Concerned about lethality of .223/5.56

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If yall would go out and shoot something made of meat with a .223........ we wouldn't be having this discussion, especially At the range that the typical home defender would encounter.
 
Some people chose to read my opening post as ".22lr is vastly superior to .223/5.56" which is not what Im saying.Things could go south in this country in a hurry,and if you choose to think otherwise,thats up to you.Stocking up on premium,high performance .223 that costs $25.00 for a box of twenty isnt feasible for me.I can amass a large quanity of .22lr ammo fairly inexpensively.If instability goes on for quite some time,I want to be well supplied with any number of items,not the least of which is ammo.If our country comes to this,and I see thugs with baseball bats stealing from a neighbor,I will shoot first and ask questions later.If I need to take long range shots to stop thugs,I've got a decent supply of surplus 8mm Mauser and I'm reasonably confident that it will perform despite the fact that its FMJ.I still feel that putting several .22lr rounds into the chest of some scumbag will make him think twice about proceeding with his current activities.YMMV


:)
 
gunsgongcrazy said:
If somebody is entering your home and you have family living in it, why the hell would you want to shoot a truckload full of bullets capable of going through sheet rock and injuring your loved ones. This is why I have a 12 ga ready to go next to the .45 in the nightstand drawer.
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I just want you to realize two things so you don't do something you later regret.

1. Both 12ga and .45 will go through sheet rock and still have the potential to be lethal to someone on the other side. Sheet rock is a very insubstantial barrier. Please do not do any shooting inside your home based on the assumption that sheet rock or even a single interior wall will stop bullets; because it usually will not.

2. If you choose an ammunition type that won't reliably penetrate two 5/8" sheets of drywall, you should realize it has very little chance of physically forcing an attacker to stop what they are doing. It might scare an attacker away or cause them pain; but it is unlikely to shut them down physiologically.
 
What I said before, stands. Why do you think that you are going to be needing a truckload of ammunition? why do you believe that you will be the survivor? Why do you believe that your best chance of staying alive is to have a boatload of .22 lr, as opposed to a single firearm and 200 - 400 rounds of highly effective ammo? forget the 223 if you choose. Go with buckshot, .308, .243, even 30-30. The important parts of survival are twofold.

First, you gotta live. in a gunfight, that means winning it. your chances of winning a gunfight against an armed opponent will go up exponentially if you abandon the thought of using a .22 lr. move up to something certain to blow a pile of internal organs big enough to feed three coyotes out of a bad guy with only a single hit.

It's hard to predict what course civil unrest will take. The one thing that is certain is that it may not take the form of massive riots and occupation by huge lots of armed men.

I own several rifles, pistols, shotguns, and among them, the only one missing is a dedicated semiauto combat rifle. Being that case, and my personal situation, I don't feel handicapped, even if i'm up against a handful of punks.

I'd like to point something out. I know a lot of people who take preparedness seriously, and if push comes to shove, I would rather defend a plot of land with these people than stand alone in my own home. Funny thing is, that these people feel the same about me, even though I don't have a laser sighted firepower machine.

Here are some things that will bring you through civil unrest.

Excellent skills
tactical training
planning
improvisation
flexibility in face of failure
a mindset tuned to the demands of combat
 
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I have a friend that was shot with a .22lr by a crazy ex-girlfriend, hit him in the shoulder blade and knocked him out. He said it felt like someone hit him in the back with a baseball bat. It didnt even leave a scar....I called him a sissy! :D True story, he was cheating on his girlfriend and one morning on his way to the car she shot him in the back.
 
I would rather have 1000 rounds of .223 than 5000 .22. If the S has HTF so bad that I need 5000 rounds of ammo to survive it, there's probably no world left that I want to live in anyways, so I really only need 1 round at that time...

That being said, I do think that having a good selection of ammo, MRE's, and water for a short term defense event is appropriate.
 
