I'll take permanent hearing damage over death any day of the week...
Penetration - correct me if i am wrong, i am assuming that an exterior brick wall will stop my pistol round, well it might get thru but be disfigured and not have full velocity which means it might not travel very far. But the AR round, will it not have more of a chance to get thru that exterior brick wall and retain enough velocity to be lethal?
Are there safer AR rounds for home protection? Are there safer rounds for handgun for home protection than standard hollow points.
My opinion in comparing a shotgun to a pistol for home protection, and throwing out the penetration issue for a moment, is that with a 12 gauge 00 buck, 2 3/4" shell, you have 9, .32 bullets.
With a 3" 12 gauge 00 buck you have 15 or 16, .32 caliber bullets in the shell.
So for example, if i shoot a bad guy in my home with two rounds from a 38 special or 9mm, i have shot him twice with a .357 (or whatever is the correct size) bullets at what, 800 - 1200 fps and have two wound tracks. If I shoot him twice with two 00 buckshot 12 gauge rounds, traveling at probably 1200 FPS, i have put 18, .32 caliber rounds in him. Now he has 18 wound tracks. Each shot covers about 3" so I have approximately 3" + 3" = 6" of tissue tore up. I believe this is why they say a shotgun is a better man stopper than a pistol.
I also am pretty sure that I am going to be more steady/accurate with that long two handed shotgun than a pistol.
Could it be that a pistol is more sexy than a shotgun and it gets more attention?
I'll take permanent hearing damage over death any day of the week...
You guys that like the AR's and magnum pistols for HP... have probably never shot one inside a closed room or a house w/o wearing hearing protection. As loud as they are on the open range while wearing hearing protection, they are several times louder inside a closed room where the blast pressure isn't easily vented. They make my ears ring when shooting from under a covered out-door bay.
If you have a child any where close, you will most likely cause them permanent hearing damage. Try setting off a little M-80 firecracker inside your home.. then imagine that sound doubled because you will be tripping a sonic boom with the speed of your bullets exceedng the speed of sound by 2-3x's. The speed of sound is approx. 768 MPH! 5.56 NATO rounds run +2,500 MPH! Officers training in shooting houses wear good hearing protection and it can still give them severe headaches.
I have the electronic hearing protection next to my AR.. and my family has ear protection in the safe room, but I wouldn't reach for a AR in a immediate danger situation. I would chose it if I had someone trying to get into the house and I had time to put my hearing protection on. My AR is loaded with .55 gr Hornady ballistic tip varmint loads. They virtually explode on contact with hard objects.
My 1st choice of HP is the G23 .40 with a CT laser in the mattress holster on the edge of the bed within easy reach....that gets me to the pump shotgun w/ a mounted flashlight in the corner mere feet away.... that eventually might end up being swapped for the AR.
Problem solved:
David2012 said:Point is, if you prepare ahead, you don't have to live with permanent hearing damage! There are lots of good HP weapons & ammo out there that won't necessarily cause you and your family permanent hearing damage... and still have the ability to stop or kill multiple intruders. It is my opionion that there is no need to permanently maime yourself or a family member over some 'Macho' like for the AR when there are excellent alternatives to close quarter fighting inside the home.
bettingpython said:David2012 makes a valid point I have permanent damage and some of it is because of unprotected hearing and discharging weapons. I do know what to expect, it's brutal.
Hearing aids are cheaper than getting resurrected.
Obviously you know NOTHING about tinnitus. Hearing aids don't fix "I wish I was dead".
Nobody said you have to downgrade to a bow or a rock - if you think AR is the best for HD - have some sense to suppress it.
I'm sticking with 12ga 00 and AK.