5.56 Home Defense Reloads

[TigerCreek]

I have built an AR primarily for my wife to use for home defense.
It's a heavy little thing - 10.5" bull barrel with a forward ported flash supressor.
I plan on working up some reloads for home defense purposes (indoors) and I'm looking for some thoughts on the matter.
Bullet/Powder combos. Frangible vs HP. etc

 

[Walkalong]

Since you won't need many (Maybe none), just buy a few boxes of factory and call it good. Work up a cheap "equivalent recoil wise to practice with if she wants to.

 

[Rule3]

Yep, buy some factory loads

Here we go folks

 

[TigerCreek]

I know I can do that already - I think you’re missing my point.
Is a frangible preferred over a hollow point?
Less powder?
Etc.
I have everything I need to do this except for a particular .223 bullet so I don’t mind spending a little time setting this up.

 

[<*(((><]

Things to consider:

1. Adequate Penetration with good expansion (sectional density and bullet construction will play an important role)
2. Avoid bonded bullets / Barrier Blind bullets due to over penetration and potential collateral damage to loved ones
3. Cartridges using low flash powders, your wife doesn't want to be blind after firing the first shot in the dark.
4. You've done the best you can with a forward ported flash hider, better would be a suppressor that lives on what I presume to be an AR pistol
5. Find 2-3 candidates that meet the above requirements and go do some real world testing of your own with some simple 12"x12" 2x4 frames with sheetrock both sides and a some water jugs behind and see how they perform (i.e. penetrate, expand, flash signature by shooting at dusk/night)
6. Active hearing protection, electronic muffs, best yet suppressor

The characteristics of the 5.56 that helps is that it's a light bullet whose path gets disrupted rather easily, which helps in over penetration into rooms housing loved ones, but one needs to make sure they understand that some self-defense ammunition for the 5.56 is for punching through barriers which is what you don't want.

I'm sure you-tubers have done some novice tests that will get you in the right direction.

 

[ponchh]

Dynamic Research Technologies is the only frangible I know of worth using, unless your thinking of less wall or semi-hard surface penetrating round. These will go through wood or a windshield or a car door like a fmj. I've shot them through 3in of pine, same size hole coming out as going in, but when they hit liquid all heck breaks loose. I have them for anything I might use for self-defense, but most people don't give them consideration because of the word "frangible"

 

[RandyP]

That and start saving up a fund for hearing aids should you or she ever have to fire that monster indoors. First the flash blinds you, then then concussion deafens you...…. so you got that going for ya', which is nice. Personally I wear double protection (plugs and muffs) just to fire my AR pistol outdoors.

 

[Hasaf]

The information I have seen and read indicates that the Frangible's have the same Drywall penetration risk as standard ball ammo.

The ones that have the most barrier sensitivity are the Fiocchi V-max 223 loading with the litest bullets available (I don't remember if they were 35 or 40g). That said, people look for different things in Defense ammunition. I want extreme barrier sensitivity. There are some who address the barrier sensitivity issue by saying "just don't miss."

The trouble is that in stress encounters people do miss. To plan on everything going perfectly ignores the research and the reality that, if you ever need to fire a gun in your home, things are already very wrong. The plan can't be built around your best performance. It has to be built around your worst performance. For me, that builds in the need for barrier sensitive ammunition.

 

[Walkalong]

I think you’re missing my point.

I don't think so. Why reload expensive rounds to practice with when all you really need is a recoil equivalent to practice with.

 

[Toprudder]

I have thought about this as well. I have an 8.5" AR pistol that is obnoxiously loud with factory ammo. I have worked up handloads using H4198 powder, which is the fastest burning AR appropriate powder, and at the min charge of 19.0gn (with 55gn bullet) it is much better on the noise and flash, and still cycles the gun reliably.

As far as bullets, I am no expert, but I have been looking at the 52gn varmint bullets with large hollow points. I have not tried them yet, and don't know if the large cavity may cause feeding issues or not. My thoughts are that a light varmint style bullet would be good as far as the over-penetration issue.

I don't own a suppressor yet, but if I do, it will be for this application. The suppressor would then mitigate any flash or noise concerns and would allow me to go back to a good factory defensive load.

 

[Hunter86004]

For my home defense ammo, I use what I hunt with. I've taken critters from crows to deer using Hornaday SX 50 grain bullets and the deer I've harvested were all chest shots with everything north of the diaphragm looking like a grenade had gone off in them.

