About .223 Penetration

[goColt]

You may have heard about an often referenced but hardly ever produced, research study that talks about the penetration of the .223 Remington cartridge vs. several “common” SMG rounds.
It’s a very interesting read and it may just make you rethink the .223 as a home-defense round. I did.

From the study:

Equipment Employed / Rounds Tested
For these series of tests the following firearms, ammunition and equipment were employed:

• Sealed, match grade test barrel to determine 25 yard, 10-shot group accuracy and 20-round velocity potential.
• 20" barreled, M16A1 rifle to stabilize and test rounds ranging from 40 to 55 grains in weight.
• 20" barreled, M16A2 rifle to stabilize and test rounds ranging from 62 to 69 grains in weight.
• Oehler Model 85 chronograph.
• Ransom type rifle rest, with laser bore sighting.
• Numerous blocks of Kind and Knox 250-A, 10% gelatin, to simulate living tissue.
• Federal’s 40-grain "Blitz" hollow point, 55-grain soft point and 69-grain hollow point; 9mm 147-grain Hydra-Shok, 10mm and .40 S&W 180-grain, jacketed hollow points.
• Winchester’s 55- and 62-grain full metal case, NTO-military spec. rounds.”
​

I am not sure I’d call the 10mm a “common” SMG round but the 147gr 9mm and 180gr .40S&W definitely are.

Here is a link to the document: About .223 Penetration

We also have a link and a downloadable PDF version on our Recommendations Page: Recommendations - Train To Be Safe Academy.

 

[Tanfodude]

Department of Homeland Security: Sport rifle (AR-15) ?suitable for personal defense? (Updates) | Radio Vice Online

 

[goColt]

Department of Homeland Security: Sport rifle (AR-15) ?suitable for personal defense? (Updates) | Radio Vice Online

Great find!

For those who don't want to wade through the .gov contract documents, here is the meat of the matter: https://www.fbo.gov/utils/view?id=09c3d5e933bc24416b752b57294a17b3

My emphasis added:

"3.1 General. DHS and its components have a requirement for a 5.56x45mm NATO, select-fire firearm suitable for personal defense use in close quarters and/or when maximum concealment is required."
"3.9 Action/Mechanism.
3.9.1. The firearm shall be able to be operated by a left or right-handed user without permanent modification.
3. 9.2 The action shall be select-fire (capable of semi-automatic and automatic fire).
3.9.3 The action shall fire from a closed bolt.
3.9.4 The action shall be gas operated.
3.9.5 The action shall have a bolt catch that automatically locks the bolt to the rear upon firing the last round in the magazine. The operator shall be able to manually use the bolt catch to lock the bolt to the rear with the magazine removed from the firearm. When the bolt catch is depressed the bolt shall return to battery position.
3.9.6 The magazine catch shall securely retain the magazine in the magazine well. The magazine release shall be spring loaded and be designed to prevent inadvertent activation. The magazine release, when depressed, shall disengage the magazine catch and permit the magazine to fall free from the magazine well.
3.9.7 The action shall possess a firing pin designed to prevent accidental discharges if the firearm is dropped.
3.9.8 The firearm shall be designed in such a way that the operator can clear a malfunction using immediate action without the use of special tools.
3.9.9 The firearm shall be able to be safely operated by a shooter wearing gloves.
3.9.10 The action shall be capable of accepting all standard NATO STANAG 20 and 30 round M16 magazines (NSN 1005-00-921-5004) and Magpul 30 round PMAG (NSN 1005-01-576-5159). The magazine well shall be designed to allow easy insertion of a magazine.
3.9.11 The receiver top shall be equipped with an integral MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny rail for mounting sights and other accessories.
3.9.12 The firearm shall be capable of being field stripped without the use of special tools."

Isn't that nice. The DHS needs a 5.56x45mm NATO select-fire Personal Defense Weapon with 20 and 30 rounds magazine capacity for use in close quarters but we Citizens don't.

 

[Never A Victim]

Great article!

 

[roscott]

Good stuff! I wish the original study had delved a little deeper into the subject of short barrels. It seems the study validated .223 as a law enforcement and CQB round, but then the author makes the jump to 6" barrels as advisable for entry teams. I had always heard that 10.5 or 11.5 barrels were needed for .223 performance?