Caliber effectiveness for defense at short range

10mm. Hard hitting, but greater barrier prenetration compared to the 5.56, which, for inside work, is not what you want. Quieter inside than a SB 5.56 imo. I wouldnt bother with a 9mm. And I can take down most everything south of the Canadian border. Except maybe a big bull moose. But im a fan of the 10mm. I carry it in black bear country.

I wish someone made an AR in 44mag. That would be sweet.

(Edited for correctness)

It has been proven over and over again that 5.56 bullets will traditionally not penetrate multiple interior / exterior walls as much as pistol rounds, so the nod usually goes to 556.

http://www.preparedgunowners.com/20...for-home-defense-fbi-overpenetration-testing/

Having said that - I personally prefer to use 300AAC supersonics as my HD/SD pistol chambering both for the increased bullet size / weight and the reduction in muzzle blast.

rbernie said:

It has been proven over and over again that 5.56 bullets will traditionally not penetrate multiple interior / exterior walls as much as pistol rounds, so the nod usually goes to 556.

http://www.preparedgunowners.com/20...for-home-defense-fbi-overpenetration-testing/

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.223 primarily due to this.

That said, if by chance a suppressor were in the cards, I'd look long and hard at the 9mm with subsonic loads for the sake of my ears.

5.56 Winchester 64 grain Power Points are REAL hard to beat on any living creature under 300 pounds. An if one doesn't get it done use three !

I'd go with 9mm, just makes it easier later if you get a handgun as well. It is a pistol round, so you'll get marginal gains on velocity and don't have degraded performance as something to concern yourself with from a shorter barrel. The ammo is inexpensive, relatively speaking, so - you can practice more - and that makes you more likely to hit your target.

First requirement is practical accuracy. A miss with any cartridge is ineffective, and at such short range the platform is probably more important. Right now availability is also an issue.

Of the three I would rate .223 highest, though I'd prefer a 14" barrel. At such close range, I wouldn't feel undergunned with the other two as long as the arm is accurate and properly zeroed and body armor isn't an issue.

556 but I'd prefer it out of a 16" barrel. It's much more effective than a handgun caliber, and gives you a lot more versatility in other areas as well. For instance it's light for deer but would work even if you hamper it with that shorter barrel.

An 10.5" barrel 5.56 up is very effective to 200 yards with excellent accuracy . The Army decided 14" was optimum for handling vs. performance. Noveske felt about 12.5 or so was close enough and still kept barrel length reasonable with a suppressor. For your 50 yard OP requirement I would go 10.5 to 14" + muzzle device. 11.5" runs very well with Carbine Gas length . 12.5" up can take mid length gas for even smoother action . 16" is great and complete legal with no restrictions !!!

I'm with Gordon on the ammo choice. I have taken a few TX whitetails with the 64 Grn PP and they work. Before the .223/5.56 become so extremely popular, the 64 PP was one of few hunting bullets available for the .223, especailly in loaded form. It has been a while, but I can't remember a deer taking much more than a few steps and then tipping over dead.

While this point can be easily debated, the box has a picture of a deer and it is listed as appropriate for Deer and Antelope. In some circumstances I could see a benefit not having, "Zombie" or "Tactical" or "LE Ammo" written all over the box. It is a sleeper loads, yet extremely effective.

If it's going to be a shoulder fired weapon there is no reason to shoot pistol calibers. If you're talking about indoors, there is no place inside my home for a shot longer than 15-20'. At those ranges I want a gun that can be held in one hand and 9mm is as good as anything against 2 legged predators. I like 10mm for 4 legged predator defense.

I have a 1-4X scope on my 10" AR. It will hit 6" steel plates at 300 yards. But I still like my 16" and 18" barreled AR's better.

10mm. Hard hitting, but decreased barrier prenetration compared to the 5.56,

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This is backwards. 5.56 is much less likely to over penetrate than any pistol caliber.

jmr40 said:

This is backwards. 5.56 is much less likely to over penetrate than any pistol caliber.

