

My most accurate match barrels are 1:7.7 twist, from Bartlein and Krieger. Its my understanding that some of the most demanding service rifle competitors use the 1:7.7 twist. My 7.7s shoot the same way as my 8-twists, but with just a little better accuracy.

Unless someone is shooting 223 bullets weighing more than 80 grains, I see no need for the 1:7 twist. These heavy bullets are too long to be magazine feed, which means the shooter must single feed them. The really heavy 88-90 grain bullets are better suited for 224 Valkyrie, at which point a 1:6.5 twist barrel is preferred.

****
I think some of the 1:7 twist confusion came from the US military, when they stated the 1:7 twist was required for the long-for-weight 62 grain steel-core penetrator bullets. And that made some sense, as twist rates are really geared towards bullet length, not bullet weight.

Molon has done a bunch of posts across multiple AR15-related sites. Arfcom and M4Carbine for sure. For awhile even here. Some viewed his ammo accuracy postings as the equivalent of Moses' tablets. I'm not in that group. But I will admit that he knows how to shoot an AR15 at paper, at 100 yards, from a lead sled, at a range with limited winds. Even if his posts seemed to always contain a picture of a wind meter and his little dog....

Anyway, Molon compared the accuracy of 62 grain steel-core ammo in two of his Colt (I think) AR uppers, with twist rates of 1:9 and 1:7. I suspect the post is still out there, somewhere. At 100 yards, there was no significant difference in the accuracy from the 1:9 and 1:7 twist barrels.

Hands on experience with rifles can sometimes be worth more than what the experts tell us.

I did not mean to start a barrel twist debate. But I will take a 1-7 all day long. A one in eight I would try. There is nothing wrong with the 1-9. Just not my thing. Most of us shoot 62gr. or less.

I am stingy so psa 10.5 223 and an 8.0 in 9x39 with cans live on to loose in my home.
Took them to the woods and shot the piss out of the ,brought them home ,loaded them a couple years back .
That uncle extortion really chapped my ass,Fricken $800 to them blood sucker just for the privilege

1 in 9 twist is the ideal twist for shooters. The guy that plinks and shoots range ammo pretty much always… 1 in 9 twist is ideal.

Only reason 1 in 7 is so popular is because of that damn chart.