Home Defense .308?

[BatonRougeTiger]

Hello, this is my first post. I’ve been studying the gold mine of ballistic information provided by DocGKR and others, and I had a question.

I have a SCAR 17S that I shoot quite a bit and like. Is it crazy for me to consider it for home defense? Some of the loads tested look like they don’t overpenetrate, at least rounds that hit their target first. If this isn’t a good caliber option for home defense, what is the best choice for a home defense long gun? For physical reasons, I’m not considering shotguns, so that isn’t an option in my case.

[Cookie Monster]

Home Defense .308, because America!

I am no SME but thinking you might be better served by a .223 but I don't know your situation.

The quick get to for me is a 9mm Glock followed by a AR in .223 for outside work if needed. My nearest neighbor is 500 or more yards out and my Sheriff response time us probably 45 minutes to 1 hour.

[El Cid]

If I needed one rifle to do everything and lived on a really large property then maybe I could talk myself into a .308 for HD. But even then I’m not sure I’d want a short bbl for that role. No matter how much time I put into my .308 I’m faster with my 5.56 rifles.

For most people I think 5.56 is the ideal balance of terminal effectiveness, range, controllability, and shootability.

If you live in a free state I’d suggest a 5.56 SBR with a can.

[Brian T]

110gr Hornady TAP (AMAX bullet)?

[HCM]

110gr Hornady TAP (AMAX bullet)?

This or the 130 grain SOST.

[BatonRougeTiger]

If I needed one rifle to do everything and lived on a really large property then maybe I could talk myself into a .308 for HD. But even then I’m not sure I’d want a short bbl for that role. No matter how much time I put into my .308 I’m faster with my 5.56 rifles.

For most people I think 5.56 is the ideal balance of terminal effectiveness, range, controllability, and shootability.

If you live in a free state I’d suggest a 5.56 SBR with a can.

I do live in a free state, but my worry with a 5.56 is that it is underpowered and doesn’t have effective enough terminal performance, especially reading about complaints regarding 5.56/.223’s ability to incapacitate. Is this an unfounded concern?

[El Cid]

Baton Rouge Tiger,

Looks like you deleted the post where you quoted me. Don't worry about 5.56 not performing. That's decades old information. The stuff used by the feds is like a death ray (Federal JSP Trophy Bonded Bear Claw I think...). The TSX ammo is also good to go. Basically, anything on Doc's list and you'll be set.

If you really want a HD/Duty style .308 load, I recommend the Remington 150gr CLUB. It's only made for part of the year, so grab it while you can. The Sku to look for is PRC308FBI.

https://www.armsunlimited.com/Reming.../prc308fbi.htm

[El Cid]

Nope. He’s new. The posts from new members are temporarily moderated. The add-on software that alerts memebers when they’ve been quoted sends the message when the post is submitted, not when it’s approved. Despite me trying to keep things as close to real-time as possible, it takes a little while for me to get around to approving new posts. I apologize for the inconvenience.

All good. I can’t imagine what you have to deal with running the site. Thanks!

[BatonRougeTiger]

I’m glad to know it was just pending moderation, I thought my phone was on the fritz! Anyway no worries, I’m sure you have a lot to deal with. Thanks for what you do.

If the 5.56 duty loads really are good incapacitators, I guess a short AR with a can would make more sense and be more practical. Still, I do plan on stocking up on the Remington .308 duty/HD loads.

Why were the older 5.56 loads considered bad at incapacitating? I assume the 5.56 creates more effective disruption than, say, a .45 Auto JHP pistol load, and that’s widely considered to be effective. If the 5.56/.223 duty load is significantly better than a .45 pistol, that should be good enough for me.

[Hambo]

I do live in a free state, but my worry with a 5.56 is that it is underpowered and doesn’t have effective enough terminal performance, especially reading about complaints regarding 5.56/.223’s ability to incapacitate. Is this an unfounded concern?

Yes.