GunCritic

34 Best Rifles for Home Defense

     Long guns are arguably superior to pistols for home defense purposes.  The added control that you get with three points of contact on a weapon provide a more stable, accurate, intuitive and familiar operation which can lead to more effective use.  While shotguns provide incredible energy on target, the recoil and the low capacity might not be the best choice for less-experienced gun owners.  
     If you're considering a rifle for home defense, there are some things you need to consider.  Houses have lots of corners and doors, and navigating through them is difficult with long firearms.  Most instructors will tell you that anything over 36" long is too long to be effective.  The shorter, the better.  You also need to consider collateral damage.  Bullets can easily go through the drywall and lumber that make up the walls of your house.  If you live in an apartment, using a rifle can cause plenty of safety issues for your neighbors.  Make sure you train.
     We gathered a list of rifles chambered in calibers from 9mm and .45ACP up to 5.56 and 7.62x39.  All of these rifles take detachable magazines and most can accept 20+ round capacities.  Some of them are Short Barreled Rifles (SBR) which are federally-regulated NFA items.
     Using the arrows, vote guns up or down to let us know which guns you would consider for home defense!
1
Ruger Mini-14

From $1087.15

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Ruger Mini-14

0

GunCritic Score

95%

User Rating

99%

2
Just Right Carbines Classic Gen3

From $415.51

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Just Right Carbines Classic Gen3

0

GunCritic Score

81%

User Rating

99%

3
KRISS Vector Gen 2 CRB Black

From $1447.38

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KRISS Vector Gen 2 CRB Black

0

GunCritic Score

93%

User Rating

99%

4
Kahr Thompson M1

From $1354.90

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Kahr Thompson M1

0

GunCritic Score

100%

User Rating

99%

5
Kel-Tec RDB

From $1019.15

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Kel-Tec RDB

0

GunCritic Score

92%

User Rating

99%

6
Kel-Tec SU-16

From $636.68

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Kel-Tec SU-16

0

GunCritic Score

93%

User Rating

99%

7
Kel-Tec Sub CQB

From $524.00

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Kel-Tec Sub CQB

0

GunCritic Score

50%

User Rating

99%

8
M1 Carbine

From $1742.99

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M1 Carbine

0

GunCritic Score

86%

User Rating

99%

9
Q LLC Honey Badger SD

From $2974.15

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Q LLC Honey Badger SD

0

GunCritic Score

50%

User Rating

99%

10
IWI Tavor X95

From $1785.00

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IWI Tavor X95

0

GunCritic Score

99%

User Rating

99%