Defensive .223/5.56 ammo

[HisStigness]

The article I read said "The wound profile is very similar to that produced by the m193 bullet" the reason I quoted the part about the m885 is because it was on Wikipedia so I could copy and paste, where as the info for both was a pdf http://ammo.ar15.com/project/Fackler_Articles/wounding_patterns_military_rifles.pdf

 

[HisStigness]

A study done by ar15.com said "While the M855-type ammunition generally meets performance requirements, there have been quite a few reports in inadequate fragmentation. Please remember that this is military ammo, and while the fragmenting properties are well documented and understood, there is no requirement for the bullet to fragment when being tested for acceptance. There can be significant variations in constructions which could make some lots perform much worse than others. For this reason, it is not on the list. While the M193-type ammo is not nearly as complicated of a design, it is also not inherently as devastating as the heavier OTMs listed below. Since this article is about the BEST choices for self-defense ammunition, it is omitted also." http://www.ar15.com/ammo/project/Self_Defense_Ammo_FAQ/
This article is worth the read because it also talks about the aforementioned risk of over penetrarion that is common with handgun calibers. I stand corrected about 223 FMJs over penetrating, it isn't as big of an issue as I thought.

 

[benEzra]

Is green tip the armor piercing stuff? If so I wouldn't mind having some.

No, armor piercing .223/5.56x45mm is black tip and is restricted by Federal law. Green tip is 62gr M855 ball. It has a small steel cap over the core, but it generally doesn't penetrate barriers any better than M193 at short to medium range because it is going slower.

 

[Elm Creek Smith]

I have two 20 round magazines of Hornaday 55 grain V-Max .223 ammunition with my Ruger Mini-14 in case something happens that I don't think my handguns will handle. Once those 40 rounds are gone, I'd switch to the cheap (relatively) Monarch 55 grain FMJ .223/5.56X45mm steel-cased rounds in my plethora of 30 round magaziness 'cause I would effectively be in a war at that point.

ECS