Whatever you do, give up considerations of a camera operator pay raise. That's as polite as it gets. Appreciate your demo. Camera work with you up close target totally ruined it for me.
I teach combat training in my community organization........Aka militia 🤣. And one if the things I push is cover vs concealment, knowing the difference, and reaction time. Difference between death and life for sure.
I remember seeing the Hollywood shoot out. Between the police and two bank robbers wearing homemade body armor and using AK's. The police took cover behind a cinder block wall. Unfortunately the AK's punched though like it was nothing.
_Ackshually, that's a concrete masonry unit._ All cinder blocks, in US construction, are concrete and steel rebar reinforced. Hollow tube construction is Haitian or Chinese construction practice. In singles, they'll fracture and shatter quite readily. But in practice, they are supported top, bottom, left and right, with all of those stresses transferring laterally. If there is a structural weakpoint, for the purposes of this discussion, its in those spaces where its solid CMU through the wall. But that isn't gone in a single shot, it's multiple shots in a single point to penetrate. Which is unlikely to occur in a defensive situation. And there are very few flat laid 2x4s in 'stick frame' construction.
Not all CMU wall are filled solid with concrete. Only the cells that require rebar reinforcement that tie the dowel rod to the down rods between the footers and the lintel. The distance apart varies by manufacturers and specific plans. Commonly 4'-6' apart and at each side of window and door openings. This leaves more hollow block than solid filled block. As far as the 2x4 turned flat you can not assume that you are firing the weapon exactly 90° to the wall striking the stud squarely to the edge. Not to mention there are many wood frame homes that have no CMU at all on exterior walls even.
What he said and furthermore, what City do you live in that is all modern construction? Even houses in the 80s weren't built that way. Neighborhoods vary and its best to keep a blanket train of thought on this.
Years ago, a buddy and me were shooting my 20" AR with M193 55 grain IMI ammo. We were 100 yards away from our target and using wood railroad ties as a backstop. To our surprise the M193 had zipped clean through the railroad ties from 100 yards. There is no way in hell that regular 2 x 4 using in typical wood framing is going to slow down M193 from a 20" barrel.
What? What are you talking about? A 2x4 is going to make M193 fragment and dump its energy into it, same as it did with the wood railroad ties you were using.
@Fascista Mexican it fragments on flesh based on velocity. People running shorter than 11.5” and even on that I wouldn’t recommend for in houses. As a bullet maintains yaw it is extremely unstable. Below that velocity, it is a needle through wood. M193 is very reliant on barrel length and distance for fragmentation.
Still less lethal though. Numerous studies show pistol calibers wound more than they kill so might as well go with a pistol caliber as opposed to a rifle caliber. That's why I have a .40 PCC as my home defense gun.
@@BlueonGoldZ What are you thinking? If you shoot an intruder, shoot to immediately neutralize him. He's there to do you and family harm. I would care not it he was fatally shot with the first round.
Very helpful information. I'm sticking with my Valmet's in 7.62x51. I live in a rural location and want to stop vehicles and multiple threats with good stopping power. Have in home defense covered. Thank you Reid. Shoulder to shoulder.
I live in the vast oceans of suburbia surrounding Washington DC--my 590 12ga is my go to for home defense. I load it with a mix of slugs and 00 buck--1 slug followed by 2 00 shells, rinse and repeat until the tube is full--I go with the slug first since I might have time to aim the first shot and not have to rely so much on pattern (tight or otherwise--generally tight in the close confines of a home) and I think the slug will be more effective if the intruder is armored up. I also think the slug will be helpful in suppressing a vehicle mounted attack if I have to "take it outside", but the enhanced pattern for that application brings its own benefits to the table as well. Again, I believe I have enough capability in the shotgun with this load out to deal with the animals populating suburbia without posing a huge risk to my neighbors and freaking out the local constabulary when they show up. If I did live in a rural area however it would definitely be my SOCOM or my MDR (same calibers as your Valmet). Cheers!
The first time I shot aks at night I thought I was good to go. I realized quickly that my light was mounted to far back and washed out my front sight, couldn’t see a thing. A thorntail mount solved the problem but had I relied on my old set up I’d have lost before I even started. Got to use your gear, especially gear you expect to help defend your life. Love your channel buddy.
AK is the best for home defense you will shoot the robber in your house, the robber in your neighbor's house and the guy at the getaway car out in the street at the same time. Hell yeah 😎
So I do use an AK for home defense, but I'm sitting in an upstairs hallway shooting down at an angle and straight into my front yard. I'm not going downstairs and searching, as my house is NOT set up for that, too many bad angles and blind spots. Is the AK my ideal weapon for home defense? Definitely not, but it's the only rifle I have with a defensive ammunition at the moment.
With the God given right to self defense these people building apartment complexes should be forced by codes or something to use materials that will protect bystanders if something goes down next door be it self defense or a swat raid or even a ND. If your business model is to pack as many people as possible into a certain area the company or the city should have things in place to protect the tenants.
We lived in a duplex years ago and I was always afraid that the neighbor was going to have a ND. He would get drunk and clean his guns, and watch Rambo. He was an all American guy but very irresponsible.
There should be firewalls in place, consisting of concrete or some other material to keep apartment fires contained. That should also be enough to keep lethal rounds from entering, but also keep in mind that anything shy of steel or hard metals will eventually get holey from repetitive rounds in the same area
Many want "macho" in order to keep their family safe, but macho is firearms proficiency. You can tell others what to consider, but showing this video explains more.
@@pliskenx51mm83 Home defense was the point he was making. Nobody is questioning your ability. The point was many have gone out and purchased the AK because of reputation for stopping power without considering the liabilities. There are some areas where it may not be the wisest choice. A picture paints a thousand words as it did above.
