.308 Home Defense Loads?

[chicharrones]

. . . who recommend using a centerfire rifle for home defense. You might want to give them a read despite your vastly superior combat experience:

Kyle Lamb - The Rifle for Home Defense - One Expert's Opinion
Larry Vickers
Mike Pannone
Pat Rogers
Clint Smith

To quote a 22yr Sgt. Major and SOF Assaulter "A carbine is great for home defense."

I may have missed something, but I couldn't find references to 7.62 NATO autoloaders in there.

Is there some testing reported on the net showing 7.62 NATO penetration? (edit: or .308 Winchester)

 

[Panzerschwein]

Cooldill, if it's what you go it's what you got. I certainly wouldn't let someone break in and NOT use it over What Ifs. Some of these guys make it sounds like you chose a nuclear warhead for HD. I think there are better choices, but I wouldn't run right out to buy something different just for that purpose. I think you are being pretty responsible for seeking out and testing the best ammo you can for the gun you've got.

As mentioned, anything that is satisfactory for HD whether pistol, shotgun, or rifle, is gonna shoot through walls. Some more than others, but it doesn't somehow nullify the risk in its entirety if someone chooses A over B or vice versa.

Thank you for the support Eldon.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Is there some testing reported on the net showing 7.62 NATO penetration? (edit: or .308 Winchester)

Page 2 and 3 of this thread have links to 7.62x51mm penetration for Hornady ammo, including comparisons to both pistol ammo, shotgun ammo, and 5.56.

 

[chicharrones]

Page 2 and 3 of this thread have links to 7.62x51mm penetration for Hornady ammo, including comparisons to both pistol ammo, shotgun ammo, and 5.56.

I did see the gelatin testing. I wonder if anyone has any drywall testing? (edit: with .308, again)

 

[eldon519]

Here is some informal testing where pretty much everything goes through drywall except #8 birdshot.
http://www.theboxotruth.com/the-box-o-truth-14-rifles-shotguns-and-walls/

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

I did see the gelatin testing. I wonder if anyone has any drywall testing?

Not sure if you noticed; but the gel shots included ballistic gel after the round had passed through heavy clothing, plywood, sheetrock, steel and auto glass (they are labelled accordingly on the right side of the pictures)

For just drywall testing, there is a link in the Rifle Forum Reading Library to various drywall penetration tests. I think all of them are .223; but since several of them involve Hornady TAP you can compare the catalog round tested with other rounds.

The big thing on limiting penetration is shedding the much higher energy quickly. If the round doesn't break up, it is going to zip through a lot. Box O' Truth is another great resource; but some of their early tests have the barriers too close together. If the mechanism to reduce penetration is fragmentation, then putting the barriers a few inches apart makes the bullet seem more penetrative than it is.

230rn's test where he spaced out the walls (and later Box O' Truth tests) gives the rifle rounds time to fragment into smaller pieces before encountering the next barrier and space to bleed off the energy of the smaller, higher drag frags before they hit the next barrier. So, it gives a more realistic assessment of the shoot-through threat.