Performance 5.56 v .223

[Jimb]

My first AR
M16 bolt / carrier
1:8 - 5.56 stainless barrel
From everything I've read so far...my inclination is to use .223 55g for plinking, and load 5.56 62g in the mags for self defense.
Does this sound reasonable? Are there ANY operation / performance benefits from using the 5.56NATO ammo?

 

[sgreen3]

That 1:8 twist will allow the use of wide array of projectile weights that can be used with very nice accuracy. Just buy the cheap stuff for range work and I like the Hornady TAP in a self defense role. Although Id probably just go with some 50-55gr SP hunting ammo or the likes as it would be cheaper.

 

[foszoe]

My first AR
M16 bolt / carrier
1:8 - 5.56 stainless barrel
From everything I've read so far...my inclination is to use .223 55g for plinking, and load 5.56 62g in the mags for self defense.
Does this sound reasonable? Are there ANY operation / performance benefits from using the 5.56NATO ammo?

Set that puppy up at the shrimp boil and we will run it through its paces!

 

[Jimb]

That 1:8 twist will allow the use of wide array of projectile weights that can be used with very nice accuracy. Just buy the cheap stuff for range work and I like the Hornady TAP in a self defense role. Although Id probably just go with some 50-55gr SP hunting ammo or the likes as it would be cheaper.

Any reason, in your opinion, to use 5.56?

 

[Jimb]

Set that puppy up at the shrimp boil and we will run it through its paces!

Ohhh no....have goodies on order, and stuff to do to make it mine b4 heating it up. The heat will be in the boil that night buddy!

 

[sgreen3]

Any reason, in your opinion, to use 5.56?

I wouldn't purposely go out and buy just that. If I catch it at a good price Ill pick it up, but mostly I shoot what I get the cheapest.

 

[Fargo]

If you are talking green tip NATO ammo, it isn't what I would use unless I thought I was going to be shooting through barriers. 5.56 is slightly hotter than 223, but at non-military self defense ranges out of a 16 in. barrel it isn't going to make a difference. The only thing green tip does well is penetrate because of its steel core. I load mine with TAP in the 5.56 variety which is a ballistic tip bullet. 223 TAP is different but by all accounts works well too. I would favor almost any 55+ grain expanding bullet in 556 or 223 over green tip unless I had a really specific barrier penetration need.

 

[oldpink]

What Fargo said.
Load it with bullets that will readily fragment, i.e. varmint type bullets.
You'll avoid overpenetration that way, and the performance at stopping two-legged varmints with it is the stuff of legend.

 

[Jimb]

What Fargo said.
Load it with bullets that will readily fragment, i.e. varmint type bullets.
You'll avoid overpenetration that way, and the performance at stopping two-legged varmints with it is the stuff of legend.

Thanks for all the posts. I think I would actually prefer the increased penetration ability when using the AR in self defense mode. I would think that most likely this would be inside the house at night, and the ability to blow through walls and hit what's on the other side is a bonus. The .45 on the nightstand with 230g hrydroshock HP's is for face to face large diameter exit holes, and internal destruction.

 

[Roland of Gilead]

 

[DRob]

That increased penetration is good if you're in your own home and the bad guy you're shooting at is hiding behind the refrigerator........... in your neighbor's home.

 

[Fargo]

Thanks for all the posts. I think I would actually prefer the increased penetration ability when using the AR in self defense mode. I would think that most likely this would be inside the house at night, and the ability to blow through walls and hit what's on the other side is a bonus. The .45 on the nightstand with 230g hrydroshock HP's is for face to face large diameter exit holes, and internal destruction.

Any AR round will easily penetrate an interior wall or 3. They usually destabilize and some may start to come apart, but steel core ammo is completely unnecessary to shoot through walls. It is designed to penetrate Kevlar helmets. 45 ACP will actually often penetrate an interior wall better than 556/223 as the lower velocity is much easier on the bullet as it passes through.

