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AR caliber ?

what caliber are you guys chambering your AR's in and why? Knockdown, recoil, availability, cost, etc.

5.56x45mm
.223 Rem
7.62 Nato

as related to a home defense scenario

Thanks (obviously all answers are theoretical because I know nobody owns firearms anymore, being that they are the scurge of our country)
 
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for home defense only, any of those rounds will have a tendency to over penetrate. A shotgun would be a better home defense option, or build it in a 9mm luger if home defense is your main goal.
 
Go .50BMG, hit them several hundred yards before they reach your house. ;)
 
223Rem
5.56NATO
6.8SPC
243
308
300WSM

etc. They are all possible to chamber for depending on what receiver you use, its just they feed to varying degrees of success.

Plinker, keep it NATO. If you want something you'll have to tune and tweak, go 6.8SPC or one of the other "exotics."
 
yeah,yeah,yeah... thanks ya two clowns from the EXTREME NW:D you ain't got much to worry about, you can see 'em comin' a mile away.Not so where I live. I'm talkin' close quarters. Really, which do you think is best?
 
The .223/5.56 shoots as quick as you can pull the trigger, the others make a larger diameter hole and are still acceptable for hunting members of the deer family if you want to.
 
well the .223 works pretty damn well taking out those prairie dogs so...... why not...?
believe it or not someone actually tried to say that the .22 is the deadliest around because it will just bounce around inside and tear sh\t up... wonder what exactly a .50cal barrett does?
 
believe it or not someone actually tried to say that the .22 is the deadliest around because it will just bounce around inside and tear sh\t up
Friend of mine that used to be a paramedic in some shady parts said the worst gunshot wounds he ever had to work on were from .22lr's and shotguns shooting bird shot.
 
Friend of mine that used to be a paramedic in some shady parts said the worst gunshot wounds he ever had to work on were from .22lr's and shotguns shooting bird shot.


that's due to the .22 being so small and underpowered for the job. It bounces all around creating havoc. You could shoot someone in the face and it come out their stomach :rolleyes:
 
Id say it removes the insides an there is nothing to bounce around in and tear sh!t up........

Ive shot a lot of rock chucks and coyotes and it doesn't do as much as ya would think. I mean don't get me wrong it does a lot.
Go 223 and if your using it for home defence rounds

ALL OF THE INFORMATION IN THIS ARTICLE IS BASED UPON THE PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OF INDIVIDUALS WHO MAY BE USING SPECIAL TOOLS, PRODUCTS, EQUIPMENT AND COMPONENTS UNDER PARTICULAR CONDITIONS AND CIRCUMSTANCES, SOME OR ALL OF WHICH MAY NOT BE REPORTED, NOR OTHERWISE VERIFIED IN THIS ARTICLE. NOTHING HEREIN IS INTENDED TO CONSTITUTE A MANUAL FOR THE USE OF ANY PRODUCT OR THE CARRYING OUT OF ANY PROCEDURE OR PROCESS. THE WRITERS, EDITORS, AND PUBLISHERS OF THIS ARTICLE ACCEPT NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY LIABILITY, INJURIES OR DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ANY PERSON’S ATTEMPT TO RELY UPON ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN.
.223/5.56 Penetration Tests vs.
.40 S&W and 12 ga. Slug
Overview
The research on the penetration of .223 ammunition has been completed. In an effort to make research more meaningful, testing consisted of handgun and shotgun ammunition in the same testing medium. The final results were that the .223 demonstrated less penetration capability than the 12 gauge slug and the .40S&W [handgun round].
Testing Medium
Type 250A Ordnance Gelatin was cast into blocks, 6"x6"x16". The process used is that which is recommended by Col. M. Fackler, Director of the US Army Wound Ballistics Laboratory. This is a 10% mixture, 1Kg of gelatin to 9000ml of H2O. This type of gelatin accurately simulates human body tissue in terms of bullet penetration.
A small piece of wall was constructed to duplicate the standard exterior walls found in [the Pacific Northwest] area. This piece of wall was sheeted with ½" wafer board, covered with a 2nd piece of ½" wafer board to simulate siding. This wall was built using a 2x4 frame and finished on the inside with ½" sheet rock. The interior [of the wall] was lined with fiberglass insulation.
Weapons Used
CAR-15, cal .223 Rem./5.56x45mm with a 16" barrel.
Glock M22, cal .40S&W.
Remington 870, 12 ga.
Ammunition Used
Federal .223 Remington, 55 grain HP.
Winchester .40S&W, 180 grain HP.
Federal 12 ga., 2 ¾", rifled slug.
Procedure
All rounds were fired from a distance of 12 feet. After each round was fired, its penetration was recorded and bullet performance noted. After a bullet was fired into the [bare] gelatin, another bullet of the same type was fired through the section of wall and into the gelatin. This was done in order to determine its penetration potential in the event a stray round were to hit the wall of a building.
Results
Caliber Testing medium Penetration Condition of bullet
.223 Rem. gelatin only 9.5" two pieces
.223 Rem. wall & gelatin 5.5" * fragmented
.40S&W gelatin only 13.5" mushroomed
.40S&W wall & gelatin 22" * no deformation
.40S&W wall & gelatin 22" * no deformation
.40S&W† wall & gelatin 19.5" * slight deformation
12 ga. wall & gelatin 27.5" mushroomed
* these measurements do not include penetration of the 6" wall.
† CCI Gold Dot.
Summary
The 55 grain HP .223 has less penetration than any of the other ammunition tested. Based on the results of this testing, there appears to be no basis for concern regarding the overpenetration of the .223 [HP] round. In fact, it seems even safer in this regard than .40 S&W handgun ammunition.
The hollow point cavity in the .40S&W round filled with material when shot through the wall. This caused [these bullets] to fail to expand when they entered the gelatin. As a result, they penetrated 8.5" farther than when shot directly into the gelatin.
When the .223 [HP] was shot through he wall it began to fragment and as a result penetrated the gelatin only 5.5".
Because the .223 [HP] begins to break up on impact, it has less potential for damage or injury than the 12 ga. in the event of a ricochet. The .223 [HP] is obviously safer in an urban environment than the 12 ga. with slugs or buckshot.
Additional testing conducted proved that the .223 would penetrate a car door or glass. The .223 rounds fired into windshields began to break up after entering the glass and did not retain much energy. In most cases these rounds split in two.
 
that's due to the .22 being so small and underpowered for the job. It bounces all around creating havoc. You could shoot someone in the face and it come out their stomach :rolleyes:

but with something bigger you can shoot the head and have not head left who cares about the stomach...
.22's and buckshot are illegal for deer hunting because the chances of simply wounding the animal are greater not because its too deadly
.
 
I guarantee you that more animals have been killed by .22 calibers then any other in the history of modern firearms. Ask any old timer what they used to kill with, and most likely the answer will be .22

My grandfather had stories about how times were tough when he was younger and they would shoot a doe in the eye or behind the ear with a 22 to put food on the table.

And this crap about 22's blah blah, you do realize that the .223 is technically a 22caliber round, right?
 
oh... really? so thats why its got that .22 in front of the 3.. no sh|t? so is a 22-250 (sarcasm for whoever it was that didn't catch on)
but anyways.. yea i knew an old timer that poached deer back in the day. he would use a .22 as to not attract attention and had to shoot them in the head.
my point is proven...
do not try to argue that a .22 is the deadliest weapon just because it cheap and well used. go hunt an elephant with a .22 and let me know how that works out for you
 
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