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1. On March 31, 2022 at 1:18 am, Georgiaboy61 said:

   When I worked in the retail FA & accessories business some years ago, we occasionally had customers – “customers” – who would come in asking about things like this.The first thing out of my mouth or anyone else on the sales staff, would be: “Where do you live, and how close are your neighbors?”

   We took these precautions and asked such questions not only because it was the right thing to do, but because the ATF was known to send “secret shoppers” into retail establishments to test the staff on such things.

   I had a guy who claimed he lived in a high-rise apartment building ask for a .308 rifle for self-defense in his apartment. I smelled law enforcement all over the guy… but I answered his questions anyway. But I made clear to him that I considered using such a powerful weapon in such close quarters to be problematical. And then we talked about over-penetration, legal liability and other such things. If I recall correctly, he left without buying anything.

   Over-penetration is the major problem with center-fire rifles for home defense, especially built-up areas… suburbs or urban settings. The vast majority of American homes, whether condominiums, apartments, or single family homes, are not made of heavy-duty materials capable of withstanding a high-powered rifle shot. Even pistols firing FMJ can penetrate a remarkable distance into and through common building materials.

   “Janes Small Arms Review” for years ran a series of real-world tests on penetration using various combinations of firearms, ammunition and building materials. I don’t know the status of those tests now, however, if they are still available and in the public domain. But the subject is an important one, which every responsible FA owner ought to contemplate at length.

   Why? Because in legal terms, you “own” every shot you fire. But also because at the moral level, you must take every prudent step to protect the innocent from harm, even as you protect your loved ones, self and property.

   The crux of the matter is that rural residents may have vastly different defensive firearms needs than suburban dwellers, and again than city dwellers. A rancher or farmer whose homestead is half an hour from the nearest police response in the event of an emergency and whose home is isolated and vulnerable to attack from renegades and outlaws, faces a very different threat matrix than someone who needs a shotgun or handgun for close-quarters self-defense and has neighbors who may dwell only a few feet or yards away.

   In fact, I recall discussing other self-defense/home-defense options, too, since those form part of one’s protective envelope. Buying a dog and training it to function as a watchdog. Installing a burglar alarm. Upgrading doors and windows and getting stouter locks. Situational awareness, and so on.

   Getting back to the video and the question posed by the title, yes, a bolt-action rifle can be a viable self-defense tool. Like any tool, one has to take the time and effort to learn its proper use, but definitely something worth considering. Properly handled, a vintage Lee-Enfield .303 bolt-action rifle can approach a semi-automatic in rate of fire, and the cartridge is more than ample for most security threats. The late Colonel Jeff Cooper (USMC, ret.) was an advocate of the scout rifle concept, one of whose uses was self-defense. He advocated .308 Winchester as the caliber of choice, and a bolt-action as the choice of operating system.

   Speaking of threats, if you are unfortunate-enough to be endangered by a huge grizzly bear or the like, then having a high-powered bolt-action rifle handy and in a suitable caliber might just save your life. That AR15 in 5.56/.223 would probably just annoy him and make him that much more determined to tear you limb-from-limb.

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