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Home Defense Ammo In Condo

2K views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  gasmitty 
#1 ·
I have decided to ditch the exotic Glasers and MagSafe that I had been using in my condo for more traditional ammo, particularly Remington Golden Saber.

I have one .45 and one 9mm dedicated to the task of home defense.

My question is in regards to bullet weight. Would it be better to run, for example a 230 grain .45 that is larger and slower moving than a smaller grain size like a 185 grain? What about for the 9mm?

For the record, most of my walls are block and I really think my fears of overpenetration are unfounded, but I' not sure of the floor (I have a unit below). I just don't trust the Glasers and MagSafes at this point, and they are so expensive, you really cant fire too many at the range to really get a sense if they function in your gun properly.
 
#2 ·
Well, no science from me, but this sounds like an opportunity for some outdoor fun.

Get the loads you want to test. Get your weapons. Buy some concrete blocks. And head out to the woods for some ad hoc testing.

Sounds like a fun afternoon to me.
 
#3 ·
Here's a site based on the Marshall & Sanow study. It includes penetration and effectiveness of each load in actual shootings. I would go with 115 or 124 gr bullets for the 9mm, and for the .45 230 gr Gold Dot had 12" of penetration, about the same as the 185 gr loads. The best load is supposedly Remington 185 gr GS and Federal 230 gr HS. Honestly though, they're probably going to go flying through a wall anyway if the wall isn't thick enough in the first place. Don't miss!

45 ACP Stopping Power
 
#4 ·
Back when I lived in a house made of "real" materials (real wood, real plaster) I had occasion to fire a .45 Silvertip (185 gr) through a floor/ceiling as a test. The bullet went through 3/4" oak flooring, 3/4 inch pine subfloor, 1/2" blueboard (rigid plaster underlayment) and about 3/8" plaster. The bullet barely dented the final surface it hit after passing through the plaster. Decent expansion, though.

That exercise made me feel better about keeping the house .45 loaded with Silvertips, yet at the same time it told me that lesser building materials (i.e., sheetrock and waferboard) won't offer much resistance to heavy defensive bullets. Now I live in one the the papier-mache houses that saturate AZ, and I don't kid myself about the walls doing much to arrest bullets launched from within.

I think your move back to conventional ammo is well-founded. In general the lighter bullets will penetrate less; you might want to check out the 165-gr Federal "personal defense" load for the .45 and see if that functions well in your gun.
 
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