In both cases yeah you'll have to have 'feared for your life' for it to be justifiable (dep on state of course) but the defense will be simpler across the board with a home defense weapon as opposed to a military like rifle. Edit: Not to mention the fact that.223/5.56 are not even remotely a good choice for home defense.
Not sure the best ammo to feed your AR for the range and home defense?
We’ll go over caliber, barrel twist, bullet type, and price range to find your perfect fit.
*UPDATED 2019*: New .223, self-defense options, and more online stores.
Can’t wait? Here’s the best AR-15 ammo:
Ready to see why we chose these and the best places to find them for cheap?
AR-15 Calibers: 5.56 vs .223
Your average AR-15 comes in two popular calibers, the 5.56x45mm NATO and the .223 Remington.
You can double-check what it is by looking at your model specs or physically on your barrel, which should be stamped with the caliber and barrel twist rate.
The two cartridges are physically identical but the 5.56 may be loaded to higher pressures than .223 ammunition.
The .223 is a civilian round and has SAAMI specs (an organization that sets standards for pressure and dimensions) while the 5.56 is a military round that has their own specifications that might require higher pressure for higher velocity.
Therefore, it’s best to follow the advice:
- 5.56 chamber: OK to fire both 5.56 and .223
- .223 Wylde chamber: OK to fire both 5.56 and .223
- .223 Rem chamber: OK to fire only .223
Please note that .223 Rem and .223 Wylde are not the same things. One (Wylde) is perfectly safe to fire either 5.56 or .223, however, a .223 Rem chamber is not safe to fire 5.56 NATO.
Your barrel or rifle probably won’t instantly blow up from shooting a 5.56 in a .223, but why risk it?
Combine that with the variance in the machining of the barrel and ammo production standards, it’s best to use the proper ammunition.
AR-15 Barrel Twist
Your barrel stamp should indicate the barrel twist after the caliber.
You should see a ratio of 1:7 all the way up to 1:12 and it means that the barrel will spin the bullet one revolution every X inches. Most barrels will be from 1:7 to 1:9 twist, with the most popular being 1:9.
Take a look at the chart below to see the ideal twist rate for your barrel.
The heavier grain bullets are usually reserved for the military and their tracer rounds.
With normal cartridges, you’re most likely to see 55 grain and 62 grain bullets. These are fine to shoot in 1:7 to 1:9 barrels and you probably won’t even notice a difference up to 300 yards.
Bullet Types
You’ll see two big families of bullet types, the full metal jackets (FMJ) and the hollowpoint/softpoints (HP/SP).
The FMJ’s are great for plinking while HP/SP are more for home defense or long-range applications. FMJ is also sometimes called Ball ammo.
Don’t you love multiple names for things…
Other confusing acronyms you might see include (BT) which means boat-tail and indicate the back of the bullet has a more aerodynamic shape than simply cutting off straight. The middle one below is an FMJ-BT.
![556 556](/uploads/1/2/5/2/125276786/469529315.jpg)
Lastly, if you’re looking at military 5.56 rounds, you’ll see M193 and M855. The 55 grain M193 is the standard FMJ of the military while the 62 grain M855 is the “green tip” penetrator round that has a steel rod inside (light gray).
Things to keep in mind for M193 vs M855:
- Pricing is similar
- M855 is better at penetration (duh?)
- Some ranges do not allow steel core ammo like the M855
- M193 is better at soft targets under 100 yards
- More info about the differences
- Most of the time you’ll see XM instead of just M…that means it didn’t quite meet military specifications but still meets commercial specs. Learn more here.
Where to Buy
We’ve selected a couple of our favorite online places to buy ammo. We’ve been buying from them ever since we got started and they have great live inventory, appropriate shipping charges, and quick service.
And since prices and inventory fluctuates, we recommend looking at all the vendors to see the price differences. Sometimes one will be running free shipping deals!
Finally…the recommendations!
Best AR-15 5.56 FMJ (Ball) Ammo
Now we combine the good stuff we learned above and stick to 55/62 grain bullets that are close to military specifications. These are the rounds that we’ve shot tons of and never had a problem.
Our suggestions are also all brass cased so you can keep them if you think you might ever start to reload your own ammo in the future.
American Eagle XM193
Our Editor’s Pick is currently American Eagle XM193 since it’s never failed to go *boom* and the price is almost always one of the lowest.
