I am not too familiar with scopes. I am wondering if any of you would chime in as to what would be a good fit for a mini-14. Burris 3-9x40 Fullfield II maybe? Even then there seems to be about a dozen ranging in price of $200 and up.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

 

Few questions. What do you use the rifle for? Target, varmints, plinking or home defense maybe? What kind of ranges do you normally shoot? Under 200 or longer?

How are your eyes? Are they like mine and not so good or young and agile? Makes a big difference in the kind of aid you need.

Do you shoot in low light and/or inclement weather or are you primarily out in full daylight and sunshine?

Last but not the least important, just how accurate do you want to be?

 

Home defense(hear it's suitable for that) maybe some plinking

I shoot less than 100yds

My eyes are very good

I will be shooting in cloud cover often

I found Nikon 3x9's on ebay cheap. What do you think?

 

With your application I wouldn't buy a conventional rifle scope at all.

I would go with a reflex type of scope like an EOTech Tactical Holosight such as their 510 model or a 552 which has a ballistic reticle for .223.

They're not inexpensive but they're perfect for fast shooting at ranges under 200 yards. If you're shooting in situations like that they'll really outperform a conventional scope. I've went to them on a couple of my mid caliber semi-auto rifles and I love them. They also make for a deadly brush gun for deer.

Just make sure to get the EOTech models that take AA batteries. They have some that take N size batteries. Those are a pain. I got rid of mine and went with the models that take AAs.

 

CpnQ nailed that one IMO. For your kind of shooting with your good eyes this would be my first choice. Second would be a 2X Leopold or one of the other better brands, there are several models that would work well, but be sure to look them over in a store and see how things look thru them.

If you go with the Nikon or other cheap scopes you will never get rid of the parallax or have a clear, light gathering scope. Wasted money IMO.

Just a comment on the 223 as a home defense weapon. This is a powerful rifle with potential for a lot of range and penetration. Stopping power, depending on the bullets being used, can range from very good to marginal. Where the person is hit makes a big difference as well.

One of the major drawbacks to this rifle for home defense is if you have a through and through or miss that bullet is going to hit something before it stops. It may go thru a couple of walls and hit your neighbor in the unmentionables or just bury itself in a tree but something is going to get damaged. Could happen well over a mile away.

My personal choice for a home defense weapon is a 20 gauge pump action shotgun with #6 low base shells. Very effective at house length ranges but usually not lethal beyond 40 yards or so. The big disadvantage of any rifle or shotgun for home defense is they are long and awkward to handle in tight spaces. A handgun is much easier to manipulate inside a building but again you start running into the problem of over penetration of the bullet if a handgun with reasonable stopping power is selected.

Whatever you decide on, practice, practice and more practice. Use your weapon until it becomes second nature even in pitch black situations. A good training course for armed personal defense is a way to avoid making most of the mistakes any of us who started off self taught have made.

I'll get off my soapbox now.

 

I do have a rem. 870 mag pump shot gun and 45 cal auto hand gun to cover home defense. Also ordered a folding stock for the mini 14 for any thing close range.

I have been shooting for many years on our 80 acre plot and will be careful and mindful of my surroundings.

I have heard the shotgun in a close quarters can be surprisingly loud and even stun you for a minute or so. Would the 20 gauge be a better choice over the 12 gauge for this reason?

 

Any firearm is loud if you shoot it in a broom closet. It's a good point you make about the noise level inside a house. If you are not expecting the report it can be unsettling. IMO, and this is based on experience, the report of a 12 gauge is not that much different than that of your 45 Auto. The 20 gauge will be somewhat less. What is significantly different between the shotguns and the pistol is muzzle flash. The muzzle flash from a 45 will take your night vision away for sure. Low base 20 gauge has a flash but not nearly as bad. Again, I would recommend a training course which will teach you how, when, why and why not to use deadly force. The experience of actually firing various weapons in an enclosed space, both dark and lighted, is something that can not be adequately described and must be experienced.

My personal preference is an old 20 gauge pump with a 20" bbl and modified choke. Holds six in the mag, I keep 5 in it to save the spring and leave the chamber empty. The sound of a pump gun cycling is unforgettable and in itself is something of a deterrent.

 

"Training course which will teach you how, when, why and why not to use deadly force? "

I would possibly be interested in a course like that. Where might I sign up?

With the layout of our property, wildlife refuge in back and untouched uncut woods in the front edges of the property in addition to the natural hills of Pennsylvania, I am blessed with many nice places to shoot my small collection of rifles, shotguns, and so on.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

Thanks for your helping point me in the right direction[img]i/expressions/present.gif[/img]

 

Contact your local Police Department, they should be able to get you in contact with a good training facility. If that fails, perhaps there is a local gun club you could contact. A great source of information for all things gun related is the National Rifle Association.

 

Squeege,

I've fired a 12 ga in a house before. It is extremely loud. However, if you're firing it in a self-defense situation, you're going to have so much adrenaline going through you that you probably won't even notice. It's kind of like when you're hunting. I've never had ringing ears after taking a shot on a deer. I'd load it with #6 or #8 shot and go from there. I personally would avoid buckshot or slugs for an in the house self-defense round. As far as the mini-14, I'd look for a good ghost ring sight rather than go with a scope. When talking about training, there are a lot of places to get training. They can range from cheap to very expensive. Like tencubed said, you can talk to the local law enforcement office, or go to the local gun shop and talk to some guys there. If you can swing the cost, places like Frontsite, and Thunderranch can really give you some good training. Good luck.

toe