Top NO-GO rifle round for defensive use 

Your suggestion of using a varmint round confirms what I've got at the ready: Hornady V-Max in a 20 round magazine ought to do nicely. My relationship with the platform pre-dates 30 round mags, if you get my drift. Still a Marine in my wheelchair and an AR I built myself.

Been subscribed for a little while. Leaving this comment about what you spoke on in the very beginning pertaining to the toxic people of the community. I could not possibly agree with you anymore on that topic and I commend you for mentioning it. We need more good ambassadors to welcome new people into the world of firearms. I believe that the thing that is plaguing our cause and community the most is lack of knowledge amongst people who were not raised around firearms or taught the respect for the tool and proper firearms safety from a very early age. I enjoy your content man keep doing what you do.

Hi from the UK... No such thing as home defense here, we even have to choose our words carefully as not to upset the scumbag. The wrong words can get us arrested if they upset someone. However. Its good to know that my .338 Lapua and 7mm Winmag chambered firearms will come useful if and when things get weird. I'd still say the mighty 10ga and 12ga shotgun is the boomstick of choice.

Love your channel, super informative and I love the fact that you get to the point right away. I actually take notes for your videos. I enjoy your honesty in saying what has worked for you and what hasn't. Definitely no fence sitter here, and for that I much appreciate your candor. Would be even better if you could curse less so the channel could be more family friendly so the kids can watch/listen as well. Shout out from Canada!

All my buddy’s are always talking up green tip. (For shtf) Doggin on my stock of 193. Thank you sir for bringing some perspective to the conversation. I do have some green tip if more pen is needed than what 193 can provide. I do have some hollow point varmit bullets for in the house tho

Check out Paul Harrell's recent side-by-side comparison of Silver Tip ammo in 9mm from 40 years ago and from 2023. His testing showed Silver Tip is now a little better than it was originally, including better penetration and better expansion at the same velocity for both.

M855 gets a bad wrap. I was told for many years how terrible it wasover in iraq and afghanistan and assumed that to be true. Then i picked up some for super cheap and have been using it for just about 3 years now. It is way more suseptible to not yawing early if it arrives at a high angle of attack, and that is when you see it not yaw until the 6" mark, however, having said that.... i have been seeing alot of m193 tests where it doesnt begin the yaw phase until 4-6" as well. during covid i couldnt find any other ammo so i was forced to use m855 on a bunch of different animals.... and its absolutely devesdating. Also keep it mind those guys we were fighting oversees were malnourished and only 6 inches thick.. it would be a totally different story in lets say ukraine or here. There are definately better options than m855... but the whole "it only makes .22 caliber holes" is fudd lore. Its a 62 grain projectile traveling at 3,000 fps.... and its nasty. I would probrably choose m193 over m855, but m855 isnt as bad as weve all been told. great channel! I'll include some of the links i have found over the last few years _ 1st picture in google is m855 (says m855a1 but is m855 if you read the test card info breakdown. m855 @ 2,841fps) small arms solutions was comparing m855 vs m855a1 www.google.com/search?sca_esv=01fd5b34e9d467a5&rlz=1CAEAQE_enUS1038&sxsrf=ACQVn08WMXuEQv_n7iv_qDwnkEreVol1cw:1709989037948&q=m855+gel+test&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwibybTJneeEAxWjFjQIHc5TCiYQ0pQJegQICRAB&biw=1242&bih=579&dpr=1.1#imgrc=BeJ2KPFdK6yoOM Old chopping block m855 from SBR video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-mOJdv38Fypg.html Mr. gunsngear m193 vs m855 test ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-LnJDNfb2T6s.html

I appreciate the info you put out. Thank you... stay safe and ignore trolls

well spoken and presented🇺🇸

Thank you for talking about the trolls. Those trolls might know a lot more than I do but the way they present their opinions takes all the credibility away and discourages new comers to comment anything.

I agree there. I love to nerd out on this shit!

