Looking through the Hornady Ammunition page for .223 / 5.556 NATO rounds for Self Defense (in light of recent geopolitical … events), noted there are quite a few FMJ rounds listed for “Self Defense.”
ASIDE FROM THE“any bullet in a gun fight” (any port in a storm) argument, and acknowledging the “external hollows / fluted” or the “tumble on impact” rounds ARE DIFFERENT TECHNOLOGY …
What makes a normal, every day, “traditional FMJ” .223 / 5.56 NATO a legit self defense round? Would this argument Hold True for a .308 / 7.62 NATO FMJ? Or any other center fire rifle caliber?
A “normal, every day, “traditional FMJ”” pulled from a box marked “Self Defense” is nothing more than marketing. There’d be no difference to another “ normal, every day, “traditional FMJ”” pulled from a box without the “Self Defense” label.
I have multiple mags with my AR-15 SBR all the time and a few of them are loaded with FMJ M855 to be used “when you HAVE to go through stuff, right now!”.
I’ll leave the “stuff” part to folks that want to do their research but it includes car doors and light body armor and I LOVE having options because bad moments don’t come with a script like the movies or the ones we write in our minds
BTW M855 is NOT range ammo even though you can buy it everywhere, he’ll even Academy sells it. Most ranges will not allow its use because it punches right through most steel plates and ricochets like crazy when it hits rocks.
I don’t think that is true. My brother was an expert marksman in the Air Force in 1966. He told me that the .223 or 5.56 was made to tumble back then. Yes, it would go directly through the body if it didn’t hit anything of consequence but so will most any FMJ rifle ammo. He said that the .223/5.56 would easily kill but if not it would make a wound channel that required forces to get the wounded off the battle field before they bleed out. I don’t know this for certain but I tended to believe him when I was a younger tot. Never saw a need to question it. Especially since the military has used it for at least 60 years.
To answer your question “Can-or-rather-when-does-a-fmj-rifle-round-become-an-acceptable-self-defense-round” my answer is Yes, fmj is an acceptable rifle round for self defense, ESPECIALLY when it is all you have.
Your question appears obvious to me. You don’t have to be an expert in ballistics to know if your life is on the line, ANY weapon is preferable to no weapon, thus, fmj BECOMES an acceptable self defense rifle round WHEN you need a defensive round.
To me, it always is a legit self defense round. It’s fast, it has punch. There are thing to consider though, mainly O.P. In an urban environment a frangible round might be better.
Any round is a self defense round. You just have to know what you’re using and what its ballistics look like. An FMJ is perfectly acceptable if you know there’s nothing beyond your target that you’re not okay with shooting.
It seems as though all the professionals who in the self defense “industry” all cry against FMJ in every scenario I have heard of…
I suppose I was looking for, wanting to hear, some logical explanation why an FMJ is an ideal self defense round and thusly why it would be branded or designated as such based on the general cry against using FJM in a self defense scenario…
In all, what I am hearing is any round can be a self defense round, though some are lower on the ideal/optimal list, and others so low on the list that the lawyers huff and puff that it should NEVER be used for self defense…
^^ would this be the ultimate take away? ^^
If so, would it be acceptable to kinda make the optimized/idealized list as such:
designated “self defense” loads ($$$)
designated “hunting” loads ($$)
any other available load including: “target,” “precision marksmanship,” “FMJ,” cast, ETC ($ - $$$$$)
I’ve always seen the self defense industry designate hollow points for self defense, but that has always been for pistols. For rifles, I’m sure there is some kind of hollow point but have never paid it any attention. Self defense ammo for pistols is made to spread to create a larger wound channel with certain penetration limits to best keep the projectile from exiting the body and going into something/someone else. FMJ pistol ammo will go straight through the body unless it hits bone, but many times will go through both. Centerfire rifle ammo will go through a lot of things but they are usually used at distance.
For self defense I carry my pistol loaded with hornaday critical defense 115 grain.
For home defense, I have my pistol, and a DP-12 shotgun loaded with Fiocchi 9 pellet 00 defense buckshot.
My rifles are absolutely last ditch extended fire fight defense weapons.
I do have one magazine loaded with 55 grain ballistic tip rounds to limit pass through…. I also have one loaded with 64 grain green tip steel core to ENSURE pass through!
The rest are loaded with 55 grain fmj ball ammo,…
Any bullet will work for self defense in a pinch, ball does have a risk of pass through which puts you as the shooter at risk of liability for collateral damage beyond your target BG.
Like you Brother I have a Mag w/ Green tip (62 grrrrrrr)
in a stock/Cheek pouch for wh…if I’m going up against ‘Light Armor’.
And 'Xtac Boat tail (55 Grrrrrrrrr) for your everyday garden variety Banger/scumbag
I’d just drop the mag and put in the green.
