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So I took the dive into the evil black rifle pool this weekend with an M&P 15 (early daddy's day present from my wife). I've never owned a rifle, let alone one that is evil, so what would be some good HD rounds to keep on hand for this?

The standard .223 round should be more that suitable for HD as it tumbles upon entry and has a lot of power behind it. Also there is not much of a risk of over penetration. If you want something besides FMJ I'd go with soft point.

LOL! I got one too, for Father's Day, but mine was purchased in late April.

In the research I've done, I found that really any round is a good HD round. I was surprised to learn that wall penetration for a .223 is less of an issue than with most handgun calibers and shotgun (buckshot loads). The small grain, fast moving, lighter .223 rounds fragment and break up sooner, so less sheetrock is penetrated by .223 than even 9mm.
Also, hollow point rounds don't give really any real advantage over FMJ. Same for soft points... in terms of HD that is.

I have my AR ready with 55 gr FMJ. Also, any 5.56 ammo is great assuming your S&W is chambered for it. I think lighter rounds around 50-55 grains is ideal.

I'm a noob too, so take with a grain of salt, but I've been reading a ton and learning as much as I could for about 6 months now.

I use ranger soft points for hd in my ar. In my bug out bag I have a variety of 62 gr green tips, soft points, and regular 55gr fmj. THe soft points are what my friend in the fbi says he used when I asked.

Sputz

There are a lot of choices for AR rifles for HD - - - M193 Ball is an excellent choice that's the old 55 grain military load. CorBon DPX has a good reputation but, it's pricey. Any major manufacturer's expanding bullet load hollow point or soft point should do the job nicely. The only rounds I would be leery of for HD is the green tip simply because of the penetrator inside the bullet. I wouldn't feel under gunned with an AR loaded with just about any of the available ammunitions available providing my rifle will function with it. Find a load that works in your gun, is accurate, zero your sighs and worry about lunch - - - you have the AR covered.

If you're worried about over penetration for HD, as we all should be, then I would find some kind of frangible ammo.

You probably only need 50 rounds or so on hand cause you'll never shoot them unless the door gets kicked in. I always practice with the fmj and the business ammo lives in the mags and never gets fired.

Ammunition to Go usually has some on hand.
http://www.ammunitiontogo.com/

FMJ, JHP, Softpoints - all out of a .223 aren't going to stop until they hit something really, really hard and you won't find something that hard in the average home. I'm not much of a ballistics expert but I would have my doubts about a single wall completely stopping frangible but it's better than nothing.

A .223, if fired inside a home that doesn't at least have a brick exterior, more often than not is going to be visiting the neighbors house as well.
(edited cause I ca'nt spel good)

Box 'o truth has some great penetration testing.
http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot1.htm
from this article

Lessons learned:
1. Sheetrock (drywall) doesn't slow any round down much. If you shoot in the house, walls will not stop any serious round.

2. Twelve pine boards will not stop a .223 round.

3. Shooting stuff is fun.

The brick exterior will probably do a lot to slow down/stop a .223, especially a frangible round. That being said, if you plan on using on in the house be VERY aware it won't stop before an exterior wall, so try not to shoot towards other bedrooms.

Personnal defense TV did a freat segment on this subject. They made mock walls interior(two layers of sheetrock with 2x4 studs) and exterior(sheetrock with studs, insulation and hardy plank exterior. Then placed to two ten feet apart to simulate a room in a house. The .223 stopped in the exterior wall while 9mm, .45acp and buckshot all went through with no problems.

This video does not show the .223 part of the test but he does mention that the 9mm went further than the .223
http://youtu.be/DYHBmNI8154

loadedliberal wrote:The standard .223 round should be more that suitable for HD as it tumbles upon entry and has a lot of power behind it. Also there is not much of a risk of over penetration. If you want something besides FMJ I'd go with soft point.

+1 for Softpoints, Also Make sure you don't use the Depleted Uranium Sleeping Baby Seeking ammo.

I like Hornady's TAP rounds.

carlson1 wrote:I like Hornady's TAP rounds.

Yup. For work we're issued Speers, but in my backup mags (we get to choose) I have two full of a TAP, and then some steel core for barricaded subjects.

Inside of a normal home and in populated areas, I would definitely recommend TAP. MIL use ball because the typical engagement ranges are further out then LEO/CIV would normally encounter, the added penetration is needed, and most of all because it is cheaper.

gigag04 wrote:

carlson1 wrote:I like Hornady's TAP rounds.

Yup. For work we're issued Speers, but in my backup mags (we get to choose) I have two full of a TAP, and then some steel core for barricaded subjects.

Inside of a normal home and in populated areas, I would definitely recommend TAP. MIL use ball because the typical engagement ranges are further out then LEO/CIV would normally encounter, the added penetration is needed, and most of all because it is cheaper.

Isn't it also because of international agreements? JHP and other ammo is called "cruel" or some garbage like that?

Scott in Houston wrote:

gigag04 wrote:

carlson1 wrote:I like Hornady's TAP rounds.

Yup. For work we're issued Speers, but in my backup mags (we get to choose) I have two full of a TAP, and then some steel core for barricaded subjects.

Inside of a normal home and in populated areas, I would definitely recommend TAP. MIL use ball because the typical engagement ranges are further out then LEO/CIV would normally encounter, the added penetration is needed, and most of all because it is cheaper.

Isn't it also because of international agreements? JHP and other ammo is called "cruel" or some garbage like that?

Only in war. Thats is a Geneva convention agreement originally made so that medics would be able to sew up wounds earlier.

It was before the Geneva Convention, fragmenting/expanding (dum dum) bullets were actually banned by a 22-2 vote at the Hague Convention of 1899. One of my all time favorite quotes comes from the British argument against the ruling:

"The civilized soldier when shot recognizes that he is wounded and knows that the sooner he is attended to the sooner he will recover. He lies down on his stretcher and is taken off the field to his ambulance, where he is dressed or bandaged.. Your fanatical barbarian, similarly wounded, continues to rush on, spear or sword in hand; and before you have the time to represent to him that his conduct is in flagrant violation of the understanding relative to the proper course for the wounded man to follow - he may have cut off your head."

AtomicBurn wrote:It was before the Geneva Convention, fragmenting/expanding (dum dum) bullets were actually banned by a 22-2 vote at the Hague Convention of 1899. One of my all time favorite quotes comes from the British argument against the ruling:

"The civilized soldier when shot recognizes that he is wounded and knows that the sooner he is attended to the sooner he will recover. He lies down on his stretcher and is taken off the field to his ambulance, where he is dressed or bandaged.. Your fanatical barbarian, similarly wounded, continues to rush on, spear or sword in hand; and before you have the time to represent to him that his conduct is in flagrant violation of the understanding relative to the proper course for the wounded man to follow - he may have cut off your head."