5.45x39 any good for Home Defense?

[spyderco monkey]

7n6 is a perfectly fine load; certainly far superior to any pistol caliber.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db8XSKi7U7I

[Hizzie]

Hornady is pretty much the only game in town.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hAdpJE9Yi3s

[GlorifiedMailman]

Hornady is pretty much the only game in town.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hAdpJE9Yi3s

Looks good in that video, but I'm skeptical of the validity of YouTube gel tests. DocGKR says they're not to be trusted. We don't know what calibration the block has, whether it's tue 10% FBI-spec ballistics ordnance gel that has a proven correlation with living tissue, what temperature the block was stored at, and what temp the block was during testing.

I don't suppose DocGKR has done any testing on the Hornady 5.45 load? I doubt he gets agencies wanting that tested.

It looks like the 7N6 is the only 5.45 load with verified professional testing done on it. I'm aware it's not as good as something like a Federal Fusion .223 or Winchester SoftPoint 7.62x39, but is it "good" in terms of effectiveness?

[Oukaapie]

Andrew at chopping block got 9 inches from the vmax. I’d probably go with something else.

[DocGKR]

Better than a handgun; for home defensive purposes, I'd likely use the Hornady 60 gr VMAX load in 5.45mm, although it is not ideal against barriers.....

[GlorifiedMailman]

Better than a handgun; for home defensive purposes, I'd likely use the Hornady 60 gr VMAX load in 5.45mm, although it is not ideal against barriers.....

My only concern with him using the Hornady load was underpenetration, but that settles it. I'll recommend the Hornady VMAX. Thanks Doc, and everyone else who responded.

[GlorifiedMailman]

The 9" of penetration in the Chopping Block Test, dubious as it may be, does raise some concerns, though...

[LittleLebowski]

Man, that Soviet surplus does crazy shit after hitting a barrier. We saw that in a @Failure2Stop class.

[LittleLebowski]

Man, that Soviet surplus does crazy shit after hitting a barrier. We saw that in a @Failure2Stop class.

[Alpha Sierra]

Looks good in that video, but I'm skeptical of the validity of YouTube gel tests. DocGKR says they're not to be trusted. We don't know what calibration the block has, whether it's tue 10% FBI-spec ballistics ordnance gel that has a proven correlation with living tissue, what temperature the block was stored at, and what temp the block was during testing.

Jesus H Christ............it's a rifle with a shitload of ammo in it.

How many people have Russian soldiers killed with whatever their issue FMJ is? More than enough.

Shoot the threat till it's done being a threat and screw the gel tests.