Any rifle round is going to treat a normal ballistic vest like it doesn't exist lol, steel core or not. If your target is wearing hard, rifle rated armor, good luck finding a 7.62x39 loading that will do better at punching it than a 5.56 will. If it'll stop a 5.56 it'll stop a 7.62x39. The same does not always apply the other way around.
Most steel core ammo is mild steel, not suitable for armor penetration, but great for blowing through walls. If its not 7N23, 7N22, or API-BZ, its likely not AP ammo, least not in the AK platform.
Hey Reid thanks for the vid. I use a 10.5 inch AK for Home defense. But my idea is... Lets put a watermelon wrapped in Clothing in FRONT of the stud and brick. That way we will see a simulation of what happens if a round goes through the attacker. I'm willing to donate funds to see this demonstration of what happens AFTER a 7.62 AK round passes through an attacker. Once again.Thank you for your service to the 2A culture.
1:55, I have seen apartment buildings going up in the area I live in. All of them are being built with sheet metal studs in the walls. There might have been some wood studs in them someplace, but what is visible from outside, before the exterior walls go up, are hundreds or thousands of sheet metal studs! Some pellet guns can shoot through the sheet metal studs!
Hot 556 will do similar stuff. 12 or 20 gauge buckshot will rip the house up too. Not even going to talk about slugs. Magnum rounds will chew up a 2x4 like gum as well.
Great video and visual demonstration. Your house ballistics video was the main reason why I went with the FBI load for my home defense AR. Great stuff!
While I think this is a great illustration, apartment dwellers need to to understand that ANY rifle or modern handgun round is going to go through more than one wall. There’s no way around it. If you live in a residential neighborhood this video might change some things, but if you can be aware of safe angles penetration matters less. In 5.56 projectile type matters too, there’s a bunch of popular barrier blind stuff marketed as HD ammo and it performs significantly different compared to m193 or similar through barriers. Just be aware of what your environment is and practice your due diligence.
I have an AR next to my bed but I’m more than likely to use the pistol, Even though I am rural. The AR is more in case, you know tell me there is like a squad situation…
I remember the old days where shotguns were used in structures for law enforcement but these days the 5.56 rifle is used instead and in my experience 5.56 goes through walls as well so a projectile going through a wall can’t be an issue apparently these days.
55gr goes through a couple of walls. Now plug a few through a bad guy and watch how it loses all penetration. 5.56 is an amazing round for interior fighting. If you honestly think buckshot is good for interior fighting then I hope you never have to go into a building blind. Buckshot will rip right through walls and keep going. Intermediate cartridges are the best for interior fighting.
@@FXIIBeaver Guess it depends what the individual wants to get hit with on the other side of the wall the single full metal jacket at 3275 fps, or round balls of 00 buck at 1325 fps going through that adjacent apartment wall.
Fx, i tried to inform people on a different video that buckshot is terrible for hd, and a 556 is one of the best. They thought i was being a smart guy lmao. Poor neighbors of those people….
@@willf5768 you clearly have never shot a 5.56 through barriers or in a house and it shows. 55gr ball m193 will not go through more than one wall after passing through a baddie. This information isn’t hard to find. Even Reid has demonstrated how poor 5.56 is at going through multiple barriers. Then there is the issue of projectile count. 1 projectile is better than 8 because if each one of those buckshot balls kill 8 individuals unintentionally, I hope you like life behind bars because that is where you will end up for the rest of your life. There is a reason police switched from shotguns to 5.56. My advice is learn from them. They kill for a living they know what to use.
@@FXIIBeaver you’re speaking as if in general. Anything shorter than about 12.5” and the game changes for the 55gr and 62gr projectiles. 5.56 is STANDARD issue NATO. Goons that run 11.5 and shorter are not running standard issue NATO cartridges in “American architecture”. Muzzle velocity is everything on whether you’re utilizing the proper tool for the job. Personally, I don’t understand why 40gr and 45gr NATO loads aren’t talked about in HD
I don't disagree with Reid over much, but rather than 2x4 then block as a best-case scenario. I would say that bad guy, then two-by-four, followed by block is a best-case scenario
The example is that the person in the apartment across the hall or the house directly next to you may very well not be safe from the penetration of a 7.62x39 round.
Thank you Sir for the video! It just confirms what I have already done before in a test. The AK went through most wall structures that we tried. Even car doors. We didn’t even use any special rounds, just standard FMJ Wolf brand. Be safe!
Merry Christmas Reid to you and your family. I hope you have a wonderful, very blessed Christmas 🎄 and a wonderful New Year. Merry Christmas everyone here reading, watching. I hope you all have a blessed Christmas.
Luckily, I live in the country so I can use and AK in 30 cal. I still like my Mossberg best. But, then again, an 8 foot high fence around the acre around my house (to keep deer out), a couple of pitbulls and a wife who takes no sheet from anyone, I can continue to watch my football game while they take care of business... Merry Christmas Reid.
The weapon you feel most comfortable with and are accurate with is the right weapon. We aren't talking open warfare, we are taking self defense. My buddy's ak is shorter and easier to use inside a building than my non pistol stuff and has far more firepower and oh shit factor than my pistols. Doesn't seem like a bad deal either way you look at it.
@@mikewhitman745 Agreed on the comfort issue. But let's hope you have room in your home. Like someone said, use of a pistol is a means of fighting back to the rifle you should never have set down. It all depends on one's circumstances.
@@hollyfoxThe not everyone gets to walk around with a rifle on their shoulder all day every day and violence happens away from home as well as at home. It's nice to say you should never put a rifle down ever but it's not exactly realistic for the vast majority of people in day to day real life. Listen to people that deal with every day self defense situations. There isn't enough time involved in most cases to say, get out of the car, go to the trunk and get your rifle and then engage. You have enough time to pull the pistol you have on your person and engage, by then the situation is normally over. Average gun fight is way less than 30 seconds if I remember correctly. If I was going to war that's a different story and I'll bring a rifle and pistol rather than if I'm going to the store to buy toilet paper and dog food, then I'll bring a pistol.
