.223/5.56 ammo vs 9mm for home defense?

[titsonritz]

It is real simple...9mm is a pistol cartridge, .223/5.56x45 is rifle cartridge, pistol cartridges suck at stopping people and rifle cartridges do the job much better. When a scumbag is trying to kill you in your house which one makes more sense?

 

[Crazyeye24]

I was reading an article about the effectiveness of different calibers in self defense purposes. It used actual instances where people had to use their firearm and, I believe, was focused on the one being shot dying. There was roughly no big difference between 380-45acp in effective use for self defense. Once you got to the magnum calibers, effectiveness increased. From there it was rifle, then shotgun...or it might have been shotgun then rifle...can't remember that part.

From the info I read for real world instances, rifle or shotgun would be a better choice for self defense. That being said, I prefer a pistol as it is easier to move quickly if there are multiple targets....But I also prefer the higher capacity round of the AR, so it's really a tossup. Go with what you are, not only comfortable with, but what you're accurate with in quick decision scenarios.

 

[kbf64]

Also, consider how simple it is to operate under duress... are you going to leave a mag out beside the gun, and try to load .223 under stress? Use your carry gun that's holstered but loaded with a round? Do you have ear pro near by if you have the time? What about a 12 gauge pump, something you can run without thinking about it?

It might be your carry gun is something that you have more confidence from training with.

It's not hard to put in a mag into an AR-15, not realize it isn't fully seated and pull back the charging handle and it doesn't chamber. Walk around the corner and the mag drops out, the gun is unloaded and useless. Is the safety on? Whoops...

It's more about thinking ahead, training, understanding that things are (very) difficult to manage under stress so making a very simple plan and setup that is works for your home is the first step.

In terms of penetration, it just really depends... goes back to situation awareness, being mindful of where you are pointing a firearm, and who could be down range. You can't say for certain either 9mm, or .223 wouldn't go through your house into another and you are responsible for every round out of your gun.

If you asked me what I thought as more reliable between a Glock 19 and a black rifle, I'd probably say the 9 mil.

Caliber is probably your last consideration...

 

[HighlandLofts]

Don't worry about it the way the one party wants it we will defund the police, open up the prisons and live in harmony.
Damn life will be sweet when we are forced to coexsist.

Until then I trust my 12 gauge pump loaded with #00 Buckshot.

Between 223 or 9mm, i'll stick with the 223n more knock down power equals stay down power. And remember to keep shooting until the threat is tottally done.
Dead men don't tell no tales.

 

[Red98422]

Having been around pistol 223 without hearing protection.....I would NEVER suggest it for inside the home, while it will work you have the potential to throw your own effectiveness off. At the very least run a linear compensator.

300blk is a much more friendly cartridge to the hearing, also has a good selection of bullet weights for you to tailor to your needs. if you want to run an AR pistol this is the route I would go.

however my personal load out is my shotgun loaded with #4 buck, it has proven in multiple demonstrations that it has excellent terminal effectiveness and light enough to keep from over penetrating.

also for your viewing pleasure some Paul Harrell and his demonstration of over penetration. Food for thought

 

[DizzyJ]

Also, consider how simple it is to operate under duress... are you going to leave a mag out beside the gun, and try to load .223 under stress? Use your carry gun that's holstered but loaded with a round? Do you have ear pro near by if you have the time? What about a 12 gauge pump, something you can run without thinking about it?

It might be your carry gun is something that you have more confidence from training with.

It's not hard to put in a mag into an AR-15, not realize it isn't fully seated and pull back the charging handle and it doesn't chamber. Walk around the corner and the mag drops out, the gun is unloaded and useless. Is the safety on? Whoops...

Would you leave the magazine out of your self defense pistol until someone is breaking in?

I agree, training is paramount when thinking about and planning for home self defense.

If I've got an AR bedside for self defense purposes, it's going to have that mag inserted, and probably a round in the chamber with the safety on. If I haven't trained enough with it to automatically flip the safety off when I drive the gun up to my shoulder, well, that's on me.

 

[turbo_vanner]

the hearing issue is by far my main concern.

If unsuppressed, I would recommend a handgun or shotgun, and practice, practice, practice.

If suppressed, then whatever you are most comfortable and proficient at using.

If you load, look into frangible bullets. Not only do they penetrate less, they are really fun to shoot up close at steel targets.

 

[terdog]

An AR pistol in 223 WITH a silencer and frangible OR a Taurus Judge loaded in succession with 410 bird shot, 410 PD ( 2 rnds) then 2 rnds 45 LC.

 

[Tony617]

I have a AR pistol and have gun mufflers on my nightstand. It is loud but given iit more compact size and makes it easier to maneuver in my home. My 16" AR is loud as well so I had some gun mufflers on my nightstand too.

I use Gold Dot 64gr JSP .223 rounds for HD and if needed a few magazines loaded with 5.56 M193 rounds. Our home is in a cul-de-sac so I have 6 homes including my home.