Correct Load For The Home

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beaucoup ammo

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I was watching an interesting defensive dvd the other day from Valhalla and it raised the very real question of what's the ideal load for home protection. Given the consistency of dry wall, the correct load is important lest your shot go through several walls (rooms) and do harm to a loved one.

Does anyone have recommendations for .38 and 9mm? Thanks!
 
Any ammo out there that's effective against a bad guy will go through several gyp board and 2x6 walls with the exception of perhaps Glasser or Mag Safes and there are other issues with them. See the Box of Truth for some interesting penetration tests on various types of ammo through gyp board and other things.

If you have to shoot someone in self defense in you house you had better being doing it because they are going to do harm to you and your family if you don't shoot. The chances of hitting a family member is small when compared to the larger threat and just one of those risks you take as an armed citizen.

Personally I use a good JHP load with a reputation for stopping power and rely on marksmanship and prayer to prevent secondary injury to anyone else.
 
My take comes from actually shooting varies media, including shoot houses and structures built to replicate structures.

In others words, shooting a piece of drywall leaning up against something differs from shooting drywall that is actually onto 2x4s as a structure is done.

Constructed varies/differs from shooting just the materials. Another example is we had one way mirrors, just shooting through a mirror, is different from shooting one built one into the drywall.

One has to take into consideration what they have for home, business and other settings, backstops and all.

So many do "shooting lanes" , this is not new. We had concrete, steel up and under desks and showcases.
Wall were thicker than normal and in b/t me/mine and a situation if we did have shoot through a on-way mirror.
We had shot the media in that wall with 30-06 and 12 ga slugs, and the media would stop it.

Hearing comes into play for some, maybe a baby or small children in the home.
Low Pressure rounds such as .38spl and .44 spl are "easier" on the ears.

So the standard pressure rounds of 38spl .44 spl, and 45ACP are good.
9mm standard pressure another good one, it is a bit "sharper" especially from a short bbl CCW, still a whole less sharp than a .357.
.40 is sharp, loud and piercing.

I have had a .357 and .40 cal go off at bad breath distance as that is what the other person had.
Too me the .40 cal is worse!

I have fired 6 shots from a single action .44 mag with full house loads inside a structiure , very quickly, in a serious situation, with no hearing ( hell I was in bed) and that was not so bad. Granted auditory exclusion kicked in due to circumstances.

I also personally use 20 and 12 bore slugs , standard, not reduced recoil, based on my needs and testing.


I/we did the same for vehicles, and again, for me and mine, the full house load of .44 mag.

10mm was gone to by some, and many came back to .44 spl and .44 mag for vehicle guns.

I and mine had a need for some authority in a vehicle gun.

I am going way back, as there were no gun schools, just how business was conducted and how things were done based on years of actually doing.

One has to test, for their tasks.
 
Thank you Steve and SM..your extensive first hand experience is appreciated. I do pretty much the same thing. .38spcl JCP in two rooms. 9mm JHP in one and .357 in yet another. No children.

I carry all the time and it's generally the 9mm or .38spcl. Can't use the .357 as a carry piece any longer so that's strictly for the house. +P for away and regular JCP in the house. I guess I'm doing the right thing. Retirement affords me a lot of range time so my accuracy at 7, 10 and 15 yrds is dead center.

The dvd had them lined up (dry wall) in varying increments of distance and it surprised me how the rounds penetrated the walls before they started to angle off in pieces and lose their punch.
 
I lost the article, but it showed that most hollow point ammo filled up with the drywall material and then penetrated pretty well. Drywall didn't cause the hollowpoints to expand like water/ballistics gell/flesh do.

The Federal EFMJ's expanded and penetrated the least number of walls.

I carry Ranger Ts, but would probably go for the EFMJ if I didn't already have a decent stock of these.
 
Excellent stuff above! My 637 Airweight snubby, in a secret place other than our bedroom, is loaded with Remington dead soft SWCHPs, the FBI load. My "classic" Browning Hi Power, beside my bed, is loaded with standard pressure Speer 124gr Gold Dots. I'm good with those.
Cordially, Jack
 
Jack, I have a 637-2 Airweight in one of our rooms. Fine little weapon and so easily concealed should I decide to take her with me. I'm a "snubbie fan" and bought my first Taurus (Model 85), 3 weeks ago. I always thought Taurus was a "cheap" or inferior brand..I was wrong! One more purchase and we'll have a "friend" in every room of the house.

At 62, disabled and a wife who can't lock or close a door to save her life (I love her!) I Always carry.

I'm giving serious thought to producing a dvd for disabled people. The dynamics totally change when you are in a wheelchair or on crutches. I think there's a market out there for an instructional tool of that nature.

Johnny
 
I use 75gr Hornady TAP.

An AR15 will always be easier to shoot than a pistol, and therefore I'll be less likely to shoot a wall instead of my intended target.
 
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