I would say A.R. pistol ammo would be 40 to 55 grain V tip. Made for varmint hunting about 2 to 3 inch penetration then Tremendous wound cavity
1 Like
I’d say handgun. Easy to store. I have it close and can access it quickly. Handguns are what I am most comfortable with. With JHP, Over penetration is an issue if I miss, but I am only shooting one projectile at a time unlike a scatter gun.
All of these platforms have been proven to work. It’s really just a matter of having something available quickly and knowing how to operate it.
1 Like
Simply put, regardless of whether the person responding to the threat is my wife or I, a pump 20-gauge shotgun with #4 buck will accomplish the task. It is able to stop pretty much anybody with bad intentions and does not require much training in advance. A youth model is not difficult to handle inside the home. Compared to the training and practice required to be effective with another kind of firearm, I think the advantage is obvious. Plus - my wife takes care of snakes she runs across on the property.
3 Likes
It always comes down to what problem you are trying to solve. Bird shot solves a lot of the over penetration issues but a lot of hunters who were ‘peppered’ with bird shot walk into the E.R. under their own power, if they had been a bad guy they would not be out of the game because of bird shot.
2 Likes
Although distance is probably a factor in that as well (e.g. birdshot at 7yds vs 25yds).
1 Like
No doubt. That is why tests like Paul’s are important. Everyone’s defense situation is going to be different when it comes to over penetration.
1 Like
I love Paul and his “meat targets”. He does a great job of being deliberate and explaining what his methodology is and why he choses it. His only limitation (not his fault) is he doesn’t always have the variety of firearms or ammo that I’d like to see tested.
I’ve seen a TON of drywall penetration videos over the years and they have all been lacking in one way or another.
I would like to see an exhaustive test in a wall layout similar to what Paul has laid out as far as distance between interior walls/exterior walls. That seems like a pretty typical room size. I’ve seen tests where they put many sheets of drywall spaced a few inches apart, which I don’t consider representative.
I would like to see the following common calibers for Home/Self Defense tested:
Pistols:
- .22LR
- .380
- 9mm
- .40S&W
- .45ACP
- .38Special
- .357 Magnum
- Maybe even some less common pistol rounds like .44Magnum or 10mm too
Rifles:
- .223/5.56mm (probably the most common rifle round)
- 300 Blackout
- 7.62x39
- .308 (common hunting caliber)
- .30-06 (for anyone using an M1 Garand for home defense)
- Maybe even some less common rifle rounds like 6.5/6.8 Creedmoor/Grendel too
Shotguns:
- birdshot
- buckshot (especially defensive purpose shells like Federal’s FliteControl)
- slugs
- maybe a non-lethal like rubber or bean bag too
The following Types of Ammo
- FMJ (these are mostly constructed similarly, no matter the maker)
- Hollow Points - generally regarded “best in class” hollow points. For example in 9mm, Federal HST, Speer Gold Dots, Hornady Critical Defense are known to be among the best and most consistent especially going through barriers like denim (and presumably drywall) but these are rarely tested that I’ve seen
- frangibles where common and available in the caliber
- soft points where common and available in the caliber
- some calibers (like .223/5.56) have a huge range like 40gr varmint and 77gr “heavy” loads
- some calibers give you a choice of fragmentation or expansion as a wounding mechanism, what would be the difference going through walls
The test should include following scenarios:
- A “miss” of the target, does it penetrate one interior wall
- A “miss” of the target, does it penetrate one interior wall, and exterior wall
- A “hit” of the target, does it penetrate one interior wall (some of these ammo types will not pass through the target)
- A “hit” of the target, does it penetrate one interior wall, and exterior wall (some of these ammo types will not pass through the target)
You would need prodigious amounts of ballistics gel, a massive variety of ammo, a small armory of different firearms, and lots of drywall. @Dawn any chance we can get USCCA to do this video? I’m sure you’d get dozens of views 
3 Likes
I choose AR pistol, but alas, my Communist State won’t let me own one.
2 Likes
I’m pretty sure you can search you tube and find all of those, or most of those.
1 Like
Pistol first grab, then the AR 12g or pump 12g depending on situation.
When I get my Beowulf, may grab that with the pistol as a 325gr JHP has some stopping power.
I can find a some of them, tested to varying levels of quality. But what I’d like to see is something really comprehensively done across a broad range of common defense choices, and with a consistent testing methodology. Something like LuckGunner’s ballistic tests, but with drywall.
1 Like
Agreed. I think there should be a standard ‘meat test’ and ‘overpenetration test’ that the industry agrees to. Have them all subject their ammunition to the same test, and publish the results.
Not rocket science, and it’s unfortunate they haven’t published them–you know they’ve done them in some fashion.
I think it would be a really great way for people to coherently defend their choice of ammunition as well.
3 Likes
Meat test videos are entertaining, but they are not scientific in any way. Living tissue is wet, and it stretches and retracts, kind of like ballistics gelatin. Think about the range of motion your bicep has when flexing. A piece of meat will rip if you pull it that much. That is why the FBI uses ballistics gelatin in lieu of meat and watermelons.
One other thing in regards to birdshot v buckshot, if birdshot will not go through drywall, how will it go through skin, fat, bone, muscle, and fluids before making it to where the vitals are? No first world military or police dept uses birdshot. They either use buckshot or less than lethal loads.
2 Likes
Congratulations to Andrew L. from MI for winning the $1500 Palmetto State Armory Gift Card in the USCCA Online Community AR Contest!
2 Likes