I run vmax for home defense because I’m in an apartment but if shtf I’d run whatever. Ball, crappy hp, vmax etc. Realistically, most of us won’t have a choice in such situation because even if we did have enough of the correct ammo we’ll likely be bartering a lot of it to to make up for areas we overlooked such as food and water.

Your information is why I am here. It is the best information I have found.

Thank you for all off your time and effort. Thanks to you I have changed my 9mm ammo from Winchester to Hornady.

I am like you in a way I nerd out on personally knowing my bullets tips, and grains and what in each an everyone is capable of, and their best purposeful use is.

I just recently came across your channel, and so far have really enjoyed what I've seen.

Another great video, put in laymen’s terms. Thank you

The Hornady red tip .223 is gnarly! First time I went hunting my friends dad handed me a Ruger American cambered .223 and told me if I see a deer shoot him in the neck since he didn’t want it to run onto someone else’s property or he didn’t want to track it I really don’t know I just did what I was told. Long story short an 8 point comes walking out I blast him in the neck and he crumpled like a ton of bricks. When I went to check him out I grabbed his rack and you could feel and hear everything in his neck popping and cracking. It’s as if a bomb went off in his neck. I still have the skull to this day I hang hats on it. Not 100% sure why he wanted me to go for the neck not the head maybe he didn’t trust my shot I don’t know much about hunting but I do know if you hit a deer in the neck with a Hornady it’s not going anywhere after. Makes me wonder why hunters go for the boiler room instead of the head or neck.

Thanks for sharing your data with us! I really appreciate it as you have taught me a lot or validated my use of certain firearms and ammo. To that end I've been looking for a GO and NO-GO videos about ammo for a PCC. I use an upgraded Colt model 6951 9mm carbine. It looks A LOT like your Ruger AR556 duty rifle. I use Fed HST 147 with my carbine. I'd enjoy seeing you do PCC centric ammo reviews. Thanks again for sharing your experience.

First time commenting, been a subscriber for a short time, but I love the content. I appreciate the time and effort you put into your videos. Lots of great free info.

Bro, great info! I'm a relatively new subscriber and glad that I would not use any of the "NO GO" For "Defensive Rounds!" I really appreciate your explanations and am glad that I use some of the "GO" Defensive rounds for a Condo complex, say, in Rifle and in Pistol. That said, keep up the great work and stay safe out there!

Great stuff again brotha! Was happy to see I had a good supply of go's and not so many no go's except for the range. Had to laugh when you were talking about the Tula and Wolf. Remember the first time I ran that out of my POF Renegade w the adjustable gas block. Had to charge the handle prob 7 out of 10 times bc it wouldn't cycle. Valuable lesson learned on the one way...

Your video's are game changers. Coulda woulda shoulda..too late now. Im the guy with the steel plates and the green tips. I appreciate your defensive ammo GO/NO GO video's. Making adjustments to my stock. Had no idea until i came across your channel. You have tons of great solid information. Your badass dude. Thanks!

Hi, I'm also a new subscriber and I would like to thank you for your time and service to the firearm world and my country. It's a breath of fresh air hearing a logical explanation of ballistics from your perspective versus a "Fuddly" source. In my own opinion I think the gun community has a split between the utilitarians and the leisurely "Fudd" types. A unified community is what it takes to make a welcoming learning environment possible.

A great and very helpful video! Knowing what shit doesn’t work is as important as knowing what does, and WHY. Really enjoying your channel and content, and spreading the word about it to others in my circles. Best hopes for a roaring increase in your followers! God Bless!

Very nice to hear this kind of information from a 👮‍♀️ thanks.

