Okay, I know we have 5.56 haters out there. And we have loyalists. When it comes down to it, and you’re family’s in danger (insert hypothetical home invasion scenario here) Do you trust the 5.56 round (proper HD load such as 75g TAP or similar) to stop the BGs and protect you and yours? Do you feel adequately armed, or underpowered?
I know it’s been beat to death, but polls show what ppl think and I want to know!!! Personally, with a good round, I am quite confident in the 5.56.
people trust 9mm as HD guns all the time. i don’t see why they wouldn’t trust a ready supply of 30 5.56 that’ll penetrate soft body armor just fine and do a variety of damage once in the BG. Also the round limits the collateral damage from all those missed shots you may send flying into a wall instead of BG. If the 5.56 doesn’t do the trick i suppose the 30-06 BAR will have to finish them off.
I trust the 5.56 for many situations but it depends on the situation. There is a ton of info regarding its ballistic performance in the Ballistics threads. Doc Roberts has some great data and photos of different rounds and their performance.
edit
Doc you snuck in there before my post went through. Thanks!
I’ve trusted a 5.56 mm since 1986–they work fine; that does not mean, however, that a somewhat larger caliber wouldn’t perform better, especially if intermediate barriers are a concern…
I’ve checked out the Terminal Ballistics section pretty frequently. I just wanted to condense this into a ‘Poll’ thread to see the consensus. I’m a civvie, so any shooting would most likely not involve an extensive barricaded perp situation. It would probably be a direct and close engagement in my home. I have full confidence esp. having 28-30 rds ready to go.
ztf, I honestly don’t remember seeing arguments that 5.56 is an insufficient round for home defence applications. The discussions that I see more commonly is if it is too much of a round, on account of perceived fear of overpenetration etc. Surely, there are folks who love 6.8, and there are ones who like 12 gauge. And, owing to many informative posts here, we know that 5.56 is not to be considered a one-shot-one-kill round. Nonetheless, while I may expect some specific preferences, I doubt we’ll see voters denouncing 5.56 in your poll. It is M4C, after all.
For your applications I would have no worries using the 5.56. I would feel safer with it than a shotgun with 00.
Yes I trust it (not through personal experience, I am a fatbody wannabe who is working to train appropriately and get into better shape etc) because I have faith in the data and opinions presented here and elsewhere by those who do know.
That does not mean I trust ONLY the 5.56. I am slowly working on two almost identical carbines – one in 6.8 and one in 5.56. They won’t be 100% identical but very close so that I can pick either one up if need be and be familiar and trained with it. (and doing actual drills with both)
I know, it’s pretty redundant, I apologize…
wouldn’t 00 buck penetrate more than 5.56??
I trust shot placement.
Yes…That’s where training comes in…muscle memory. Only hits count.
Absolutely against a soft target. Not so confident against a hard target.
Yes. That’s why I would rather have the 5.56 over the 00.
I have seen first hand what happens when people are perforated with the 5.56. It’s not something I would care to experience.
The Federal 62 grn Tactical Bonded (LE223T3) I am issued has had very good results in our (and other agencies) OIS’s I am aware of. I have complete confidence in this round.
My LE223T3 mags are backed by M193, which I am still OK with if needed (God forbid I need more than 4 mags!).
Yes I trust it, and even moreso as better loadings keep coming out.
I trust shot placement. Put it in the right place, and even a .22LR will do the job nicely.
All else being equal, I suppose I would opt for 6.8 in a perfect world, but I’ve no concerns with 5.56x45mm; especially when any care at all is taken in selecting loads.
AC
Id trust 5.56mm.
ofcourse shot placement is king.
I don’t have neighbors within trajectory range, and I live alone, so over penetration is not an issue for me. 28 rounds of 5.56 should handle pretty much everything.