Looking for some learned advice

[Darkman60]

Ever since I received my copy of the March/April Handgunner magazine, I have been enamored with the Sig P516 AR pistol. I have been looking at purchasing at a 10.5" barrel model from Radical Firearms in 300 Blackout and then in the midst of of my excitement over this new weapon, I had what I believe was a moment of clarity. My concern with this type of firearm is that it would pack way too much firepower in a close range weapon that could potentially wreak havoc on bystanders and interior walls in a self defense situation. Do most of you who own these weapons do so primarily for their cool factor (which is off the charts) or was self defense your main priority? At what distances are these weapons consistently accurate? I'm an old guy on disability and it takes a really long time to save up for firearm purchases so I need to get it right. Any help you guys might offer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[WickedWillis]

Every firearm I own is set up for self defense. Even my one "nostalgia" handgun (HK USP 45) is setup for home defense. I care about over-penetration with every brand of defensive ammo I have, especially because I live in an apartment. Do your research on exactly what every round you look to use is rated for, and what it is capable of.

[Darkman60]

Thanks for your prompt response to my question. My EDC is a Kimber 1911 Pro Raptor II with 230gr. powerball. One of the reasons that I love the 1911 platform is that with this setup I'm shooting a big fat slow bullet at around 850 fps. which I've always believed reduced the chance of a shoot through, especially with the Powerball round creating maximum mushrooming. I will probably go ahead with my plans to purchase an AR pistol if only for a 'fun day' at the range but I just can't see how a rifle round is a wise choice in a self defense close quarter combat situation and that is my concern. Am I making sense here or am I being overly cautious?

[MistWolf]

I can't say about the 300 BLK, but the 5.56 has less problems with over penetration through drywall than most handgun rounds

[hatidua]

I went and bought some supplies at Home Depot to make a bunch of "walls" that closely mimic what most houses are made out of in my neighborhood (drywall on the inner walls, plywood/siding on the outer walls) and lined 4-6 of these 'walls' up in a row to see how much penetration each of nearly 20 different ammo types would accomplish. I found the experiment to be worth the time involved.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/hatidua/wallsz_zpsmmfxiciy.jpg

[Kokopelli]

its legal for me to carry a loded pistol with me in my vehicle, whenever i feel that its needed. The shorty is fun to play with as well...

[Darkman60]

I went and bought some supplies at Home Depot to make a bunch of "walls" that closely mimic what most houses are made out of in my neighborhood (drywall on the inner walls, plywood/siding on the outer walls) and lined 4-6 of these 'walls' up in a row to see how much penetration each of nearly 20 different ammo types would accomplish. I found the experiment to be worth the time involved.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/hatidua/wallsz_zpsmmfxiciy.jpg

Hatidua, thanks so much for weighing in. That is exactly the type of information I was hoping to garner when I started this thread. I would greatly appreciate it if you would share your results here. Of course, interior walls would not be sheathed with plywood but your results would be eye opening for me. Thanks.

[hotrodder636]

I will be very interested to see and read the results of this. I continually hear that the 5.56 will over penetrate but that just doesn't make sense to me. A light bullet at high velocity will scrub its energy off much faster when hitting hard objects than a slow heavier (handgun) bullet. Analogy: a semi truck hits a brick wall at 60 mph vs a Ferrari hitting a brick wall at 90 mph....which will be destroyed and which will keep going.

I went and bought some supplies at Home Depot to make a bunch of "walls" that closely mimic what most houses are made out of in my neighborhood (drywall on the inner walls, plywood/siding on the outer walls) and lined 4-6 of these 'walls' up in a row to see how much penetration each of nearly 20 different ammo types would accomplish. I found the experiment to be worth the time involved.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/hatidua/wallsz_zpsmmfxiciy.jpg

[hatidua]

My reason for posting the photo of the wall/s before they were shot was to suggest that this was an educational (and very inexpensive) thing for people to do on their own. My results may not mirror that of others, and I will not be posting what I experienced as any deviation from the interweb-conventional-wisdom would be met with derision.

For less than $35, and an hour with a hammer, anyone here can do this on their own and see how their ammo performs. I suggest it to anyone with the time.

[Captiva]

I will not be posting what I experienced as any deviation from the interweb-conventional-wisdom would be met with derision.

Well thanks for contributing. :rolleyes:

http://www.theboxotruth.com/the-box-o-truth-12-insulated-walls/