Rogue Elite

If you are thinking about buying your first gun for inside the home, there is no better option than a shotgun.    Some rookie gun shopper may think a shotgun is too powerful, but the reality is there is no better defensive weapon that can be so versatile when it comes to projectile ballistics.  The difference in bullet penetration between a shotgun slug and size 9 shot is tremendous.  Both are incredible leathal at close ranges, but energy is lost very quickly which is an assett in close situations.   Due to modern home construction, there is no better reasoning than to consider what happens to a bullet if it misses the target or if it happens to hit the target and still go on.   There is a saying that there is a lawyer attached to every bullet that exits your gun if it is used in a defensive situation and this very true.

I think the notion of having an Elmer Fudd type of shotgun for home defense is a funny idea, but it’s a very practical defensive weapon.   If you have access to plenty of ammo, shotguns can be reloaded quite easily.   The reality is a pump shogun is a better option due to magazine capacity, but I always warn people that pump shotguns need to be operated properly and people need to understand that they can be very difficult to operate in certain positions.   Short stroking them can also be a problem for a less trained operator, so don’t hand one off to a novice without giving them training.   The Remington 870 has always been my primary shotgun recommendation, but that’s mostly because they can be found for under $250 used, and with just a few bucks  more, a side saddle or magazine tube extension can increase your firepower.   There are also many rifle stocks and accessories that you can mount on them, but please keep in mind that smaller operators will not function as well with heavy guns.  Keep it simple and be practical.

And the answer is no, we do not, so why do people expect us to be able to shoulder the same size rifles or grip the same size handguns comfortable?  Even if you’re a guy, you’re not all built the same, and luckily the military has caught on to this.    If I had a nickel for every WWII vet I know that made a comment on how big the Garand was and how many of them had trouble shooting one, I’d be rich.   The M1 Garand is a very accurate and powerful rifle, but not everyone could hand them.   If you field a rifle of the same caliber today, and allowed people to adjust the stock for their comfort, recoil issues go away.

In the last few months I’ve had a lot of consultation with new gun owners about home defense weapons and assessing how they could be deployed and used within their homes.   Many of them always thought about handguns being used in their homes and never rifles.  Everyone seems to think that a rifle is too much or too hard to manage, but now that pistol caliber Carbines are so prevailant.  Why not.    I prefer to mount lights on rifles rather than handguns, and I also know that most novice shooters will be safer and more proficient with a Carbine over a handgun.   At the very least, a rifle is easier to retain and become a baseball bat than a handgun.   Please keep in mind that bullet selection is extremely important when deciding on a Carbine or rifle in your home.   There are some very well thought out M4 rifle stocks, Beretta Storm, and shotgun stocks that are very good for home defense.

There is another issue that I see come up when taking new students to the range.   I usually bring various military style rifles with me to get people to adjust to recoil and realize the common military style weapons that exist in the world.   Many of these individuals, after a day on the range tend to select the gun that fit them the best.   When I first got into shooting rifles, I started out with all of the military surplus firearms that came into the Country in the early and mid 1990s.   There may never be another time where Soviet style weapons are imported into this Country.   The military warehouses got cleaned out after the fall of the Soviet Empire and American gun owners were the beneficieries.

When I started shooting these rifles, I was lucky if I could hit a pie plate since my shooting expertises was at the novice level.    I’ve shot within 2 inch groups with all of these weapons in the last few years with handloaded ammo so I know that my shooting skills had achieved there peak with these types of firearms.   Another thing I had to do before being able to shoot these rifles comfortable is to upgrade all of the rifle stocks to longer lengths.  I put on various rifle stocks on my SKS rifles, MAK90s and Romanian and Bulgarian AK styles weapons.    I told some of my students that when choosing a Primary rifle or Carbine for Defensive training, don’t hesitate to customize the weapon to your personal comfort.  Put the rifle buttstock on your rifle that you feel comfortable with and make sure you measure your length of pull.   Many of those AK style weapons are too short for us taller types but it is possible to get longer rifle stocks that can get you closer to your comfort zone.