I have a friend that was shot with a .22lr by a crazy ex-girlfriend, hit him in the shoulder blade and knocked him out. He said it felt like someone hit him in the back with a baseball bat. It didnt even leave a scar....I called him a sissy! True story, he was cheating on his girlfriend and one morning on his way to the car she shot him in the back.
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Firearm injuries will never fail to amaze and confuse. You can't count on anything. anytime you hear some unbelievably bizarre story, even if it isn't true, there is every chance in the world that it is true.

Kid once shot himself in the heart with a .44 magnum, and survived having a half inch hole blown through his heart because of very good medical care. An old man nearby here shot himself in the middle of the forehead, and sustained no brain damage; it slipped between the lobes. Woman in fla was reportedly shot twice in the head, and both bullets rode around her skull without penetrating. (as reported.) Sometimes, bullets just simply fail to do the sort of damage they are supposed to. without serious injuries, you can't count on people to drop flat just from shock.

This is where some people go wrong; it is just assumed that whatever they choose will not fail to live up to expectations.

Nobody who fires a 9 mm is better equipped than a person with a .45, if you consider only the terminal ballistics. Nobody who fires a .223 is better equipped than the one firing a .300 ultra mag. diameter, weight, velocity, construction, they all have a part to play, and there are so many variables that it's impossible to give any sort of definitive answer.

Never overestimate the lethality of your chosen weapon system. Never underestimate the effects of chaos. Never underestimate the tenacity of life.
 
gunsgongcrazy wrote:
If somebody is entering your home and you have family living in it, why the hell would you want to shoot a truckload full of bullets capable of going through sheet rock and injuring your loved ones. This is why I have a 12 ga ready to go next to the .45 in the nightstand drawer.
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You may find this interesting. Notice which have the least penetration after hitting an interior wall. You may want to reconsider your choices.

penetr10.jpg
 
Skadoosh,

That's quite interesting what you posted,
mainly looking at the 155 gr Amax, most people wouldn't consider them for hunting as they're not designed to expand like a hunting bullet, but those show considerable amount of expansion.

Although, that's provided your sniping coyotes behind a wall.
 
There ARE magic bullets, or cartridges, rather-44 Magnum, 454 Casull, 480 Ruger, 500 S&W, rifle cartridges-7MM Magnum, 300 Winchester Magnum, 45-70, etc/, that are proven manstoppers, but they have their disadvantages in terms of recoil, muzzle blast, etc. Again, I am not a fan of the 5.56 but it does allow for follow up shots, quick recovery from recoil, etc.
As to why anyone would want a truckload of ammunition, as an Eagle Scout I simply say "Be Prepared". It does keep, especially when properly stored.
 
Given the option to carry 5.56 or 308 rifle, I would always choose 5.56 platform. I can't imagine carrying all the gear plus a battle rifle with 308 ammo loaded. I have both, but I choose 5.56 and if my enemies cannot be brought down by 5.56, then I am already outgunned.
 
If the chips are really down, I will be sticking with .223/5.56 for home defense as well. My AR carbine is easier to maneuver than my 590A1, very accurate, low recoil enabling faster follow up shots, longer range and plenty lethal enough. Reloading is faster and easier plus ammo capacity pretty hard to beat.
 
..............So Im just going to be "that guy" and say why not use a 12gauge for HD? I mean #4buckshot is roughly the size of a .22lr round, just a tad bigger, and theres 41 pellets of it in a 3 inch shell. Thats like a bunch of follow up shots, right? I could be wrong but thats what I trust in my HD gun.
 
I mean #4buckshot is roughly the size of a .22lr round, just a tad bigger, and theres 41 pellets of it in a 3 inch shell. Thats like a bunch of follow up shots, right?
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Not if those 41 pellets miss the target in your first shot.
 
...guess so. :D

My bet is that many that choose a shotgun as their primary home defense weapon never bother to pattern their gun and chosen load.
 
Concerned about lethality of .223/5.56
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^Don't be.^

I wouldn't go 22LR though, a couple hundred rounds of whatever major caliber you like and you should be fine.

Whatever makes you more comfortable though, it just wouldn't be a 22LR for me. I'd rather have 200 7.62 x39, .223, 308 or about any other major caliber than 10,000 22LR in terms of defense. Suppose both would be nice to have...and not a bad idea.
 
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