.223 55 gr. JSP for home defense?

Hey everyone. Apologies if this has been asked and answered prior, but I wanted to get your opinions on something. For context, my platform is an M4-pattern carbine with a 1:7 twist rate 16" barrel. Now I know someone will ask: "But why are you shooting 55 gr. ammo out of a 1:7 barrel?" Well, it so happens that the most accurate cartridge I've tried out of my carbine is Federal's LE223T1 load. For those of you unfamiliar with it, it utilizes a 55 gr. bonded soft point bullet (the Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, if memory serves correctly). It's also the only weight I can find for sale in any signifigant quantity compared to its 62 gr. cousin which may as well be made of unobtanium. Anyway, I digress.


I've been eyeing a non-bonded 55 gr. jacketed soft point made by Prvi Partizan for use inside of my home, reasons being limited penetration through building materials that strikes a balance between bonded and "varmint" bullets, as well as availability and cost. Some YouTube videos I've watched of its terminal performance in ballistics gel place it somewhere between "barely not enough" to "bare minimum" insofar as the recommended 12-18" of penetration is concerned, but I'm willing to accept the tradeoff if there's a reduced likelihood of a missed shot drilling through my house, the neighbor's house, and the house after his. (Cue Johnny Dangerously "It shoots through schools" reference.)


Jokes aside, I don't want or need "barrier blind" performance when using my AR for home defense. What say you, though? Am I missing something, or perhaps being unrealistic? Are there better loads for my particular application? Please let me know, and thank you in advance.

if worried about over penetration inside the house, a rifle is not your um,, friend.

If you are looking for massive holes with short penetration,,,, 45-55 grain expanding bullets in a full length A2 upper would be FUN...

Or i owuld get a box of something like
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Check the FBI testing and Gary Roberts' recommendations. MISSING is exponentially a bigger risk than over penetration. I use my old duty ammo and have no concerns about its performance.

The expansion alone would be explosive to say the least with "varmint" rounds, but the penetration would likely be lacking.

Doug M. said:

Check the FBI testing and Gary Roberts' recommendations. MISSING is exponentially a bigger risk than over penetration. I use my old duty ammo and have no concerns about its performance.

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Excellent recommendations, and I'm glad you brought those sources up. I actually did delve a lot into DocGKR's "list" of suitable .223/5.56 loads, and I remember reading one thread of his saying that "where intermediate barrier penetration is not a critical requirement... then OTM, JHP, and standard JSP loads can offer acceptable performance." (Source) Of the JSP loads he specifically mentioned, however, I can't seem to find the 64 gr. Power Points for sale anywhere.




So that brings me back to the PPU 55 gr JSP. I'd be happy to dip into my stash of LE223T1, but it's expensive and not always easy to replace, plus it's a barrier blind load. The PPU seems to be readily available and cheap enough to practice with regularly. Perhaps you're right, though. Maybe I am overthinking the penetration aspect in the context of building materials.


If you don't mind me asking, what was your duty carbine round and is it available to the general public?

There are proponents of the 55 grain HP .223/5.56 for home defense who state the danger of over penetration of walls and people is signiticantly less than that posed by handgun rounds. There are innumerable tests of "the best" rounds for home defense and the .223/5.56 AR is most certainly among those recommended.

NoSteponSnek said:

The expansion alone would be explosive to say the least with "varmint" rounds, but the penetration would likely be lacking.









Excellent recommendations, and I'm glad you brought those sources up. I actually did delve a lot into DocGKR's "list" of suitable .223/5.56 loads, and I remember reading one thread of his saying that "where intermediate barrier penetration is not a critical requirement... then OTM, JHP, and standard JSP loads can offer acceptable performance." (Source) Of the JSP loads he specifically mentioned, however, I can't seem to find the 64 gr. Power Points for sale anywhere.




So that brings me back to the PPU 55 gr JSP. I'd be happy to dip into my stash of LE223T1, but it's expensive and not always easy to replace, plus it's a barrier blind load. The PPU seems to be readily available and cheap enough to practice with regularly. Perhaps you're right, though. Maybe I am overthinking the penetration aspect in the context of building materials.