After a few years of actually taking real fighting classes, one of the most common things every instructor told us was, “get a white light” on your fighting weapon.    There are some handgun options where you can hold a flashlight while using a handgun and not have a fixed light on it which makes holster options very limited.   The Section8 Tactical ultimate retention device is a good tool to use, but this isn’t recommended for using with a shotgun or carbine.  I recenltly finished a training course where we used lasers for defensive purposes.   The best tactical for using lasers is knowing when to turn them off.   Yes, using a flashlight or laser is a giveaway, but spotlighting a threat and identifying it is paramount.

The 2nd most common suggestion for a home defense weapon is the shotgun.   Setup a target at 15yds and put 9- 9mm bullets in center mass, then pick up a shotgun with OO buck and pull the trigger.   The shotgun will will that argument every time.   Shotguns are almost always heavy and can be awkward to shoot in some situations, primarily the most commong pump action ones.   ATI Rifle Stocks have a pistol flashlight accessory that works well for putting white light on your shotgun.   You can easily take that $180 used Remington 870 that was being sold at your gun shop and convert it into a brutal close quarters fighting weapon.   I strongly recommend getting the stock length to the appropriate LOP.    I’ve seen plenty of lazy people think they will be find in a course until they get down and dirty and end up punching themselves in the nose with their strong hand when the gun recoils.

Ever since the gun community went from the A2 style AR15s to the M4 Configurations,  the AR15 became the most modified and accessorized firearm in existance.   I sometimes have to stair at some of these AR15 designs to tell if it is even a 5.56 gun anymore.   The AR15s these days are the old style Direct Impingement guns and also various style pistol driven guns.   There are plenty of lower grade stock accessories that look cool and tactical, but they won’t hold up to bad weather and rough play.  The old “you get what you paid for” is still true today.

There are two schools of thought when it comes to picking a configurations.   Leave yourself open to as many options as possible, and keep it as basic as possible.   The onle thing I would also suggest to people is leave a flashlight on or next to where you keep your gun.   It’s always good to have a white light available.   If you are putting  a lot of accessories on your gun, you may want to think about batter storage.   Section8 Tactical has had the M4 Tac-Pac on the market for people that don’t want a lot of accessories with compartements and I have to be honest, I’ve seen guys dump batteries and cleaning accessories from bumping guns around.   There are some top tier firearm stock options like the VLTOR Rifle Stocks.   These rifle stocks can hold 2 AA batteries or 1 CR123 Battery in the back compartment.  The storage units can hold 3 AA batteries on each side or 4 CR123 Batteries.

We’ve all seen skyrocketing ammo prices and a run on various styles of weapons.   There was a run on guns and ammo as the economy started to tank and also a shift in the Political climate.   Back in 2006 there was a hint that the now Democratic controlled Congress might get cocky and try putting another 1994 assault weapons ban in place and gun owners became concerned, then there was the Obama administration win in 2008.    For those old enough to remember the political climate in the 1990s, we’ve seen this shift before.

One of the best and least expensive firearms I’ve seen in my lifetime that you can have an enormous amount of fun with is the SKS rifle.   These rifles were designed and issued shortly before the Kalashnikov rifles were deployed to communist Countries.   The SKS uses the same 7.62×39 round that we commonly find with AK variants.   When we first saw SKS rifles showing up in the Country they could had for as low as $79.99 and then usually in the $150-$199 range depending on the manufacturer.   I wouldn’t recommend using detacheable magazines for defensive purpose with this gun since most manufacturers of these mags were never military issued and not reliable.   Tapco accessories for the SKS will increase the fit and feel of the gun although I have to admit, the ergonomics and balance of the SKS is better than the AK.

