Ammo for home protection

Do you live in an apartment or really close to your neighbors? Do you have a relatively high chance of having to shoot towards rooms where other members of your family would be in home defense situation? If so, you might want to consider frangible rounds.

Personally, I have an 870 loaded with #7 for a first shot backed up with slugs. I don't have to worry about overpenetration, so I can get away with the slugs. On the other end of the house I have an old S&W .38 loaded with JHP's.

It really depends on your situation. In all honesty, most people are not going to care what you shoot them with.

 

The mythical "one shot stop" is just that, a myth (for the most part). With that in mind, any round will take more than one well placed shot to put him down, especially from a 9mm. I guess the question you are really asking is "what is the best round to use that will not penetrate the walls of your apartment?"; you are not looking for the best defensive round. I agree with you both, shotgun is the way to go for you, but for now the 9mm will have to do. Still plenty of solutions out there for you. Good luck.

regards

 

I've never bought any ammo online, so I'm probably not gonna be of much help in that department.

 

Hydrashock is a good choice. Gold dot is another. Glaser safety slugs of course are pretty much the defacto standard for home protection.

 

Fmj

Full metal jacket may not be the best man stopper, but it's my choice. If you're in court, and that's where you are going if you shoot someone, you don't want a lawyer (like me) carrying on about how you were using HP's, Black Talons, Hydra Shocks, Gold Dots, etc, etc. Plain basic FMJ's, and practice, practice, practice. The FMJ has been fighting wars and putting bad people down for a 100 years.
In a shotgun I like pretty shinny wood stocks and #4 shot. Use a black gun and I will walk around the courtroom holding it up for the jury to see. I'll say all kinds of things about how you armed yourself X number of years ago, with the intent of killing someone. You could have confronted the decedent and held him at gun point and waited for the Police, but you didn't even call them until after you had murdered the victim.
Get yourself a high capacity Glock and load it with HP's, then get a Remington 870 and put a Speed Feed stock on it and load it up with 00 Buck and slugs. Maybe an AR with light and verticle grip. I, for the victim's family of course, will use a wrongful death claim to take everything you have, had, or ever will have.
Have a nice day

 

Edit:

My first response was a little inappropriate. Instead, I'll ask you this. As a gun owner, how could you do something like that and still sleep at night?

 

First off, WHAT THE HELL?????? If you are so anti-gun what in the world are you doing on a GUN forum. Just spreading discontent and misinformation from what I can tell..first of all FMJ will over penetrate, hollow point is designed to mushroom and fragment INSIDE the body causeing INTRNAL injuries.secondly If someone defends themselves or a family members life from harm or death, then it is obvousely self defence and the DA would not even bring charges against that person, so there would be no need for you to be paradeing my firearm around the courtroom. Third, well you just made it very clear why there are so many jokes that associate lawyers with rats and sharks.
you have a nice days as well.

 

People wonder where the "dumb masses" get these BS ideas about guns. Well, here it is folks. I can understand people that truly feel that guns are tools of violence and live in a fantasy world where everyone should be happy and peaceful. I don't agree with them, but I can at least respect their opinions.

Then there are people like this dude. People that put the dollar before any and all decency.

 

Perception is Reality!!!!!!!!!!

I am fully aware of the performance characteristics of various bullet designs, but there is more to the subject than just guns and bullets. A shooting is not the end of a problem, if only serves as a marker in the progression of the problem.
The events of the shooting will be examined with a level of scrutiny that would make an I.R.S. audit seem appealing. An ADA (Assistant District Attorney) and a detective will review each single thread that lead up to the shooting. What you did, said, and how you acted, will matter. The gun you used can sway an opinion. The gun, in legal eyes, speaks to intent. At the end of the day you may be looking at a criminal charge and fighting to stay free from jail.
The family of the decedent will go to a lawyer also, just as you would if it was your loved one killed. That's a point to always remember, somebody loves that alleged perpetrator. Anyway now YOU will be placed under the microscope. When it comes to a Wrongful Death Suit I don't need a DA or criminal conviction, the standard of guilt is lower. Now you may be faced with another fight, one for everything you have.
On a defensive shooting that is above reproach I, and no attorney that I personally know, would proceed with a suit. If an event conforms to the letter and intent of the law, well that's the end of it.
However, if you were overly aggressive, didn't retreat if able, excessive in your use of force, then your problems have just begun.
Perception is reality to most people (The people on a jury - remember them?).
People that use hollow points want to kill someone, perception.
People that use high capacity guns want to kill someone, perception.
People that use "black guns" want to kill someone, perception.
People on trial (YOU) did something wrong, perception.

