What's diff between frangible and varmit grenade?

I'm pondering what ammo to buy for SHTF-type situations where I live––a suburban environment with single-family houses, medium density. I'm thinking of Silver State 55gr Barnes RRLP FB jacketed frangible. But I noticed that the description of this ammo uses "Barnes Varmit Grenade." So are frangibles effectively the same as a varmit-vaporizer ammo? Could I trust varmit ammo in a home defense situation? My one and only AR is a LMT Defender 2000, 5.56, 16in, 1:7 twist.

Those severely lack in penetration for social work.

This.. expensive, but worth it for HD. It's not plinking ammo.

http://www.sgammo.com/product/federal/20-rds-556-mm-federal-62-grain-bonded-softpoint-fbi-load-xm556fbit3

Or this.. same caveat

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/AMM292-1.html

NO read the FAQ at the top

http://ammo.ar15.com/project/Self_Defense_Ammo_FAQ/index.htm

and this

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot1.htm

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot12.htm

The varmint grenade has a thin jacket. most frangable doesn't. The varmint grenades dont give you much penetration but I sure dont want to be shot with one.

Thanks for the link, TaylorWSO. I found that about 30 minutes after posting (of course). Makes me wonder why an ammo vendor would advertise frangibles as "excellent for home defense." Thanks, pumpkinheaver, for the info––I was wondering what constituted a varmit round. I'm pretty sure the varmits don't care either about the lead content, frangibility, etc.

Based on this info, I'm gonna go with the heavier bullets recommended in the FAQ. I think what puts my mind at ease is the info on typical max depth of penetration. I was worried that most 5.56 rounds would just go right through a BG, even on a center-mass hit. Yes, I'm aware that ballistics gel is just a simulation, but it is nice to have some standard for comparison.

If you've ever seen what varmint type bullets do to flesh (not ballistic gelatin), you know the answer to this. They are very devastating bullets mostly due to their relatively high velocity and high bullt RPM. I've killed probably a dozen deer with the Sierra 55 gr. SBT and it wrecks the lungs and causes massive internal hemorrhaging, but doesn't penetrate very deep. One of the problems in your case is the steep rifling twist which sets up a very high rotational spin and tends to cause lightly constructed bullets to come apart shortly after leaving the muzzle.

Expanding bullets (i.e.- hunting HP's and SP's) rely on something to initiate expansion, which in the case of varmint type bullets, leads to rapid fragmentation. HP type bullets rely on some type of fluid entering the cavity at the nose of the bullet to start the expansion process. So if the cavity becomes filled with matter such as drywall, or if it is damaged when passing through some inert object, then expansion/fragmentation could be delayed or even stopped all together which leads to increased penetration. SP bullets on the other hand rely on the exposed lead core to initiate expansion so, at least in theory, should expand/fragment even if passing through something such as drywall prior to hitting a target.

I'm relatively new to this forum, so some of the information here is new and old.

Barrier...barrier blind. What the heck? Then I read more and realize these bullets and their designs are nothing more than what hunters have been using for on game for decades. So in other words, if it's advertised as a bullet for medium game (deer & hogs) then it is a barrier bullet.....evidently.

I read with interest the concerns regarding ammunition from the members here. You want barrier penetrating ammo if a bad guy is behind a wall or in a car because it penetrates better, but if you're in your house, you want ammunition that doesn't penetrate as well. You can't use varmint bullets because some doctor shot some into a block of gelatin and said they won't work.

Seems like a lot to digest and if one is to use the "proper" ammunition for every circumstance, seems like lots of magazines loaded with lots of different ammo to keep up with. Personally, I've settled on handloaded 62 gr. FMJ's for everything except hunting in which case I'll use what you guys refer to as "barrier blind" bullets. I've found Nosler Partition's and Barne's TSX's all but infallible for this use.

If you're worried about over penetration, practice shooting more so you won't miss!

GG

you need to read the faq as well

I did. With all respect to highly educated individuals shooting bullets into blocks of gelatin, I prefer to draw my own conclusions from experience in the field. If that makes me wrong, then I'll keep killing stuff "wrong".

GG

What is the velocity of this ranger ammo?

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