AR-15 home defense ammo

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acmax95

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Those of you that use your AR in the home defense role what ammo do you use? I am wanting to use my AR as a HD weapon but I know the bulk FMJ ammo that I have is a bad choice for HD use.
 
I use a pistol for HD, but for any rifle I'm a fan of soft points. From the tests I've seen they don't have a problem with over penetration like a regular fmj would.
 
Thanks for the replies. I did a search but did not come up with any thing as good as what Bartholomew Roberts posted. I guess my phrasing was off.
 
Any decent soft point or hollow point would work well. My dept uses Federal Tactical 55grn HP rounds and they perform extremely well as long as there are no barriers.
 
Fed Tac 55gn
Hornady Tap
SSA 60+gn OTM

Really, anything reliable will do at HD range. (or should) I just ran out of heavy SSA so I have some Fed 55gn plinking ammo in my mags for the time being.
 
If for some reason I have my AR out for home defense (I rarely do), I use Hornady Super Performance SST - They are my preferred hunting round, but I know they would do the job if need be.

That being said, I prefer my M&P .45 with Trijicon night sights for HD. :D
 
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Home defense? To me, "defense" is most likely inside of 25 yards or so. I don't see where the type of ammo makes any difference at all. What I darned sure won't do is pop one round and then stop and goo-goo eye to see what happened. If I'm justified in using deadly force indoors, I'll need a new carpet.

My preference is soft-points, and most of my using loads are 50- or 55-grain.
 
I'd use my ar-15 for home defense but I just can't seem to fit the 00-Buck into the magazine. :confused:
 
The AR, equipped with Red Dot sight and Streamlight TLR-2 laser/light is my primary HD gun. I keep them loaded with soft point.
 
64gr Bonded SP or 75gr Hornady JHP-OTMs, coupled with a good RDS and a bright LED white light.
 
Art,

I agree, anything will work for home defense.

As for needing new carpet, most likely having to re-do the walls and ceiling as well. :uhoh:
 
1911 pistol atop my closet loaded with Winchester 230 gr JHP. If one wants to breaks in ,then they can have them ..
 
I have winchester 55 grain powerpoint and 60 grain tap loaded in a few pmags inside the safe for just in case. I keep my remy 870 out for close and personal work.
 
i know some will preach that handloads shouldnt be used but i dont worry about it. Ill cross that path if it ever comes. I load 60 grain partitions in mine for home defense. they penetrate well. where i live overpenetetration isnt a consern. Ive used them on deer sized game and they kill well. I believe i read that the FBI uses them in there ammo in ars too.
 
IMO, anything that you know will, without a doubt, go bang will do the job. A 55gr FMJ impacting the target at 3,000 fps is going to do a lot of damage. To me, the most important things are knowing that my firearm and cartridges will function and that I’m able to quickly put lead on target.

My main rifle loads are 55gr Nosler BT and 55gr FMJ.
 
In the vast majority of cases I would not recommend a rifle for home defense. But if you choose to use a 5.56 rilfe I don't think it makes much difference what ammo you use.
 
...and your neighbor's kid's walls too depending on shot placement.
Click to expand...
That's less likely with midweight .223 JHP/SP than with most pistol JHP or 00 buckshot, all else being equal, since .223 JHP/SP penetrates less in drywall and most exterior walls than either. A single interior wall won't stop 55gr JHP (or much else) but two or three interior walls usually will, depending on the load, as will a lot of exterior walls. I could see some concern with FMJ, just as with pistol FMJ or shotgun slugs, of course, but that's not what we're really discussing.

Birdshot penetrates less in building materials than .223 JHP, but most shot sizes seem to lose effectiveness *very* quickly with distance (inside a few yards).

I personally like Federal 55gr JHP for the HD role. A mounted light is a must, IMO, as with any other defensive long gun.
 
Mr. Ezra,

Do you have any information on how a 5.56 / 55gr FMJ reacts to interior walls? The reason I ask is M193 is known to fragment at high velocity, but this takes a few inches of penetration. What happens to the same bullet fired through interior walls (like wood frame / sheetrock)? Is one wall (2 pieces of sheetrock) enough to destabilize the bullet and make it yaw? If so, would the bullet meet enough resistance on a second interior wall to fragment? Also, do you know of any tests showing the number of interior walls a 55gr FMJ typically penetrates? Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
 
MtnCreek,

I would not use 55gr FMJ if over penetration is a concern. While it usually fragments violently, I have seen FMJ rounds penetrate A LOT of stuff on occasion.
 
Thanks for the info! The linked site had a lot of good info, but I think a little more testing is in order (if for no other reason, it looks fun). I'm pretty sure I have all the required materials on hand to do something similar, with a few different cartridges that I would be more likely to use. I also have some hardie board and insulation, so maybe an exterior wall would be a good addition. I'm launching model rockets with the kids this weekend, but it looks like 'model' wall building is in the near future!
 
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