PSA’s JAKL has become their flagship rifle, more or less. It’s an original design that’s been quite successful for them. I reviewed the JAKL a few months back and originally had it equipped with an LPVO and an Olight. Neither was suited for home defense.
After reviewing the rifle, I decided instead of building another general-purpose rifle, I would build a home-defense JAKL. The JAKL is a short and lightweight intermediate-caliber rifle well-suited for defensive roles.
Palmetto State Armory JAKL
Live Inventory Price Checker
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PSA JAKL 5.56 Pistol, Black | Palmetto State Armory | $ 1099.99 |
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PSA JAKL 5.56 Pistol, Black | Palmetto State Armory | $ 1099.99 |
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PSA JAKL 5.56 Pistol, Flat Dark Earth | Palmetto State Armory | $ 1099.99 |
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PSA JAKL 5.56 Pistol, Flat Dark Earth | Palmetto State Armory | $ 1099.99 |
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One might argue that a smaller JAKL pistol with a brace would be better, and I might agree, but I’m not partial to the explosive concussion and flash short 5.56 provided. That’s just me.
I understand the argument, and I’m willing to discuss it in the comments, but the 16.1-inch barreled JAKL isn’t some big beastly rifle that’s tough to wield. If Marines can clear Fallujah with M16A4s, I can point my rifle at a bedroom door while I wait for the police.
The Home Defense JAKL
Why would a person turn to a rifle for home defense? There is a good argument that a rifle, specifically an intermediate caliber rifle, is the best option for home defense. A 5.56 rifle gives you true rifle power, and at close range, the 5.56 round is going to hit hard, tumble, and potentially break into small pieces.
The 55.6 can be a true man-stopping round. It’s much better than a pistol cartridge. It also penetrates less drywall than either buckshot or pistol rounds. Yep, it’s true. The rounds tumble and lose energy quickly, which means less drywall penetration and less risk of hurting neighbors due to errant shots.
The JAKL has some inherent benefits as a rifle. First, it has very low recoil. Second, it has three points of contact, which make it much easier to shoot accurately and control. The rifle’s also light enough to use with one hand in a pinch and modular.
Modularity is where the rifle shines, and it is a big part of today’s article. Let’s talk about how we are going to set the JAKL up for home defense. In fact, let’s do it while keeping the gun affordable and reliable. The JAKL’s pricey enough, and we want to find accessories that work reliably without breaking the bank and keep things lightweight and ready to rock.
Optic – SIG ROMEO-MSR Gen 2
Home defense is typically done at ranges between 0 and 10 yards unless you have a mansion. Even at mansion ranges, a red dot is more than enough. Red dots provide you with a simple aiming solution that excels at close quarters. They allow for a two-eyed open shooting style and give you great situational awareness. With a properly zeroed red dot, all you need to do is put the dot on the target and pull the trigger.
The ROMEO-MSR Gen 2 keeps things simple and easy. It’s a rifle-height red dot with a compact 20mm objective lens. It’s essentially Aimpoint T2 sized. The MSR variants are superbly affordable and priced between 100 and 120 dollars. The 1 MOA reticle has 10 daylight settings and two-night vision settings and comes as a green or red dot.
The ROMEO-MSR 2 doesn’t shake awake, but the battery will last 35,000 hours at a medium setting. That’s enough not to worry about turning it off. The MSR 2 is surprisingly clear for such a cheap optic, with a nice crisp dot. It’s precise and easy to use. I’ve been shooting mine a ton, and it’s been a constant companion on my home defense JAKL.
For the price, it’s tough to beat. It works, it doesn’t lose zero, and while it might not blow you away with a ton of features, it’s functional and competent. It does its job and maintains a small and light profile.
White Light – SIG Foxtrot-MSR Compact
For home defense, a white light is a must-have. If something goes bump in the night, you don’t immediately know if it’s a threat. Maybe it’s an annoying cat—trust me, more than once, my annoying cat has woken my whole house up. It could also be a teenager sneaking back in or any number of nonthreats making noise. A white light allows you to identify friend from foe and is an absolute must-have on a home defense weapon.
I promise this isn’t a commercial for SIG Sauer. They make some pretty solid products at a solid price point. The SIG Foxtrot-MSR Compact isn’t the most affordable weapon light. If you want to save cash and get a solid white light, the Streamlight ProTac is the way to go.
However, for just a few dollars more, the Foxtrot MSR-Compact provides more lumens and candela and weighs less. Not only does it provide 1350 lumens backed by 33,000 candela, but it only weighs 3.6 ounces with the battery. Do you need that much light? I guess it depends on what you plan to do.
The 1350 lumens and 33,000 candela will provide a blinding white light to put a potential intruder on their toes. The blinding effect of white light is a valuable tactic that gives you valuable seconds to identify a threat and decide whether to engage.
The Foxtrot-MSR comes with an entire kit to allow you to set up your home defense JAKL. It includes a tape switch, a cable management system, and a rechargeable and replaceable battery system.
Magazine – Magpul PMAG 40
There is almost zero chance you’ll need to reload a thirty-round magazine in a home defense situation, and most are over very quickly. However, it costs me nothing to have an extra 10 rounds in my rifle. The PMAG 40 is my choice for a home defense JAKL.
Magpul PMAGs are the standard setter for reliable magazines. They are well-made, lightweight, and used by elite forces worldwide. They are also very affordable. Magpul produces the PMAG 40-rounders to give you 10 extra rounds.
It’s not likely I’ll go through 30 rounds, and it’s also not likely I’ll win the lottery, but the chance exists. I’m not toting a home defense rifle around the house or on patrol, so the weight of an extra ten rounds makes no difference to me. Having a little extra insurance is always a comfortable feeling.
Ammo – Speer Gold Dot
Your ammo choice doesn’t make a huge difference. Any decent 5.56 round will work. However, if we want to maximize terminal performance and ensure reliable feeding, the Speer Gold Dot 62 grain .223 is tough to beat. The cartridge provides a nickel coating to prevent corrosion, which can be valuable for long-term storage.
The projectile is a soft point. This type of projectile mushrooms when it hits a soft target, increasing the projectile’s size and terminal performance while also preventing overpenetration. It’s the best of both worlds.
The Home Defense JAKL
The JAKL, like the AR-15 and any other intermediate caliber rifle, offers a lot of firepower with very little recoil. It’s compact, easy to shoot, accurate, and reliable. It’s an excellent platform for home defense. It just needs a few accessories to get it going, and you can get it where it needs to be without going broke.
About Travis Pike
Travis Pike is a former Marine Machine Gunner, a lifelong firearms enthusiast, and now a regular guy who likes to shoot, write, and find ways to combine the two. He holds an NRA certification as a Basic Pistol Instructor and is the world’s Okayest firearm’s instructor.
