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Posted: 12/12/2004 11:40:59 PM EDT
| I have been out of the circle for some time now so forgive the dumb question. I am looking for some info on these supposed USGI Frangible rounds. Any help would be appreciated. |
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Hi, Ammoman.com has them for sale by the case. But I have 2 stories on them: that they are made by Federal or they are made by a smaller manufacturer using Federal components. I inspected a box at the SAR show and they looked like they would be great for home defense. Carey |
How does looking at a box tell you they are "great for Home Defense" - especially when the facts indicate otherwise? Use the frangibles for shooting at steel, that is what they are meant for. They are less likely to richochet or bounce fragments back at you. |
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Guys, Ammoman states this 5.56mm frangible ammo is "Fantactic Varmint, Close Quarters or Home Defense Round", but I have not had a chance to test it yet. I have been testing different 5.56mm ammo in M16s since they were roll marked AR15s. Just because a round spends its energy quickly on steel targets does not mean you want to take a burst of them in the chest. Make no mistake, frangible ammo is lethal! And this frangible 5.56mm ammo sounds like it will pose less danger to the kids sleeping in the next room or neighbors with any misses. That should be a major consideration BEFORE you pull the trigger on a rifle-calibered home defense weapon. So "Duck of Death" & TROY, if you guys have tested this ammo in regards to penetration and lethality, please list your observations. As spmcafferty stated, any help would be appreciated. Carey |
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"Lethal" and "good for defense" are not synonymous. Eric (Ammoman) is a great guy, and is certainly one of the world's top experts in SELLING ammo, but he's not (and has never claimed to be) an expert on terminal ballistics. While I don't claim to be an expert myself, I *am* quite well-read on the subject, as it is a strong personal interest of mine, and I have access to a number of REAL experts who actually get paid to do this for a living. I have access to those experts because they've reviewed my work and have been impressed with my efforts (for a laymen). The problem common with frangible ammo is one of two things: either the jacket is very thick, and you get zero fragmentation, or more often, it's thin, and you get very shallow penetration, like a lightweight varmint bullet. Neither of which are anything close to the desired wound profile. Are they lethal? In some cases, absolutely! But can they be relied upon to STOP an armed criminal before that criminal can shoot you back? No way. Remember that "he died 4 hours later in the hospital" is still marked down as "fatal." We don't care about "fatal." We care about "he was instantly incapacitated." -Troy |
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Gentlemen, Thank you all for the reply. I personally do not plan to use rifles in my home as defense weapons. For the stated reason of having children. However, I was more referring to the design of the rounds. I apologize, I should have stated "What are frangible rounds?" as in how are they designed and what are they designed for. I believe my question has been answered in part by Carey. I take it they are rounds designed for use against light armored targets or steel plates? Correct me if I am wrong, please. Once again, thank you all for replies thus far. Shawn |
Actually this is one of the big reasons WHY I switched from my Glock to my AR as a primary home defense weapon. Do your research. 5.56 in a 'home environment' is a better choice than 12 gauge or handgun rounds if overpenetration is a concern. Just select your 5.56 round wisely.
They are not designed for armor at all. They are designed for TRAINING - so when you shoot a steel plate (a common reactive target) you don't get richochets or backsplatter (I did cover this in my first post). |
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Awesome replies. Didnt mean to start a s***storm with the discussion just curious. I will do more research on the ballistics side of the house. I appreciate all the info. Believe me it will all go to good use. You guys actually helped solve a debate amongst several of my friends locally all of us ex-military and all of us old school. Appreciate it a bunch. Shawn |
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