%100 agree
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I was considering answering your original question yesterday, but I got busy.
You got some good responses.
To me, function beats form 9 times out of 10. I drive a Kia Niro (hybrid small-SUV), and a V8 F150 … I know that cars are just too small to be practical for what I do, but I can’t afford the gas in the truck all the time.
Both vehicles are nothing that would win a beauty pageant (I mean, car show), but they do very crucial jobs very very well.
So, balancing any “normal” gun purchase considerations, jury’s opinion is one of the last things on my mind. But, having studied psychology, yes, appearance would probably be a larger impact than we’d imagine on a jury, if you were able to compare identical scenarios with a stylized “tactical weapon” vs a stereotypical “hunting rifle.”
Another commenter raised a good point about what you REALLY need for your break-in vs your zombie apocalypse. There’s a reason my Glock 34 Gen 5 has a mini-red dot (vortex venom?) and the light/laser, and is so convenient to grab. The shotgun is accessible, but most cases that I can realistically imagine, it probably wouldn’t even come off the wall anyway.
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We can only hope the conversation effected a change of mind for at least one person. You’d think people would WANT to have accurate info before becoming involved in a convo that requires actual knowledge, and not just opinion.
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But that requires you to be asked it (IN THOSE WORDS) and for you to be given the chance to speak those words without them being twisted… oh god i can see it now … “MAN USES HIS MILITARY GRADE WEAPON TO SAVE LIFE, ALSO FOR FUN”… 
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Yeah, I could see that 
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Are you a member of the military or police force? Because that’s what M&P means. Clearly they only meant for these dangerous weapons of war to be in the hands of professional peace keepers.
(That was sarcasm. I’m one who (mostly) believes that citizens should be allowed to carry whatever our police can carry. But now that I’ve said it, S&W’s “M&P” brand kind of feeds into that misguided idea that only armed forces and police should have quality firearms.)
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@Ouade5
Thank goodness we live in a country founded on the belief that it’s citizens were/are its peace keepers!!!
I would be more than a little concerned for any LEO, professional soldier, or agency employee that did not consider themselves a citizen first.
But I will admit that I’m not exactly positive which pile private contractors go in…
BTW… I thought M&P stood for Mostly Plastic!!!
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I’m often told that police and military members should have “more rights” than other citizens. I’ve never heard that from an actual member of the military or a police officer.
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Maybe someday I’ll get to own a modern firearm that doesnt scare people just because of color (like this maybe)…
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A 1911 and a Thompson are great choices… but I am at a loss what your ‘it’s 100 year old technology’ is regarding.
And it did not actually address the carbine issue and High point as an option.
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I keep a 9mm Keltec Sub 2000 in a DDT sling pack with several spare loaded magazines, and add-Ins (forward grip/light/laser) optics and batteries handy. It’s kind of heavy but is easy to carry.
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If you were in court, and a lawyer was trying to convince the jury of the “scary assault weapons.” Revolvers and lever action guns “look” like old technology. Yes I know, it’s convoluted, but, so is the thought of anti 2A folks that how a gun looks makes it more dangerous.
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Car insurance can be like that also.
A rifle with a wood stock is fine, but a black plastic stock is more dangerous.
A car with a V8 and regular paint is cheaper on insurance, but a car with a V8 and body moldings, cosmetic additions, and a sporty paintjob is more dangerous and insurance is higher… because…
They both can do 180 mph… but one looks like it is faster.
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I agree with you 180 is 180 BUT, back in the 70s (yes I am old) I read a study where it showed where two identical cars other than the color would make a difference in insurance cost. If you had a bright red paint job your insurance rates were higher than the same care in white.
The study showed there were more accidents caused by excessive speed by people driving the red car. They concluded the reason was the personality traits for the driver who liked the bright red caused them to naturally drive faster.
I only owned one car that was bright red in my life (Mustang with NOS) and never got a ticket with it.
I got the most tickets with my 1969 Mustang with a build 302 Boss, it was painted flat black with spray paint from the local hardware store. Never lost a street race with that one, I did lose my license though (twice).
Don
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I’m slightly (jokingly) mad at myself/embarrassed for myself… my first Henry wasn’t a lever action… it was an AR-7. I try not to call it my “backpack gun” in public b/c I live too close to Philly, and yes, THERE, I would not be surprised if using the term “backpack gun” is a “guilty” indicator in self defense… lol
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The sad truth is, like the paint job on a car, the look of the gun affects how the owner is perceived, the right or wrong of it does not change it. On that score, a plain Ruger carbine would seem very defensible both as a purchase for protection, and in the role as providing that protection. The mini-14 starts to look scary the minute they put a 30 round mag under it, and on the other end, a lever action Winchester is about as hard to demonize as it gets.
Be interested to learn what you decide on.
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The AR-15 is sold as a Sporting Rifle, not an “assault” rifle - same argument.
Id like to see leftists and democrats take an AR15 “assault” rifle into combat- they would either change their minds or no longer be around to be dangerous pests. The AR is not a combat weapon.
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What separates the two the hbar the chrome lined barrel the weight the three shot burst fire or some ones perception that the black rifles are the same. It’s the pandering to the lowest common denominator of a politicians constituency keeping them paranoid and ignorant makes for the greatest wool to be pulled over their eyes. Which is why a gun on a table vs a knife vs a hammer knife always wins as dangerous after the gun the gun empty has the ability to project ones will the knife your connected to it no one has ever died from a stray knife flying through the window.lastly the lowly hammer least threatening of all but will kill you in the most violent way savagely dangerous a hammer , yet the rifle and the gun kill less people than cancer , drugs and covid yet get blamed for more things than reasonable.
Appreciate your points Scoutbob. I actually thought the same exact thing. I followed your same exact logic. I get you. I heard that wooden stock rifles help absorb recoil, though I’ve not looked at studies.