If you don't mind me asking, what was your duty carbine round and is it available to the general public?

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The OP is looking for a quick dump of bullet energy, the .243 winchester loads i linked are for varmint huntin. The best expanding .243 winchester load I have seen for a soft point is the remington 100 grain core lokt psp

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at 20 yards broadside hit on the rib cage of a deer, the bullet will penetrate the ribcage and literally turn the lungs to mush while leaving nothing but the copper jacket intact. the lead disappears.

As far as 223 goes,,, I have no good things to say about it other then accuracy. But few years ago in texas there was a researchable shooting where 3 guys entered an occupied dwelling.
The teenager livign there had an ar loaded with the latest soft points and hollow points used by police. fired i beleive 60 rounds into the criminals. 1 died inside the room they were shot, one dragged to the front door. other dragged to get away car before dieng.

I really want to thank all of you for weighing in on my original post. Once again, you folks came through.




I did some research on .243 Winchester. It's a respectable cartridge for sure, but I've also heavily invested in the .223/5.56 caliber, so a .243 upper isn't going to be in my immediate future. I do appreciate the recommendation though!




As far as a light JHP goes, they'd definitely break up in building materials like drywall and plywood before causing any "collateral damage" so to speak, but therein lies the rub... Their terminal effectiveness in a home invader may be lackluster.




Maybe I'm just overthinking it and should focus more on practicing with what's available to me and within my budget. And as Doug M. said, a miss is something to worry about moreso than overpenetration of a bad guy's vitals. Still, if more of you have advice/recommendations, I'm willing to hear them.

I agree you’re over thinking it. Another load to consider is PMC Bronze .55gr JSP or JHP. They might be more readily available and a touch cheaper

OK, if you've got a ranch style house where you might actually have 20-25 yard shots, a rifle of some kind makes sense. Otherwise, it's ....well, your choice, but not one I'd make in a subdivision. A mandatory accessory is Peltor Tactical Pro MT15H7F SV active hearing protection. You can have hearing as good as your current-or better-and protection from certain permanent hearing damage.

About 1-7 twist.....30+ years back we adopted the Colt 6920 and whatever 55 gr SP that Federal was producing. We soon discovered that after 20-30 rounds, bullets started disappearing on the way to the target. We sent one of the guns and sample ammo to Federal. They decided that the jacket thickness wasn't enough to maintain bullet integrity and suggested a particular product with a thicker jacket. Your bonded core bullet would solve this problem-if it exists-but otherwise, unless you're shooting through glass you don't need a bonded core bullet.

The AR system-the carbine especially-can have issues with SP ammunition. I'd look at the Hornady LE website and find a standard product line equivalent-unless you can actually get the TAP product line. My 2012 hard copy LE information shows a 55 and 60 gr tipped bullet as probably your best choice. BUT-do enough testing to make sure they won't pull the disappearing bullet stunt.

A single interior drywall house wall won't stop anything more deadly than a .177 pellet at less than 300 f/s.

I don't recall the load any longer; I want to say it was a 62 grain load and one of Gary's recommendations.

WR Moore said:

OK, if you've got a ranch style house where you might actually have 20-25 yard shots, a rifle of some kind makes sense. Otherwise, it's ....well, your choice, but not one I'd make in a subdivision. A mandatory accessory is Peltor Tactical Pro MT15H7F SV active hearing protection. You can have hearing as good as your current-or better-and protection from certain permanent hearing damage.

About 1-7 twist.....30+ years back we adopted the Colt 6920 and whatever 55 gr SP that Federal was producing. We soon discovered that after 20-30 rounds, bullets started disappearing on the way to the target. We sent one of the guns and sample ammo to Federal. They decided that the jacket thickness wasn't enough to maintain bullet integrity and suggested a particular product with a thicker jacket. Your bonded core bullet would solve this problem-if it exists-but otherwise, unless you're shooting through glass you don't need a bonded core bullet.