@@mikewhitman745 I think you may have missed my point (or I failed to present it correctly), most rifles are not good home-defense weapons if you live in a small home. And pistols are much more practical for EDC. Thanks and Happy New Year.
If you own or at least control your residence and can do renovations test out what a 2x4 frame box wire screened and drywalled filled with gravel can do to stop rounds you will be impressed.
6 inches of sand should do the trick. I live in an IVF poured concrete house, containment most directions plausible. 2/3rd of my entrances are facing neighbors a half mile away, so care must be used. I like that TAC-14 with buckshot for bad breath engagement, 9mm to back it up.
@CLOV3R713 the 125gr soft points aren't subsonic but they do expand. Better than fmj for sure. I keep plenty of the silver bear stuff on hand and I also hand load the hornady 123gr .311 varmint bullet.
7.62 by 39 is a awesome round. I live out in the country so it don’t matter. I still gotta be aware of other family members in other rooms. With hornady A max or federal fusion the AK will expand and not penetrate as much but still will have a lot of penetration. That’s why I got expanding ammo in my Daniel Defense Ar 15. Also I like to keep my mossberg 590 A1 beside my bed loaded with 00 buck with a 1000 lumen light attached.
Next time you get up in the middle of the night\darkness to pee, fire off a 1000 lumen light.... You're eyes are gonna hurt like Hell and you can't see anything. I learned to put a lower lumen light on my stuff.
Great video Reid. Apparently people still need to see this stuff. It’s awesome you’re there for them I’m a firearms instructor myself. Stay safe and merry Christmas
@@rickyrampage3732 Read the 300+ other comments and ask them how it helped . Being a firearms instructor there’s people out there every day that don’t know about any of this. I officially didn’t need it. So you’re asking the wrong guy son.
my ww1 trench gun, 12 gauge at close range, and I can stick them to the wall, 1911 45 ACP if needed for backup, and if they run the good old M1A they will only die tired that is if there is anything left
Got your rifleman book! It's really a good buy. Thanks for getting real data for us and sharing your knowledge. You've been so thoughtful of your fellow Americans. God bless and merry Christmas, Reid and family!
Merry Christmas Reid. As You are aware the 7.62x39 was designed with intermediate barrier penetration in mind. Even soft points have substantial penetration. IF one chooses a 5.56 AR-15 for home defense a Hollow point would be a better option to minimize penetration. For a long time in My Apt. I used a BHP loaded with Glaser safety slugs (blue) and (go ahead and laugh) a Marlin model 60 with CCI solids.
Keep in mind that was not even close to being your normal cinder block used in home construction, most blocks have 2 large holes with the walls of block only being about 1 and 1/2 inches thick, so lethal penetration can happen on the first round, but the block he used was a GREAT example of how powerful the gun actually is, shoot that with an AR15 and it would probably just chip away at the block.
Awesome test to if you want an actual test turn the 2x4 on edge. I know the round will destroy it but if your going to do it do it right. That's how studs set in a wall
The AK is an amazing, awesome, pretty powerful round. But for home defense? I’d go either a 12 gauge (Mossberg 590 or Remington 870- I think both fire 12, I know only about Mossberg) or a 5.56/.223 if we’re talking long guns. A 9mm or a .45 for handguns. 7.62x39 is arguably a better active combat round than the 5.56, but my overall opinion favors a 5.56 for general use and military use. If you have the ability to use a 7.62x39, though, more power to you. These are just from what I’ve heard would be good, though. Coming from law enforcement.
Back in 1995, when I was serving helping to develop the then fledging Estonian Defense Forces Army my colleagues tested the Soviet M43 762x39 round out of an AKM. As well as a Israeli Gallil AR in 556 NATO. The test target Medium was an old Soviet Army Ural Truck. The Soviet M43 762x39 upon being fired at the side of the Drivers Door subsequently penetrated the Divers and Passengers door exiting both doors of the thick metal Ural Truck. The 556 fired from the Galil AR achieved full penetration of only one door and stayed was recovered in the passenger door. From my own experiences with the US M16/M4 having served many years in the US Army and from my Estonian Defense Forces Army experience, I feel that the Stoner design AR15/ M16/M4 is a far better more effective efficient with it's closed operating system that has also been proven to function better than the AK's in Mud etc. See Ian's YT AR15 vs AK mud test videos. Also the M16/M4 is far more accurate than either the older designed AK's or the Gallil AR or SAR. Given if a person had lots of space in a rural setting an excellent choice would would probably be an AR15 in the M43 762x39 caliber. Otherwise the semi automatic AK's in the M43 762x39 cartridge is a fine rural homestead Self Defense Preservation Device.
I got an AK for *outside* the home defense against attackers in vehicles and/or light body armor. Tried it on an old auto body and got through and through penetration. Nice! 7.62x39 is an awesome round for barrier penetration, even out of a 10.5" barrel.
Ya car doors are Maby 4-5 X thicker than beer cans ! Soft mild steel car door I’d bet Maby would slow a x39 10% Maby if the bullet hit glass and door panel. Cars are designed for safety in slow wrecks but definitely not for a gun battle.
That’s what I like about 7.62x39, it doesn’t lose much going with a shorter barrel. Even going from 16 to 12.5 inches, you only lose 50-100 FPS, which coming from the AK, doesn’t amount to much.
Everything above 22LR will rip through building materials. I use steel for target stands and it still gets ripped up. A guy at the range brought out a beautiful target stand made of wood. It was shredded in a couple minutes. Unless your house is made of ar500 steel you will be blasting into your neighbors house.
