Best way to temporarily immobilize without causing any permanent damage.

Kendall_Jones said:

I think anyone recommending an AR for home defense has either 1) never shot one in a confined space with no earmuffs or 2) ex military who's ear are already gone :).

Those things a LOUD.  2 rounds un muffed and your ears will ring for days.

I don't have any ideas for the OP, threat of any civil lawsuits would keep me from discussing or recommending any plan of action.  Land of free / home of brave and all that.   

Every non suppressed gun is loud in an enclosed space.

I will never understand people freaking out about the noise of a gun if they have to shoot in defense of themselves. This would, hopefully at least, be a once in a lifetime event and if the gun is out that means the situation should be either :death/serious maiming /other terrible things or ....your ears ring a bit.

I think the choice is clear

19% of all content on the internet is arguing about firearms for HD

14% is arguing about ammunition underpenetration/ overpenetration

0.7% is people actually testing ammunition against things like common building materials

For comparison, only 17% of all content on the internet is cat videos, and 0.3% is arguing about the true % of cat video content on the internet.

RevRico said:

KyAllroad said:

An AR is a TERRIBLE choice for home defense.   The bullets do not "tumble off walls" or whatever that claim was.   
 

That was poor advice, please disregard some of what is put out in here.

Ancient muskets on mantels can blow through multiple walls and still be deadly. Do you really think a much more aerodynamic, much higher velocity round is going to stop at a little drywall? 20+ years later I still remember the stories from Hunter education class, JAKE'S day, and shooting safety classes. 

 

Make a plan, practice the plan. If you don't think you can kill someone if your life depends on it, make a panic room. And remember Mike Tysons advice: "everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face". Make sure you're on the punching side of the stalker/burglar/tweekers plan. 

I'd have to dig out the hard drive to find the pictures, but we took an old desktop computer to the range one day. Surprisingly effective at stopping 45 caliber FMJs. Not perfect, but maybe only a third of the shots that hit penetrated one side at 10 yards. Even less penetrated both sides of the case. 

Well why do you bring this up Rev? Because I mentioned making a panic Room and you probably jumped to "dang that's expensive overkill", but old desktops are free/cheap. If you have a basement room or even a corner of the house, get a few from Craigslist or face place, set them up along side the walls, and get a good heavy solid door with some good heavy physical hardware. Practice retreating to it. If you want to be fancy and extra protective, put a strobe or siren OUTSIDE with a button in the room so it attracts passerby and neighbor attention. 

We have three plans here. One separate plan for upstairs entry, downstairs entry, and if both entries are compromised. We all know what to do depending on the situation. Well, the wife and kids know where to hide depending on the situation, my job is to end the threat. 

Honestly - that's a neat option, but I'd just recommend ceramic tile. Amazingly close to ceramic ballistic plates and if it's cemented to a wall - it will 100% stop a bullet. Maybe even more than one, depending on how it cracks / breaks.

Might even consider tiling the door, at that. Or finding some $$$ sheet metal to wrap the inside with? Or both. 

KyAllroad said:

An AR is a TERRIBLE choice for home defense.   The bullets do not "tumble off walls" or whatever that claim was.   
 

That was poor advice, please disregard some of what is put out in here.

you should probably learn about modern ammunition before jumping to (incorrect) conclusions. 

Greg Smith (Forum Supporter) said:

RevRico said:

KyAllroad said:

An AR is a TERRIBLE choice for home defense.   The bullets do not "tumble off walls" or whatever that claim was.   
 

That was poor advice, please disregard some of what is put out in here.

Ancient muskets on mantels can blow through multiple walls and still be deadly. Do you really think a much more aerodynamic, much higher velocity round is going to stop at a little drywall? 20+ years later I still remember the stories from Hunter education class, JAKE'S day, and shooting safety classes. 

 

Make a plan, practice the plan. If you don't think you can kill someone if your life depends on it, make a panic room. And remember Mike Tysons advice: "everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face". Make sure you're on the punching side of the stalker/burglar/tweekers plan. 

I'd have to dig out the hard drive to find the pictures, but we took an old desktop computer to the range one day. Surprisingly effective at stopping 45 caliber FMJs. Not perfect, but maybe only a third of the shots that hit penetrated one side at 10 yards. Even less penetrated both sides of the case. 

Well why do you bring this up Rev? Because I mentioned making a panic Room and you probably jumped to "dang that's expensive overkill", but old desktops are free/cheap. If you have a basement room or even a corner of the house, get a few from Craigslist or face place, set them up along side the walls, and get a good heavy solid door with some good heavy physical hardware. Practice retreating to it. If you want to be fancy and extra protective, put a strobe or siren OUTSIDE with a button in the room so it attracts passerby and neighbor attention. 

We have three plans here. One separate plan for upstairs entry, downstairs entry, and if both entries are compromised. We all know what to do depending on the situation. Well, the wife and kids know where to hide depending on the situation, my job is to end the threat. 

Honestly - that's a neat option, but I'd just recommend ceramic tile. Amazingly close to ceramic ballistic plates and if it's cemented to a wall - it will 100% stop a bullet. Maybe even more than one, depending on how it cracks / breaks.

Might even consider tiling the door, at that. Or finding some $$$ sheet metal to wrap the inside with? Or both. 

Unless you're going for aesthetics, why expend the cost of ceramic tile?  1/2" plywood would be tougher, cheaper, and simpler to install, and would also help against axes or sledgehammers, which ceramic tile won't.

In reply to Duke :

1/2" plywood will slow down a 9mm round but not stop it entirely. And I'd submit that even today, plywood is likely more expensive than ceramic tile (especially if you don't mind mixed lots / leftovers).

Proper answer to this question is a pump shotgun. The sound it makes when racked is the international language for "beat it!"

Now for less lethal options.

After a search this was the only thread I found "Byrna" in. I just purchased one, mostly for traveling that Mrs. p has to do in the near future. Being 50 state legal I figured it was worth the money. It's the SD model. I have put about 100 rounds through it.

Past two weekends I have shot it in my driveway and yard with much success. After shooting the practice ammo that turned to dust when I hit the target I was impressed with the THWAP! of the impact on the barn door. Definitely debilitating, forget about the real kinetic balls and pepper balls.

I liked it so much that I bought some more CO2 and more practice balls. Here is where the funny bit happens...

I did not buy the Byrna brand practice balls. Instead I bought some knock off .68 cal balls. Not all balls are created equally.

First shots at the target on the barn went great, I am learning the thing from about 10 meters away from the gatorade bottle target I set up. Then I took a shot (that would have hit a grapefruit size target) and missed the bottle. The energy of the projectile was enough to travel 33ft, come to a complete sudden stop, bounce back 33ft and hit me in my left fella thus dropping me. I had PPE on but did not think of the fellas.

IMO the thing is worth the money and after 5 shots (I have mine currently set up with kinetic, pepper, 3 kinetic) unless the intruder was WAY high on something you will drop them and have plenty of time to point and laugh, reload, and probably have them not get up before the LEOs come.

I'm sorry for your pain.

Dunno what brought this up again, but any updates?