.223 Home Defense Projectiles

[Fire_Moose]

What are some favorites?

Good frangable bullets?

Do those little tiny hollow point holes really open up?

Bonus question: Good low flash powder?

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Frangible Bullets: http://www.midwayusa.com/product/96...rain-frangible-flat-base-lead-free-box-of-100

I'm not sure of any rifle powders that have a flash suppressor additive but that doesn't mean there isn't one. TAC is fairly low flash and has a reduced copper fouling agent added too.

For HD in low light conditions I recommend you buy a silencer. Not only will you remove the flash but save your hearing too.

 

[jmr40]

Most of the bullets with "tiny hollow point holes" are intended as target bullets. Only the back 2/3 or 3/4 of the bullets jacket is filled with lead. The front portion is hollow and the opening in the tip is necessary as part of the manufacturing process. This allows a lighter bullet to leave the muzzle at high speed, but you get the higher BC's of a heavier bullet since it is longer. They are not really designed to expand. BUT, most of them penetrate 2-4" acting like FMJ initially. But after the tip breaks off and the bullets tumble they basically explode causing great damage internally. I think most would work. But so would most any expanding bullet.

 

[Walkalong]

Any varmint bullet, or any premium SP designed to expand and marketed as a self defense bullet as long as it runs in your gun. Then quit worrying about your bullet choice and train.

 

[Glockula]

A good old 55 gr Hornady Vmax is what I load.

 

[shooter1]

I carried V Max in my patrol carbine. I can say with certainty, it does a number on Beaver!
str1

 

[Rule3]

I carried V Max in my patrol carbine. I can say with certainty, it does a number on Beaver!
str1

The World is getting to be a scary place when we have to defend our homes against Beavers!

For the OP buy a box of anything that says Tactical or Zombies on it, You will be all set and odds are you will never, ever shoot them anyway,

 

[bfoosh006]

Frangible Bullets are not intended for home SD.

http://www.theboxotruth.com/the-box-o-truth-4-miscellaneous-rounds-meet-the-box-o-truth/

 

[kingmt]

Last I seen the Vmax & the Zmax are the same bullet with a different color plastic tip. & the Z Max was a little cheaper.

I'll vouch for V Max working well on deer. They don't ware Carheart coats but from my experience I don't see that to be a problem ether.

I did a review on them somewhere around here.

 

[hdwhit]

For reasons discussed in detail in the Legal section, the magazine I keep next to the .223 rifle for home defense is not loaded with handloads, but is loaded with Remington 55 grain soft point factory loads.

When I am at the family farm, the Mini-14s and ARs are loaded with Hornady 60 grain bullets, mostly over 20.3 grains of IMR 4198 (note this was a less than max in the 4th Edition Hornady Manual when I loaded it, but is in excess of max in the 8th Edition). The load is very accurate and sufficient for hunting and can be pressed into service as a self-defense load in an emergency.

For self-defense at home, I rely on my pistols; primarily my .38 Special S&W Model 36 with Glaser Safety Slugs.

 

[ponchh]

Frangible Bullets are not intended for home SD.

http://www.theboxotruth.com/the-box-o-truth-4-miscellaneous-rounds-meet-the-box-o-truth/

Frangible Bullets are not intended for home SD.

http://www.theboxotruth.com/the-box-o-truth-4-miscellaneous-rounds-meet-the-box-o-truth/

There are many kinds of frangibles just like there's many different lead core bullets. Some or made for shoot house others for blowing big holes in meat. DRT makes some that penetrate just like lead core until they hit meat, and when they hit that meat they penetrate about 2" and go off like a shotgun blast. I have been using them 3 years now for deer. Have seen 5 deer drop where they stood 2 others ran 30 yards or less. This little 55gr does about as much damage as my 06 with 150gr. The only problem I have found is short stroking with rifle length gas system.
shot a raccoon that was in my corn, the exit hole was massive. The bottom of a coke bottle could probably be a good fit. I trust them with my life in my ar and 9mm.

 

[hdwhit]

Firemoose wrote:
.223 Home Defense Projectiles

To begin with, an AR would not be my first choice as a home defense weapon.

• Self Defense on my 118 acre farm? Sure.
  
• Self Defense against an angry mob on my front lawn? Sure.
  
• Self Defense in a so-called SHTF scenario? Sure

But inside the house, I want a handgun. Still, to your questions:

• What are some favorites?
  • Speer 52 grain hollow point (the one with the big, gaping opening up front, they do expand)

• Good frangable bullets?
  • There are enough tests showing frangible bullets not disintegrating at the short distances from the muzzle that would be involved in home use that I would not bother.

• Do those little tiny hollow point holes really open up?
  • As jmr40 already explained, Not really.

• Bonus question: Good low flash powder?
  • I'm not aware of any "low flash" rifle powders.

But, if you're like my son and an AR is all you have, then my suggestion would be to go buy any of the commercial ammunition marketed as "Self Defense" ammunition and then practice shooting it in situations that mirror what you expect to be facing when you would need to rely on the rifle for protection.

 

[hdwhit]

Rule3 wrote:
The World is getting to be a scary place when we have to defend our homes against Beavers!

Yes it is.

Beavers dam up the spillway. That causes the water level to rise threatening the integrity of the dam and threatening to flood the house which sits on the shore of the reservoir.

But then every time my father traps or shoots a Beaver my wife sends him a letter styled as being from the "Federal Bureau of Beaver Investigation" (FBBI).

 

[z7]

If you are familiar with how to shoot your at 15 in a cqb environment, it is probably the single most effective tool you could use, but practice, take a carbine course etc

I have hornady 77g hpbt with a stout charge of 8208xbr. It should be clocking in around 2700fps+. At that speed it should fragment nicely, I have seen how it plays with a whitetail at 30yds, I don't want to be on the wrong end for sure.

Accept the fact that most suitable HD rounds and loads will over penetrate walls, know the background of the target, have a plan in your house

For example, I live in a 2 story house, if the kids/wife are upstairs and somebody wants to take my TV from down stairs, that really sucks,

If they come up stairs I have a safe room/Alamo area where I will stay, if bad dudes come down the hall, they have a really bad day.

In summary, your familiarity with the firearm and your forethought is more important imho than the load, but I like the 77g hp. I think it is a TAP load I attempted to copy

 

[.308 Norma]

The World is getting to be a scary place when we have to defend our homes against Beavers!

Actually, .223 bullets for home defense for Beavers would be called "lodge" defense bullets.

 

[RPZ]

I keep 62-64 grain Winchester PowerPoints and Federal Hi-Shoks handy. Good enough for deer, good enough for anything on legs of similar weights.