556 for HD?

[M4Fundi]

I've searched and not found much. It seems like if there is a good thread on this it would be stickied.

What is a good ammo for Home Defense (HD) ? As much as I would like 14" of penetration, blah, blah, blah...I'm more worried about my rounds going thru my neighbors house.

So, is there an ammo specifically made for HD with high fragmentation on barriers, or ??

[Alaskapopo]

I've searched and not found much. It seems like if there is a good thread on this it would be stickied.

What is a good ammo for Home Defense (HD) ? As much as I would like 14" of penetration, blah, blah, blah...I'm more worried about my rounds going thru my neighbors house.

So, is there an ammo specifically made for HD with high fragmentation on barriers, or ??

556 ammo is a bit under penetrative not over penetrative. In fact most .223 ammo penetrates less in homes than common pistol rounds do. However pretty much all pistol and rifle rounds will travel through your home and into your neighbors house if you miss. The point being don't MISS.
Pat

[Zhukov]

I've searched and not found much. It seems like if there is a good thread on this it would be stickied.

You mean like the one stickied above called "5.56 DUTY LOADS" ?

https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=19881

[M4Fundi]

No, I don't mean like that one...duty loads need to be able to penetrate windshield glass and other barriers that the HD person does not usually need or want. I think that ARs are going to be used more and more as HD weapons and that loads that give adequate terminal performance and are designed to be less likely to exit the home will be more and more popular. Or maybe they exist? but I did not find them (maybe they are there) in the Duty Thread.

[Jim from Houston]

From DocGKR's "5.56 Duty Loads" article:

"In those situations where intermediate barrier penetration is not a critical requirement, for example LE urban entries or long range shots in open conditions, then OTM, JHP, and JSP loads can offer good performance. If your expected engagement scenarios are at typical LE distances, say out to 200 yards, then either 5.56 mm or .223 SAAMI pressure loads are fine. For 1/7 twist barrels, the Hornady 75 gr OTM, Nosler 77 gr OTM, and Sierra 77 gr SMK OTM are all good choices. The experimental BH loaded 100 gr OTM exhibits impressive fragmentation, even at relatively low velocities, however while capable of shooting out to 600, it is optimized for 200 and under. If stuck with 1/9 twist barrels, the heavy 70+ gr loads are not universally accurate in all rifles and the 69 gr SMK OTM, the 68 gr Hornady OTM, the Winchester 64 gr JSP (RA223R2), the Federal 64 gr TRU (223L) JSP, Hornady 60 gr JSP, are likely to run accurately in the majority of 1/9 twist rifles. NOTE: With 1/12 twists, the best choices are the 55 gr Federal bonded JSP load (LE223T1 or P223T2) or Barnes 45 or 55 gr TSX bullets in order to ensure adequate penetration (Note: the Barnes 53 gr TSX is a bit longer than the 55 gr TSX due to a different ogive and does not stabilize as consistently in all 1/12 twist barrels)."

For home defense, you're basically talking about an "urban entry" type scenario.

To be short and to the point: the best AR load for home defense needs is most likely going to be the 75gr Hornady TAP round (provided your weapon has a fast enough twist to stabilize it). This round is quite effective against a human target but has significantly less risk of overpenetration than a 9mm handgun bullet or a load of 00 buckshot. Will not give good performance against barriers, but, as you say, this is not a major concern for home defense.

As stated above, if your 75gr TAP round hits a human target, the extensive fragmentation will make overpenetration a negligible issue.

[M4Fundi]

I must have been overwhelmed by all the acronyms

Thanks! I have a Noveske N4 Light Basic Carbine with a 14.5 barrel and 1in7twist. The thing is so short and light and the fact that I sold my tac shotgun it isgoing to have to pull HD duty and I want to be responsible in my choice of ammo.

Thanks Again

[RWK]

As much as I would like 14" of penetration, blah, blah, blah...I'm more worried about my rounds going thru my neighbors house.

Methinks your priorities are backwards. Nevertheless, the 5.56 TAP 75-gr. gets my vote.

[M4Fundi]

Methinks your priorities are backwards. Nevertheless, the 5.56 TAP 75-gr. gets my vote.

Over penetration? or rifle over shotgun?

[Marcus L.]

To be short and to the point: the best AR load for home defense needs is most likely going to be the 75gr Hornady TAP round (provided your weapon has a fast enough twist to stabilize it).

Not necessary at home defense ranges. In most 1/9" twist rates you need to be beyond 50yrds to see any significant accuracy problems. Depending on the barrel quality, you may not notice any accuracy problems up to 300yrds even with a 1/9" twist rate. In fact, a slower twist rate means the bullet will travel slightly faster and "should" have a quicker disruption time due to reduced spin stabilization. On a soft target, a keyhole will cause a significant level of entry trauma and the 75gr TAP bullet will still give good penetration and fragmentation.

To the original poster, 5.56 will make a good HD round if you pick a good OTM load. When it comes to long guns I think a 12-gauge is a better choice, but a good 5.56 will be better than any handgun load when it comes to terminal effects.

[CCK]

Permanent wound channels, temporary wound channels both make for good internet discussion and may indeed have a bearing on whether the recipient dies later. But I'm not really sure what that does to stop a fight RIGHT NOW.

Shooting is exactly the same as Real Estate sales. Location, location, location.

Chris