Handguns are for you to get to your rifle. I myself have invested in four different 556 rounds and five different 308 rounds. All my magazines are filled with the different ammunition for different scenarios. I have it for barriers such as level four destruction followed up with tissue destruction. My 308 is my main with 556 backup or an unarmed friend. I hope to never have to use any other than destroying paper or punching steel targets along with some coyotes or hogs. I myself have hunted all my life but never purchased a AR style rifle until about four years ago. Plinking was always done with a 22 but now I plink with 308 and 556. Hornady is what the majority of my ammunition is and CCI for 22 and 22 magnum. I also use Hornady in my 40’s for carry but practice with Blazzer from CCI. I enjoy long distance shooting and my POF rifles are both sub moa with good ammo. My 308 is just as light as my 556 and both are considerably lighter than my hunting shotguns. I am pleased to see that you posted a video explaining to people about different types of ammunition projectiles. Green tip 556 is a waste in my opinion but I do have 62 grain soft point and mostly have 68 grain hollow point Hornady. I use the cheap 55 grain for target shooting and mag dumps. I just recently came across your channel and subscribed for the fact that you are speaking truth with knowledge. Have a great day and hopefully one day soon, we can all purchase suppressors for all our guns to save hearing along with recoil reduction without paying a special tax or a fortune for quality suppressors.

Good, Thx

64g SP hydra shock 69g OTM Would like to try solid copper but these work just fine considering the price of copper.

Thanks for the video. Ive been shooting for over 15 years and I've seen many new cartridges and defensive ammo come out. Seems like most of the companies that sell well have a crappy or "okay at best" round but a good marketing team.

I used 55 grain Winchester FMJ in the sand box. I had a conference with it at 100 yards. I was using a M-4 bushmaster. It’s my general purpose ammo. 55 grain and 64 grain soft point are my choices for 5.56. Enjoy your channel.

I shoot 55gr DRT for home and property defense. No exit, devastating inside! I also love IMI 77gr razor core for deer and hogs. Works for me!

Yeah, we quickly found out M855 is VERY dependent on shot placement. If you don't have time to place a head/heart shot, you just gotta hose em instead.

Great video

M193 is all I shoot. I’ve had some soft points, but for what I am looking at General Purpose speaks to my soul.

Good information. Love your channel. I run the DHS "training ammo" (purple case) 62gr HP (not sure who makes it). In all 5 of my guns from 20" to 10.5" is more than accurate and have seen what it does to animals, so in turn should react the same in 2 legs problems.

This is the best content I have seen in a long long time, and I watch way too much 😁. Lose the basement and get a cheap rig to look into the camera and I am sure your numbers will get a push. In any case, please keep those vids coming. Awesome stuff

Thanks for all the info on the ammo I should not use in my AR for home defense. Starting to believe that, as others have pointed out, maybe 5.56 is not the answer to home defense. 12 gauge 00 buck, 300 blackout subsonic, 9mm HSTs are sounding much more viable. For SHTF, 5.56 will have its place.

I just load Varmit bullets, Barnes TSX, and 60grain Nosler Partitions. They cover most of what I need. However, I love my SOCOM 16!

I’ve watched a few of your videos the last few days and it’s been interesting.

855a1 is now made for the m4a1 Good powder load I can see the need for green tip due to the oposing forces getting body armor

Appreciate your geek out mentality. Super informative and well described... cuz we speak the same language. You sound exactly like my Uncle, cousins, & myself. Ya ever find yourself in commiefornia, specifically northern sierras, would be glad to meet ya. Keep it real, and stay safe out there.

Trolls : Those who argue just for the sake to argue. That aside, I find this channel very educational. Unfortunately here in South Africa, owning semi auto rifles are bit of a "hoops and loops jump" towards dedicated hunting and sport shooting status that enables semi auto rifles to be owned. Though I do own a Ruger American LH 223 that's a 1:8 twist with a 20inch barrel, my current favorite round care the Sierra Prairie Enemy Blitzking 55gr, that stuff shoots consistent and accurate. Other than that it's S&B 55gr FMJ for the range. I'll probably get a 223 die and just hand load a good round for myself. Thanx for the great educational info.

