.22 vs .223 – Home Defense – Drywall Penetration

thefirearmblog.com ^ | 5/9/2016 | Nathan S.

[rktman]

While I am sure that most would opt to select .223/5.56 NATO over .22LR for home defense, but I have heard the argument that .22 would be “better” for home defense since its reduced energy would mean that it would penetrate through fewer walls. On the flip side, others argue that the 5.56 would be better as the round would tumble dissipating its energy and thus penetrate less.

[Rannug]

Aren’t they tho?

[from occupied ga]

I’ll guarantee you that I’ve fired guns at people many more times than you have.

And you think this makes you immune to logic (even if it's true, and how would you know)

[from occupied ga]

I’ll guarantee you that I’ve fired guns at people many more times than you have.

And you think this makes you immune to logic (even if it's true, and how would you know)

[Buffalo Head]

Your claimed results are far different than the companies that manufacture or load frangible bulleted ammunition and the federal government law enforcement agencies that train with it and the military that uses it. It seems most probably that you are fabricating a B.S. story to cover ignorance.

[Blueflag]

And you can kiss a part of my body you would find less than delightfully fragrant.

The experience comes from shooting at the edge of the woods on an old farm area of N Ga.

Friends with old farm lands they are reclaiming with numerous convenient targets.

Outdoor shooting is a lot different than controlled shooting at paper targets in a lane at the range - and riccochets are one area of concern. We shot a good bit of somewhat expensive frangible .223 instead of the cheaper FMJ just to see the difference, and out of curiosity.

We werent doing drills or being all tactiqueer. We were shooting junk in the country, outdoors.

There was no real science to it. We couldnt really tell if it riccocheted less or not.

We could tell that sometimes it didnt penetrate the fibreglass tractor fender or the windshield of the old Mercury sedan. Most times it went right thru the sheet metal of the doors. Didnt seem to do much penetration on the pile of fallen-down house drywall, but it did go thru most of the tin roof.

Maybe you’re a hard-ass operator and you know everything about shooting sports. More power to ya.

I understand that you can spend some real coin for ammo designed better than frangibles for over penetration concerns. We bought the stuff to see, and can report on my experience.

Part of my experience is that regular .223 FMJ penetrates really well, and frangible less so. Same for #8 2-3/4 shot shells instead of magnum zombie buckshot.

So lighten up Francis.

Enjoy your evening.

[Sasparilla]

...Don’t think so. The penetration of #6 on someone with a coat is about six inches....

And, if a shot is a grazing strike or total miss , both of which happen, what then with the sheetrock?

[Ouderkirk]

I am limiting my remarks to the question presented...

I like an O/U with 00 Buck as an indoor weapon. Obviously if it’s 3 on 1 you were dead before before you began, unless you’re using a Saiga 10 streetsweeper.

[MHGinTN]

Did you mean to write that it will not penetrate TWO layers of typical 1/2 inch drywall? ... I load #6 hi brass in my HD tools, btw.

[tacticalogic]

I like an O/U with 00 Buck as an indoor weapon. Obviously if it’s 3 on 1 you were dead before before you began, unless you’re using a Saiga 10 streetsweeper.

I prefer and SxS with external hammers for reasons of utility but otherwise share the sentiment. I t will argue that in close quarters you aren't necessarily automatically dead in a 3:1 situation. If you catch them in a hallway, you may very well hit more than one in the same shot. If they're in different rooms, you may have time to reload. It doesn't take more than a few seconds with practice.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

I know a cop who shot a perp six times with a .38 at about 6 feet.

I'd believe if they were .38 S&W. The .38 S&W SPL is quite a bit more powerful.

[SkyDancer]

What I'm saying is that my cop friends/relatives say that #6 is the best defensive round in apartments. An intruder comes in and he's between you and the wall behind him; you unload on him and the shot at that distance (7 or 8 ft?) will hit him center chest and maybe some pellets might go through but it's doubtful. In any case what would continue on would have to go through the drywall in your apartment then through insulation (noise reduction) and then through the drywall in the other apartment. What I'm saying it's highly likely that it would penetrate into the next apartment.. Now if he standing in front of an outside wall then there's no problem.

R/Janey

[SkyDancer]

PS. I did take out a wasps nest the size of a basket ball from 30 feet. That thing was up in a tree. One round of #6 blew the nest into dust and the survivors that were buzzing about got the second load. They never came back. I reckon the pattern may have been 8 inches in diameter at that distance but unsure.

[Celtic Conservative]

Steel flechettes. Ouch.

CC

[cpdiii]

my last birthday the folks bought me a Ruger Mini30 ... added to my Marlin .45 carbine and my M1 .30 carbine. We hunt, we shoot.

Mini 30 a fine machine based on the Mini-14. I had a Mini-14 years ago but traded it in on another AR. I was upset with the accuracy of the Mini-14. Ruger has since corrected that problem with a better barrel.

My favorite rifle is the M1-Garand. It is a beautiful beast. I have three. At one time I had four but traded one in on the 50 year edition of the Remington 700 300-Win Mag.

Relative to hunting in the past I did for years and really enjoyed it. I just got tired of killing things except vermin. I have a lot of deer on my property and my neighbor comes over and kills a few and we share the meat. Venison is the best.

Actually hunters are the deers best friend in Texas. The population is scientifically managed by the Wild Life Commission to keep the deer population at it maximum in relation to food which mean how much rain did we get this year. We have had a lot so it will be necessary to kill a lot of deer next hunting season. Otherwise the deer population get to large for the local food sources. The allowable has always been more than I need.

[weezel]

The BEST gun for home defense is the one that is available when you need it. I have a Mossberg 500, nothing sexy about that but will get the job done. I also have a FIE 22 revolver. Short barrel, certainly nothing sexy about that but either will work.

[SkyDancer]

Learning to shoot that Ruger was fun. It didn’t kick as much as I thought. I like the M1 carbine the best, it’s an Israel Arms model. Then too, the Marlin Campgun.

[MHGinTN]

I have an M1 Carbine by Universal. It is not mil-spec but it is a tack driver inside fifty yards, and reliable. I initially repaired it for someone, replacing the busted bolt with Iver Johnson heated treated parts. The initial thirty rounds testing it told me I had repaired it properly (I have a bolt tool for the job), but the guy who brought it to me said he would never trust it again, so he took a swap for it. Best trade I’ve made in a long time! Loaded with soft tip lead head hollow points it is a nasty tool for home defense ... minimal recoil and max inertial transfer. But the dry wall will not stop the projectiles ...

[MHGinTN]

A Sheila who can shoot! Best of the best!

[MHGinTN]

PS ... I covet your Marlin Camp Carbine in .45 acp.

[VTG]

A few years ago there was a dead guy on my utility room floor with a single .22 LR hole through his sternum who would beg to differ about any “bee sting.”

Dude staggered only 7 paces before he faced-out and started coughing up lung tissue.