.223/5.56 for home defense

Barrel length. Hmm. Who'da thought it made much difference?

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For the same cartridge, barrel length determines the residual gas pressure at the moment the bullet "uncorks" the muzzle, which in turn determines the velocity (and ferocity) of the gas venting at muzzle exit. Here's a chart based on pressure measurements for .223:



http://www.sadefensejournal.com/wp/?p=1093

The pressure at muzzle exit for a 20" AR is about 5700 psi, whereas for a 7" .223 SBR/pistol, it is over 17,000 psi.

FWIW, one reason why a .357 is so loud is that there is considerable venting at the barrel-cylinder gap as soon as the bullet enters the barrel, when the pressure is probably still well over 20,000 psi.

lysanderxiii said:

I would be more worried about shooting through the walls.....

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Ugh.... Do some research, you might be surprised at what you learn regarding building material penetration with various types of ammo.

I'm also pro 223/556 for home defense. If for nothing else, it'll take fewer shots to subdue an intruder than a handgun and my wife and I can aim it accurately very naturally, which will also decrease the number of shots going through drywall.

For me that`s an odd selection. Would like to know what your thoughts are as to why ?

Captains1911 said:

Ugh.... Do some research, you might be surprised at what you learn regarding building material penetration with various types of ammo.

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I have, I just question some of suggestions. . .

HKGuns said:

Most handguns penetrate further than .223. So not sure what you are planning to use.

http://how-i-did-it.org/drywall/

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I have seen that, interesting that he did not test any FMJ or OTM 5.56mm bullets.

Other suggestions:

1. Regardless of what you think the best round is, make sure you are using the gun that will let you reliably hit what you are aiming at. The best way to prevent overpenetration is to hit the bad guy. Of course, a 308 FMJ might still go through a lot of walls afterward.

2. If you have selected your cartridge, you might put some thought into your home defensive plan and the locations where you don't want to shoot the wall. Either modify your defense plan or add book shelves or something else to the key areas. They do make sheets of bullet resistant wall board though it isn't cheap.

3. Beyond that, look very hard at what sort of doors, locks, and windows you have. It might make a lot of sense to harden your entry ways so a bad guy is less likely to get in the house to begin with.

Mech is saying what has been said over and over in the past - your defense starts at the perimeter.

Just how did the perps decide on you anyway? Are you offensively extravagant in your wealth? Did you make the #1 mistake of home intrusion statistics, offend your local drug supplier by stealing his merchandise and going into competition? Or, the #2 reason, shelter a manipulative female trying to escape a beater boy friend who is looking forward to teaching you your place (at his feet broken and bleeding?)

But, no, we never discuss the reasons you got picked, how they approached the house with no warning at all, got thru your front door without making sound, walked thru a completely unfamiliar house without making a sound, to creep into your bedroom and stick A KNIFE AGAINST YOUR THROAT!

Yeah, sure. Most intrusions start when the homeowner OPENS THE DOOR. We let them in.

Got that?

In most cases an innocent family is endangered because they innocently open the door to answer who's outside.

Seems to me we should be talking about effectively preventing the whole thing, what preemptive tactics to use, etc etc etc. Nope - gun forum.

We only talk about how big a bullet to use, never about the common sense items that precede needing it. We accept complete failure of our outer defenses and have no plan other that reactive force - grab a gun and start blasting away.

We deliberately discuss and plan for complete failure, and expect to still prevail with our last ditch efforts. With no training or practice whatsoever.

What, you run drills and walk thrus on response actions after you opened the door? Isn't that kind of like what the anti gunners tell us - go about disarmed, but if a terrorist stands up in the mall and starts shooting, you just need to man up and "stop them."

I don't see much difference in the levels of logical thought with either.

We need to spend less time worrying about what sized bullet and whether it might penetrate a wall. I can say that for the most part, they ALL do, the perps will show up with ammo they certainly hope does, and the SWAT team in response doesn't have magic bullets that stop instantly to prevent accidentally shooting you, your wife, and kids. That stuff doesn't exist. If you believe it does - please post a link so we can harass the maker about his iron clad absolute guarantee it can't kill the innocent.

Not happening.

Most discussion on gun forums about defending the home is just a new twist on fantasy thread posting and it's no different than zombies or the end of the world as we know it. Add, lately, Martial Law. Fearmongering as entertainment.

When you have actually trained and done the job, it's something a lot more complicated.

And Tirod drops the mic to the floor... (Well said.)

I DO NOT WANT TO EVER HAVE TO SHOOT ANYONE.

That being said, your choice will and does work all over the world. Personally, if I have to shoot someone inside my home, I am going to hit them with something a little more substantial.

As Tirod mentions, think of your home defense plan as defense indepth with multiple layers of defense. Shooting a home intruder is the last resort. It is important to think about, but then move on to think about the other layers of defense that you ought to have in place. Some are real barriers, some are looks, a few are behavorial. Much that will also still be in place when you are not at home.

For .223 HD loads, my inclination would be towards an expanding bullet of 60 or more grains. Hornady TAP has a good reputation (especially in 5.56, which picks up a little velocity over .223) as do their GMX loads. Actually, any premium load from a major ammunition company ought to be just fine, though you really really need to fire enough from your rifle to establish reliability.

My belief is that a decent alarm/camera system and over an eighth of a ton of Mastiff and Rhodesian Ridgeback are a fairly emphatic "rob someone else", statement.

