I am selecting ammo to load into a magazine to be kept ready for home defense. My main concern is home invasion by multiple BG's. This crime seems to be increasing where I live.

I have been reading some articles about "Stopping Power" including some academic theses and a good article by a former cop who serves now as a medical examiner. It is clear to me that the caliber should be 40 or larger with the exception of 357 mag or, perhaps 357 Sig. Calibers like 10mm, 41 mag and 45 ACP are favorably mentioned.

But a common thread in these articles is that stopping performance varies for any round because of the mix of substances a bullet runs into in the body. Bone may deflect a JHP type and clothing may fill the nose preventing or reducing expansion.

My current plan is to load the magazine of my MP40 alternately with FMJ and JHP loads of the same weight. The same weight should give good accuracy. The alternating types, with two shots in general per BG, should assure effectiveness in disabling the BG.

Any comments?

I would select one of the premium JHPs that functions well in your pistol and that you shoot good with. Load your magazines with them and don't worry. I see no advantage in alternating with FMJ for defense. A JHP will behave as a FMJ when plugged or deformed. A FMJ will be a FMJ even through soft tissue. Bill

i agree with sarge, but i keep a 12 pump along with a handgun beside the bed, both equiped with lights.

I would not mix rounds in a magazine for fear of causing a malfunction. This might work in revolvers but IMHO is not a workable tactic in a semi auto.

x2 12 gauge is the ultimate home defense weapon. Mine hangs above the header of my walk-in closet, but the M&P is in the nightstand.

Yeah, I would say that my 12 Gauge with 8 rounds of OO Buck makes me feel better than a pistol in the home. I carry a .45 and a 10 mm sometimes and they are great rounds, but as the man said," Use your handgun to fight your way back to your rifle/shotgun." Just a thought.....

I wouldn't mess around with FMJ ammo, especially inside a residence. Too much penetration, in people, walls, etc...Any good quality JHP will get it done, without the over-penetration problems associated with FMJs. Most of the better quality JHPs are tested through clothing barriers and such things that clog the hollow point. They are designed to expand regardless of these obstacles. Center hits with whatever you choose will go further in a successful outcome, than the type of ammunition chosen.

In my humble opinion; if you don't deal in drugs or human smuggling and don't flaunt wealth, you should be relatively safe from home invasion. But it's never a bad thing to be prepared.

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Tom
"Panem et Circenses"

I would load it with a good defensive hp. In a home defence you dont want over penetration.

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6 will do the job!

Although I keep a combat shotgun handy, no way am I counting on it in the confined spaces of a house. Just to big and clumsy, making a disarm all that more likely! All someone has to do is deflect the muzzle a bit, and the shotgun is out of the fight....imagine this scenario in a narrow hallway. Better be ready to go hand-to-hand!!!

I want weapons that are quick and light and handy. My choice is a Glock 23 backed up by a J-frame in my pocket, all loaded with Glaser Silvers. (One note, go to the range and be sure your automatic will cycle properly with Glasers very light/very high velocity bullets.)

Different ammo types shoots to different points of aim. The first consideration, even before stopping power, is where the bullets are going to end up. Trust any of the modern hollow-points to do their magic if you place them appropriately. Mixed ammo is a really bad idea.

This was once the rage, but is no longer in vogue. Find a quality cartridge that functions flawlessly in your gun and stick with it.
Randy

Rem 870 18" barrel extended mag 12ga with light is what I have plus a S&W 4003 40s&w on the night stand

The only reason to ever use hardball (FNJ) is in a pistol that will not reliably feed JHP. My home weapon is a steel 45 with 2 Glaser silver tips up ,than 230 gr hydrashoks filling the rest of the mag. glasers do great temporary cavity wounds. the 230 grainers give an avg of 13 inches of penetration in humans.

Buy two boxes of high quality defense HP ammo (usually sold in boxes of 25). Go to the range. Shoot half a box slowly and ensure no malfunctions/accuracy is where it should be. Shoot the other half in rapid fire and ensure no malfunctions. Load up the remaining box in your mags and go home.

Thanks for the thoughtful replies. I have two types of JHP's, both name brands and over $1 per round. I will test them for function and accuracy and stick with one of them. I'll leave the FMJ's of the same weight for target practice.

The problem I have with a shotgun is there's a good chance I'd have to shoot past my wife. Either she'd be greeting the BG and welcoming him in or he'd be pointing a gun at her. With a shotgun, I'd have to give it up.

I'd like to take a class in home defense. It seems to me there are many peculiar aspects compared to regular self defense or combat courses. Elements of state law that pertain would also be helpful.

That used to be in fashion for a while among the local cops, both in revolvers and semi-autos. Usually they were thinking about shooting through car glass and doors.

One officer I knew had a small European .380 of some kind - maybe a Walther or a Mauser, I can't recall - that he carried when off-duty. I remember him showing it to me and being reasonably impressed by it. It was a high quality gun, whatever it was. Anyway, later he told me he had purchased some of the first Federal hollow-points for it and found that they did not feed reliably, so he would load the magazine with RN-FMJs and put one Federal HP in the chamber.

When I thought about this jamming gun, I always wondered why he didn't just get a Chief's Special.

Anyway, that was the only case I could see of mixing ammo in the gun making even a little sense, but it used to be pretty common.

I agree with thomasinaz on this one. Way too easy for the FMJ to possibly even go through your BG, the glass slider behind him/her and into your neighbor's house and kill them. Then guess who is at fault? Yup, you guessed it. You're going to jail. Not saying that can't happen with JHP's, but the likeliness is cut down severely over FMJ's.