Something else this makes clear is how little protection your home will offer you should you be defending against bad guys. If you plan to use a standard built structure as a defensive barrier, you will need to decide how and if you can reinforce your positions inside.
i grew up in los angeles county, gangs all over the place, and you saw that a lot, even 9mm shot from the street penetrated multiple walls and still wounded and sometimes killed
Movies have done a great disservice to ballistic realities. There isn’t really any real “cover” in modern residential properties. They are only “concealment”.
In an apartment with modern tenement walls, even birdshot and 9mm tears through several sheets. Paul Harrell demonstrates this. Use what works best for your budget and situation.
I’d imagine #8 bird shot would go through at close range but Maby after 15yds I’d think it wouldn’t penetrate. I think I remember that video he used a few different loads. Common #8 if it’s not spread would penetrate but a short barrel with a bit of distance won’t. Theirs really not many bullets at all that would be stopped by sheet rock I’d have to imagine #8 or 10 would be your safest option. With as short a barrel as possible. Maby a judge pistol! Paul hates those but that’s probably as safe a gun for sheet rock as any!
Recently decided that my home defense wep was going to be my ak103. I live in a apartment. Thanks for the video. Going back to my ar as the risk of over penetrating is too high.
Experiment was marginal. I didn't see a bullet hole in the target only shrapnel caused by the breaking cement from the subsequent rounds. I can give you several cases of people killed by stray bullets from handgun rounds that went through walls and killed people. Where I live, a few years ago, some idiots fired a .45 in the air and the bullet went through the wall killing a grandmother and 2 year old. You have to assume just about any round you fire has the potential of going through a wall.
Yeah. He fired one shot, broke the brick then fired two more times. The bullet didn't "break the brick and keep on going." He broke the brick with the first shot, then fired two more times. The third shot, he didn't even hit the brick, he just shot over it into the target. He's not wrong, you always need to think about what's behind your target and how far your bullet will go, but this test was kind of a joke.
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That brick was a lot more heavy duty than most bricks for sure. Well done Reid 👊🏼 make us some more videos bro! 🌍❤️
Always love these sort of tests. Thank you for all that you do. You and your loved ones have a positive Christmas and new years!
Merry Christmas Reid✌
Holy f*** you shaved 👀
Whatever you do, give up considerations of a camera operator pay raise. That's as polite as it gets. Appreciate your demo. Camera work with you up close target totally ruined it for me.
My uncle served a few years in Vietnam. He said you either learned real quick that trees weren't cover, or you didn't.
Cover vs concealment is a tough lesson to learn 😅
I teach combat training in my community organization........Aka militia 🤣. And one if the things I push is cover vs concealment, knowing the difference, and reaction time. Difference between death and life for sure.
@@Thekoryosmenstribepodcast u in az i wanna join :)
now if it's alaska. Ill take a fifteen foot across redwood. But a palm tree nawww man naw haha
@@concernedcitizen2868 think that 15 ft redwood is cover an concealment
This is also good for the people in Chicago to understand that hiding in a house from a drive-by is not good cover.
I remember seeing the Hollywood shoot out. Between the police and two bank robbers wearing homemade body armor and using AK's. The police took cover behind a cinder block wall. Unfortunately the AK's punched though like it was nothing.
Then they brought out the 308s
_Ackshually, that's a concrete masonry unit._
All cinder blocks, in US construction, are concrete and steel rebar reinforced. Hollow tube construction is Haitian or Chinese construction practice. In singles, they'll fracture and shatter quite readily. But in practice, they are supported top, bottom, left and right, with all of those stresses transferring laterally.
If there is a structural weakpoint, for the purposes of this discussion, its in those spaces where its solid CMU through the wall. But that isn't gone in a single shot, it's multiple shots in a single point to penetrate. Which is unlikely to occur in a defensive situation. And there are very few flat laid 2x4s in 'stick frame' construction.
Not all CMU wall are filled solid with concrete. Only the cells that require rebar reinforcement that tie the dowel rod to the down rods between the footers and the lintel. The distance apart varies by manufacturers and specific plans. Commonly 4'-6' apart and at each side of window and door openings. This leaves more hollow block than solid filled block. As far as the 2x4 turned flat you can not assume that you are firing the weapon exactly 90° to the wall striking the stud squarely to the edge.
Not to mention there are many wood frame homes that have no CMU at all on exterior walls even.
Uh oh it’s gonna be a construction duel!!!
Let me get some popcorn.
What he said and furthermore, what City do you live in that is all modern construction? Even houses in the 80s weren't built that way. Neighborhoods vary and its best to keep a blanket train of thought on this.
And this explains why the East Coast is continually flattened by tornadoes and hurricanes.
There is no hollow construction on the West Coast.
@@Korruptor
Yep
I run an AK variant for home defense. It's a 9mm KP-9 from Kalashnikov USA.
Years ago, a buddy and me were shooting my 20" AR with M193 55 grain IMI ammo. We were 100 yards away from our target and using wood railroad ties as a backstop. To our surprise the M193 had zipped clean through the railroad ties from 100 yards. There is no way in hell that regular 2 x 4 using in typical wood framing is going to slow down M193 from a 20" barrel.
What? What are you talking about? A 2x4 is going to make M193 fragment and dump its energy into it, same as it did with the wood railroad ties you were using.
@@EternalDeath14 M193 will zip through 2x4’s. They tumble after hitting harder targets, slow down then fragment when hitting additional hard targets.
YEP! Which is why I suggest hollow points in 5.56.
@Fascista Mexican it fragments on flesh based on velocity. People running shorter than 11.5” and even on that I wouldn’t recommend for in houses. As a bullet maintains yaw it is extremely unstable. Below that velocity, it is a needle through wood. M193 is very reliant on barrel length and distance for fragmentation.
@@EternalDeath14 A railroad tie is many times thicker and more dense than a 2 x 4. It is also impregnated with tar.
For all the "use a pistol caliber" guys...pistol bullets penetrate through standard building materials quite well.
