I'm really having fun with my new M&P Sport...shooting Brown Bear 55gr FMJ ammo with perfect reliability.

I live in a subdivision where my neighbors to the front and rear of my brick-constructed home are at least 50 yards away. The only walls in my home that have doors and windows are facing the front and rear.

I have handguns that probably are better suited for home defense, except for the round capacity if multiple intruders gained access into my home.

I've read on this forum, in the past, where posters claim that they would only use a handgun to "fight" their way to a rifle or shotgun. And so I'm wondering whether my new 15 Sport could responsibly be used for home protection.

If any of you here consider this a purpose for your AR's, what ammunition would be best suited for this? My home is about 1600 sq feet, with the largest "clear" distance from wall-to-wall of about 25-30 feet.

Thanks.

Yes, with proper ammo, an AR can be used and may even penetrate through walls less than your handgun rounds. I would use something from the Hornady TAP line, like the .223 TAP Urban, as long as you are not trying to shoot through barriers, like windshields, etc.

No, if I'm shooting through barriers on my lot, I'd probably be charged with "hunting" instead of self defense. I'm just looking for ammo that would pass through leather, denim, skin, and bone, and expand or fragment. If any energy left to exit BG, then I'd hope the bullet would soon come to rest without causing any further damage.

I'll look for the Hdy TAP urban...I'm not familiar with the rnd.

Thanks for the reply.

You can also check out the Speer website for ballistic gelatin displays showing the performance of various rounds. Might have to look in the Law Enforcement section.

Briefly, FBI testing in the late 1980s/early 1990s showed that 40-50 gr bullets intended for use on small furry vermin had less ability to penetrate building materials than most duty/defesive handgun ammunition.

OTOH, this same ammunition does not penetrate deeply, which may be an issue on large economy sized animate targets or if the bullet strikes a "chance barrier" like an arm before hitting the torso.

Quite a few tactical teams have gone to slightly heavier bullets and/or bonded core bullets to improve their odds. They, however, may have immunity with regard to lawsuit. Generally, private citizens don't. With the exception of the bonded core, or other specialty loads, the bullets used in most LE ammunition is the same stuff as used in some lines of other ammunition. Exploring the ammunition and bullet (handloading component) catalogs of any given company can give you a real good idea of which bullet is in use. If you see a plastic tipped bullet of x weight & velocity in a law enforcement line, a plastic tipped bullet of the same weight in commercial ammunition at the same velocity is probably the same ammunition. [Possibly minus the dull "tactical finish" on the case.]

Your choice.

Varmint rounds are less likely to penetrate hard barrier. They are made to fragment after a few inches of penetration in tissue which may or may not stop a two legged threat but there'll be some nasty wounds.

Then again 2-3 rounds in 'em will make 'em stop.

__________________
_It was love at first shot_

Don't worry about it, if it gets bad enough to transition from your handgun to a rifle, your already in deep S### and the fight of your life.

__________________
John

I keep Hornady 5.56 55gr GMX Barrier loaded in my Sport. Hornadyle.com - 55 gr. GMX® TAP® BARRIER? You can find it at a better price than a lot of the premium ammo. If you train with XM-193 it has the same ballistics & point of impact (at least in my experience so far).

It will penetrate more than some people are comfortable with, but if I'm using my rifle that will be the least of my worries. Their TAP Urban products just don't penetrate deep enough for me to consider them as an option.

Any of the loads that use Barnes 55gr bullets or heavier would be good as well as a number of the bonded bullet loads such as Federal 55gr bonded law enforcement load or their Fusion load. I would stay away from Speer 55 gr Gold Dot LE load. It seems to not have sufficient penetration in tests I've seen even though it is bonded.

Most of what I have ran across on the subject is that .223 doesn't necessary penetrate more than handgun ammo. Here is an example.

Real World .223 Testing

Thanks all for your replies. I'm changing my perception of .223/5.56 terminal performance as it relates to penetration and/or expansion.

I've never owned a centerfire rifle in this caliber, and I haven't seen it used on any living targets. I did own a Mini-30 a few years ago, but sold it because of similar concerns about over-penetration of the 123gr rounds that I chronographed at just under 2500fps, and because even though the blast of lighting off rounds outdoors was fun, I knew I'd never consider the 7.62x39 for any kind of home protection.

So, here I am, with a great, really fun-to-shoot M&P 15...a rifle that I should have owned much earlier in my life, and instead of just enjoying it as a fun range gun, I'm also considering it as a potentially effective defensive arm for the home.

I'll look around for some of the 5.56 ammo that's designed and tested to reasonably enhance penetration, and that will expand in soft tissue.

And John R and DAVIDFL, I'll try to keep in mind your suggestions that if I'm ever in the unfortunate position to need a rifle with 30 round magazines to deal with a domestic threat, I'll have more to worry about than over-penetration.

Thanks again to all for your help in deciding which ammo might work best in my 15 Sport for defensive purposes.

This site has utmost info on ammo.

AR15 Ammo Forum FAQ - AR15.COM

__________________
_It was love at first shot_

I have Federal Power-Shok 64gr JSP for home defense. But my AR wouldn't be my first choice because of the overwhelming likelihood of permanent, serious hearing loss from shooting it indoors. I have a 9mm and a 12 gauge, both of which I would reach for first.

My wife and I both hang ear muffs over our headboard, but there's no guarantee we'd have time to put them on. Plus we have three small dogs in the room with us, and we don't want three deaf dogs.

Very loud inside. It would be a last ditch situation for me. For a long gun, a 9mm would be better. Or a 38 Special in a lever gun.

For ammo, any of the soft or hollow point expanding .223 ammo should work. Even the standard 193 55 gr fmj is OK at close range.

If you have a suppressor for your rifle, you would be OK.

One way to mitigate that (if you live in a state that allows it ) is to suppress your rifle. I ordered a Saker for my 11.5" AR, and while it is still not quite safe to shoot without hearing protection, you won't get your bell rung like you will an unsuppressed rifle...

__________________
M&P's and K Frames Pleeze!

Having shot hundreds of rock chucks with a .223, I cannot imagine why anyone would be worried about whether or not it had enough power and penetration. It must be a combination of action movies and gun lust magazines that is creating this anxiety!

If I were to have a long gun for home defense, it would be a .22 rifle. A 10-22 of proven reliability with high quality ammo would be excellent in my opinion. A lot easier on the ears too!

And I used to shoot groundhogs with 69 gr Sierra Matchkings until I realized that the bullet was destroying itself on the ribcage and never reached the other side of a 25 lb critter.

You have to match the ammunition to the intended usage. 60 gr Sierra JHPs do much better.

That's very interesting! Usually the long range match bullets have thicker jackets and smaller nose openings than normal hunting bullets. Mine do. Then they are dependent on the point bending at impact to cause yaw and never really expand. Still quite effective though not as violent. I always preferred soft points for hunting as they gave more consistent expansion from as close as 15 yards to 250.

Regards,

Dave

I got called a little while back by an elderly neighbor to neutralize a porky that had recently been the cause of several hundred bucks in vets bills to their dog. It wasn't interested in coming down out of the tree until the Mossberg barked at it. I wasn't going to shoot up in the air with the M&P. Once on the ground I administered the coup de grace with 3 rounds of that 62 gr ZQ 5.56.

I'm gonna say I don't think ANYONE would be doing very well if hit with that stuff.