Inside of my home I keep a mag full of controlled chaos rounds, but once I leave the house it’s all Fort Scott Tui… just in case I need to get through to you on a different level 😂

I’ve been looking into .300 BO ammo a lot lately and the only thing really worth in it a big name factory load is hornady sub-x. I still love the fat ol SMK’s and shoot them all the time

IMI 77 grain razor core in 16” with a 1/7 twist

My favorite rifle round is 5.45x39 7n6. I've seen what it does on pigs. I'm not breaking into my spam cans, so my HD round is 55gr OTM 5.56x45. Puts a hurt on whatever it hits from a 16" barrel.

Great information. Would love to hear your thoughts about .300 blackout for home/personal defense

Hmmm,guess all the green tips i own just became target rounds.good vid.

I only use 75gr and 77gr 5.56 ammo for my Tavor X95 as it's 18" barrel twist rate is 1:7. So more weight, better bullet stability and BC.

The most powerful rifle I happen to own is my dad’s Weatherbee MkV .270 Wby Magnum (130gr @ 3450) that he used when he and I hunted together when I was a kid. I know it would certainly work/ seen what it would do on deer. But touching that off in the house while not wearing hearing protection would probably make you a hearing aid wearer in one shot. Its pretty much a cannon amongst North American deer rifles…. I too have spent 40 years in uniform carrying a gun, and I too dislike greentip M855… M193 has allways been my choice of the common service ammo of my youth. German DM111 7.62x51 ball works just like M193, rather than our M80 ball. I kept several battle packs of DM111 for rainey days. Back on M193…. I actually have a 1/14 twist AR15 Done up as a USAF 601…. 1/12, 1/9,1/7 AR’s as well. AK47 and 74 semi’s too. I carried a M1 Carbine with IMI softpoints as a Deputy Constable.

Good point on the 855 and I see that all of your don’t go stuff is .223 (or 5.56) which is one reason I really like the M1A. .308 just gets the job done. Does it over penetrate? Yup. Is it my house gun? Nope House gun would be 16” AR using 65gr Sierra SPBT and TAC powder. Great accuracy and I’m not worried about blasting through brick walls. M1A is hunting or WROL

I know a lot about things that jiggle and are fun to look at

I have a few mags of m855 just because… I’ve found through shooting, it’s basically trash. I can’t even use it as range ammo because i mostly shoot steel targets and it chews them up,It’s not very accurate from any of my guns which is probably due to the core not being perfectly center. Not as cool as alot of people would make you think. I got a little m855a1 off tacswap, i paid 2$/round, i mostly just got it just to have but this summer I’m going to shoot it into gel. Everything I’ve seen online it preforms and it’s not as dependent on velocity. Awesome video man!

From what I have heard is the 855A1 burns up your barrel super fast & puts a shit ton of wear on your rifle. Always wanted to try some but its super expensive on gunbroker & if I am going to pay that much I would rather get the Black Hills Mk262.

This was good and funny at the same time. I have M193 for shit hits the fan situation but currently looking for a good home defense round that doesn’t over penetrate. I was thinking of a varmint round to begin with but wasn’t sure. Since you recommend it I’ll take another look at varmint rounds for home defense.

The thing about those varmint rounds are they run out of gas at like 200 yards.

77 gr Sierra OTM (handloaded) and 62 gr Hornady 5.56 for defensive use, deer get a 60 gr Nosler Partition (handloaded).

Thanks for looking out for us! Nothing worse than wasting time and money.

8:32 hydrostatic shock. green tips are not for shooting at unarmored targets in the open... its for shooting through doors, walls, etc. if you nail a person with it from inside of 200 yards then the acceleration of the projectile multiplied by the wieght of the object (E=MC^2) causes extreme amounts of kientic energy to pass into the target... an icepick sized hole center mass with a sledge hammer to the chest. 12:45 match grade range ammo used in competitions is generaly the best for accuracy... long range precision. point is: different ammo for different situations. there is no one size fits all magic bullet. arguably, birdshot is the best home defence round.