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Yeah Ive gathered that from the replies. Im not opposed to admitting i was wrong. Wont be the last time.

But... Does the same apply if we were to consider a common larger rifle caliber, like 7.62x39 or even 308? I would certainly think a 308 would penetrate farther than a 9mm. But maybe not? I know at some point there has to be a transition to the rifle having greater penetration. Obviously a 50BMG would be in this category. I would guess it all came down to good ol physics, mass times velocity equals force.

Ever been near a flash-bang grenade when it went off? Because that is about the same effect you get from an unsuppressed 11 inch AR indoors.

BigBlue 94 said:

I would guess it all came down to good ol physics, mass times velocity equals force

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Ummm.... not unless somebody has changed Newton's First and Second Laws of Motion,

Mass times velocity equals momentum (P=mv)
Mass times acceleration equals force (F=ma)

BigBlue 94 said:

I wish someone made an AR in 44mag. That would be sweet.
)

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Well they don’t make a 44 mag but I bet a 44 Auto Mag could be converted.

There are ARs for 500 S&W and 45 Raptor (rimless 460 S&W). The AR has to be an AR10 type though.

jdh said:

Ever been near a flash-bang grenade when it went off? Because that is about the same effect you get from an unsuppressed 11 inch AR indoors.

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Yep... Shock and Awe baby!!!

5.56, because that is what I have successfully used for similar purposes in the past.

FL-NC said:

5.56, because that is what I have successfully used for similar purposes in the past.

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Thank you, voice of experience.

Thank you for your Service

earlthegoat2 said:

Well they don’t make a 44 mag but I bet a 44 Auto Mag could be converted.

There are ARs for 500 S&W and 45 Raptor (rimless 460 S&W). The AR has to be an AR10 type though.

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I have a beowulf AR. And a ruger 44 mag deerfield carbine. Just think the 44mag in an AR could be a potent little carbine. I dont think it would fill any niche even particularly better then whats available. I just like 44 mag. I guess!

Effective short range defense doesn't come in calibers, it comes in gauges.

Offfhand said:

The short range defense doesn't come in calibers, it comes in gauges.

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I keep a 20 ga 870 behind the door with an 18.5" barrel with two 3" loads of 6 shot followed by three #3 buck and 6 more in the side saddle. And a couple slugs in the grip of the ar15 style stock. I know i wouldnt want that 6 shot in the gut at 5 feet...

My question for the OP is about the "short range" criteria: can you refine your requirements a bit more? What are you really wanting to use this gun for? I know you said under 50 yards, indoor or outdoor. Most here seem to be concentrating on indoor, in which case the "under 50 yards" part would more likely be "under 10 yards", as few would ever be shooting indoors farther than that. ( I could mange a 60 foot shot in my house if I stand at my front door and shoot at my back door, but I'd have about a one foot wide space due to walls, corners, etc...) Those really short distances, and the considerations of shooting indoors (maneuverability, noise, flash, wall penetration...), would make for a different choice than outside at 50 yards.

For inside/home defense, I agree with others who say to either go with a shotgun (as Offfhand says) or a pistol. Even outside, 00 buck will do a darn good job at 10-50 yards on two legged jackals. If it MUST be the 11.5" AR, I'd go with .300 BLK. It was designed for shorter barrels and is better with a suppressor, which is the only way I'd want to light one off in my home without ear protection. It has plenty of reach to handle anything within your 50 yards range. Sorry, I know that doesn't use any of the three choices you gave.

BigBlue 94 said:

I have a beowulf AR. And a ruger 44 mag deerfield carbine. Just think the 44mag in an AR could be a potent little carbine. I dont think it would fill any niche even particularly better then whats available. I just like 44 mag. I guess!

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Get the .429 de and get a smith to help with a pcc conversion like the glock conversion carbines.

5.56mm.