Thats why you also dont use FMJ. Ballistics have a big role to play even when assessing an investigation.
Also by your standard a pistol cartridge should be enough as well because they both over penetrate
Still less lethal though. Numerous studies show pistol calibers wound more than they kill so might as well go with a pistol caliber as opposed to a rifle caliber. That's why I have a .40 PCC as my home defense gun.
What about #4 buckshoot or something in between 00 buck and birdshot?
@@BlueonGoldZ What are you thinking? If you shoot an intruder, shoot to immediately neutralize him. He's there to do you and family harm. I would care not it he was fatally shot with the first round.
Very helpful information. I'm sticking with my Valmet's in 7.62x51. I live in a rural location and want to stop vehicles and multiple threats with good stopping power. Have in home defense covered. Thank you Reid. Shoulder to shoulder.
"Valmets?" More than one? Now you're just flexing. It's difficult to find one Valmet and afford it, much less multiple "Valmets".
I live in the vast oceans of suburbia surrounding Washington DC--my 590 12ga is my go to for home defense. I load it with a mix of slugs and 00 buck--1 slug followed by 2 00 shells, rinse and repeat until the tube is full--I go with the slug first since I might have time to aim the first shot and not have to rely so much on pattern (tight or otherwise--generally tight in the close confines of a home) and I think the slug will be more effective if the intruder is armored up. I also think the slug will be helpful in suppressing a vehicle mounted attack if I have to "take it outside", but the enhanced pattern for that application brings its own benefits to the table as well. Again, I believe I have enough capability in the shotgun with this load out to deal with the animals populating suburbia without posing a huge risk to my neighbors and freaking out the local constabulary when they show up. If I did live in a rural area however it would definitely be my SOCOM or my MDR (same calibers as your Valmet). Cheers!
Buc sh00tt. Fuck yes. Respectable.
@@DaveTex2375 I got a stick bow. Try me punk lol
Agreed. I also run 762x51 for the same reason. Also it will defeat most body armor.
The first time I shot aks at night I thought I was good to go. I realized quickly that my light was mounted to far back and washed out my front sight, couldn’t see a thing. A thorntail mount solved the problem but had I relied on my old set up I’d have lost before I even started. Got to use your gear, especially gear you expect to help defend your life. Love your channel buddy.
AK is the best for home defense you will shoot the robber in your house, the robber in your neighbor's house and the guy at the getaway car out in the street at the same time. Hell yeah 😎
funny. but kind of not.
@@binalith4898 8 people so far though it was funny 😄
So I do use an AK for home defense, but I'm sitting in an upstairs hallway shooting down at an angle and straight into my front yard. I'm not going downstairs and searching, as my house is NOT set up for that, too many bad angles and blind spots. Is the AK my ideal weapon for home defense? Definitely not, but it's the only rifle I have with a defensive ammunition at the moment.
With the God given right to self defense these people building apartment complexes should be forced by codes or something to use materials that will protect bystanders if something goes down next door be it self defense or a swat raid or even a ND. If your business model is to pack as many people as possible into a certain area the company or the city should have things in place to protect the tenants.
Sounds great but I don't want to turn my $1,100 apartment into a $2,000 apartment
Like what, armor plate?
We lived in a duplex years ago and I was always afraid that the neighbor was going to have a ND. He would get drunk and clean his guns, and watch Rambo. He was an all American guy but very irresponsible.
There should be firewalls in place, consisting of concrete or some other material to keep apartment fires contained. That should also be enough to keep lethal rounds from entering, but also keep in mind that anything shy of steel or hard metals will eventually get holey from repetitive rounds in the same area
@@dthreadjrto late lol
Soft points are the way to go depending on some factors like apartment for example
I use a 300 Win Mag. for my home defense.
Wtf lol
In a 16inch barrel right? Gotta keep it stupid tactical.
surely you JEST
Many want "macho" in order to keep their family safe, but macho is firearms proficiency. You can tell others what to consider, but showing this video explains more.
Oh really?
I WANT TO BE A MACHO MAN!!!
Wait, not Village People “macho.”
lol
@@stacyblaustein1228 Yes, you are entitled to be macho, too.
I don't see using an ak as being "macho" I see it as having another caliber and reliable rifle on hand.
@@pliskenx51mm83 Home defense was the point he was making. Nobody is questioning your ability. The point was many have gone out and purchased the AK because of reputation for stopping power without considering the liabilities. There are some areas where it may not be the wisest choice. A picture paints a thousand words as it did above.
A Very Merry Christmas to everyone! 😄🎄
😄😃
🎄⛄🦌🎄
Merry Christmas, Reid.
Thank you for your patriotism. Thank you for being a fellow American and,
A brother.
X39 is great for shooting THROUGH the walls to knock down a team stacking up in the hallway or outside getting ready to enter - invade Your castle.
Merry Christmas, Reid! Keep up the good work!
GREAT VIDEO, thanks for sharing.. Not my preferred weapon for home defense. Saying with the Mossberg pump and my (2) German Shepherds.
Close quarters you cant beat a shotgun.
My daughter gave me two of your books for Christmas. The American Riflemen and Pistol Craft. Looking forward to reading them.
Great books!
Good report Reid! The only reason I choose that caliber is that, if they ever want to confiscate "anything", it's steel core vs vests.
Any rifle round is going to treat a normal ballistic vest like it doesn't exist lol, steel core or not. If your target is wearing hard, rifle rated armor, good luck finding a 7.62x39 loading that will do better at punching it than a 5.56 will. If it'll stop a 5.56 it'll stop a 7.62x39. The same does not always apply the other way around.
Most steel core ammo is mild steel, not suitable for armor penetration, but great for blowing through walls. If its not 7N23, 7N22, or API-BZ, its likely not AP ammo, least not in the AK platform.
Literally all ceramic armor is designed to defeat this caliber. This is poorly thought out
Hey Reid thanks for the vid. I use a 10.5 inch AK for Home defense.
