I have listened to the P&S Terminal Ballistics discussion, and others related to issues of using a rifle for home protection. Setting aside that I will have a pistol as a secondary gun, what is the best option for a rifle in the home?
1) 223Rem AR pistol in a 10.5" barrel format with a suppressor running Speer Gold Dot LE ammo;
2) Pistol Caliber Carbine in a 16" barrel and 9mm format running 124gr Federal HydraShok (Would +P help much?);
3) 300 AAC Blackout AR pistol in a 16" barrel with a linear comp running subsonic or supersonic high quality hollow points;
The ear-shattering sound inside a house can cause serious damage to hearing. The high speeds of the 223 and supersonic 300 may cause worse over-penetration. I have all three of these formats available.
This is how I see it:
A rifle is still much more accurate than my pistol, especially at longer distances, so there is a huge advantage to any of these three options.
Obviously the 223Rem and 300 AAC would provide the best terminal ballistics but I pay the price of ear-shattering noise and possible over-penetration issues.
I am leaning towards my MPX in 9mm with a 30 round mag and 124gr Hydrashok's (mainly because I already own a bunch of it). It keeps the sound to a reasonable level without a suppressor, and very reasonable with a suppressor. Perhaps I could increase terminal velocity with G2 ammo or some +p HP ammo, but my sense is that will only make a marginal difference.
I see the main advantage is accuracy at distance and a 30 round mag should get the job done. If not, I have a reload. Then, the question is do I really need to put a suppressor on it?
Or, should I really focus on a 223Rem solution with a suppressor?
I don't want to start a religious discussion here. I am interested in hearing from anyone who has real-world experience with PCC or gel-tests across these three.
Thanks in advance.
Cody