If you are in a shooting and I have no doubt that what you did was legally and morally wrong, I will use all these things against you. I will hold that gun up to a jury and tell them you are a crime looking for a victim. That is reality. It will be over for me when, after the judgement is read, I look over at you and see you go limp and start to sob as you feel your world slip away from you. That again is reality.
Guns are a right, but the responsibility is far greater. I hold accountability and responsibility above all traits, and that is the microscope I would put YOU the shooter under. If you crossed the line and committed an illegal shooting, well that "black gun" with hollow points (please have a light or laser on that "tactical rail", maybe even night sights) will hang you.
Have a nice day!

 

I'm sure there's all kinds of better ammo for home defense, but my first mag is JHP, in .45.


The Castle Doctrine law must really annoy the lawyers. Where I'm at, as long as I used a legal weapon/ammo in defense of my home, there wouldn't be any opportunity to sue. No charges would be filed, and if they aren't, civil suits can't be filed. It happens around here occasionally. In most cases, the home invader leaves in a bag. All the resident has to be worried about is cleaning the carpet.

 

Tanker

In response to your statement about the family going for a lawyer, you are absolutely wrong. If my relative had broken into someone's house and got shot over it, I would chalk it up to my relative being a scumbag and figure the world is a better place for it.

Your arguments sound like you either know you are doing wrong but want to justify it or you have convinced yourself you are doing the right thing but know otherwise. Just admit it, it's for the money.

 

Back on topic, I'd recommend Glasers for home protection if you're worried about the chance of a stray. If you can guarantee 100% that your shot will find it's target, then the Hydra-shoks are a very devastating round. I've seen high speed camera footage of the 230 gr. .45 ACPs in ballistics gel and it scared me, but at the same time forced me to buy a box. There is a massive wound channel created by them, which, in turn creates massive trauma and brings you one step closer to dropping an attacker with a single shot.

 

Duck,
I agree with you on the loved one part. I thought about responding, but really it would like talking to a wall. And what is with all these courtroom fantisies? Either the boy's grip on reality is starting to slip or he has to stop watching them Law & Order marathon's. So I have decided not to give this one any further thought. Like Ron White said " You can't fix stupid. "

 

Back on topic as well. I use Hornady TAP as my defense round. Also, I have bought ammo online quite often from wideners.com and their prices and service are very good. There are states where you can't buy ammo online but thankfully GA isn't one of them...

 

Find out what ever the local PD is carrying in their issue pistols. Spokane WA is Speer Gold Dot. Carry the same thing for home defense. I have heard of lost court cases by the home-owner using handloads to defend themselves, even in their own home. Leave the handl;oads for hunting, plinking and competition. Again carry what the local police carry, and the arguement is....if it is good enough for the Police, then it is good enough to protect my family. Ohm and regardless of the type of home you live in, apartment, townhouse, single-wide etc, nothing stops bullets better then the bad-guys.

 

"Black gun" = AR/AK...

FWIW - I've got hydrashocks in mine.

 

Ask ten different people what the best ammo for home protection is, whether they be expert or average shooters, and you'll get several different answers.

IMHO, there's not a penny's worth of difference between the best offerings of the major ammo manufacturers.

You won't go wrong with Hydra-Shoks, period. Not because I think it's some kind of "magic" round that outperforms everything else on the market by leaps and bounds---but because it has proven itself to be extremely reliable in both real world law enforcement confrontations and ballistics tests over the course of many years.

If Gold Dots float your boat, buy them.

Trust me, if you ever have to shoot a perp in the chest with either brand, he'll never know the difference.