Rifles are a newer addition to the home-defender's arsenal. For years most publications wrote and instructors taught that carbines were unsuitable for home defense and that they provided no benefit over shotguns. While this is far from true, it's likely rooted in the prevalence of full-powered battle rifles in previous decades. Where high-powered, full metal jacket, military ball ammunition would sail through any opponent and every obstacle not made of steel or thick concrete. These rifles often had tremendous recoil and extraneous barrels-lengths, making them ill-suited to indoor fighting. In fact, until the introduction of the M16, most American shooters only knew of one rifle that they could consider a responsible choice for indoor self-defense: the M1 Carbine.