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Posted: 10/1/2009 4:46:09 AM EDT
| Hello everyone, I am a new member and this is my first post. I am looking for some advice for ammo for my AR's. I have read most of the FAQ's and the Ammo Oracle, but I am still unsure on what to buy, as I still have a great deal to learn. I have recently purchased a pair of RRA Elite CAR A4's and want to buy ammo for a home defense/SHTF scenario. Thay have 16" chrome lined barrels with a 1:9 twist. In the ammo FAQ's it talks about if your gun can stabilize bullets and if barrier penetration is imporntant. What do I need? Will I need to shoot through walls? I would think if I can't see it, I wouldn't shoot through a barrier to try to hit it. (Or would I ?) This ammo would be strictly be a defensive ammo to defend my family from a violent attack. I would like to buy American made. Any advice on specific ammo brands with bullet types/grains? I must say this is one heck of a website. There is tons of info, and it will probably take me through the winter to read all of it. I definately have found I need to buy a more comfortable computer chair! Thanks for the help! |
| Look at TAP for defense, M193 for SHTF... Palmetto has a good deal on Prvi right now: http://www.palmettostatearmory.com/349.php |
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I’m a fan of M193 (55 grn ball 5.56).
5.56 ball doesn’t cost anymore than any brass cased 223 ammo, and is an effective round for personal defense and shtf. Having a little M855 on hand makes sense too.5.56 is faster faster than 223, why bother with 223? And you need the velocity for the 55 grn ball to fragment and work well. Yes you can spend a dollar or more for designer rounds. I’d rather put the cost difference into more ammo, and frankly 55 grn ball offers some performance benefits, i.e., won’t over penatrate as much as some more expensive rounds. 5.56 ball penetrates less in common building materials than many 9mm handgun projectiles. It’s a nice do everything round at a reasonable price. LE is currently in love with rounds that will defeat auto glass, as well they should be. You and I are less concerned with that requirement and there’s no free lunch. If it will stay intact through auto glass it will threw sheetrock too. I buy: Privi 193 Winchester Q3131 Federal XM193 Hope this helps. |
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Quoted:
Hornady TAP for self/home defense. If you are worried about the bullet going through a wall then the AR is not the gun for you, unless you live in a concrete house....... Just for the benefit of the OP, this statement, like a lot of broad general sweeping statements is misleading at best. As I pointed out in my previous post, 55 grn ball actually penetrates less in common building materials than many handgun rounds. It would seem wise to be concerned about penetration of walls in most home defense scenarios. A 40 grn varmint round blows up and fragments going through sheetrock and is very safe in that regard. However, many feel that you would be giving up too much penetration in human targets. Manufactures can make a bullet do just about anything, just not everything. For the aforementioned reasons, I like M193, though I’d be happy with other choices too. Emory |
| Thanks for the information, fellas. I have been buying American Eagle Tactical XM 193 55 grain FMJ, that also has XM 193 CBP on the box and LC09 stamped on the case. I assume this is Lake City ammo made in 2009. Is this good stuff and good for home defense? Dumb question, but is FMJ the same as ball? If not what is the difference? |
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First off, welcome to the forum.There is a wealth of experience and information here. Yes, ball ammo is the military/generic term for Full Metal Jacket. I load my mags with Winchester Q3131, a couple with M855 with the steel penetrator and have a small stock of a couple thousand rounds of federal M193. I figure this will take care of most situations I am likely to ever encounter.
Good shooting. Regards, LABlackRifle |
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You ask several questions that are very pertinent. We can't answer all of them for you, but we can hopefully point you in the right direction.
1: You have 16" barrels with a 1:9 twist. This means you're probably not going to stabilize bullets much over about 69 grains. That's not to say that you can't shoot the 75 or 77 grain stuff. Your gun might make a liar out of me. The odds are against it, though. 2: You need ammo that works through your guns. 55 grain FMJ (Full Metal Jacket, aka "ball") PMC that runs in your gun is better than the latest whiz bang round that doesn't work in your gun. Buy small quantities of a few different types of ammo with 69 grain or lighter bullets and see if they work in your gun. 3: We have no idea if you're going to be shooting through walls. I'm going to guess "no", though. Still, better to have the capability and not need it than to need it and not have it, I guess. Given the above, M193 (from whoever) is a good general purpose round. If your gun won't run with M193 of a known quality, it's probably defective anyway. M855 is in pretty much the same boat. That said, the consensus seems to be that the ideal round is usually moving the heaviest OTM (Open Tip Match, means it has a hollow point but isn't actually designed to expand) bullet your barrel will stabilize and shoot with an acceptable degree of accuracy. So, look for ammo loaded with 68 or 69 grain OTM bullets (If you're wanting US made, look at Black Hills, Cor-Bon, or Georgia Arms). If you can't find good OTM type ammo, or don't want to spend the coin, the Remington TBBC (Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, I think that's the Remington load, anyway), Speer Gold Dot, or Winchester Power Point ammo will do. If those are out of reach for whatever reason, fall back tot he M193 and/or M855. Again, they're not necessarily the absolute most idealest ammo out there, but they're good enough. If push really comes to shove, try some Silver Bear 55 or 62 grain ammo. If it works in your gun and is reasonably accurate, it's still better than an empty gun. Hope that muddied the waters for you some. :) |
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Keep in mind that ANY gun with ANY bullet is better than NO gun with NO bullet. If you are confident in your shooting abilities then use whatever you can find and/or afford...... A head shot with a .22LR will stop any criminal. For myself, I have 30 rounds of Hornady .223 TAP ammo loaded for home defense. Also have a Springfield 1911 with Cor Bon hollow points only to give me time to get to the AR................. |
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