As far as the flash and boom, if it's so bad on the shooter's end, I can only imagine what it would be like on the receiving end. Probably akin to a flash-bang grenade going off in their face. Rather disorientating I would imagine.

 

[Rule3]

I know I can do that already - I think you’re missing my point.
Is a frangible preferred over a hollow point?
Less powder?
Etc.
I have everything I need to do this except for a particular .223 bullet so I don’t mind spending a little time setting this up.

I guess the point that is not clear is do you want to "practice" with this ammo or actually keep it in the pistol (I am guess it is a pistol of SBR?) and then use your hand loads for self defense? That just brings up the whole convoluted debate on hand loads for SD. And not even going there.
Plus as mentioned, the flash bang factor . well have you ever shot anything in a enclosed space in the dark with no hearing protection? But that is you choice.

 

[JamieC]

How about soft points, I've loaded quite a few for home defense situations.

 

[Hasaf]

Plus as mentioned, the flash bang factor . well have you ever shot anything in a enclosed space in the dark with no hearing protection? But that is you choice.

This is part of the reason a suppressor is on the "Gun Budget" for 2019.

 

[TigerCreek]

I’m doing this for an AR15 rifle (5.56) with a 10.5” barrel and a forward facing flash suppressor.
It’s not my first choice for indoor home defense but built it as an additional choice for my wife. The first choice is either my Mossberg 590A1 or my 45 - whichever I can get to first.
I may be overthinking the reload thing. I’ll probably go with a 62gr hp and as light a load as I can get by with.

 

[cheygriz]

Buy a box or two of Hornady TAP. (Tactical Action Police) in 45 or 55 grain. Many SWAT teams use it, and they are very sensitive to over-penetration.

 

[Rule3]

I’m doing this for an AR15 rifle (5.56) with a 10.5” barrel and a forward facing flash suppressor.
It’s not my first choice for indoor home defense but built it as an additional choice for my wife. The first choice is either my Mossberg 590A1 or my 45 - whichever I can get to first.
I may be overthinking the reload thing. I’ll probably go with a 62gr hp and as light a load as I can get by with.

How do you have a 10" barrel on a AR 15 RIFLE?? Am I missing something? Seems like a SBR or a Pistol.

 

[rskent]

That and start saving up a fund for hearing aids should you or she ever have to fire that monster indoors.

I was thinking of saving up for a suppressor. Isn’t a suppressor cheaper than a good set of hearing aids?

 

[TigerCreek]

10.5” .223 Wilde heavy barrel on an AR-15.
This not for target shooting.
It was made for tight quarters - like inside a home. For control, the heavier barrel helps to compensate for its length.

How do you have a 10" barrel on a AR 15 RIFLE?? Am I missing something? Seems like a SBR or a Pistol.

 

[<*(((><]

So you paid the $200 NFA tax on that I hope for it to be SBR?

 

[Rule3]

So you paid the $200 NFA tax on that I hope for it to be SBR?

Which was my question, also. first post said "rifle"

 

[25-20 WCF]

What many seem to forget is that the OP’s rifle has a 10.5” barrel. Normal loads will already have a greatly reduced velocity, reduce it much more and terminal effectiveness will suffer. A .223 factory load which produces 3071 fps in a 20” barrel will only give 2489 fps in a 10” barrel. How effective would a .22 Hornet rifle be as a self defence round? How much of a risk of over-penetration would it have?

https://rifleshooter.com/2015/12/22...el-length-and-velocity-26-inches-to-6-inches/

Which was my question, also. first post said "rifle"

Uh, no it didn’t....


.

 

[entropy]

This might get interesting.......

 

[TigerCreek]

So you paid the $200 NFA tax on that I hope for it to be SBR?

Yep. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[hdwhit]

TigerCreek wrote:
Is a frangible preferred over a hollow point?
Less powder?
Etc.

At the end of the day, the best way to answer your question is for you to build a "mock-up" of the walls in your house (i.e. typically 1/2 inch gypsum drywall, a 3.5 inch air gap, and another 1/2 inch of drywall) and see how hollow-points perform versus frangible at the short distances (i.e. 3 to 7 yards) that the rifle might be employed within a house.

The results may surprise you.

Also, as you noted, loading to maximum velocity may not be optimal in a home defense load. Try not only different bullet construction, but different loads on your "mock-up" before you make a decision.