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ScottDLS wrote:
So the 5.56 tumbles in some materials...including people... Pick 5 common household materials and shoot with a 55gr FMJ and a 115gr 9mm. Decide which gun you want to hide behind all the materials from... I'll take the 9mm to be shot at with, especially out of a pistol, but even a carbine. Obviously a hypothetical...I'll pick neither in real life.

I've shot .223/5.56 out of rifles and 9mm out of pistols and machine pistols against all kinds of materials and the 5.56 almost always punches through. My apocryphal examples are Mini14 at a steel soda syrup canister. Rifle went through both sides. 9mm bounced off .357 went through one side. 1/2 in plywood rifle straight through, 9mm you could dig out of the dirt behind the plywood.

I would like to see something other than a Youtube video as evidence that a 9mm regularly penetrates more than a 5.56mm.

If you set up say 6 sheets of sheet rock between you and the gun and the gun was pointed directly at you, the 9mm is more likely to plow straight through. The 223 is more likely to deflect and tumble after one or two layers. At least, that is what I have seen in the testing published online. The Box 'O Truth website was the first place I saw it tested.

Yes, 223 can penetrate a single layer of steel depending on how thick. But few people have much steel in the walls of their house. There isn't always a lot of difference, but 223 has a long thin bullet that is half the weight of the average 9mm bullet. It will slow down more quickly and deflect more easily despite traveling faster out of the muzzle. Once it tumbles, it will penetrate less and slow down more.

And of course, things can change depending on what type of bullet you are using. The 62 grain steel core penetrator rounds will likely behave differently from soft point hunting ammo.

superstar wrote:The hypothetical scenarios that I try to picture myself in is at least 4 intruders home invading, all armed. (I know that statistics states that most gun fights lasts just a few seconds, but I don't want to be placed in that category just because of Murphy's law) I would feel that the limitations of shotgun ammo would be a problem. I'm aware that you can load it with 6+1, plus shell saddles (+4) and stock saddles (+6) but I feel that it is not enough. I do carry inside the house until I go to bed. In the shooting test portion I had a perfect score and I try to go out to the range (shoot about 250 - 300 rounds) at least once a month when I'm back in town. I know practice gains confidence but I also know that I would be shooting at a moving targets that are shooting back at you, hence why I'm inclined with a pistol/sbr type of weapon because of higher mag capacity. I do like the idea of bigger holes but I also know that I'm not a sharp shooter and certainly not trying to make this topic into a caliber war... so for those that prefer a shotty, do you hunt? shoot clay? practice shooting at moving targets? why do you feel confident that you will not miss? (in the hypothetical scenario that you only have the shotty plus 17 rounds).

I don't disagree with you. Choose the option that you are comfortable with and addresses your concerns. I chose a 7.62X39 AK with a 40 round magazine plus spare. The odds of me needing 40 rounds are very very small, but I like having it available. Good ammo is expensive and hard to find, but I just need to load mags and shoot a little to verify function.

IMO, you need a pistol and a long gun. Beyond the need to use good hollow point pistol ammo, I vote to use what you trust to work. As far as the long gun, I think shotgun or 223 rifle are best for minimizing penetration. With the shotgun, you can select smaller buckshot which should penetrate less.

For me, I use a Zastava N-PAP AK. I have a rail mounted light and a magazine loaded with Winchester PDX defender ammo. I expect it to reliably expand and not act like FMJ. For short range accuracy it is more than adequate.

In all honesty, I think Bullet/Cartridge Selection is more important than caliber/gauge. Select a bullet type that has good soft tissue performance, but not designed to penetrate obstacles as much. A lot of police/military ammo is designed to penetrate light obstacles and still work. I think simple soft point hunting ammo might be better than law enforcement stuff if penetration is driving your decision. That applies to rifle or shotgun ammo. I am not sure where Win PDX ammo fits in that.

On the guns, your list has some pretty expensive selections. Reliability is key. You don't need an expensive battle rifle, just a good gun you trust. Preferably one that can mount a light and maybe a laser. A $400 defense shotgun will work. So will a $600 AK. So will a much less expensive AR. Whatever you get, put some rounds through it at the range and make sure it runs without any issues and handles the ammo you select.