Defense choice - .223 or 40/45 cal

[halfacop]

Here ya go, compliments of maco tactical..........

 

[Plink]

A pistol is what you use to fight your way to a rifle. If given a choice, I'll take a rifle any time. No handgun cartridge is all that reliable of a stopper, especially when compared to a rifle round.

 

[10-Ring]

I prefer the M4

 

[springmom]

I have to admit, my .45 is on my bedside, and my AR is in my safe. If three magazines of .45 can't do the job, I don't have burglars, I have an immigration. I seriously doubt I'd need more than 21 rounds. I could be wrong, but I'm thinking that really ought to take care of things. And yes, I shoot it like I was born with it, or close enough.

I cannot let this comment pass:

Depends on how many walls you're trying to shoot through.

If you have to shoot through multiple walls to get your bad guy, then used the .40 or .45 pistola.

If you have clear view of the bad guy and would rather keep the number of walls punched down to a minimum, then you want a round that fragments faster and stops earlier, that being the .223 ammo.

SHOOTING THROUGH WALLS????? What in the name of Pete ever happened to the four laws? Seeing your target? Knowing your backstop????? If you "have to shoot through multiple walls" you are not ready to shoot. :banghead: You shoot a target you can SEE, not one you think is somewhere two rooms over in some general direction.


Springmom

 

[larry_minn]

Yep you use handgun to make your way to long arm. The AR all the way (for defending your home) Of course you want a handgun on you as well.
Lets look at some (mildly) possible situations. Range is over 75' and they are threat (shooting at you) handgun (under that pressure most mild cover/concealment being used by them) is outranged. (for me at least)
More then one target (easier aiming up till point blank range/more knockdown power, more rds before reload, and it will go thru mild cover/cheap Ebay vests.

 

[xd45gaper]

im guessing from your choices of firearms you are talking about home defence. because i dont know of many states that let you carry around an M4 as your primary self defence weapon

for home defence i would choose a 12ga loaded with buckshot. generally you dont have to worry about follow up shots when you hit them in the chest with a load of 00 buck and you dont have to worry as much about over penetration into the neighbors house. its also easer to make a kill if needed in a stressful situation if it arose.

plus the noise of racking one in the chamber of a pump is pretty nerve racking if you are a criminal in someones house!

 

[ArfinGreebly]

Springmom

I cannot let this comment pass:

Depends on how many walls you're trying to shoot through.

If you have to shoot through multiple walls to get your bad guy, then use the .40 or .45 pistola.

If you have clear view of the bad guy and would rather keep the number of walls punched down to a minimum, then you want a round that fragments faster and stops earlier, that being the .223 ammo.

Yeah, I was wondering when someone would pick up on that.

That's a "7" on the irony meter.

The point was "pistol rounds tend to go through more walls" (see Box-o-Truth for demonstration). The .223 has been shown to fragment and penetrate less.

If you have clear view of the bad guy and would rather keep the number of walls punched down to a minimum​

. . . should have been the irony clue.

Sorry if my calibration was off.

 

[springmom]

Nah, my Irony Detector is out of batteries this week

But seriously, I don't worry overly much about .45 JHP's doing a lot of overpenetrating. I don't recall the Box o' Truth showing that to be a problem. Maybe slightly UNDERpenetrating, especially if the BG is built like a tank...but not overpenetrating.

Springmom the unironic

 

[zahc]

There should be no thread. .223 is so much more powerful than any normal handgun round this question should be obvious.

The merits of rifle vs. handgun is worth considering, but the cartridges themselves aren't even comparable.

 

[xd45gaper]

i agree, the box o truth didnt fire a round threw a bad guy first either, i wouldnt base all my assumptions on wall/badguy penatration just from that website. nothing he shoots in comparable to real flesh and bone.

i agree with zach you cant compare a .223 to a .45.

 

[g5reality]

I'd choose the quicker easier to get handgun in .45 if given the choice. I'd also choose a 870 shotgun over the AR. bigger spread of projectile.

 

[tbtrout]

If it is inside my house I would take the pistol. I do not live in a mansion, so if I am room clearing it will be a hek of a lot easier with a pistol. AR's, especially short barreled ones are not very good at CQB. They tend to go through the target too quickly and will require more than one shot, usually. The .223 rounds purpose was to penetrate Soviet body armor and does not achieve significant yaw at close range on soft targets. Give me a good .45 and I am set.

 

[koja48]

Depends on the situation . . . hand would drop on the 1911 first . . . after that, conditions would warrant whether I opted for a shotgun or the Bushmaster carbine, but all are readily available as is the noise-sensitive & territorial Black Lab . . . (and we both have black belts; he just wears his as a collar . . . ).