The AR system-the carbine especially-can have issues with SP ammunition. I'd look at the Hornady LE website and find a standard product line equivalent-unless you can actually get the TAP product line. My 2012 hard copy LE information shows a 55 and 60 gr tipped bullet as probably your best choice. BUT-do enough testing to make sure they won't pull the disappearing bullet stunt.

A single interior drywall house wall won't stop anything more deadly than a .177 pellet at less than 300 f/s.

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You make lots of excellent points WR Moore, thank you. I do in fact have a single story house, though in the interest of fairness I have to admit we'd be talking distances of 15, maybe 20 yards from master bedroom to door. I agree with you on having the active hearing protection, and I wisely purchased a pair of electronic muffs from Howard Leight years ago.




I'm going to put your theory to the test when I go to the range later today to see if those PPU 55 grainers break apart in flight, and I'll definitely take a look at some of the Hornady TAP loads that I'm able to find. What you mentioned about an interior drywall's ability to stop an errant round is sobering, to say the least, and it gives me pause for thought.

Doug M. said:

I don't recall the load any longer; I want to say it was a 62 grain load and one of Gary's recommendations.

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No worries, Doug. I appreciate your time and insight nevertheless, thank you.

Get a silencer for it. In an inclosed room it will blow your ears out.

gym cat said:

Get a silencer for it. In an inclosed room it will blow your ears out.

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Good suggestion! I did actually consider obtaining one after filling out the "mother, may I" paperwork and ponying up the NFA tax stamp fees, but I ultimately reasoned that it was more trouble than it was worth. I settled for electronic earmuffs from Howard Leight instead. They're better than nothing.

So if something goes bump in the night , are you guys actually suggesting putting on ear pro? Or are you referring to practice? Because I think it’s a given people wear ear pro while practicing. And if I think someone is in my house , ear protection is not really a priority for me.

Maybe It's just me...but the last thing I would want for home protection is an AR. I am a shotgun person though and have a Benelli Super 90 set up like an AR.... Anything fired in a closed space is more than extremely loud...I don't have neighbors etc but when fired in defensive mode you probably won't notice it all that much. I can say that even a load of 7 1/2 trap loads in the face at joe homeowner distance is more than the avg person would want...and not much blowback from the law or courts by using a shotgun...And I do own ARs so not opposed to the rifle just so much easier to use a shotgun in my opinion

Bald1 said:

So if something goes bump in the night , are you guys actually suggesting putting on ear pro?

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We're talking about ACTIVE electronic ear protection. You can hear ambient noise but they protect your hearing from impulse noise like gunfire.

And if I think someone is in my house , ear protection is not really a priority for me.

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After you suffer permanent hearing loss, you might change your opinion.


Different topic, but if anyone cares to see how interior walls handle bullets (or the other way around) it's easy--if your range allows it. Buy one 2x4x8 and a couple of 2x2 foot drywall patching pieces. Make a roughly 2x2 hollow box frame ~4 inches thick. I used drywall screws to attach the drywall. You can either put down some plastic to catch any plaster dust or tell folks the gypsum is good for the grass (it's true).

The promo video from one of the frangible bullet ammo companies showed their ammo sawing a 6x6 in half. Typically, frangible/reduced ricochet bullets are intended to fragment on hard surfaces. NOT drywall. They're intended for use on steel targets at close range or in places where putting holes in steel piping is frowned upon (oil rigs, refineries, etc). I guess the concrete walls in many housing projects would qualify.

I didn't see any mention of frangible ammo. I think that many LE departments use it.

Fiocchi Ext a Frangible Leadless 45 gr Lead-Free Frangible 223 Ammo | Palmetto State Armory

Personally I'm not using an AR inside without a can. Way too loud. It's your hearing though, not mine.

You might blow out your eardrums shooting a 223 indoors.

WR Moore said:

We're talking about ACTIVE electronic ear protection. You can hear ambient noise but they protect your hearing from impulse noise like gunfire...

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They entirely impair directional hearing.

Mine don't, but some do. If the one's you pick don't let you know where the noise is, return them.