The compact and lightweight Maxim Defense PDX is fit for civilian personal defense needs.
Choosing An AR-15 for Home Defense
Before we dive into how to set up an AR-15 for home defense, let’s talk a little about the platform itself.
Why would someone choose an AR-15 for home defense over another platform?
First, the AR-15 rifle is a lightweight, low-recoiling, accurate, and reliable firearm.
Second, they fire a commonly available cartridge that’s been proven by decades of use.
Finally, the AR-15 gives you a very modular platform that makes it easy to personalize your style and purpose of the weapon. In the case of this article, home defense.
The Maxim Defense PDX dominates CQB encounters and achieves maximum terminal ballistics on target within confined spaces. At just 18.75" in overall length, the PDX delivers groundbreaking power and performance in a subcompact platform.
At the heart of the award-winning PDX is the Maxim SCW stock system. This patent-pending system cuts down the length of the stock to just 4" allowing you to conceal it almost anywhere inside your home.
The Maxim Defense PDX is also equipped with the Maxim HATEBRAKE muzzle booster. This significantly reduces recoil, decreases the flash signature, pushes gasses and concussion waves away from the shooter, and improves overall performance in short barrel pistols and rifles.
The above reasons are why the Maxim Defense PDX excels as a home defense firearm. Yes, you’re going to pay a little more, but when your life is potentially on the line, you want a platform you can depend on 100% of the time.
Once you’ve chosen the AR-15 platform you want to use for home defense, it’s time to optimize it for that purpose.
The following additions will turn your AR-15 into a purpose-built tool to defend your home with.
Cloud Defensive OWL Weapon Light
You don’t have to choose all the items on this list, but if I had to narrow it down to one or two items, a weapon light would be at the top of the list.
The purpose of a weapon light is to positively identify the threat in either low light or complete darkness. With the right light, you could potentially deter the threat with the blinding light alone.
My preferred weapon light is the Cloud Defensive OWL (Optimized Weapon Light). There are three reasons why I chose this light.
It throws a blinding 1,250 lumen beam of light and can do so for upwards of 90 minutes. That’s plenty enough light to deter a threat alone without having to pull the trigger.
The Cloud Defensive OWL is more or less a self-contained unit, meaning that the light, mount, and pressure switch are a single unit. Keep it simple stupid.
The light mounts over the top of the pic rail on the Maxim Defense PDX or any other rifle rail that has pic rail running across the top. This allows for a streamlined grip and operation of the light under duress.
Since I’m going for a simple streamlined build, I chose the Crimson Trace CTS-1000 red dot sight. MSRP on this guy is $399.99, but never fear, the street price is much more affordable and can be found for around $150 online.
The Crimson Trace CTS-1000 Red Dot Sight is a Compact Red Dot Sight for AR rifles and carbines. Featuring a 2.0 MOA round aiming dot, the CTS-1000 will elevate your home defense gun’s performance instantly.
This red dot sight can be installed in seconds by utilizing a quick disconnect (QD) rail mount. The CTS-1000 attaches effortlessly to Picatinny rail sections.
The CTS-1000 is also covered by the Crimson Trace 3 Year Limited Warranty and free batteries for life!
I’ve been through my fair share of rifle slings over the years. I used a traditional two-point sling in the Marine Corps for several years. Nowadays, I prefer the quick-adjust slings that allow you to make adjustments on the fly. There are a few manufacturers out there making these, but the one I own and recommend is the Viking Tactics Original.
The Viking Tactics Sling was designed by Kyle Lamb, a former Army Delta Operator. After seeing the shortcomings in the industry at the time, he took it upon himself to design a sling that he would use. After a few modifications based on real-world use, the Viking Tactics Original Sling was born.
Created for a collapsible stock (AR-15 type rifles), the Viking Tactics Sling is quick, versatile, dynamic, and most importantly, simple. The VTAC Sling is instantly adjustable, allowing you to adjust shooting positions with ease. You can easily move from strong side shoulder to weak side shoulder or secure your carbine during handgun transition.
The Magpul PMAG Gen 3 is at the top of the game and trusted by military forces around the world. A faulty magazine can easily create an unreliable rifle in a time of need. For a rifle you’re going to defend your home with, I would highly recommend picking up a few Magpul PMAGs.
A standard Magpul PMAG 30 will get the job done, but I personally prefer the lower profile 20 round PMAG for my home defense AR. For home defense, I just like to keep things compact and streamlined.
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