But my idea is... Lets put a watermelon wrapped in Clothing in FRONT of the stud and brick. That way we will see a simulation of what happens if a round goes through the attacker.
I'm willing to donate funds to see this demonstration of what happens AFTER a 7.62 AK round passes through an attacker.
Once again.Thank you for your service to the 2A culture.
Also the 2x4 would be rotated 90° from the way he had it.
1:55, I have seen apartment buildings going up in the area I live in. All of them are being built with sheet metal studs in the walls. There might have been some wood studs in them someplace, but what is visible from outside, before the exterior walls go up, are hundreds or thousands of sheet metal studs!
Some pellet guns can shoot through the sheet metal studs!
Hot 556 will do similar stuff. 12 or 20 gauge buckshot will rip the house up too. Not even going to talk about slugs. Magnum rounds will chew up a 2x4 like gum as well.
Very good, my personal favorite is a 12 gauge shotgun.
Full (Top to bottom) bookcases on the wall would stop any bullet fired. Plus, you have all those books to read.
Reid you are a legend! Merry Christmas brother
Merry Christmas to you sir and yours thank you for this video.
Merry Christmas Reid and happy new year
Thanks for the demonstration Reid. Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas Reid.
Always look forward to your videos
Great video and visual demonstration. Your house ballistics video was the main reason why I went with the FBI load for my home defense AR. Great stuff!
FBI load?
@@josemontenez4779 Yeah it's like Federal FBIT3 or something similar.. 62 grain... bone frog used to have some but it's vaporware these days.
@@josemontenez4779 it's now called the communist pedophile subvert and saboteur load.
@@hombrenuevoacts1728 this is not the channel to be pushing your witchcraft Abominations
@@dthreadjr Wrong site dude, you're looking for the shiff/pelosi blogs.,.
While I think this is a great illustration, apartment dwellers need to to understand that ANY rifle or modern handgun round is going to go through more than one wall. There’s no way around it. If you live in a residential neighborhood this video might change some things, but if you can be aware of safe angles penetration matters less. In 5.56 projectile type matters too, there’s a bunch of popular barrier blind stuff marketed as HD ammo and it performs significantly different compared to m193 or similar through barriers. Just be aware of what your environment is and practice your due diligence.
Thanks Reid
Reid Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Great Video Thanks.
Thank you and Merry Christmas!
My preferred home defense round is #4 buckshot.
I have an AR next to my bed but I’m more than likely to use the pistol, Even though I am rural. The AR is more in case, you know tell me there is like a squad situation…
itll eventually happen, you know it, i know it.
Merry Christmas Reid!
I remember the old days where shotguns were used in structures for law enforcement but these days the 5.56 rifle is used instead and in my experience 5.56 goes through walls as well so a projectile going through a wall can’t be an issue apparently these days.
55gr goes through a couple of walls. Now plug a few through a bad guy and watch how it loses all penetration. 5.56 is an amazing round for interior fighting.
If you honestly think buckshot is good for interior fighting then I hope you never have to go into a building blind. Buckshot will rip right through walls and keep going. Intermediate cartridges are the best for interior fighting.
@@FXIIBeaver Guess it depends what the individual wants to get hit with on the other side of the wall the single full metal jacket at 3275 fps, or round balls of 00 buck at 1325 fps going through that adjacent apartment wall.
Fx, i tried to inform people on a different video that buckshot is terrible for hd, and a 556 is one of the best. They thought i was being a smart guy lmao. Poor neighbors of those people….
@@willf5768 you clearly have never shot a 5.56 through barriers or in a house and it shows. 55gr ball m193 will not go through more than one wall after passing through a baddie. This information isn’t hard to find. Even Reid has demonstrated how poor 5.56 is at going through multiple barriers.
Then there is the issue of projectile count. 1 projectile is better than 8 because if each one of those buckshot balls kill 8 individuals unintentionally, I hope you like life behind bars because that is where you will end up for the rest of your life. There is a reason police switched from shotguns to 5.56. My advice is learn from them. They kill for a living they know what to use.
@@FXIIBeaver you’re speaking as if in general. Anything shorter than about 12.5” and the game changes for the 55gr and 62gr projectiles. 5.56 is STANDARD issue NATO. Goons that run 11.5 and shorter are not running standard issue NATO cartridges in “American architecture”. Muzzle velocity is everything on whether you’re utilizing the proper tool for the job. Personally, I don’t understand why 40gr and 45gr NATO loads aren’t talked about in HD
I don't disagree with Reid over much, but rather than 2x4 then block as a best-case scenario. I would say that bad guy, then two-by-four, followed by block is a best-case scenario
The example is that the person in the apartment across the hall or the house directly next to you may very well not be safe from the penetration of a 7.62x39 round.
He probably couldn't find a bad guy who wanted to volunteer for the job...too bad.
Thank you Sir for the video! It just confirms what I have already done before in a test. The AK went through most wall structures that we tried. Even car doors.
We didn’t even use any special rounds, just standard FMJ Wolf brand.
Be safe!
Squirrel guns go through car doors.
Thanks for all you do Sir.
Merry Christmas Reid to you and your family. I hope you have a wonderful, very blessed Christmas 🎄 and a wonderful New Year.
Merry Christmas everyone here reading, watching. I hope you all have a blessed Christmas.
Luckily, I live in the country so I can use and AK in 30 cal. I still like my Mossberg best. But, then again, an 8 foot high fence around the acre around my house (to keep deer out), a couple of pitbulls and a wife who takes no sheet from anyone, I can continue to watch my football game while they take care of business... Merry Christmas Reid.
An AK is not for home defense. It is for an all together different form of defense.
perfect for home defense. if its daylight and they see the rifle, you probably wont even have to shoot it
The weapon you feel most comfortable with and are accurate with is the right weapon. We aren't talking open warfare, we are taking self defense.