Stick to the JHP's. They have come a long way and are tested to go through clothing and other object, yet expand and stay in the BG to bring them down and stop the threat. That's what you want. You want the threat stopped. Not hurting other people behind them and property damaged as well due to the FMJs.

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Mat - M&P 40c & 40 Shield

I could see having one magazine loaded with FMJ handy and having HPs in the pistol with the FMJ being available if you should need it (most unlikely). If you have the ammo in your primary magazine mixed then half of your ammo will be less than perfect for the purpose.

I'll never unterstand why novices think this is a good idea.

I agree with sarge, there is no advantage to mixing ammo,just use a good self defense hollowpoint. I use Hornaday Critical Defense or Buffalo Bore, depends on the caliber. God Bless.

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You need guns- buy more guns!

I spend more time making sure my home is secure, that I am not telegraphing any ideas, real or imagined, to a preditor, or some oppurtunist. For instance, no one can "just walk up to my front door" where most home invasions start. Folks just respond to a knock or a door bell and throw the door open, or send some little child or woman to see who it is. Of course, they don't knock on the door wearing a ski mask, they have better costumes than that, like a policeman maybe? I have a front porch, which is surounded by a 4 foot railing and is hung with signage that prohibits soliciting or tresspass. It is kept locked, but some have felt they could climb over it and knock on my door, which they will probably never do again, anywhere. After that, I added a chain which says "keep out" accross the top of the gate. The back yard is fenced with a 6 foot fence and a locked gate, and posted. There is a central alarm system, and signage for it. We are vigilant about what our actions convey to those who may be watching, and we have carry permits. I have several guns and edged weapons around the house in strategic locations, some are larger than others, but if I shoot someone with one, he will have earned it, because he will not have tresspassed my property by mistake, and will most likely have had to break something in order to do so. There is a mental discipline that goes with this, but that is the way I am set up here. When my garage door goes up, a large orange and black no tresspassing sign drops down for anyone out in front of my garage to see. When I was a young boy and came upon a no tresspassing sign, the county sheriff may as well have been standing there. That's the way I was raised, and that's the way it was. Younger folks that have been raised on a diet of political correctness will find themselves in peril because of things like this, as time goes on. If you are more concerned about whether people will "like you" than you are about the sanctity of your home, you are at risk. If someone approaches my home, given the message it expresses, their going to find out that I'm not concerned about how friendly I appear to be. If I am thinking about being perceived as friendly, I'm thinking about the wrong things, and sending the wrong message. I'm not rude, just very serious and business like. Is this all paranoia? No, it's the lack of illusion based on life experience, mine and others, and a reasonable knowledge of history, and human behavior. I feel secure in my home, and I intend to remain that way. I remember when things were different, but that was then. My wife and I prayed that we would never have to use these weapons on anyone, but if we have to, that the Lord would power us to use them effectively. Flapjack

I don't know why some one would mix rounds in their home defense weapon.. The 40 cal or larger in a home defense weapon, not sure why either, you should use whatever you shoot well, weather its a 32, 9mm, 38, 45, or what ever, don't get hung up on what caliber they say works best, what works best is what you shoot well

I went to the range yesterday and shot 50 FMJ (180gr) for general practice. Then I shot 5 180 gr JHP and 5 155 gr High-Shok HP. All functioned well. I noticed a little more kick with the 155 gr because of its higher muzzle energy. My plan is to continue to load the magazine with 14 of the Fed Personal Defense 180 gr JHP (+1 in chamber) and use a good 180 gr FMJ for practice. I'll hold the 155 gr High shock for a few years. I have good confidence in the 180 gr loads.

Don't get to wrapped up in choosing a BIG ENOUGH Caliber gun. Choose the caliber you handle best. I have shot 4 wild hogs with 9mm's none took more than a few steps. half just folded right where they were. It is shot placement that counts. Any premium ammo will work just fine. I prefer Speer Gold dots.

Oh i wanted to add some tips for home security. Plant thorny plants around/under your windows. Don't let plant grow large enough to block the view to your windows. No one wants to break in if they think they will be seen. Any dog in the yard is a deterant. He only needs to be able to bark and alert you or neighbors. If he is inside when you are home he can alert you before anything happens most times. Remember you just need to make your home harder to break into thqan your neighbors. Also if you buy a new tv, don't discard the box in front of your house. Throw it away in a dumpster some where or break it down and cut it up so you can bunldle it up and stuff it in a trash bag.

Funny how this has turned into a "don't be a victim" thread...
Anyways, I for one do have mixed ammo in my house and carry hand guns. (This is for the odd chance that I can't get to a long gun) After testing for feed issues, I typically have 4-5 AFR rounds (similar to power ball or glaser SS) followed by HP's (Gold dots). After considering gunfight statistics (number of rounds fired, typical shot placement by LE/CC under stress etc...) I tested these on barriers found in my home. My conclusion was that HP or FMJ was going to end up outside in the event of a miss. HP even went through a fridge front and back. IMHO, I firmly believe that frangible ammo should be used for the first few rounds of any defensive hand gun. If the fight lasts longer than that, you should have bought time to evade or retreat to a long gun. BTW 55g 5.56 has a similar reaction to drywall as the frangible type rounds to an extent. Of course those can be found in frangible also. There will also be some rubber core FMJ stuff coming out shortly to reduce barrier penetration. I happen to live in an area with narco gangs that make mistakes on home invasion addresses. These typically have more than one perp invovled. For that I agree 100% with adding physical barriers and using common sense. Prayer doesn't hurt either.