 

[gmcttr]

Yep...loved ones and neighbors reside on the "other side of walls".

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Any AR round will easily penetrate an interior wall or 3.

Not "any" round, and that's based on real shooting scenes.

There are good barrier blind ammunition choice for the AR. If that's the best choice depends on your likely threats. Given incidents of officers being targeted at home, including by drive by shooting, the ability to penetrate auto bodies and auto glass has become more relevant to my choices. Otherwise I'd likely stick with a 55gr jacketed soft point of some variety. Lots of meat damage from those rounds, not much risk of too much penetration. If vehicles are a real possibility, FBI load is well proven in the field. It's a 62 grain bonded soft point from Federal.

Note you need to test various loads for accuracy out of YOUR rifle. What works super-duper-awesome on YouTube or out of your buddy's rifle may not be that great out of your rifle.

 

[Jimb]

I like popcorn

 

[cosermann]

.223/5.56 performance can vary pretty widely depending on bullet selection, barrel length, range, target, etc.

In addition to what BBI said, for further information:

https://www.ar15.com/ammo/

https://www.ar15.com/ammo/project/Self_Defense_Ammo_FAQ/

 

[Jimb]

I hear what you all are saying. I wouldn't blindly shoot through a wall anyway without the mrs being in the same room I was, and it would really only be in a last resort if the only way out...or in, so to speak. My training and past experience has always engrained the notion of seeing what you are about to pull the trigger on.....always. That being said......not always a perfect world, and I would still always tend more towards penetrating rifle ammo and softer more destructive pistol rounds.

 

[johntheplinker]

One other point against using something along the lines of M855 type ammo is lack of soft tissue damage. Those types of bullets have a tendency to basically poke a hole through and through, and unless they directly hit something critical, wounds are not usually immediately incapacitating. Almost any good controlled expansion bullet will do a better job at incapacitating while at the same time easily penetrating walls and other light barriers. Heck, even a frangible 223 bullet can penetrate multiple walls so there is no need for special enhanced penetration bullets just for that.
Also M855 ammo is not noted for its accuracy, in my experience (my rifles and witnessing friend's rifles) at best it is 3-4 MOA ammo. Unless the rifle is really crappy it seems to be fairly easy to find hunting type ammo that is significantly more accurate, in the 1.5 MOA area. That may not be much at across the room range but it could be enough to turn a solid hit into a minor wound or a wounding shot into a clean miss.
If I ever have to use a firearm in self defense, and I hope I never have to, I want everything possible to be in my favor. That includes bullets that will inflict the most damage with the most accuracy.

 

[MohawkSlim]

First AR?

Buy the cheapest ammo you can find. Buy a lot of it. Practice shooting. Practice running through your house at night (with no ammo). Shoot stuff. Shoot other ammo at other stuff. Shoot some more. Run around your house some more.

Somewhere along the way you'll find your answer. All this internet debate over which ammo is the best for _____ is just debate because nobody knows what _____ will be for you. All the guys above are right with their technical information. But it's just technical information. Do those 13-year-old kids in Africa with tires on their feet and beat up old AKs care which bullet is best? They seem to do OK at war fighting. I bet they don't waste much time on which load is best.

 

[TJ Kackowski]

Being your first AR, you might also want to get some rifle training ... Revere's Riders has some wonderful opportunities coming up.

Bedford - 2-day Basic Rifle (24-25 September) will get you all warm and fuzzy with what your rifle can do in a static situation ... https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...-bedford-contingent-bedford-sept-24-25-a.html

Bedford - 2-day Carbine Clinic (10-11 December) will get you all warm and fuzzy with what your rifle can do in a more dynamic situation ... https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/reveres-riders/421016-carbine.html

A ton of time and cost messing around on your own can be eliminated by attending these two events. Plus, given who is already signed up for these events, you'll have plenty of face time to discuss all things AR with some very, very knowledgeable people.