This is an “opinion” piece.
And, we all know what is said about opinions . . . everyone has
one. I want to offer mine on things you
might want to consider for the rifle you choose to defend your home and family. I use the phrase “Patrol Rifle” as a way of
moving your mindset to a more serious place.
This isn’t a rifle you plink with.
It’s not to be taken to the range to “check zero” . . . and nothing else
(though if I ask a shooter at our range what they are working on with their AR,
THAT is the response I get 90% of the time).
It’s not for target shooting, precision shooting or just blasting away. It has a very specific purpose . . . to
defend the lives of the most important people in your life from those who
intend to do them harm. That is the
purpose of a “Patrol Rifle”.
Last week I went to our local police department and spent
half a day stripping, cleaning (if needed) and inspecting their 9 patrol
rifles. These are the weapons their
officers carry in their squad cars. I
did this in my role as their armorer and to fulfill the state requirement that
these firearms be inspected by an armor once a year. It was an interesting experience. It was easy to see which officers worked with
their weapons regularly, which were diligent about maintenance and those who
placed their patrol rifles at the bottom of their “to do” list.
That said, virtually all of them provided good examples of
what I consider constitutes a “Patrol Rifle” and that is what I want to chat
about in this post. What is its purpose,
how is it typically used and what gear would you find attached to the weapon.
The Patrol Rifle is a “close in” weapon, typically the
engagement distance is not significantly farther that those encountered with
your handgun. It may be across the room
distance, down the hall distance, length of the house distance . . . but I
suspect not much farther than that. The “zero”
I recommend is a 50/200 yard zero. Zero
your patrol rifle at 50 yards and it will also be zeroed at 200 yards while
shooting about 1 inch high at 100 yards and 2 inches low at 10 yards. The 50/200 zero will cover virtually all the
ground necessary for a typical home defense need. I might add that this also covers the typical
range for a law enforcement officer’s engagement as well. The actual need for a civilian homeowner to
engage a lethal threat out to 200 yards is, for all practical purposes,
nil. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t
spend some time at that distance . . . but you will be much better served
spending your time at 50 yards or less and the majority of your time at 10
yards or less.
The rifle should be equipped with the basics . . . 16”
barrel, front and rear iron sights, a holographic optic, adjustable stock, flashlight
and easily adjustable sling. That’s it .
. . the end . . . nothing more. Here is
an image of my “patrol rifle” that I carry in my Jeep.
It has also been through a 2-day basic armorer course where
it was completely, COMPLETELY disassembled and reassembled – followed by a
2-day range course. Again, no problems. Bottom line, this is my “carry gun” and I trust
it to protect my family. This was my
foundation.
Feeding the patrol rifle are Magpul P-mags. In it’s carry case I have three loaded
magazines, downloaded by 2 rounds. I
have found these magazines to be incredibly reliable though I do take the
precaution of keeping my carry magazines separate from my range magazines.
For basic iron sights I like the Magpul MBUS front and rear
popup sights. I have no problems using
them through the EOTech holographic sight should its batteries crap out. I’ve been very happy with this pair of
sights. They have remained rock solid,
provide a solid sight picture and can be kept “stored” in the down position and
be released with a simple touch of a button.
I have zeroed this particular pair a couple years ago and it has held
zero just fine.
My EOTech optic has been around for more than a few years .
. . yet it remains rock solid and I’m happy with it. As with all similar optics it allows rapid
target acquisition and rapid first-round hits.
Honestly, I like this particular optic since it uses AA batteries and I always
have a fresh set available. I realize
the new kids on the block claim 4000+ hours out of their batteries, and that
many shooters simply dim the dot and never turn it off . . . I simply don’t
take that approach. To each their own.
A weapon mounted light on a carbine is simply a must. It DOES NOT replace the need for a handheld
flashlight in your pocket but trying to identify a threat at distance while
holding your patrol rifle and a handheld flashlight is just not practical. I like the Streamlight TR-1. It’s reliable, my generation light has 300
lumens and it is at my fingertip if I need it.
Finally, there is the sling . . . and yes you need
one. Should you need to transition from
your patrol rifle to your handgun, you don’t want to be in a position to have
to juggle both or have to drop your rifle.
The trick is to find a comfortable sling that you can easily
adjust. The Bravo Company Viking Tactics
wide padded is SIMPLY THE BEST! It’s
comfortable when worn all day and very easily adjustable. A simple tug of the strap or release cord
make rapid adjustment easy.
More stuff??? Well,
there’s lots and lots of additional pieces of gear you can add. Laser sights, IR Illuminators, bipods to name
just a very few . . . I would suggest you do your best to pass on the temptation. Keep it simple, keep it clean and spend the
range time you need to be able to use your Patrol Rifle to defend yourself,
your family or those in your charge.
Links
DPMS
ORACLE 556
Magpul
Pmags
Magpul
MBUS Sights
Bravo
Company Viking Tactics Sling
Streamlight
TR1 Weapon Mounted Light
EOTech
512 Holographic Sight
