If any LEOs in here, what do you recommend for .223 home defense?

[FredMcIntire]

1. The idea that you'll be evaluating and ejecting rounds to select your preferred shell for the situation during the stress of a home defense situation is kinda ridiculous.
2. No matter what you've heard at a gun shop, anything that will reliably penetrate a human body deep enough to effectively stop an attack will also penetrate 1/2" drywall. Fill the tybe with 00 Buckshot, know how that particular load patterns in your gun, and always BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET AND WHAT IS BEHIND IT.

I'm sorry. It must have been my 23+ years of training and experience as a LEO that kicked in. How stupid of me.

 

[chezuki]

I'm sorry. It must have been my 23+ years of training and experience as a LEO that kicked in. How stupid of me.

QFT.

 

[Destro]

M193 in a RRA is the "Issued" platform. I opt to use a personal "tier 1" platform OTJ.

 

[FredMcIntire]

QFT.

ROTFL.

 

[GlockRock]

My duty rifle is a Colt M16 lower with a Rock River Entry Tactical upper. Currently equipped with an eo tech and tac light. Don't recall specific ammo, but i know it's Federal.

 

[Tim Enyeart]

I have a tricked out RRA patrol rifle but I don't use it for home defense. My H&K USP, 45 with Insight MII light, filled with Hydra-shoks is preferred option. My duty glock 17 is also a good choice.

 

[Shootin'IN]

You could try a AR in pistol length instead of finding a lower speed .223 round.
The shorter length barrel will give you a lower FPS (less penetration) than the longer barrel & better mobility as you move through sweeping your home.

 

[asevans]

I would opt for max penetration in a firefight home defense situation. i would get 62 grain green tips and shoot right through walls and everything. Unload the whole 40 round magazine right into where i thought he was. you will eventually get to him with a couple rounds for sure. fire superiority.
JK, well not really.

 

[hammer24]

You could try a AR in pistol length instead of finding a lower speed .223 round.
The shorter length barrel will give you a lower FPS (less penetration) than the longer barrel & better mobility as you move through sweeping your home.

With many if not most .223 projectiles this theory is often backwards. The projectiles need more velocity to correctly expand or fragment. Pushing them at lower velocities will often lead to more penetration due to lack of fragmentation.

 

[kimbercollector]

Hornady TAP

Seems to break apart well in gelatin tests at the range. Like a mini frag going off inside and definite reduction in over penetration.

For HD, Im a Rem 870 guy w #4s all along the extended mag tube.

 

[rhino]

I'm sorry. It must have been my 23+ years of training and experience as a LEO that kicked in. How stupid of me.

Your sarcasm aside, chezuki's response to your original message was correct.

You made a great point about having a light mounted on your long gun, though, so good on that.

To the original poster ... I'm also not an LEO, and it's your business if you only want input from cops, so feel free to ignore me.

Here is my opinion:

• ARs are a fantastic choice for home defense, especially with short barrel and suppressor
• Every modern test I've seen of shooting 5.56x45mm/.223 through common building materials shows that the projectiles penetrate less than do most common handgun rounds as well as buckshot. This can be a good thing, but it's also a problem if you have a need to shoot through intermediate barriers to solve your problem.
• A 40gr projectile designed to expand violently is not a great choice for personal defense because by its design penetration will be very limited. I'm not sure what it would do in building materials compared to a 77 gr OTM 5.56 load, but unintentional penetration of obstacles is secondary to your primary concern, which is stopping the threat.
• At close distances, there isn't going to be a huge difference in the wounding capability of any of the rounds that are designed for defense or military use. As long as the projectile can fragment and you're close enough that it hits at a speed that is likely to result in the bullet yawing shortly after impact and then fragmenting, you're going to produce a huge and typically devastating wound.
• I keep two loads (depending on the rifle) for potential defensive use. One is M193 spec 5.56x45mm 55gr FMJ and the other is 68 gr OTM Black Hills load. I understand the limitations and strengths of each to the extent that one can predict performance with so many random factors involved.
• Were I equipping myself today, I would standardize on either 75 gr Hornady TAP or something substantially similar. The prime reason is that it will do what the M193 or 68gr OTM bullets will do (i.e. yaw and fragment after and still penetrate adequately), but it will do it at a lower speed at impact, which extends the useful range if you really need it. It will also penetrate a little better through intermediate barriers when you need to do that.

 

[rhino]

With many if not most .223 projectiles this theory is often backwards. The projectiles need more velocity to correctly expand or fragment. Pushing them at lower velocities will often lead to more penetration due to lack of fragmentation.

Correct!

 

[Jeremy1066]

You could try a AR in pistol length instead of finding a lower speed .223 round.
The shorter length barrel will give you a lower FPS (less penetration) than the longer barrel & better mobility as you move through sweeping your home.

With many if not most .223 projectiles this theory is often backwards. The projectiles need more velocity to correctly expand or fragment. Pushing them at lower velocities will often lead to more penetration due to lack of fragmentation.

 

[Shawno31b]

We have some M16 A1's, but that stays in the safe and my home defense is the Kel Tec KSG, it may start hurting my shoulder a bit but it sure will get the point across.

 

[yote hunter]

Cwillour is the guy I talk to about the best ammo for HP with a .223, you may want to PM him ? He has done his homework on it...,

 

[Tactical Flannel]

I think I misunderstood the OP's original question/intent. He asked what loads were being carried by law enforcement but he wanted to use it in a home defense situation, correct?
From my perspective those two purposes aren't necessarily the same. What I would carry on patrol isn't necessarily what I'd use for home defense, if I was planning on using an AR type weapon for HD. For example, if I had my say in the ammo carried on duty, it wouldn't be Hornady TAP but for a home defense type scenario, the TAP round would be difficult to beat. But that is my opinion and based off of my performance needs.
Good luck sorting out what's right for you.

Stay safe.

 

[Tombs]

Switch your ammo choice to a bonded jacketed soft point, M193, or a mk262 clone.

You do not want to use a varmint hunting bullet on human beings unless you want to be the one in the morgue after having to use it.

[video=youtube;tdo1JC5fqPw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdo1JC5fqPw[/video]

Here is a v-max from a 22-250 which is vastly more powerful. Hopefully that gets you to scratch your chin. Think of the egg as the vital organs.

 

[minuteman32]

No longer an LEP, but my home is defended w/ a 12 ga semi auto Mossburg w/ 00 buck & slugs, a DPMS AR w/ a can & 55-62 grain ammo, a couple of AK 47's w/ HP ammo and an assortment of 380, 9mm, 38 sp & 45 pistols (all w/ hp ammo).

 

[BugI02]

For HD, Im a Rem 870 guy w #4s all along the extended mag tube.

++1 on this. If I had to meet someone trying to break through my door this is what I'd want in hand. I'd also want my Beretta 40. Sometime I'd like to try a realistic simulation of this scenario, though. My rational brain tells me it might be unlikely I'd have both unless I was wearing the 40.

 

[Fargo]

Switch your ammo choice to a bonded jacketed soft point, M193, or a mk262 clone.

You do not want to use a varmint hunting bullet on human beings unless you want to be the one in the morgue after having to use it.

[video=youtube;tdo1JC5fqPw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdo1JC5fqPw[/video]

.

Here is a v-max from a 22-250 which is vastly more powerful. Hopefully that gets you to scratch your chin. Think of the egg as the vital organs.

Yeah but the more powerfull 22-250 is going to fragement much more violently and penetrate less than the same bullet being driven slower in .223 or 5.56. I'm not saying you are wrong about uses, but the same bullet at 3700 or so fps is going to behave much differently than at 3200 fps