5.56 vs Foster Slug?

12 gauge by a wide margin

Slugs all day.

Depends on the range.

Based on a lot of things not asked, the 5.56 hands down.

In that narrow question, Id probably still take the 5.56, and the main reason being, having seen what it does to pretty much anything meaty up close, I think the damage done, round per round, will still be more.

And you dont have to worry about the round "getting" to the meat.

I wouldnt wanna be shot by either.

Obviously, the slug. But... the advantages utilizing the shotgun as efficiently as the AR are absent.

JCooperfan1911 said:

But how do they compare to the classic 12 gauge 1 oz Foster slug? Which one, shot for shot, would produce the most terminal damage to the target?

Click to expand...

At typical self defense range? One of the two is extremely effective, the other might be even a little more effective.
Which firearm can you use most intuitively?

At typical self defense distances, either will do the job admirably. For most the 5.56 would be easier to operate. I'm good with either platform.

FL-NC said:

Obviously, the slug. But... the advantages utilizing the shotgun as efficiently as the AR are absent.

Click to expand...

^

This!

For instance, the typical 12Gauge 1 oz slug has roughly 2300 ft lbs of energy Vs roughly 1311 ft lbs for a 5.56 round. So yea, shot for shot, the slug wins.

Buuuut, in the time you can put 1 slug into a tgt at HD distances I can probably put 3-4 5.56 rounds on the tgt due to the recoil that 1 ounce slug is going to generate. Then there's the whole aspect of "over penetration" to think about.

I use both in matches, most times in the same stage, even with the light recoiling slugs we use in matches, the recoil is there, and it slows things down. There's multiple reasons why most LE agencies have switched to .223/5.56. The semi in .223/5.56 is overall just better for the task at hand.

12g slug will do more damage unless it doesn't. There are more places that the slug just isn't going to work as well it's range is far more limited and doesn't penetrate armor as well.

At self-defense range and with single-shot weapons, the slug wins.
At longer range or with repeating weapons then it is debatable....

Phaedrus/69 said:

Depends on the range.

Click to expand...

In Fla you can only use deadly force on someone actually threatening you. I think that's going to make your range something like 20 - 30 feet.

Anyone who has killed an animal with both knows the answer to that question. It's sort of a false dichotomy though. A .50 cal muzzleloader can easily be loaded to be more effective, shot for shot, than a 9mm, but I doubt anyone here would choose the .50 cal for home defense. There are other things to be considered than just single shot power.

Guns occasionally jam. Operator headspace and timing can cause them, as can maintenance issues. Shotguns can be short shucked, nervous, inexperienced AR owners can cause malfunctioning, Lord knows I've seen almost every possible way.
But it is more of an 'angels dancing on the head of a pin' mental exercise anyway. It's what the OP likes to do, posting such questions; surprisingly he hasn't dove in in opposition to anyone yet. The reality is there are too many variables to categorically declare one or the other always has a clear advantage.

Kleanbore said:

Why would that be a significant consideration?

Click to expand...

Because you may not get more shots off.

FlSwampRat said:

In Fla you can only use deadly force on someone actually threatening you. I think that's going to make your range something like 20 - 30 feet.

Click to expand...

Mr badguy's gun has a lot more range than 30 feet.
what about defense of another person?

In Fla you can only use deadly force on someone actually threatening you. I think that's going to make your range something like 20 - 30 feet.

Click to expand...

If you are close enough to hit the threat, they are close enough to be a threat to you. Depending on the situation (what type of weapon the threat is using), that could be 200-300 yards.

Slugs are overrated, 5.56 is underrated. Both are about the same on human threats as long as you can hit the target. Beyond a certain range a carbine chambered in 5.56 is going to easily outclass slugs in the ability to get on target. That could vary between 25-100 yards depending on the sights and skill of the shooter.

If you're talking about large predator defense slugs win, no contest. Yes, slugs are more powerful, but much more so than needed for human threats. You also have to think about overpenetration in building material. 5.56 is less likely to over penetrate than slugs, buckshot, or handgun rounds. And that is a big part of why it is preferred in LE over shotguns today.

An AR-15 shooting 5.56 has 6X the ammo available with 1/6 the recoil. For me that gives the edge to 5.56 by a wide margin. But a shotgun still has a place in my HD toolbox. I prefer buckshot to increase hit probability at moderate ranges. From 5-25 yards. At closer ranges a handgun wins, at longer ranges a slug is a possibility, but 5.56 is better.

FlSwampRat said:

In Fla you can only use deadly force on someone actually threatening you. I think that's going to make your range something like 20 - 30 feet.

Click to expand...

The OP only asked which round would do the most damage without any qualifiers. That said, self defense has no legal range limit. If someone is shooting at you from 500 yards and you can't escape (as the case might be if you were hiking or hunting) then you would be able to return fire in most places. That's why I said it depends on range. At 10 yards a 1 oz slug will do a lot more damage than a single round of most 5.56. However, if you are talking 500 yards you could almost stop the shotgun slug with a catcher's mitt. Just for a goof I checked the ballistics calculator at the Federal ammo site. At 500 yards a 1oz Truball will drop 46 feet at hit @ 487 fps with a total energy of 231 foot/lbs. That's slightly less than a 70gr Glaser Safety Slug in .380 ACP from Cor-Bon (at the muzzle). The 5.56 round loses a lot of pep at that distance but most of the loads are still supersonic.

It depends. As a result of my hunting and experience I would say 5.56 mostly. But if you included .223 soft point it would be .223 by a huge margin. At very close range I am not sure it matters. A slug passes through with little damage to surrounding tissue to the wound channel so it depends on where the wound channel is. The 5,56 if FMJ will damage more surrounding tissue and have a bigger temporary wound channel due to cavitation .But the damage is less predictable because of bullet deformation. A .223 because it expands is always going to release more energy and damage more tissue over a much wider area. That is for hunting use. If police are restricted to 5.56 it is much closer. Again at very close range and to a well-trained shooter either works but at any range beyond room distance I would take a 5.56 every time.
Home defense, a shotgun just feels better, for police I would take the 5.56.

Chuck R. said:

For instance, the typical 12Gauge 1 oz slug has roughly 2300 ft lbs of energy Vs roughly 1311 ft lbs for a 5.56 round. So yea, shot for shot, the slug wins.

Click to expand...

Except that the slug is virtually always going to exit. I’ve shot or seen shot maybe fifty deer with slugs. Never recovered one that I can remember

In that case, it depends if you want the meat or not.

55 grain Noslers turn little critters into literal meat grenades, at 50 yards. The heavier skinned ones that stay together, are just meat bags full of mush.

redneck2 said:

Except that the slug is virtually always going to exit. I’ve shot or seen shot maybe fifty deer with slugs. Never recovered one that I can remember

Click to expand...

I agree, which is why I added the bit about over penetration. I used slugs when I lived back east, so yea, a bunch of the energy is going out the other side and probably through a wall or two.