What ammo is is your defensive rifle mags

[brycewise]

I have a 10.5 inch 5.56 which serves as a Home defense/"truck" err... more like "compact car" gun that is loaded with a 30 round PMag in the gun and several additional reloads of 5.56 Winchester ranger 64 grain nosler BSB for outside the home and 5.56 Black hills 77 grain TMK for inside the home.

Im curious...what is your preferred ammo to keep loaded in your rifle for defensive use?

 

[Robert]

I have 77gr SMKs loaded in mine. I keep it in the basement. Unless I am asleep I have my duty pistol on my hip as well.

 

[taliv]

i have m193 and 75g bthp in mags. mostly use the latter in my 10.5" gun, former in 16"+ guns

eta: which in no way should be taken as advice for what you should do

 

[JD Pinardi]

Never thought about using a rifle for home defense, have an AK-47, but how many walls would it go through? Mossberg pump with 00 buck is as close as I can come.
PS not counting 1911's in 45 ACP, I know that's not a rifle.
Are these loads your describing a non-overpenatration load?

JD

 

[MTMilitiaman]

Before my 6920 was stole it was always loaded with Hornady 75 gr HPBTs. I had a Rem 870 at the time loaded with Hornady TAP 8 pellet 00 buck, which it could keep in the 8 zone of a standard IPSC torso target at 35 yards. It was nice having both available, but honestly, I preferred the AR-15 because it was shorter, lighter, more versatile, and because it posed less of a risk of injuring my neighbors than my Glocks or the 12 gauge.

The lack of over penetration even compared to traditional buckshot and SMG rounds is exactly why the AR-15 and other 5.56mm carbines have all but completely replaced both the shotgun and pistol caliber SMGs and carbines for police and civilian defense use. Light and fast bullets with thin jackets tend to penetrate less barriers and hard objects than heavier and slower pistol rounds, which don't break apart and tend to conserve momentum better because of their relatively high mass and low velocity.

 

[brycewise]

Never thought about using a rifle for home defense, have an AK-47, but how many walls would it go through? Mossberg pump with 00 buck is as close as I can come.
PS not counting 1911's in 45 ACP, I know that's not a rifle.
Are these loads your describing a non-overpenatration load?

JD

They aren't necessarily "non over penetration" loads. typically the copper, FMJ and bonded rounds get the most penetration, but more often then not a pistol caliber round will have penetration greater then or equal to most 5.56 rounds. It seems counter intuitive but the combination of high velocities and light weight cause rapid deformation in most. 5.56 rounds.

Most pistol calibers have greater mass and keep momentum longer through the resistance it encounters travelling through a target. So the whole idea of using a pistol caliber vs 5.56 because of the possibility of over penetration is a wash.

 

[brycewise]

Before my 6920 was stole it was always loaded with Hornady 75 gr HPBTs. I had a Rem 870 at the time loaded with Hornady TAP 8 pellet 00 buck, which it could keep in the 8 zone of a standard IPSC torso target at 35 yards. It was nice having both available, but honestly, I preferred the AR-15 because it was shorter, lighter, more versatile, and because it posed less of a risk of injuring my neighbors than my Glocks or the 12 gauge.

The lack of over penetration even compared to traditional buckshot and SMG rounds is exactly why the AR-15 and other 5.56mm carbines have all but completely replaced both the shotgun and pistol caliber SMGs and carbines for police and civilian defense use. Light and fast bullets with thin jackets tend to penetrate less barriers and hard objects than heavier and slower pistol rounds, which don't break apart and tend to conserve momentum better because of their relatively high mass and low velocity.

Yep, I just wrote a reply explaining exactly that.

As for SMG's... I cant think of a single case where a pistol caliber type rifle is the best tool for the job.

 

[Havok7416]

We don't keep anything but one PCC truly "ready" for defensive use in terms of rifles (it has JHPs in 2 mags and SWCs in another). There are several rifles in near-ready status though (mags loaded and near the guns) and they are loaded with whatever target rounds I felt like putting in them on a given day. None of the "ready" rifles are smaller than .30-caliber and with the piles of mags near them I don't worry about the type of bullet in the case.