My buddy's ak is shorter and easier to use inside a building than my non pistol stuff and has far more firepower and oh shit factor than my pistols. Doesn't seem like a bad deal either way you look at it.
@@mikewhitman745 Agreed on the comfort issue. But let's hope you have room in your home. Like someone said, use of a pistol is a means of fighting back to the rifle you should never have set down. It all depends on one's circumstances.
@@hollyfoxThe not everyone gets to walk around with a rifle on their shoulder all day every day and violence happens away from home as well as at home.
It's nice to say you should never put a rifle down ever but it's not exactly realistic for the vast majority of people in day to day real life.
Listen to people that deal with every day self defense situations. There isn't enough time involved in most cases to say, get out of the car, go to the trunk and get your rifle and then engage. You have enough time to pull the pistol you have on your person and engage, by then the situation is normally over. Average gun fight is way less than 30 seconds if I remember correctly.
If I was going to war that's a different story and I'll bring a rifle and pistol rather than if I'm going to the store to buy toilet paper and dog food, then I'll bring a pistol.
@@mikewhitman745 I think you may have missed my point (or I failed to present it correctly), most rifles are not good home-defense weapons if you live in a small home. And pistols are much more practical for EDC. Thanks and Happy New Year.
If you own or at least control your residence and can do renovations test out what a 2x4 frame box wire screened and drywalled filled with gravel can do to stop rounds you will be impressed.
6 inches of sand should do the trick. I live in an IVF poured concrete house, containment most directions plausible. 2/3rd of my entrances are facing neighbors a half mile away, so care must be used. I like that TAC-14 with buckshot for bad breath engagement, 9mm to back it up.
@@jondahl3173 Good load out.
Tactics and guts win the fight. A weapon is merely a tool to get the job done. Improvisation is the best thing to have though >:0
Reid, check out Barnaul 125 grain 7.62x39mm soft points. Really limits over penetration provided it strikes an attacker.
@CLOV3R713 the 125gr soft points aren't subsonic but they do expand. Better than fmj for sure. I keep plenty of the silver bear stuff on hand and I also hand load the hornady 123gr .311 varmint bullet.
7.62x39 - Turning 'Cover' into 'Concealment' since 1947....
Merry Christmas Reid and have a happy new year.
7.62 by 39 is a awesome round. I live out in the country so it don’t matter. I still gotta be aware of other family members in other rooms. With hornady A max or federal fusion the AK will expand and not penetrate as much but still will have a lot of penetration. That’s why I got expanding ammo in my Daniel Defense Ar 15. Also I like to keep my mossberg 590 A1 beside my bed loaded with 00 buck with a 1000 lumen light attached.
Next time you get up in the middle of the night\darkness to pee, fire off a 1000 lumen light.... You're eyes are gonna hurt like Hell and you can't see anything. I learned to put a lower lumen light on my stuff.
Great video Reid. Apparently people still need to see this stuff. It’s awesome you’re there for them I’m a firearms instructor myself. Stay safe and merry Christmas
how did this video help anyone? 😂
@@rickyrampage3732 Read the 300+ other comments and ask them how it helped . Being a firearms instructor there’s people out there every day that don’t know about any of this. I officially didn’t need it. So you’re asking the wrong guy son.
@@rickyrampage3732 I bet you fire a weapon once or twice a year.
@@MJScoutArchMar 😂😂😂
Makes sense, unless you're aiming at your neighbors.
This is an informative video. Merry Christmas!
Cool demonstration Reid, nice AK too. Merry Christmas to you bro.
I was going to say go back and look at the video a couple a years ago and look what happens but you said it . Great video. Keep up the great work.
my ww1 trench gun, 12 gauge at close range, and I can stick them to the wall, 1911 45 ACP if needed for backup, and if they run the good old M1A they will only die tired that is if there is anything left
Hey at least you don't have to spend twice as much on a round for ARs to yeet through barriers! Love that sledge hammer within 300yds
Got your rifleman book! It's really a good buy. Thanks for getting real data for us and sharing your knowledge. You've been so thoughtful of your fellow Americans. God bless and merry Christmas, Reid and family!
Merry Christmas Reid. As You are aware the 7.62x39 was designed with intermediate barrier penetration in mind. Even soft points have substantial penetration. IF one chooses a 5.56 AR-15 for home defense a Hollow point would be a better option to minimize penetration. For a long time in My Apt. I used a BHP loaded with Glaser safety slugs (blue) and (go ahead and laugh) a Marlin model 60 with CCI solids.
Keep in mind that was not even close to being your normal cinder block used in home construction, most blocks have 2 large holes with the walls of block only being about 1 and 1/2 inches thick, so lethal penetration can happen on the first round, but the block he used was a GREAT example of how powerful the gun actually is, shoot that with an AR15 and it would probably just chip away at the block.
Awesome test to if you want an actual test turn the 2x4 on edge. I know the round will destroy it but if your going to do it do it right. That's how studs set in a wall
A 9mm AR with a 10 inch barrel will surprise you how well it penetrates.
Camping as a kid we would shoot through 12-14" trees consistently with an SKS. Like butter
Same here. I was actually amazed at how it penetrated a good sized tree with no deflection at all.
Thanks, Reid.
I’m moving out to Tennessee in the next few months and will be looking at valor ridge for training as soon as I’m settled in!
The AK is an amazing, awesome, pretty powerful round.
But for home defense? I’d go either a 12 gauge (Mossberg 590 or Remington 870- I think both fire 12, I know only about Mossberg) or a 5.56/.223 if we’re talking long guns. A 9mm or a .45 for handguns.
7.62x39 is arguably a better active combat round than the 5.56, but my overall opinion favors a 5.56 for general use and military use. If you have the ability to use a 7.62x39, though, more power to you.
