[yeahYeah]

I can get a sweet deal on Hornady TAP ammo...but i am not sure which is best..

the 55gr, 60gr or the 75gr. i am going to keep these exclusively for home/self defense. i've heard great things about them, i just need to know which weight is best suited for an AR-15

 

[Ajcrash]

Depends on the twist ratio of your barrel.

My 1:7 AR likes 62gr better than 55gr. I have some 75gr but haven't tried those yet, but I suspect they will be a bit better than the 62gr pills.

 

[yeahYeah]

mine is 1:9

 

[mvician]

heavier the better, the 75gr should be fine in a 1-9

 

[Ajcrash]

From what I see it is generally recommended to run 55-69 in a 1:9 twist. Though the 75's will likely perform good too, but generally speaking these (75-77) are more for longer range shooting.

If purely for SD I'd just go with the 60gr. Like any gun though it's a matter of trying out several types of ammo and seeing what your gun likes.

 

[Rampant Colt]

The best weight suited for self-defense using the .223/5.56 is the 75gr

TONS of useful .223/5.56 info in the links below:

Best Choices for Self Defense Ammo

Multiple round, high velocity 5.56 75 grain Hornady BTHP vs 77 grain Nosler BTHP performance in bare gel.

Get the 75gr

 

[toolboxluis]

i have the 75 gr TAP for home defense

 

[jfdavis58]

Yep, you got a lot of info. Unfortunately some of it MAY be wrong for your gun. If all you are concerned with is wound ballistics or gel tests you might miss the fact that a 1:9 twist (in 223) isn't fast enough to dependably stabilize bullets heavier than about 60 grains. Conversely, with a higher twist rate, i.e. 1:7, light bullets of the civilian variety usually labeled with 'varmit' may spin apart soon after exiting the barrel if fired at the high velocity end of their capability. Obviously, TAP at 60 grains may fit all your conditions; but the internet is not a good substitute for actual testing. It's a shame that ammo is so expensive!

 

[vtek]

I also have the 75 gr TAP for home defense on a 1:9 twist.

 

[nikon777]

I use 40gr. varmint JHP's. I know the heavier bullets have better wound characteristics, but I also live in an apartment. The lighter, faster, hollow points are less likely to over penetrate.

 

[toolboxluis]

I use 40gr. varmint JHP's. I know the heavier bullets have better wound characteristics, but I also live in an apartment. The lighter, faster, hollow points are less likely to over penetrate.

i can understand that one

 

[FunBobby]

i can understand that one

I can't, until someone invents a "Phaser" like on Star Trek, anything that will stop a bad guy, will also penetrate several walls, anything that will stop in a wall or two will only pentrate a few inchs into a person, pray you have a good angle and your a great shot. Another thing is what's the odds of a over pentrated round hitting someone else, I know the possiblity exists, but it exists everytime we pull the trigger there's no way to control it once it leaves the barrel. Police only hit what they're aiming at around 36% of the time and how often do you hear of them hitting a bystander? If you want to stop someone that is trying to kill you you have to kill them, nothing else will do, you might say that you just shot them with a .223 so what if it doesn't kill them they'll still hurt and not want to go round with you anymore, what if they're on drugs though, they might not fill a thing. Look at the Battle of Mogadishu, notice how many times we had shot the drugged up Somalis in order to stop them. Using a bullet designed to kill woodchucks to defend your life is foolish at best suicidal at worst, I've debated this point time and time again on here, and I'll happily do so again.

 

[nikon777]

Good post, I actually agree. Ill take my chances with my 40-55gr. Loads though.

 

[nikon777]

Good post, I actually agree. Ill take my chances with my 40-55gr. Loads though.

 

[sourpatch45]

personally i would go with the 60 grain for a 1/9. if it was an option i would use a 68-69 grain. but at such short distances the 75s would probably be ok as the bullet wouldnt have a lot of time in the air to tumble,

 

[Rampant Colt]

75gr Wolf, and Hornady Match work just fine outta my 1/9 DPMS M4.
No keyholing out to 100yds

The only way to know if your 1/9 twist AR will effectively handle the heavier weights is to put it on paper...

If you experience bullet keyholing, a switch to 69gr will remedy that


excellent post, FunBobby!

 

[yeahYeah]

i did a lot of research on the options yesterday. i think the 55 or the 60's will work best for me. I only fire 55gr out of my AR and it's dahm accurate, so i think i'll stay with what works.

On the flip note, i may just pick up a box of 75gr to "test"