 

[Scooter22]

7.62x39 Brown Bear 123grn SP for my Mini-30 and SKS Paratroop. But my go to is 00 Buck in my H&R Pardner 870 clone and old 870 Wingmaster with deer barrel. Don't ass u me everyone uses a varmint round.

 

[John Joseph]

Ruag GP-11
The real reason why no one messes with Switzerland

 

[entropy]

123 gr. Wolf HP. Not all defensive rifles are 5.56mm. But like Scooter 22, my go to is a shotgun; Ithaca 37, with Rem. 0Buck and Win. PDX1. (The buck n' ball load, not the segmented slug)

 

[MedWheeler]

Okay, I'll be the first to say..... CCI 40-grain solid MiniMags.

Though my sidearm would likely be the first grabbed, I keep 25 of those in the BX25 magazine sticking out of my Ruger/Tapco 1022 and ten more in the magazine for my Mossberg 702.

 

[Water-Man]

75gr. Speer Gold Dot.

 

[Peakbagger46]

55g Hornady V-max. Same bullets as the TAP (Tactical Action Police) rounds I believe. Not going to do well through barriers, but I’m OK with limited penetration for my long gun for protection around the house.

 

[Danoobie]

I can't imagine a situation where I would need to use my rifle for SD. It's mostly for pest control.
So in the unlikely event I need to use my rifle for SD, 55 grain FMJ will probably be in the mag.

 

[redbullitt]

My house rifle is nice and short with a bit of noise/flash reduction screwed on the end, so it is a 300 blk... Plays much nicer in this role than a 556. Bullet is the Barnes 110 black tip. Seems to do very well according to everything I have seen and a couple deer here say its A OK as well.

The 556 gets a 62 (or 64 cant remember offhand) bonded federal fusion. It shoots 77 smks very well too, though I like the bonded bullet when you just dont know what may need to be shot at or through...

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Lake City 7.62mm 168gr FMJ until my wife kicked my M1A out of bed.

 

[bannockburn]

I have Hornady .223 55 grain TAP Urban ammo in my AR.

 

[brycewise]

75gr. Speer Gold Dot.

Is there any reload data on those? I want to see if I can get them to similar velocities as Black hills 5.56 77 grain SMK or Hornady 5.56 75 grain TAP T2. I like the concept of a 75 grain bonded soft point... but man are they Slow with factory loads.

 

[Water-Man]

Is there any reload data on those? I want to see if I can get them to similar velocities as Black hills 5.56 77 grain SMK or Hornady 5.56 75 grain TAP T2. I like the concept of a 75 grain bonded soft point... but man are they Slow with factory loads.

They're fast enough to get the job done, and done well.

 

[hq]

Five 60rd Surefire magazines. Hornady 69gr BTHP:s in four of them and one with a 2:1 mix of tungsten AP and Winchester 50gr frangible. And a functional selector switch in the rifle to make use of them in a haste if need be.
AK mags and drums have just 123gr surplus ball.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Five 60rd Surefire magazines. Hornady 69gr BTHP:s in four of them and one with a 2:1 mix of tungsten AP and Winchester 50gr frangible. And a functional selector switch in the rifle to make use of them in a haste if need be.
AK mags and drums have just 123gr surplus ball.

Putin just broke into the WRONG rec room!

 

[imashooter]

Four 20-round magazines and two 30-round magazines w/ Hornady 55gr Critical Defense FTX. In the process of getting same in 73gr.

 

[Dr.Rob]

55 gr. Winchester soft point is my preferred ammo for that. At room to room distance it is close enough to POI/POA to M-193.

Most of my mags are loaded with M-193, and I shoot that the most. I wouldn't feel under-gunned with it alone.

 

[Chuck R.]

60 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips in mine.

Same concept as the Hornady 55TAP with a little better penetration. It's also my coyote load.

Chuck