I was wondering if anyone knows the effective (ability to knock down a BG)range of a 16" bbl .308 rifle? I am trying to decide if I need one .308 rifle or an SBR and a .308 Rifle. 
Depends on the ammo, the rifle and the shooter. I’ve got a 16" .308 benchrest rifle that will put five 168gr handloads into a 6" circle at 600yds when I do everything right…and I’m still learning. Put those rounds into a BG’s head/COM and I’m sure he’ll be out of the fight for a while.
As with any of these sorts of scenarios, shot placement is more important than caliber.
As you know, there is no magic bullet. It is really about shot placement. The 308 has its place, but not as a home defense weapon IMHO. It is better designed to be a battle rifle and not a CQB weapon.
So if your trying to decide on what to use for home defense, go with an AR chambered in 556.
C4
Quentin Tarantino style? :rolleyes:
It will probably poke holes in people out to 700yds or so…
Thanks for your answer. That is what I was trying to decide. Also I was curious as to what my next weapon should be after a home defense weapon?
That’s kinda like asking another man what shoes you should buy next. Everyone has different needs and one size does not fit all. Do you want a plinker? Varmint rifle? Big-game rifle? Compact pistol? Big bore revolver? Rimfire? Shotgun?
This should probably be based on:
- Your home situation (IE: family who lives at home, neighbors who live next door, etc.).
- What your home is made of (IE: doors, interior and exterior walls, etc).
- How your home is set-up (IE: interior space, hallway size, yard/property size, etc).
- What are the realistic threats that you may face (IE: drugged-up killers, burglars, etc.).
- What kind of a firearm can you effectively use (IE: what you are confortable with, what have you trained with, etc).
FWIW, in my home I have various handguns (.45s, .40s, 9mms, .357s, .38s, and .380s) as well as both 12 GA shotgun and an AR-15 for home defense!!
Like I said in your other thread about SBRs, no rifle will ‘knock down a BG’ (unless it fires Mack trucks) otherwise it would also knock the shooter down.
simple physics = Newtons 3rd Law : for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction
Well I tend to beleive that a .50BMG with Mk211 Raufoss ammo will do enough damage to someone that they may as well have been knocked over 
My head hurts - as gotM4 says - shoulder fired weapons just dont impart enough energy. Hollywood aside most people just dont fall over and die when shot - Heck even a M18A1 Claymore is disturbingly unimpressive when used on people.
No kidding…have you seen a body ripped in half by one?
A .50 will knock someone over.
Actually, I’ve fired one rifle before that nearly knocked me over from the recoil. It was some extremely rare elephant rifle. I don’t remember caliber.
16" and 18" barrels on hunting and tactical rifles have been harvesting game and addressing threats for quite some time. Load selection for the application becomes more critical with the shorter barrels, but they are quite serviceable.
Get an SBR AR-15 for it’s handling qualities. Personally, I think 6.8SPC or 6.5Grendel in a 10.5" configuration is the sweet spot between 55gr 5.56 and larger stuff that way over penetrates.
The good Doc has some data about 155gr and 178gr 7.62x51mm ammo that will not over pen…
Here is a good one courtesty of DocGKR and Tactical Forums:
With 155gr & 168gr TAP which are by far the best defense loads you should feel prety good to 400yrds with a 16" tube after that the bullets aren’t likely to fragment as designed. Go to tacticalforums.com terminal effects forum and search before posting. Dr. Gary Roberts( DocGKR) is an expert in the field of ballistics.
Duplipost.
Tim
A better way to answer the question is to address the effective range of a 16" .308 at battlesight or field zero. Just because it can technically shoot 600 yards doesn’t mean your carbine is set up to do so for utility work. I think a practical 16" .308 is a 200m gun. 250m on the high side.
Tim
I must disagree with you on the 250m range. After all a 16" 5.56 AR has a 200m fragmentation effective range with MK262 MOD1. The TAP ammo for 308 will fragment at some fairly low velocities and will certainly be effective at ranges over 200m. I know what your saying and I agree a 200m shot would seem about right for a carbine. I’m just pointing out that if you had to engage at distances beyond those normally encountered this ammo would perform out to 400m. if you could deliver rounds on target. I’m really not sure if the original poster wanted to know about the weapons platform or ammo?
An 11" AR-15 is a 250m carbine.
Without knowing the intent of the original poster, I personally don’t want a rainbow trajectory in a carbine, despite if the ammunition is capable of fragmenting or simply poking holes. Clearly a .308 is not short on power, I am more concerned about probability of hit and precision. There is a certain threshold that each much determine for themselves. A bullet that must be pitched a half-foot or more above sightline to achieve longer range hits is not practical for me.
Tim