So I was watching an interview the other day with the guys from Hornady and they were saying that VMax was a no go for defensive ammo….. but after watching a string of your videos I’m now torn. I have a ton of VMax laying around and the Hornady guys had me ready to use it up for range purposes. You however have persuaded me in the opposite direction. I think I’ll hang onto that.

I run Hornady Critical Defense.

The new Hornady ELD-VT is what I see as a great 5.56 load. Gotta try some and see for sure

I think m855 green tip became a compromise for a more consistent point of impact at longer ranges compared to 55gr.

Older video but ill reply still. I have 12 mags on my kit, 6 with 77gr expanding bullets, 2 mags of 40gr tracer rounds for making fires and marking targets, and 4 mags of cheap steel as a volume of fire option for breaking contact or suppression.

Nice 👍 but honestly I will shoot whatever I have available. Primary fails go to secondary if that fails pull out your axe 🪓 or knives 🔪. WW2 Alamo scouts preference of weapon was a K-bar. You are deadly the weapon is just a tool.

Can you do a video with the best rounds for different home eniroments? Aka top 3-5 apartment, suburban home & countryside rounds?

Yes! Another video I’ve wanted. I personally am running federal champion 556 soft point right now. It is, in my opinion, the best performing 556/223 soft point out there I’ve seen so far because it gets a good 14 inches of penetration with still good velocities. Other soft points in 223 loads will sometimes be really under loaded in velocity as to prevent the round from fragmenting too much and not getting 12 inches of penetration, or they will be loaded hotter and will get like 10 inches. Tools and Targets did a comparison on it vs m193 and the comparison was actually a lot closer than I expected. I highly recommend his channel to anyone who like ballistic gel tests. Great video as usual btw!👍 Edit: here is the comparison on tools’ channel: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zId12z-7GCA.html&feature=share highly recommend giving it a watch.

I live in the country. Barnes 77gr. tactical for the house ar. Hornady defense in 9mm. #4 buck in 12 gauge.

Trolls are everywhere, don't feed them. They get nasty quick, LOL. I run Federal 50gr Tipped Varmit ammo for home defense & M193 for stacking. Frontier 5.56 62gr SP is also good for self defense imho. Pick your ammo for the application at hand. Just found your channel yesterday and really like the content. Keep up the good work.

I take it you are just talking about 5.56 rounds here. I only have one AR in 5.56, and I only use it for plinking and pests. I'm on 147 acres, surrounded by woods, and our closest neighbors are over 4 miles away. No chance of hitting any of them. My home defense rifle is a Wilson Combat AR in 350 Legend. I have handloads using the Lehigh Xtreme defense 100 gr bullets. I also use it for feral hogs and deer. For those I have loads using 140 gr Lehigh Xtreme penetrator bullets. My AR that I grab when I'm outside around my property is my POF piston gun in 6.8 SPC. Have it stoked with loads using Lehigh 127 gr Controlled Chaos bullets. My girlfriend lives in town where she's at, so I built her a 9mm PCC AR. Stoke it with 115 gr Hornaday Critical Defense. I might get some Lehigh Controlled Chaos bullets in 224 and develop some loads for my 5.56 AR. Test them on gel and hogs to see how they perform. It is nice that I have access to a friend's ranch in Texas, can shoot as many feral hogs as I desire.

I’ve read that the M855A1 is also like 3k psi more than M855/M193. I believe it’s at 62k psi vs your standard 58k, but it’s been a while since I read about it. The conclusion of the paper I read is that it’ll naturally be harder on your gun. Anyway I’ve binged your videos today and already ordered replacement ammo for my 9mm and my AR. In the past I just watched ballistic gel videos and picked based on those results. Keep the videos coming, they’re appreciated.

Have you tried the Speer Hot Cor Spitzers? I ordered 100 of the 150s to try them as hand load for my 16‘ 308Win. They are really affordable and therefore should span range, SD and hunting pretty well

Wolf is decent for training , tula I had zero luck with

Could you possibly make a list of rifle ammo that disintegrates on impact with dry wall. Possibly pistol as well

Stockpiling Ruag M193.

