Thought for the day: I posted this on the other thread, thought it might be useful here.
Picking a home defense weapon is a complicated issue because of so many factors involved, like the example you mentioned. Yes, a 5.56 will penetrate almost all modern housing walls, but, it has a hard time with mud built goat huts in AF. You are not over estimating potential of the round, but, in the right situation even a .22 will penetrate a wall and cause damage.
How much have you trained? because accuracy and ammo selection is more important than weapons. I teach CQB, so, one of the most frequent factors that occur in a kill house is how to maneuver you carbine in tight quarters. A situation you need to think about, because, you will be engaging in tight quarters in your house.
When choosing your primary weapon, consider the your floor plan. Where do you children sleep? If someone enters the home, will your children be in the line of fire? Your weapons selection is only one part of the equation.
High quality weapon and with the right fragile ammo, minimum risk for rounds flying through the neighborhood, if and this is a big if, you can hit the target. How are your reloading skills? 3 mags with your HK is “high capacity” and with good skill you can put a lot of rounds out in a short amount of time. You need more than this, then you are facing a kill squad, not the average criminal.
I have had a different overall experience, yes, it is an accurate round at moderate distances, yes, with hard ball ammo it can penetrate a person and keep on going but, I have seen guys shot with 9mm hard balled ammo that went through and kept on going. From my experience, it does not go deep at certain ranges. There is a reason the Army is developing a mid range caliber for the new squad weapons.
IMHO, this is my list:
- Handgun in 9mm, .40 or .45 , attached flashlight and three magazines of high quality ammo
- .12 gauge pump shot gun with extended magazine and flashlight attached.
- AR type carbine with flashlight attached… Note: you decide on a AR platform, don’t spend 3000 dollars on a tricked out weapon. Spend under a 1000 and use the rest for high quality training.
I am listing some information you may find useful in making a decision. The handgun ammo selections are from Dave Spaulding, one of the true experts in the field.
Ballistic Magazine – 28 Aug 15
8 Experts Pick Their Home Defense Weapon of Choice - Ballistic Magazine
We asked firearms experts like Paul Buffoni, Frank Proctor and Bill Wilson what they use as their own home defense weapon.
9mm: Federal 124 or 147 HST. You do not need +P velocities with the HST bullet design. I would use the 147 in 4 inch barrels or longer, the 124 in shorter barrels. The 147 is VERY accurate, but if all you want is “minute of chest cavity” at 15 yards and in, both are a good choice.
Speer 124 +P Gold Dot. The NYPD load as well as many federal agencies. Again, the street results speak for themselves.
115 gain all copper hollow points by several manufacturers. While I only know of a couple of shootings, this load is VERY promising. Yes, it is expensive due to how it’s made, but it performs like a bullet of heavier weight. The testing is very good as well.
.40 S & W: I just don’t hear much about this caliber any longer. Based on past experience, I would choose Speer 165 Gold Dot or Federal 180 grain HST. Again, street results from years past. (John’s note: .40 is dying, 9mm has killed it, more rounds per magazine and just as effective with less recoil.)
.45 ACP: Federal or Speer 230 grain HST or Gold Dot. The old Federal 230 grain Hydra-Shok was a REAL good load in its day…I have no reason to think it has regressed.