Home defense ammo in an apartment

[TonyB]

We are going from living in the woods, where I could use any ammo for my home defense guns to an apt with close neighbors and thin walls. What ammo should I choose? I need .38,.45,.44 spl and possibly .357....or should I just buy a Judge and use 410 00 buck? and please don't suggest I buy a shot gun....limited range of motion in my arms frce me to use handguns only...thx.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

If it will even come close to meeting the FBI criteria for gel penetration, it will sail through 2 5/8" pieces of sheetrock with no problem. Sheetrock is just not a substantial barrier; but that is what many internal walls are made out of.

You'd be better off giving some thought to reinforcing "no-shoot" areas with bookcases, TV's etc. and planning some fire lanes than spending a bunch of time trying to find a magic bullet that will reliably stop an attacker with bone, muscle, and sinew but be immediately halted in powdered gypsum backed with paper.

 

[1911 guy]

Ditto what Bartholomew Roberts said. If a given round is to be effective against an intruder, it's also going to go throught apartment walls like a locomotive through fog.

Ordinarily, I'd recommend a carbine or shotgun, but your limited range of motion precludes that. What kind of reputation does Glazer have these days?

 

[Sav .250]

You might have the right to ...defend but the fall out from your neighbors "could" be costly. As in your bullet / buck shot, were to damage /kill some one other than the perp. J s/n.

 

[bigfatdave]

You'd be better off giving some thought to reinforcing "no-shoot" areas with bookcases, TV's etc. and planning some fire lanes than spending a bunch of time trying to find a magic bullet that will reliably stop an attacker with bone, muscle, and sinew but be immediately halted in powdered gypsum backed with paper

well phrased

TonyB there's a website called "the box of truth" that does ammo testing. In general, magic bullets designed for sale to people with the concerns you've listed DO go through walls and DON'T provide terminal ballistics worth a crap. Glasers, extreme shock, various frangibles, handgun shotguns ... they all perform poorly in both categories.
Use a duty load similar to what the local po-po uses, they might have to shoot in urban areas and don't carry Glasers or shotgun revolvers.

 

[Skribs]

Glaser, from what I've read, isn't what it used to be. They used to have hotter loads that were decent, but they're tamed a bit now, and lack decent penetration.

Hollowpoint bullets through drywall will actually travel pretty far, because they clog up with drywall and fail to expand, so they actually go through walls like FMJ.

In a small apartment, the Judge should work fine, but any load that will penetrate a human will still penetrate multiple walls.

Even though the noise is excessive, the properties of the five-seven are actually pretty attractive if reducing overpenetration through walls without reducing penetration in predators is your goal. Rifle rounds tend to be affected by soft barriers like drywall more than others, and the 5.7x28 is basically a small rifle round.

Of course, that is expensive, and if you reinforce with hard barriers it might be better to use a standard pistol caliber.

 

[smalls]

Pick possible shooting paths and try to put book cases, or other thick furniture in strategic spots, so they hopefully catch stray bullets.

 

[Water-Man]

Buy a .223/5.56 pistol.

 

[Skribs]

Buy a .223/5.56 pistol.

Those can be used one-handed, but they are quite a bit bulkier and heavier than your average handgun. I don't think this would be a very good option.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Plus the whole reason .223/5.56 works well is because it breaks up due to velocity; but the short pistol barrels sacrifice a lot of that velocity and show more penetration.

 

[Fred Fuller]

the short pistol barrels sacrifice a lot of that velocity and show more penetration.

And the muzzle blast would likely be debilitating also. We have a KelTec PLR-16, and I can't imagine shooting it indoors or without earpro.

 

[BLB68]

Consider getting a laser for your primary HD gun. Bullets that hit their target are less likely to go into someone else's apartment. Laser's also a cool training aid.

 

[CHighfield]

I would say Glaser, but I haven't seen anything on them lately. Skribs may just be right, but maybe do some bench testing if you feel like making some gel and have any sheetrock /drywall laying around.

Oh, and I agree with this:

You'd be better off giving some thought to reinforcing "no-shoot" areas with bookcases, TV's etc.

 

[W.E.G.]

Use a gun for home defense that you actually train with, and which is of suitable design for effective close-quarters fighting. That is your criteria.

I can't imagine anybody ever putting enough time on that gimmicky "Judge" monstrosity to feel like they were anything more than "familiar" with it. I suppose you could use a Walker Colt for home defense. But given superior choices, why would you?

If you have to use deadly force in the home, you will not be able to pick your shots. The idea of having special "shoot areas" is far beyond impractical. You shoot to eliminate the threat at the time and location of another's choosing, and at no other time.

If you really are more concerned about bullets doing damage after passing through walls, than you are about those bullets doing what needs to be done inside your walls, you might want to re-think whether you want to use a firearm for defense at all. If you are physically powerful, and not squeamish toward violence, a decent fixed-blade knife may actually be a far more effective defensive weapon than a firearm inside a darkened room.

Even a baseball bat can accomplish more than a firearm in the right hands.

 

[Shadow 7D]

Box o truth
go read, guys with guns, never claim to be scientific, just show what happens when you shoot stuff (the science is purely happenstance)

anything that will perforate a person adequately will also punch through standard construction.

UNLESS, you happen to have a concrete building, even then cinderblock is only mildly resistant.

 

[mljdeckard]

I agree with post #2 as well.

Use the effective kind.

 

[leadcounsel]

Hit what you are shooting at. That means no spray and pray...

Handgun ammo will reliablely penetrate 5-10 layers of drywall and will also penetrate other common items, like bookcases, thin doors, sheet metal, etc.