Tell me what you think about the AAC Sabre Black Tip 5.56 rounds. What category do they fit in, varmint, cup and core?

Hahaha love the pinky finger rant

The first box of Tula I tried, jammed and wouldn’t extract on multiple rounds. People are gonna want to tell me it’s my gun, my PSA that NEVER malfunctions with any other ammo, I’m supposed to buy a new rifle just so I can run Tula? Nah….

Apologies, what is your reccommendations for varmint style rounds for indoor use? Your previous video didn't have a timestamp.

Hey! Congrats on getting Trolls! 😁

So here’s a few question for you; 1) With your department/unit are you required to use a specific ammo for duty purposes? 2) In the view and aspect from a law enforcement perspective, is it considered a bad thing and/or questionable if a person utilizes reloaded ammunition that they personal made?

I do run a varmint grenade. and worry about everything you say. But the reason is that if ever I have to shoot out of my bedroom my kids are on the other side of that two layers of sheetrock. I need to KNOW they are safe, or what am I defending them from.

Soft point or hollow points or best in any caliber for defense

14:35 5.45 x 39 7N6

L-Tech 62 grain copper hollow point and 115 copper hp is what I'm running at moment can't find gold dots

Uncle Freedom, I just found your channel and like your content. I have Sierre Prairie Enemy 223 rem 55 gr Blitzking and Winchester Ranger 223 rem 55 gr soft points as my two SHTF rounds. I would love to hear your thoughts. I think the Wnichester Ranger is an all purpsose (definitely goid defensive and could probably be used to hunt deer in a pinch) but could the Prairie Enemy (being a varmint round) do the same?

I don’t know if you’ve heard about the AAC Sabre Black Tip. Any input on that ammo if you’ve tried it

I live in an apartment complex. I got 20 50 grain 5.56 federal varmint and predator followed up by 10 soft points. I also got 1 extra 10 round mag of more soft points and two of FMJ. I figure my penetration will increase as my ammo supply dwindles…

Ammo companies sometimes say that there bullets are match so they sell them to the military A video on that?

The clear ballistics gel that most people use on RU-vid is definitely more dense than real ballistics gel. Its a good tool for viewing bullets, but you have to take the results with a grain of salt. The higher viscosity can make decent bullets look bad. You can pretty much count on less penetration, and different performance than would occur in "real" ballistic gel.

My favorite is hogs and white tail

Pay no attention to the trolls, some do it because they just want to push someone's button, and the anonymity makes them brave. Face to face there just a woss. Others do it just because they are ignorant. Good info, thou. For my defense I trust only what I load. I've tweeked the loads that I KNOW my gun likes and don't rely on manufactured misleads. Thanks for what you do.

M855A1 is completely amazing!!!! The terminal performance is in a league of all its own and it’s not unobtainable I have got 500 rounds pre Covid for about 1.30 a round

5.45x39 was the response to 55gr 5.56.

I understand your dislike for the 855, 62 gr. green tip , but my question is, have you had a chance to shoot any of the other offerings in 62gr. , ie. Underwood makes a "Penetrator round in 62gr. " and Ft. Scott also has a T.U.I. 62 gr. round and considering the upgrade in just the cost per round will it do signifigantly better as both a penertrator round and then the necessary takedown damage as a Self- defense round against people with hostile intent ?

Have you tried 62gr tsx for self defense bullets (reload)

Don’t worry about the trolls on RU-vid, I forgot where I read this but they say that most people who troll don’t have much going in in their daily lives, trolling is the only way they can entertain themselves

11:55 hitting someone in a 1moa group would actually be antithetical. Youd do much more damage spreading them around on the target. That hot norma is good and not super expensive but get the one w the 50g tsx. Scary stuff. Typically find a 77g blackhills tmk in my mags.

Are you the Ballistics by the Inch guy?