.223 reliability

[wvboy]

Mas,
Thanks for taking the time to answer out questions, I'm sure you sigh sometimes. My question is this, would the average .223 round, hollow point, soft point, whatever be reliable for my safety. Let me first say that I don't want to get hit with one, and neither does anyone else, but I ca't see a there being ahuge debate on the topic if there isn't something to it. Having talked with GIs comming back from the middle east and hearing of stories of emptying half a magazine into an assailant (in ball ammo) to bring them down, I don't know how it will work for me. My biggest thought, is that if I would't use a .223 when hunting for anything larger than an unsuspecting coyote, how reliable is it going to be on someone who's full up on drugs, alcohol and adrenaline through clothing. People who shoot deer with the .223 regardless of load, very often end up tracking, and that was without the pre-shot adrenaline. I hear good things about other carbine cartridges like the 6.8 SPC and the like, but there are too many stories about the .223/5.56 failures for me to ignore. Though they probably exist, I haven't heard a single story about a well or even semi-well placed .308 or .30-06 round not taking down a target. Mas, I'm lost and having internal battles. Please help me figure out where to stand. Thanks again.

[Mas Ayoob]

You ain't alone, WVboy. The myriad of cartridges available in the ubiquitous .223/5.56 lineup cover a lot of country. The varmint load you mention in one sphere, the current NATO round designed for penetrating enemy helmets and body armor at X distance in another sphere, police needs for engaging suspects ensconced in motor vehicles in yet another, and more. What's likely to be behind that which we're shooting at is a very important concern that doesn't crop up so much in the hunting fields or on long range battlefields.

For home defense, I think it's pretty tough to beat a .223 55-grain hollow point rated for 3200 feet per second. These rounds have an awesome history on non-armored hostile human targets.

As with .30-06, .223 users have to look at the EXTREMELY broad array of ammunition, decide what they're going to shoot under what circumstances, and select accordingly.

best,
Mas