There are good options for rifles in all three of these categories. I want to shoot the rifle fairly frequently, and thus, the 300 BO becomes more expensive to shoot. The 7.62X39 is probably as cheap to shoot as the 5.56. What do you think? The debate is raging on in my head. I want to suppress the rifle and have it my primary Home Defense Rifle, however, I want to be able to shoot to about 300 meters which shouldn’t be a problem for any of them.
For suppressed shooting, when you don’t have time for ear protection in a home defense situation, 300 BLK is the answer.
5.56 is most economical and versatile (ammo option speaking). It really becomes a prioritization… if quiet is most important, the 300 would be it.
Quiet is irrelevant to me… I run an unsuppressed 11.5 in 5.56 for my house gun.
I imagine a 77 grain OTM in 5.56 would be all that is needed. Any merit to a 7.62x39, or am I just not gaining enough in performance with the additional noise / blast? I intend on suppressing whatever I get.
I don’t know if they make Home D friendly loads in 7.62X39. But I’d be worried about over penetration of the threat and/or the home structure.
Thanks Mark. That is a very legitimate concern.
My #1 concern with a 7.62x39mm AR would be reliability. HD ammo is available but I have not personally owned or used an AR-platform in this caliber that I would trust my life to, whether it’s due to the magazines, how they’re gassed, general quality of the components made for that chambering, etc.
Second, I’ll echo yours and other’s thoughts on .300BLK - it is possible to find subs that will reliably expand at HD ranges now and I wouldn’t hesitate to use one for defensive purposes, however, like most, I find .300BLK cost-prohibitive to shoot frequently, at least with the current state of ammo prices, especially in the subsonic variety.
My personal choice was an 11.5" BCM for all of the reasons above. I can afford to, and enjoy, shooting it all the time. It’s important to have consistency between training and reality in case something goes down so I’m a firm believer that you should primarily train with the pistol you carry and the same could be said for the carbine that you use for defense. I’ve inadvertently grabbed the back half of a hot can on an 8" SBR for that very reason, just one tiny example of why familiarity with your equipment is essential because good muscle memory on one weapon can work against you on another.
The only reason I am thinking about 7.62x39 is the galil ace pistol in that caliber, and the swiss made sig 553R that is coming out. I agree. I would not trust an AR converted to run that caliber.
Ah, sorry, I guess I assumed we were talking AR platform across the board. In that case I have no input other than to try and shoot all three before you buy in to a new platform, recognize the deficiencies of each, and stick with whatever you choose and get out and use it.
I am not married to a particular rifle. If a particular caliber in a particular rifle is what is best that is what I would look at. At this point, it is really which cartridge is best in this scenario.
I’d vote 5.56 in an AR platform. To me it comes down to the likely hood of you getting/staying proficient enough with a weapon to defend yourself and your family in the dark, processing lots of out of the norm things and dealing with the stress. All that comes down to training. Good training, at least around here, is much easier with an 5.56 AR. This includes flat range shooting, shoot house training and FOF simunition/utm training. You can do it with 300blk you just need a 5.56 upper to really use the sims.
It seems that the 110gr. TTSX from Barnes is the preferred projectile for SD in the Blackout. I remember reading a lot of concern about over penetration from this combination-especially if used indoors. It is quieter, though, and can be had in an effective package with a sub-10” barrel.
For what it’s worth, I keep a suppressed 11.5” 5.56 as a house gun.
Unless you’re shooting subs (which is not a viable HD option IMO), 300BLK will be just as loud as 5.56 suppressed.
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A question for the OP. What overall length, or length forward of the bolt face with a can are you looking at? 5.56 and 300 Blackout can suit some better than 7.62x39 for this.
Is the application for dedicated suppressed use only?
Are there applications that are other than HD that the base would be intended for?
There’s a couple ways to suit the tools better for use, it can depend on some variables.
This will be considered my home defense rifle, however, I would also like to take it shooting frequently so that I’m very familiar with it. I would shoot it both suppressed and unsuppressed. I don’t have any ideal length, however, there are trade-offs with going too short, as well as going to long.
Barrel length? 10.5" or more and I’d go with a good 5.56 load. “PDW” barrels? 300BLK. The Lehigh Defense 115gr Controlled Chaos round would be quite applicable for home defense. Expensive ($1+ per round) but from the vids I’ve seen it performs exactly as advertised.
My vote would be 5.56 as the most flexible round with the most options.
I have rifles in all the above, SBR’s in 556 and 300BO. I went another direction, and the bedside rifle is a Colt 9mm. 10.5 inch barrel, suppressed, and a 25 rd mag with Federal 147 grn HST. White light and iron sights. Quiet, reliable and at down the hallway distances I think it fills the bill. I live out in the country, so over penetration I’m not too concerned with. Thats usually a reason why some shy away from a 9mm carbine.
I was just coming here to say the same thing. My HD, bedside gun is a 5.5" barreled 9mm SBR with a can. You really can’t beat subsonic, suppressed 9mm for home defense duty.
I also have a suppressed 8" 300BLK SBR and a 10.5" 5.56 upper for that same rifle, so I have first-hand experience with almost all the options listed.
I have narrowed down my choices to two rifles. KAC cqb 5.56 with 11.5 barrel or a sig 553 with either the 10.7 or 13.6 barrel. The sig will obviously be more expensive. They are both excellent rifles. What would you do? I’m going back-and-forth. This will be my last rifle purchase for quite some time.