AR15 ammo for home defense

[filgun11]

First, pardon me if it's been discussed before. I have a bunch of 5.56 M855 ammo for range use.
Would it sufficient or appropriate home defense ammo?
Or should I buy JHPs ?

I'd rather not buy JHPs if the M855 is sufficient/appropriate already.

Thanks.

[TXDMERC73]

i prefer the 55gr M193 FMJ over the M855 green tip, they are both an effective 5.56x45mm Nato bullet.

The most effective bullet for AR15 is the 77gr Sierra match king bullet BTHP (If your AR15 can chamber that round).

[The_War_Wagon]

M855 will penetrate much MORE than M193. CTD had some on sale last weekend (American Eagle, 30 rounds, on stripper clips - $9.19 a box!) - somebody ALWAYS has some on sale, it seems. Grab you a few thousand rounds of that, and you'll be GTG.

[offshorebear]

I currently have a mag loaded of 75 grain Hornady TAP.

[The_War_Wagon]

I currently have a mag loaded of 75 grain Hornady TAP.

That's a good point. I actually use Privi 69gr. JHP's loaded in my HD rifle...

Where's my coffee?

[Pizza Bob]

Anybody tried (or even been able to find) the 64 gr Speer Gold Dot round?

[orionz06]

I currently have a mag loaded of 75 grain Hornady TAP.

Likewise. I am gonna see about getting some of the new Winchester stuff, 64gr I think.

[ScotsGuards]

First, pardon me if it's been discussed before. I have a bunch of 5.56 M855 ammo for range use.
Would it sufficient or appropriate home defense ammo?
Or should I buy JHPs ?

I'd rather not buy JHPs if the M855 is sufficient/appropriate already.

Thanks.

Respectfull question for the OP: Define "Home Defense" with an AR please? What type of dwelling and what are you expecting to defend against?

[streaker69]

I bought some frangible .223 in case I ever had to use my AR indoors. Otherwise, I'd use whatever I had if it were zombie hordes.

[EvoRich]

I have 3 mags loaded ready for whatever. 75gr Hornady TAP, 77gr SMK mk262 and plain old 55gr FMJ.

M855 is a good round if you plan on shooting dudes with body armor. Other wise, it generally causes little damage as it tends not to yaw. Yawing is .223 / 5.56's method of damage. If it doesn't yaw, you probably won't see good results.

OTM rounds need less velocity to yaw, so they're good for shorter barrels.

And for home defense, don't get wrapped up in barrel twist and heavy bullets. Guys will say if you have a 1:9 twist you can't shoot heavier than 69gr.... maybe if you want pin point accuracy past 150 yards. However, across your living room or bedroom, twist isn't going to mean a damn thing. I'd suggest finding the heaviest OTM round possible, which I believe is 77gr SMK mk262. You can get it from Black Hills and it's loaded as 5.56, not .223.