I think many of us have seen wild variations in quality of the Kalashnikov firearms.   Back in the early 1990s there were very inexpensive guns coming in from Eastern Europe.  The quality of many of these guns were pretty darn good.    As the years went by, the guns got worse and worse and I started to see my fair share of AK style weapons that did not live up to the AK47s reputation of reliability.   There were a few importers that were assembling guns that looked bad, but they worked very well.   Some rifle sights were misaligned but other than that, it was really all about the rifle stocks.

If you are interested in learning how to modify one of your Ak rifles.   A good starting point of figuring out what you can do and modify on your gun is to start with Tapco accessories.  If you are working on a stamped receiver, I suggest looking into the Tapco side folder, fixed stock or the T6 adjustable stock.   The M4 Carbine will always have an edge over the 7.62×39 style for speed, but you can make your AK style weapon into a BETTER CQB gun.   The pistol grip on the AK is also an easy change that will improve your hold on your firearm.  The AK family of rifles were mostly designed for shorter operators and for users wearing gloves and heavy jackets.  You should be able to modify your gun to be more comfortable and closer to you LOP if you feel the AK is too short for you.

I must admit that I wasn’t into the idea of needing a semi-auto 22LR.   The 22lr isn’t an effective defensive round and really mostly a plinking and training round.    A bolt action with iron sights is still the best configuration for learning how to shoot.  It teaches aiming and trigger control, but i think the Ruger 10/22 is still a fun gun to shoot with.   There seems to a lot of big kids that like to shoot the 10/22 and there’s nothing wrong with a kid shooting them.   I have a friend that put a heavy barrel on his and it’s a tac driver.

Advanced Technology Stocks are an inexpensive modification that is an easy upgrade to Carbines, semi-autos and hunting rifles.   The Fibeforce stock will give you a different feel than the standard Sturm Ruger 10/22 wood stock.   These stocks are easy drop in modifications that can be done in secondes.   The thumbhole stock will give you a better cheek weld and may be an easy fix for a big kid to get a better grip on this little rifle.   Stock #ADVRUG3000 can be purchased at Rogue Elite.net

There are different levels of weaponry and modifications depending on the deployment.   Vltor rifle stocks were designed for Marine Corps and Special forces.   The design of the updgrades to your AR15 are for improved ergonomics and for increase storage capabilities.   The notion of storing gun parts or batteries on your firearms  is debateable, but there are plenty of people that like this reasoning.   The VLTOR rifle stocks also have a cheekweld and buttstock design that will increase your lock on to target.

It’s hard to know if a configuration is best for you.   I recently got a phone call from a shooter that sounded like he was new to the AR15 family.   He was asking about which rifle stock configuration was best and then I asked him what his LOP or length of pull was and he had no idea.    The reasons for adjustable stocks is because each operator issued a Carbine has a different arm length.   I’ve  punched myself in the nose with rifles and shotguns that were too short for me and modified several of my M1A rifles to fit my comfort.   There are also other reasons for having stock modifications.   If you are wearing a heavy winter coat or body armor you will want to shorten your stock.    Next time  you are at a gun shop or a shooting range, ask other shooters if you can hold there gun and see how it feels.  Check the gun stock manufacturer and do some research.

You might want to think about collapseable stocks or folding stocks.   Guns can take up a lot of space depending on the optics and accessories you put on them.    I’ve seen plenty of my friends go from 12 or 18 rifle safes to full size gun safes just because of the optics they had on rifles.   One thing they never advertise when you are shopping for a gun safe is what kind of rifles it will hold.  Cramming your guns in will only cause damage and make getting guns in and out a headache.   Instead of worrying about having to find a new gun safe, you might want to think about spending a few hundred bucks on changing the stocks of your military style weapons to something that can fold or collapse.

The M4 Carbine rifle is not only a fast and effective CQB weapon, but a very easy to manuever carbine inside a vehicle.   You can easily gain 30% more room in a gun safe by mounting guns on the wall of the safe if you can fit them and you probable will.  I’ve seen friends mount short carbines on the inside door of a safe just because they could.  If properly mounted, an AK with an Advanced Technology Stock side folder will probable mount right on the door and you may even be able to two if you can mount it properly.