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[Avenger29]

2. Why 5.56/.223

.223/5.56 is one of the best HD rifle rounds when you look at effectivness vs. overpenetration. It doesn't have the tendancy to go through walls as bad.

.223/5.56 weapons also have very low recoil, so anyone in the house should be able to use it in that respect. A good AR with a collapsible stock will also allow easy and quick length adjustment for any user, and one built with a bit of attention to lightness can also be easier for all household members to use. It has a nice 30 round magazine that can be changed very quickly vs. loading a 12 gauge (at least the Saiga has a detachable box mag) as most using a 12 gauge shotgun for HD go with a tube magazine, pump action shotgun.

Everybody in my family, using my AR with a RDS, gets fast, effective hits on targets, and they do much better than with a 12 guage shotgun.


I used to be a 12 gauge shotgun is the only way to go for HD guy until I got some rounds through an AR-15.

 

[Afy]

Yup... no arguments other than the fact that the 5.56 is ineffective as a combat round.

 

[Avenger29]

Yup... no arguments other than the fact that the 5.56 is ineffective as a combat round.

I'm afraid you are wrong on that point.

 

[kwelz]

Yup... no arguments other than the fact that the 5.56 is ineffective as a combat round.

Wrong, wrong, and well.. Wrong.

5.56 has proven itself to be quite an effective combat round in fact. While the are indeed some situations when other bullets perform better there is nothing wrong with it for your average rifleman.

It is also a great home defense round. I recently sold my HD shotgun and use one of my ARs instead. It wont' over penetrate, allows for quick followups and is quite accurate.

 

[Avenger29]

It is also a great home defense round. I recently sold my HD shotgun and use one of my ARs instead. It wont' over penetrate, allows for quick followups and is quite accurate.

The only reason I still have a shotgun is to take advantage of the availability and versatility of 12 gauge shotgun ammunition and to have the ability to safely (in regards to backstop issues) knock anything out of a tree I need to.

 

[Mr. T]

Bushmaster

Bushmaster chambers all of their AR-15's in 5.56 so that the rifle can fire either round without concern. They stamp it right on their barrels:
[5.56 NATO]

I bought my "Patrolman's Carbine" a couple years ago for $799 at a Gander Mountain; it's basically a 16" M4. It's a great gun; I would recommend checking them out.

 

[zhyla]

.223/5.56 is one of the best HD rifle rounds when you look at effectivness vs. overpenetration. It doesn't have the tendancy to go through walls as bad.

Really? How many walls do you have in your house? Cause a .223 will go thru all of them. So will any other military rifle round. So will buckshot. Just because one round will go thru 10 layers of drywall and another will go thru 8 layer doesn't mean the 2nd round has lower wall penetration. They all have 100% wall penetration.

.223 is a fine anti-human round, just make sure there are no friendlies behind your target (walls or no walls). Same goes for pretty much any handgun/rifle round.

 

[Avenger29]

I said "as bad". I am fully aware that .223 has 100% wall penetration. I am not suggesting that you shoot at someone without regard to your backstop. I am not suggesting that a couple of layers of drywall will instantly stop .223.

Some interesting reading on this subject.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=210739

 

[Maverick223]

Yup... no arguments other than the fact that the 5.56 is ineffective as a combat round.

I disagree. That said, I prefer a larger projectile (more likely to hit something important), and therefore keep the .223/5.56 in reserve. That is not to say that it is a poor choice, and certainly not to say that it is not lethal...I simply believe that a larger bullet (like the low-recoil .30 Carbine round, or preferably 12Ga. No. 1 Buckshot) will have a greater chance of incapacitating an intruder more quickly.

 

[c919]

Well, here it goes. The old .223 home defense & overpenetration battle.

Can't we all agree that:

A. It's is fairly likely that a .223 round of almost any sort is decently likely penetrate a wall or two.

B. It is fairly unlikely that it will go far enough to end up in your neighbor's house (assuming you don't live in a condo or apt) after penetrating said walls.

So....

Practice rule #4. Know what is behind your target and don't shoot at a BG if he is between you and your child's room.

I think the biggest consideration for using .223/5.56 as an HD round should be the layout of one's house. Some houses are set up in a way that overpenetration would not be a danger to loved ones, others are not. It is something that should be evaluated before deciding to use a rifle of this sort for HD.

Now let's not hijack the OP's thread...

 

[jeepguy]

i have mini 14 ss ranch 580 m1 carbine & bushmaster ar15 a3 m4. the bushy very accurate. m1 carbine shoots good & you own a piece of history. mini is my favorite by far. plenty of ammo choices between 223 & 5.56 not as accurate as my ar but close enough for me. i would go mini 14 w the fh & fancy wood stock its a davidsons exclusive. good luck