Home defense ammo

[Geezer with an AR]

The “Approved List” Of 5.56 NATO/.223 Rem Self-Defense/Duty Ammo | Prepared Gun Owners
Found a interesting article on home defense ammo

 

[jrthe1]

Nice. Just what I was looking for.

 

[Kadonny]

Good read. I'm a fan of Speer Gold Dot, glad to see it on the list. Unfortunately it's hard to get that some time so I use the Hornady TAP which is also on the list.

Anyway, thanks.

 

[Mark IV]

I'm thinking the bigger question is whether an AR15 is the ideal home-defense weapon. Obviously, it's a good choice for defending the entire property during civil unrest, but for a in-house, bump-in-the-night situation, I think a pistol is much more practical.

 

[Bozz10mm]

I'm thinking the bigger question is whether an AR15 is the ideal home-defense weapon. Obviously, it's a good choice for defending the entire property during civil unrest, but for a in-house, bump-in-the-night situation, I think a pistol is much more practical.

Unless there are four guys busting your front door down in a home invasion. Then it's "Say hello to my leetle friend".

 

[Bozz10mm]

Good read. I'm a fan of Speer Gold Dot, glad to see it on the list. Unfortunately it's hard to get that some time so I use the Hornady TAP which is also on the list.

Anyway, thanks.

You might find the 64 gr Gold Dot on sale right now at Palmetto State Armory. $9.99 per box, free shipping on 10.

 

[cyphertext]

I'm thinking the bigger question is whether an AR15 is the ideal home-defense weapon. Obviously, it's a good choice for defending the entire property during civil unrest, but for a in-house, bump-in-the-night situation, I think a pistol is much more practical.

Pros and cons to both... but if something goes bump in the night and I have time to get up out of the bed and choose a weapon, it's going to be a long gun.

 

[hdwhit]

Ballistic gel tests are widely used because they offer a uniform medium for comparison and in that respect are useful. But, recommending a particular bullet as "the best" for self defense principally on the basis of gel tests and windshield penetration is problematic. The reason is very simple, human beings are not amorphous blobs of ballistic gel. Human beings have flesh, bone, muscle, fat, cartilage and even empty spaces that will all affect the performance of the bullet, making true assessments of its ability to take someone out of a fight much more involved than just shooting it at a gelatin blob.

As the article said, the "best" ammunition is the one you shoot regularly - particularly the one you shoot well enough and often enough to be proficient and accurate. This why I invested considerable time and expense in developing a standard 223 round to be used in all my rifles.

 

[Mark IV]

Unless there are four guys busting your front door down in a home invasion. Then it's "Say hello to my leetle friend".

Yeah,maybe. And maybe it'll be 14 guys with their dobermans busting your front door down, so maybe we should all invest in an M-60 machine gun.
We can play this hypothetical Alien-Ninja-Zombie invasion till the cows come home, and use it to justify any number of increasingly absurd actions (which actually seems to be the bread-and-butter of gun and survival forums).

 

[bigggbbruce]

I'm thinking the bigger question is whether an AR15 is the ideal home-defense weapon. Obviously, it's a good choice for defending the entire property during civil unrest, but for a in-house, bump-in-the-night situation, I think a pistol is much more practical.

My AR15 is a pistol.. now what?

 

[Westie1]

One problem I have with a lot of these reviews, is that they ignore the over-penetration of the ammo. When a round is designed to go through auto glass, and then take out the goblin, it's too potent for HD. It can go through multiple walls.

The only test that I've seen, is one posted on Utube by Valor Ridge. [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbdmQ5IN2j0&t=1256s[/ame]

 

[hugger-4641]

Yeah,maybe. And maybe it'll be 14 guys with their dobermans busting your front door down, so maybe we should all invest in an M-60 machine gun.
We can play this hypothetical Alien-Ninja-Zombie invasion till the cows come home, and use it to justify any number of increasingly absurd actions (which actually seems to be the bread-and-butter of gun and survival forums).

I suppose criminals must be more independent or fair minded where you're from and only break into homes single handed. In the rest of the country, we've had several situations where three or more individuals committed robbery or home invasion. What you consider absurd might be reality for others. To each his own.
If I'm defending interior of my home, Ar-15 probably not the weapon I'll grab first. But if I'm defending both interior and external, pistol or shotgun might not be enough for the job.

 

[vonn]

Took the time to watch the video,interesting results. Wish they had tested .45 ACP and some big bore revolver lead bullets.

 

[scooter123]

I suppose criminals must be more independent or fair minded where you're from and only break into homes single handed. In the rest of the country, we've had several situations where three or more individuals committed robbery or home invasion. What you consider absurd might be reality for others. To each his own.
If I'm defending interior of my home, Ar-15 probably not the weapon I'll grab first. But if I'm defending both interior and external, pistol or shotgun might not be enough for the job.