These are just from what I’ve heard would be good, though. Coming from law enforcement.
Back in 1995, when I was serving helping to develop the then fledging Estonian Defense Forces Army my colleagues tested the Soviet M43 762x39 round out of an AKM.
As well as a Israeli Gallil AR in 556 NATO.
The test target Medium was an old Soviet Army Ural Truck.
The Soviet M43 762x39 upon being fired at the side of the Drivers Door subsequently penetrated the Divers and Passengers door exiting both doors of the thick metal Ural Truck.
The 556 fired from the Galil AR achieved full penetration of only one door and stayed was recovered in the passenger door.
From my own experiences with the US M16/M4 having served many years in the US Army and from my Estonian Defense Forces Army experience, I feel that the Stoner design AR15/ M16/M4 is a far better more effective efficient with it's closed operating system that has also been proven to function better than the AK's in Mud etc.
See Ian's YT AR15 vs AK mud test videos.
Also the M16/M4 is far more accurate than either the older designed AK's or the Gallil AR or SAR.
Given if a person had lots of space in a rural setting an excellent choice would would probably be an AR15 in the M43 762x39 caliber.
Otherwise the semi automatic
AK's in the M43 762x39 cartridge is a fine rural homestead Self Defense Preservation Device.
9mm hollow point and 2 big Rottweilers are my security.
Reid you should make a video on "pathing" a way to a threat. Safe navigation to address the problem.
Great demonstration as always Reid Thankyou for all you do for our community and merry Christmas sir.
See ya soon Reid. Can't wait to train with my FREEDOM loving brothers and sisters
I got an AK for *outside* the home defense against attackers in vehicles and/or light body armor. Tried it on an old auto body and got through and through penetration. Nice! 7.62x39 is an awesome round for barrier penetration, even out of a 10.5" barrel.
Ya car doors are Maby 4-5 X thicker than beer cans ! Soft mild steel car door I’d bet Maby would slow a x39 10% Maby if the bullet hit glass and door panel. Cars are designed for safety in slow wrecks but definitely not for a gun battle.
That’s what I like about 7.62x39, it doesn’t lose much going with a shorter barrel. Even going from 16 to 12.5 inches, you only lose 50-100 FPS, which coming from the AK, doesn’t amount to much.
Thanks Reid 👍
12 Guage #4 buckshot
7.62 and 5.56 FMJ will go straight through a 4-5 inch tree. That’s enough to tell you it will go through multiple layers of both drywall and studs.
I love the MAK 90 chambered in 223
Everything above 22LR will rip through building materials. I use steel for target stands and it still gets ripped up. A guy at the range brought out a beautiful target stand made of wood. It was shredded in a couple minutes. Unless your house is made of ar500 steel you will be blasting into your neighbors house.
Exactly this. It's amazing how people think that walls will stop firearm projectiles. 22LR will go through walls too.
Reid, thank you for your knowledge. Merry Christmas to you and your family. God bless you Patriot brother.
Good knowledge and it’s exactly why I didn’t use my AK for apartment defense when I lived in one. Now I’m in the country 😀
If you hit a stud in a wall, it will most often be edge-on, so you will be shooting through 3 1/2 inches of wood.
Thanks for the reminder Reid. Been a while since we have talked about over penatration.
Love your videos. Merry Christmas buddy
Something else this makes clear is how little protection your home will offer you should you be defending against bad guys.
If you plan to use a standard built structure as a defensive barrier, you will need to decide how and if you can reinforce your positions inside.
i grew up in los angeles county, gangs all over the place, and you saw that a lot, even 9mm shot from the street penetrated multiple walls and still wounded and sometimes killed
My favorite for home defense is a short barreled suppressed pcc.
The underfolder on the night stand is for no knock raids..
Merry Christmas Reid
Merry Christmas! Reid I’m going to come train! See you on the ridge.
Movies have done a great disservice to ballistic realities. There isn’t really any real “cover” in modern residential properties. They are only “concealment”.
Always love these sort of tests. Thank you for all that you do. You and your loved ones have a positive Christmas and new years!
In an apartment with modern tenement walls, even birdshot and 9mm tears through several sheets. Paul Harrell demonstrates this. Use what works best for your budget and situation.
I’d imagine #8 bird shot would go through at close range but Maby after 15yds I’d think it wouldn’t penetrate. I think I remember that video he used a few different loads. Common #8 if it’s not spread would penetrate but a short barrel with a bit of distance won’t. Theirs really not many bullets at all that would be stopped by sheet rock I’d have to imagine #8 or 10 would be your safest option. With as short a barrel as possible. Maby a judge pistol! Paul hates those but that’s probably as safe a gun for sheet rock as any!
Also bullet design makes a difference. You want something made for self defense like a soft point or copper expanding bullet. Not FMJ.
Most expanding bullets behave like non-expanding bullets when hitting hard barriers!
Fill the blocks with concrete and rebar.
Recently decided that my home defense wep was going to be my ak103. I live in a apartment. Thanks for the video. Going back to my ar as the risk of over penetrating is too high.
Experiment was marginal. I didn't see a bullet hole in the target only shrapnel caused by the breaking cement from the subsequent rounds. I can give you several cases of people killed by stray bullets from handgun rounds that went through walls and killed people. Where I live, a few years ago, some idiots fired a .45 in the air and the bullet went through the wall killing a grandmother and 2 year old. You have to assume just about any round you fire has the potential of going through a wall.
Yeah. He fired one shot, broke the brick then fired two more times.
The bullet didn't "break the brick and keep on going." He broke the brick with the first shot, then fired two more times. The third shot, he didn't even hit the brick, he just shot over it into the target.
He's not wrong, you always need to think about what's behind your target and how far your bullet will go, but this test was kind of a joke.
A class sounds like a great idea for 2022
Got that "boogaloo badge" on your sling! Haaa!
Good eye