164Prices accurate at time of writing
View Details164at Lucky GunnerCompare prices (3 found)
PMC X-TAC XP193
Our second choice is PMC which also has never failed but is often a cent or two more than American Eagle.
345Prices accurate at time of writing
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American Eagle XM855
Our favorite green tip ammo suggestion is going to sound about the same…what can I say, it works and the price is right.
44.75Prices accurate at time of writing
View Details44.75at Lucky GunnerCompare prices (3 found)
PMC X-TAC XM855
And PMC’s X-TAC XM855 variant is also GTG.
8.25Prices accurate at time of writing
View Details8.25at Lucky GunnerCompare prices (3 found)
Best AR-15 .223 Ammo
If your barrel is .223 or if you want to shoot some slightly lighter loads in your 5.56 barrel.
PMC Bronze
My personal favorite is PMC Bronze since it’s affordable and the brass is great for reloading. Plus…it’s on the low end of recoil so I love it for competition.
7.45Prices accurate at time of writing
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Wolf Gold
If you aren’t looking to reload and want the best bang for the buck…all my buddies and I love Wolf Gold. Buy it cheap (1000 round boxes) and stack it deep! Wolf Gold is made in Taiwan and not Russia like other Wolf ammo.
7.40Prices accurate at time of writing
View Details7.40at Lucky GunnerCompare prices (3 found)
And finally…if you’re going for pure accuracy…
22.75Prices accurate at time of writing
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Tula & Wolf Polyformance
We don’t readily use these next suggestions in our AR’s, but if you’re really trying to save money, you can opt for Russian steel or coated steel cartridges.
Start off with a small batch first since some AR-15’s don’t like steel cased ammo. They offer pretty good savings but are dirtier shooting and less accurate…but probably great for the range.
![556 home defense ammo gun talk reviews 556 home defense ammo gun talk reviews](/uploads/1/2/5/2/125276786/533393790.jpg)
Also keep in mind that you can’t save these to reload later, and you need to shoot at a range that allows both steel casings and bi-metal bullets.
5.95Prices accurate at time of writing
View Details5.95at Lucky GunnerCompare prices (3 found)
5.95Prices accurate at time of writing
View Details5.95at Lucky Gunner
Prices accurate at time of writing
Self-Defense AR-15 Ammo
For self-defense you want the bullet to put all its energy into the bad guy by breaking apart.
That means FMJ and the penetrator rounds are usually not the best choice.
I recommend going with specific use self-defense ammo that is hollow/soft point and is used by law enforcement.
Hornady Critical Defense 55gr
Both Speer and Hornady are great but I give the edge to Hornady since I love their pistol defensive ammo.
21Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
Speer Gold Dot Duty 55 gr
Another go-to brand for self-defense rounds…Gold Dot.
12.75Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
Conclusion
So there you have it, our recommendations for the best AR-15 ammo in both .223 and 5.56.
Let us know what you went with and how it runs in your AR.
Want more AR-15 guides…check the all out here.
Over-penetration is a concern with home defense ammo no matter what the caliber. Here are some loads up to the task.
When using the .223 for home defense, leave the FMJs for range work. These bullets are designed to punch holes in flesh, steel, wood or nearly any material that is in its trajectory.
Bullet technology has evolved in recent years. Now there are bullets that break apart when they strike drywall or wood, and when they hit flesh, they do no over-penetrate, instead transferring most of the energy into the home invader.
HPR Ammunition’s Black Ops OTF is designed for law enforcement and home defense. Using a 62-grain Open Tip Frangible bullet, it is designed to create massive force trauma in soft targets, while breaking on impact on hard targets.
Related GunDigest Articles
Other loads suitable for home defense include Hornady TAP FDP Personal Defense Ammunition and Winchester PDX1 Defender Self Defense ammo. The Hornady TAP FDP is deigned to cause dramatic wound cavities while reducing the risk of over penetration. The cases are also nickel plated for optimal reliability.
The Winchester PDX1 60-grain bullet uses Split Core Technology (SCT) that features a quick-expanding front lead core and deep-driving bonded rear lead core.
This article appeared in the Fall 2015 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine. Click here to download the full issue.
Also Check Out:
Modern Shooter is your source for modern firearms giving you the inside edge on tactics and accessories for the newest ARs, shotguns and handguns. The Fall 2015 edition has features on:
– S&W Optics-Ready Handgun
– Build the Ultimate Gun Case
– Tactical Guns for Self Defense
Download here
– Build the Ultimate Gun Case
– Tactical Guns for Self Defense
Download here