Looking to see what folks like that is not too rough on the wallet.
Mainly used for home defense. So distances certainly will be under 25 yards.

Not to be flip, but unless we’ve managed to make a cartel or the Russian SVR very angry*, for home defense anything that goes bang and drives a metal projectile at 223/5.56 velocities will convince any home invader that he should find another home to invade.

It’s really only if we want/need to do something more such as perforate barriers or engage someone hundreds of yards away that specific types become important. For example, because I had specific purposes in mind for the load, I have a good supply of Speer 75 grain Gold Dot ammunition on hand. It would certainly serve the purpose of defending my home, but that’s not why I have it rather than something else.

I also have good supply of the 62 grain Gold Dots for similar reasons which are good barrier penetration, decent precision, and good wound ballistics. But if I was concerned about only one of those factors, I’d choose something else; the Gold Dots are, IMO, more all-round loads rather than being best for any one thing.

If I were concerned only about home defense, a decent M193 load would be completely satisfactory.

* And if we have, our problems won’t be solved with any sort of firearm and ammunition.

If your concerned about over penetration or if you believe the invader is unarmored then a 60g Hornady V'Max just might be what your after.
The wound devastation should be severe. or perhaps a 55 or 62g soft point would work well for you.

M193 gets the job done, and even defeats some lighter body armor.

This is what I keep loaded in my rifle, even though I have other options. The Federal M193 has dried up, but for the time being, Winchester M193 is still available. Along with the Winchester, the Israeli IMI M193 is a great choice.

I keep a quantity of Federal's Fusion MSR on hand. This load used the same 62 grain bonded projectile as the Speer Gold Dot. Very high quality ammunition, and it's not inexpensive.

I also have a quantity of Federal's T556TNB1 in reserve. This is the OTM MK318 Mod 0.

I keep Federal M855 around, too, but that's off the table for home defense unless it's your only choice.

I have a small quantity of Black Hills .223 55 grain softpoints left over from when I kept a Mini-14 for home defense.

You don't need anything exotic for home defense. As you indicated, your shooting would all be close range. Whatever you choose, I think in an AR-15, 5.56 chamber pressures are preferable to .223 chamber pressures, but in a quality rifle, properly lubricated, it's probably merely academic.

64 grain Winchester Ranger and Speer Gold Dots are what I used on duty, and 62/64 grain Gold Dots and Federal Fusion are what I keep on hand.

Oh, yes, how could I forget? I have some of the hard to get Winchester RA556B, a load used by the FBI. Bonded, solid-base 64 grain softpoint. Rompin', stompin' hot. If I felt I might be shooting through barriers, including automobile bodies and auto glass, this would be my choice, but definitely not for home defense.

Along the same lines, I have a quantity of Federal ND55664, a 64 grain bonded softpoint.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
64 grain Winchester Ranger and Speer Gold Dots are what I used on duty, and 62/64 grain Gold Dots and Federal Fusion are what I keep on hand.

We use the Federal TRU stuff at work.

I recently got a new Aero Precision M4E1 and decided I would sight that in at 25 yards and toss it in the bedroom safe with the 870 and 226.

Figure I’d pick up a couple hundred defense rounds to keep with it.

For in the house, I prefer a 55-64 grain non-bonded softpoint. Federal Tru or Winchester power point or similar.

For a police patrol rifle, I want a bonded bullet.

If I put two fmj into a baddie's face, have I tea bagged him?

I have to agree, most rounds that reliable cycle in the AR would be suitable, we’re also talking very modest ranges.

I would want at least a touch of penetration, not the extremely frangible type ‘varmint’ bullets. That would be a 55 grain or heavier soft point or so.

Here’s a story that surprised even me. I got some 55 grain, 6mm bullets at a good price years ago. These are very frangible ‘Blitz-King’ bullets, Sierra. I created a load for my 243, modest speed, not crazy fast.

As events unfolded, I was dealing with a nuisance beaver last Fall, caught him on the trail, 25 yards. I just aimed for center of mass, large beaver. The bullet from the 243 didn’t even exit, all contained inside. A relative later skinned & reported the findings. Anyway, I knew it was frangible, but thought the exit could go either way.

There could be a correlation with a home defense scenario.

quote:

If your concerned about over penetration or if you believe the invader is unarmored then a 60g Hornady V'Max just might be what your after.

How I do it. Black Hills with 50gr V-Max.

Had a chance to go through my ammo stash today which is just a hodge podge of what I find on sale and have some extra scratch.

I found 30 rounds of Federal XM193F and a couple hundred round of Independence XM193.
It appears to be an Israeli round imported by Federal.
Both looked quite similar except the Israeli stuff has a red primer sealant of some sort.
All boxes had a $7.99 price tag on them. Guess it’s been stashed away for awhile.
Loaded up a few Lancer mags.

Saving up to get a couple rounds of some sort of soft point.

Also found Lots of M855 stuff of various manufactures including close to 1k rounds of stuff from Denmark.

From a stanpoint of soft tissue damage M855 is possibly the worst load to use for short range engagements. It was developed during the later decade of the cold war to give the M249 SAW better long range penetration against Soviet steel helmets. In Somolia it was found to zip right through most soft targets without deforming. In reality anything you use as bad breath distance is going to do it's job, so run what ya brung and don't sweat the small things.

Personally I have a zero on my AR for Hornady TAP 75gr, but I may switch to an M193 loading for everything because the zero will be consistant from rifle to rifle.

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
Had a chance to go through my ammo stash today which is just a hodge podge of what I find on sale and have some extra scratch.

I found 30 rounds of Federal XM193F and a couple hundred round of Independence XM193.
It appears to be an Israeli round imported by Federal.
Both looked quite similar except the Israeli stuff has a red primer sealant of some sort.
All boxes had a $7.99 price tag on them. Guess it’s been stashed away for awhile.
Loaded up a few Lancer mags.

Saving up to get a couple rounds of some sort of soft point.

Also found Lots of M855 stuff of various manufactures including close to 1k rounds of stuff from Denmark.

I still have 2 cases of Israeli (IMI) manufactured Winchester Q3131A I purchased for $1.99 per box.

10 cents/round?
When were those made?