Sorry if it's been discusssed before.  Looking for a good factory Home Defense load.  Weapon is
14.5" BM 1/9 with Phantom.  Must be reasonably priced to allow practicing.  Leaning towards BH 60gr SP.  Like the idea of remanufactured version for practice and new for serious use.  Thoughts are that 55-64 gr SP would allow adequate penetration without over-doing it.  How about Win Ranger 50gr SBT??  Kinda exotic, but if it's that good???  Any other better choices?

Since you have a short 1/9 twist barrel, I'd take a look at the Black Hills 68 gr BTHP Match. You can get it new or reman as well. It isn't that expensive and I feel for home defense, is a better choice. A good fragmenting hollow point has better wounding potential than a SP, though the SP isn't horrible. BTW, the 68 gr BTHP offers adequate penetration but doesn't over-do it either. And it has very little muzzle flash. I would slightly prefer the 75 gr BTHP from Black Hills or Hornady, but that may or may not stabilize in your weapon. Some people have issues with it from 16" 1/9 barrels, so your 14.5" would probably be marginal at best. But if you can test a few rounds of each before you buy in quantity, perhaps you can figure it out.

-CH

www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=151272

To be used in 1 in 9 and nuthing more.

XM-193

Assuming the "Phantom" is a suppressor/silencer...?

If so, you and I have VERY similar setups. Mine's a 14.5" Bushmaster with 1/9 twist, using an AAC "M4-2000" silencer, DSA stock and Leupold compact scope on an A2 carry handle.

There's the perennial debate between "light bullets for velocity" and "heavy bullets for penetration" with the 5.56/.223. In mine, due to the short barrel, short-to-medium ranges expected, and situations used, I stick with 55-60 grain bullets.

Especially when indoors use is a factor, I prefer the lower penetration of the lighter loads. My first magazine (20-round) is Federal Ballistic Tips. These are seen by some as under-penetrating, but when I've need one round on duty, it's been either for a vehicle-wounded animal or feral dogs, and I prefer the lower-penetrating round for liability reasons. (We're a mostly rural area, but getting more crowded every year.)

The Ballistic Tips "should" pose less risk to people in the next room or apartment, or to my kids in their room at night.

After the first 20-rd mag, I carry two 30's of 55-gr Remington softpoint, and one 30-rd of Q3131A.

May not be "ideal" choices, but at the short ranges and enclosed spaces I carry it, I want to minimize risk to innocents, even if at the cost of some small level of effectiveness.  Basically, the 55-grain ballistic tip may not be the "best" stopper, but it's still a disrupting .223 bullet, and at ten yards, it's not going to be worthless, either.

Might want to check out the "Terminal Performance Anxiety" thread pinned at the top. I expect that many of us (myself included) tend to be over-anxious about having the "perfect" load. IMO, as long as you get a "decent" amount of penetration (avoid the obvious 'varmint' loads), combined with dumping 1,200 ft/lbs of energy in your target, you're probably ok.

Quoted: Assuming the "Phantom" is a suppressor/silencer...?

A Phantom is a Flash Suppressor.

Q3131A

How about the Frangible tha Ammoman sells?

my stock bushmaster 20" 1/9 will shoot .8" groups at a 100 yards and the 14.5 will shoot a little over 1.5" with 77 grain moly. see if your gun likes it . as long as the bullet isnt yawing  then you should be fine accuracy wise at room distance

Quoted: How about the Frangible tha Ammoman sells?

Very poor for self defense - the ammo is more intended for use on steel targets in shoot houses.

For optimal results stick with the Heavy Match bullets (77gr, 75gr, 69gr, 68gr).  They all perform better than M193.

My house gun is loaded with 30 rounds of Winchester 64 gr. Power Point Plus.

Quoted: Quoted: How about the Frangible tha Ammoman sells? Very poor for self defense - the ammo is more intended for use on steel targets in shoot houses. For optimal results stick with the Heavy Match bullets (77gr, 75gr, 69gr, 68gr).  They all perform better than M193.

Thanks Forest!

I like my WInchester Supremes Ballistic Tips.  They work just geat.

Quoted: XM-193

ME TOO!

Quoted: Quoted: XM-193 ME TOO!

Me also!