Would not the 9mm Luger or 40SW be better choices for home defense? Now that we all have spent a fortune on 5.56 guns? What say you? Thanks…
Gary,
Why would a cartridge that over penetrates and has less energy used in a firearm that is less accurate and has less capacity be a “better choice for home defense”?
An AR15 in 5.56 penetrates interior walls less, has more energy, is more accurate, and has a higher capacity than any 9mm or .40 firearm.
Regards,
Eurodriver
If youre going to shoot a lot, 9mm is cheaper. Has less recoil, so will be easier to get quick second shots. 40 s&w will take more practice for this.
Good defensive ammunition makes the caliber difference almost negligible.
No matter what caliber you choose, hit location matters.
Get what you can use most effectively.
Sent from my C6916 using Tapatalk
That the search option is your friend…
Is is it suitable? Yes. With that said, it greatly lacks behind a Hornady GMX based load in 70gr (or BH’s equv.). Always go with the options that give YOU the best ability to survive a fight.
C4
Personally I think a flamethrower would be the best option. Lots of energy and basically no penetration, but still extremely effective…
Biased Personal Opinion:
For indoors, close quarters I like my old HK M1 Benelli w/ full mag capacity tube. 00 Buck. Unpopular opinion these days, but it’s what I trained on early on for room clearing and it’s what I feel comfortable with. This, however, assumes unarmored threats per an unorganized home invasion. Bear in mind if you go the shotgun route, you must be very well versed and up to date with reloading on the fly as well as have a shell carrier or a shell feeder on a belt/vest. If you run dry on a shotgun you are SOL.
That said, for an AR15 centric home defense method, I would sooner use 50gr or 53gr SP ammo. I don’t see what you would gain from a 9mm. Pretty much everyone who does entries for a living have gone to short barrel M4s and suppressors. Anyone who uses a SMG is someone who couldn’t get an AR.
You might as well use a pistol.
Plus. I don’t really trust pistol cal ARs.
If they are light armored home invasion threat, then you’re going to need something other than a pistol round. The adage is true: a pistol really isn’t the best thing to shoot someone with.
Exactly.
Best choice?
Any intruder confronted with a 9mm Glock, 1911, MP5, AR, AK, or Shotty is… at a disadvantage.
Best ammo, wall penetration, multiple attackers, and lawyers holding your gun up in front of a jury is all just stuff to argue about.
The only thing important thing is that a gun needs to be present, loaded, and hopefully with a light attached to it.
When SWAT and military members in CQB situations switch to 9mm, I’ll consider the same. The fact they mostly use SBRs in 5.56 is the only endorsement I need.
No. Browse the terminal ballistics forum here, and check out the "box o truth"website. 5.56 will stop a threat quicker, more reliably and with less penetration risk than pistol rounds.
Don’t know why I’m posting, you guys scared Gary off. 
For the most part what KEV said parallels my thoughts on the matter.
I think one of the things you need to do first is a reasonable assessment of the realistic threat - yes it is possible that the entire Sinaloa Cartel could bust your door, or the SWAT team of a rogue billionaire could fast rope from a Jet Ranger into your backyard, but it is more than likely that anything you will need to fight off will be a drunk/drugged intruder or a crew of home invaders (smaller than a Special Forces A Team in all likelihood).
In reality, a shotgun with a fully loaded extended magazine tube (7 or 8 rounds) would be more than adequate in 99.9999% of the cases. Likewise so would a fully loaded doublestack 9mm (12+ rounds). So therefore an AR with a 30 round magazine would definitely not be a liability.
In terms of armor - the only immediately incapacitating rounds are those that impact the central nervous system - I don’t care what you shot the guy with - if you explode his heart and don’t get the high CNS, he still has 10-20 seconds of life to get rounds on you if he is focused. My thought is that the focus ought to be hits centered on the throat above the suprasternal notch (aka jugular notch) - those are going to impact the cervical vertebrae high enough to cause loss of control to the hands - a vertebrae or two higher up and he’s going to need a ventilator, etc.
Face shooting someone with a 12ga at room distance will probably put a pellet or two where they need to be, so would 3 to 5 rounds out of that SMG.
What I’m trying to say is - be realistic, develop a plan that works with what you have, improve your equipment as you can.
I’ve had guard duty at the hospital more than a few times after one of our officers has shot a suspect. We use primarily 180 grn HST .40s and 230 grn +P .45s (recently 9mm has been approved, 124 grn +P Golddots, but the few shootings we’ve had with it have all been fatal). I have never had to guard someone shot by our 55 grn Federal TRU .223. Hell I’ve never even heard of the suspect being transported by EMS.
I also heard one of our homicide detectives joke and say the rifle shootings are far easier to investigate due to far fewer rounds fired and the fact that the suspect rarely moves anywhere after being shot.
Agreed that the effectiveness of a AR carbine or rifle is undisputable at close range. For that matter, so is a 12 Gauge buckshot load.
One other factor to consider is the muzzle blast and noise associated with firing a rifle or shotgun indoors. Unless you don ear pro or have a can on your rifle, this may be a consideration. Firing a .223/ 5.56 round indoors can be extremely loud and disorienting.
Personally, in a self-defense scenario, I keep a SIG 226 pistol loaded with 15 rounds of +p ammo on the night-stand. That said, I do keep both an AR with several magazines and a 12 Gauge at the front of the safe.
I think for some, whom don’t have access to an AR carbine, or better an SBR with a suppressor, a 9mm carbine may have some utility if over-penetration is not a primary consideration in an indoor self-defense scenario.
I would like to say that before we discount armor considerations that there are people who do home invasions with soft body armor.
Soft body armor is cheaper and easier to buy/steal than plate. It’s not quite the norm, but is more prevalent than in times past.
As per firing a shotgun or rifle indoors, BTDT. Auditory exclusion is real but you will join the tinnitus club.
[QUOTE=Firefly;2159299]I would like to say that before we discount armor considerations that there are people who do home invasions with soft body armor.
Soft body armor is cheaper and easier to buy/steal than plate. It’s not quite the norm, but is more prevalent than in times past.
As per firing a shotgun or rifle indoors, BTDT. Auditory exclusion is real but you will join the tinnitus club.[/QUOTE]
^This is a fact.^
You may also have other health issues if you have exposed yourself repeatedly to firing a rifle indoors. Even if you double up and use both earplugs and headphones, you can still feel the pressure on the skull.
For a homeowner concerned with shooting at distances related to home defense, I think a good .223 55g SP does a good job and would give you an edge over a pistol round. Unless you fired thousands of rifle rounds in an enclosed space, the most you would have to concern yourself with is tinnitus.
(Reconsidering life choices)
What does “home defense” mean?
Different tools for different tasks, and all that…
Which is why my nightstand pistol and HD rifle (11.5" AR) are all suppressed. Outside of a carry pistol, I think any serious firearm should be suppressed.
Least “best” option.
C4
+1…