I stopped by Gander Mountain the other day and they had a table with discounted ammo on it.  I was able to get 3 boxes of Federal Classic 55 grain Hi-Shok soft point ammo.  Would this be a good home defense round or would it be too much?  Alternative is plinking ammo.  Oh shucks.  It was reduced $4.80/box so I though, why not.

I'll take a stab at this.

With 60 rounds of ammo that I have never fired before in my defense weapon (I assume AR).

I would want to sight in said weapon with it and be sure (damn sure) it would function perfectly in said weapon.

60 rounds to test don't go far in my AR's. Soft point ammo is sometimes hit or miss in an AR as far as feeding. The less exposed lead tip the better IMO.

I'd rather bet my you know what on something like tried and true (IMO) M193 ammo and buy by the case, half case etc.

Plenty to test drive, fill the mags with and have some left over.

That's just me, IMO, IMHO, YMMV, HTH.

Danny

Im pretty sure it wouldnt reach the standard 12" minumum to reach the vitals, although in not 100% sure. Most light and fragile rounds tend to expand/fragment to rapidly to reach the vitals. I would stick to the M-193 spec ammo or even better try the heavier OTMs, if the 75/77 grain OTMs will work in your rate of twist thats great but if not then the 68/69 grain OTMs should work fine. Either the 68/69 or the 75/77 grain rounds offer great improvement over M-193 spec ammo and the lighter JHPs and JSPs with the 75/77 grain loads offering the edge in terminal ballistics.

If you want a soft point then try the winchester power point loads or the federal trophy bonded line, although they give up terminal ballistics for penetration(they expand not fragment), but the M-193 or heavy OTMs have no problem reaching the vitals

Remember if you want good defensive ammo dont go for the cheapest, be willing to spend a little extra because if youre going to bet your life on it then you need the best

Most 55 gr SP loads when fired from a 16" barrel will usually generate around 9 to 10" of penetration in ballistic gelatin with quite a bit of fragmentation.

If you were only talking about frontal shots into the chest, this load would work well. But where it may come up short is in situations where you find yourself having to take an angled shot where the bullet would have to travel the max distance through muscle, flesh and bone before reaching the vitals. That's why the FBI has the 12" minimum penetration standard.

Granted, lots of PD's have used the 55 gr SP to great effect and in most cases, it'll do the job. But I prefer sticking with something that offers fragmentation equal to or better and that meets the 12" penetration standard.