As a resident of the Metro Detroit area I cannot dispute that there may be times when a handgun may not be enough to stop a home invasion. However in this areas almost every single one of those multiple perpetrator entry events are against homes believed to be "holding" either drugs or cash in large amounts. Unfortunately there have been several events where it's obvious the invaders either got the wrong house or believed rumors that weren't true. But the rest of the time it boils down to one gang hitting another gangs "safe house". Point being that a lot of these concerns are overblown.

There is also the matter where most of us keep our rifles. Me, unless I am cleaning it or doing some other work on it my rifles are in my safe. What I have at hand 100% of the time is a loaded Ruger LC9S in my right front pocket. So, come a home invasion that is what I will be using to defend myself. I suspect that most of us don't keep a loaded rifle within reach so all this concern about what to use in a rifle to defend out home is simply a waste of time.

About the only event where that may be a valid area of concern is if there is a riot in full swing in your neighborhood, then it would be wise to keep a rifle loaded and at hand. However most of us live in neighborhoods that are stable enough and at an income level where a full blown riot is highly unlikely, myself included.

 

[cyphertext]

There is also the matter where most of us keep our rifles. Me, unless I am cleaning it or doing some other work on it my rifles are in my safe. What I have at hand 100% of the time is a loaded Ruger LC9S in my right front pocket. So, come a home invasion that is what I will be using to defend myself. I suspect that most of us don't keep a loaded rifle within reach so all this concern about what to use in a rifle to defend out home is simply a waste of time.

This is a pretty big assumption that could be quite wrong about "most of us"... while a rifle or shotgun may not be on a person, many homes keep one loaded and accessible outside of the safe. I believe that having a long gun in the corner or bedroom closet is more likely than most people having their pistol on their body 24/7 in their home.

I don't have a firearm on me or within reach 24/7 in my home, but I do have them accessible. However, a firearm is only one layer of my home security. I keep the windows and doors locked. We have an alarm system. We have a dog that alerts when someone or something is near the home... these layers come into play before the firearm, and hopefully will give me the time to get to the firearm if needed... and if the closest firearm is a handgun, it will be used to work my way back to my bedroom for a long gun.

 

[C J]

I suspect that most of us don't keep a loaded rifle within reach so all this concern about what to use in a rifle to defend out home is simply a waste of time.

I have 2 AR's and 3 pistols within 2 steps of where I sit most of the time in my house. And yes they are all loaded. I have a .45, a 9mm and a .380 all close by. And the AR's of course.

I guess I learned from my dad that it's a good idea to have a gun within reach when you might need it. He kept S&W revolvers under every couch cushion among other places. My wife freaked when she learned she had been sitting on a .357 in dad's truck. I told her she needed to watch where she sat but she didn't believe me I guess. It's pretty hard to make a double action revolver go bang just by sitting on it I guess. It never happened but I wouldn't go to the extremes dad did.

FWIW I don't live in a city. I live in a very rural area. I've lived in this house 4 years. I think I've seen one deputy car come down the road. That's it. We are responsible for our own protection in these parts.

 

[bigggbbruce]

I suspect that most of us don't keep a loaded rifle within reach so all this concern about what to use in a rifle to defend our home is simply a waste of time.

Mine sits in the corner with the muzzle down in a position that I can grab it passing by and deploy in an instant.

 

[Kadonny]

Mine sits in the corner with the muzzle down in a position that I can grab it passing by and deploy in an instant.

I keep a .300blk suppressed in the corner of the closet with a ejectable chamber flag in the chamber. Pull the charging handle and I'm loaded up with no ears required. I also keep loaded handguns hidden on every floor of the house. I'm semi-rural where I live.

 

[cyphertext]

I keep a .300blk suppressed in the corner of the closet with a ejectable chamber flag in the chamber. Pull the charging handle and I'm loaded up with no ears required. I also keep loaded handguns hidden on every floor of the house. I'm semi-rural where I live.

I've got to up my game...

 

[hugger-4641]

I'm not worried about a riot, I'm worried about the meth heads who are cruising the back roads and decide my house might have something they want. I'm worried about the terrorist training camp that is not too far from me who will one day decide it's time to make a move. Yes I am serious, right up the road in good old Dover TN. Think I'm crazy, check it out.
I'm worried about the earthquake that is very likely to hit my area soon. What happens when the bridges are all sunk, the power's been out for weeks, the store shelves are empty, and your house is not far from the federal housing projects?
I live in a rural area where response time for LEO would be 20min on a good day, more likely to be 30min or more. I have a loaded weapon of some kind hidden in every room of my house and all family members who have been trained to use them know where they are. I won't divulge what I keep loaded within reach of my bed, but suffice it to say they are all inaccessible or unusable to the occasional grand child who might wander in.
People can call me paranoid, absurd, crazy, or whatever else they want. They're not the ones responsible for protecting my family.
People who only consider the status quo will be the ones unable to provide for and protect their family when the status quo changes and SHTF. So if someone wants self defense ammo for an AR-15, by all means find some. They don't have to justify it to me or anyone else.