If that fails, I prefer to rely on a 7.62x39 AK loaded with SST's over H322.
My walls are stone, almost two feet thick and neighbors are both scarce and distant.

If forced to use a weapon in .223/5.56, I'd probably load the first five rounds in the mag with Barnes RRLP, followed by 64 grain Speer Gold Dots.

Any home invaders not taken out by the first five rounds will most likely have hunted cover and will require bullets with more penetration to effectively engage them.

JimKirk said:

According to many of the "experts" here on this board ... the .223/5.56 is not suitable for deer sized animals(125/200 lbs) ... would the same cartridge be suitable for a man sized animal(125/250lbs) ?

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I am weary of the same, which is why when I eventually do go hunting, I've purchased a .308. Thought I think .223/5.56 is adequate for small deer if applied correctly, based on anecdotal evidence.

What I feel is an important distinction here is that that concern isnt really applicable to the situation unless your .223/5.56 rifle is a singleshot. Because most hunting situations you're prepared for a scenario where you only get one shot and you perfer to have a humane take down.

Neither of which are realistic concerns for a last ditch self defense scenario. You're more likely to be sending rounds one after the other into the target until it stops. Good .223/5.56 ammo should be more than enough to do that or else the military wouldnt bother.

Dont forget that, in hunting, fragmentation means picking lead bits out of your food, while in defensive situations, it's generally desireable...

ETA: As long as it doesn't preclude adequate penetration.

If I were going to setup my AR for home defense duties (and I have no problem with that whatsoever), the first thing I'd do is remove the flash hider. It's responsible for sending more noise back towards the shooter (and sideways). Without it, all the pressure (and most of the noise) is moving forwards out of the bore.

Regardless, it's going to be quite loud shooting it inside. But then, most all guns are, including pistols (and especially some pistols, like revolvers due to the gas leak at the cylinder face). Hearing loss will occur, even if it isn't noticeable at first other than a ringing for a few minutes or hours.

As for ammo, I like heavy for caliber for defensive use. Anything in the 75-77gr size seems fairly ideal to me. But I wouldn't have a problem grabbing a magazine full of 55gr ammo and using it if it's what I had. I don't think ammo really matters too much for defensive use in this platform. The transfer of energy is devastating with all centerfire rifle calibers.

Tirod brings it home... Excellent post!

If I were going to setup my AR for home defense duties (and I have no problem with that whatsoever), the first thing I'd do is remove the flash hider. It's responsible for sending more noise back towards the shooter (and sideways). Without it, all the pressure (and most of the noise) is moving forwards out of the bore.

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It depends on what kind you are using. I find that a Vortex on a 16" barrel seems subjectively quieter than a bare muzzle on a 16", because the Vortex seems to direct the blast more forward than the bare muzzle does (which has a huge radial component as the bullet exits the muzzle).

One of the differences between a Vortex (or Blackout) and an A2 is that the Vortex has no surfaces to redirect anything backward or radially.



On shorter barreled guns, the Noveske "flying pig" FS seems to also direct blast forward, but that would be too heavy for a 16" or 20", I think, though I'm not sure it does much to reduce the amplitude of the flash:



I could see how some FS with closed ends could interact with the gas flow to increase noise, though. And of course, that goes 10x for brakes and comps, which make any gun far louder than it would otherwise be.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YD3zIA6vJkQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5mjqLmffWY

That being said. My AR's have their place. But my 1st go to, is my Glock. But in this day and age were your farm CAN have a lynch mob show up because you said some un-nice things to a fruit cup, or hit a snowy owl with your truck, and now your info and address is spread clear across the net, that AR can start to look a bit more practical.

I would think you would want some flash supression so youre not blinded? Prolly want a flashlight mounted and a red dot so you can see what youre shooting at in a night engagement.

After shooting numerous times with 16" ARs with A2 flash hiders , as well as various centerfire handguns from 3" 9mm & .357 to 5 to 8" .357s & .44s.

Centerfire handguns are much harder on my unprotected ears than 16" ARs.

Never, ever shoot without ear protection if possible, but in the situations you're referring to, a 16" AR will be no worse than a short barreled centerfire handgun.

Stopping the threat is the main goal.

For the close ranges of HD there isn't much that won't get the job done, that said there are more optimum loads. I prefer medium weight expanding bullets. Say 60-69 grains. I prefer hollowpoints over softpoints because of the bullet deformation you get with SPs. OTM ammo is also a good choice because it tumbles very quickly after entering tissue.

As said before tactics are far more important than ammo selection.

I work in law enforcement and a buddy of mine that works for the local Sheriffs Office had to shoot a man that was running at his supervisor with an axe. He shot the man 3 times from 5 yards with a .223 in 50 grains that was a ballistic tip. None of the rounds exited the man's back. The attacker never took another step. There was no overpenetration and threat was stopped immediately. The shots were taken in the living room of a house and no one lost their hearing(except the deceased). I would say from that experience that a lightweight ballistic tip seems to work well for home defense in a .223 and it also will probably not burst your eardrums.

55-60gr VMAX is an excellent coyote bullet, but doesn't penetrate ballistic gel enough to meet FBI standards ( 12-15") it makes a shallow nasty wound

Get some Black Hill or equivalent 77gr OTM

https://www.ar15.com/ammo/project/Self_Defense_Ammo_FAQ/#.223