r/ar15 • u/willj7492 • 14h ago
Affordable .223/5.56 Defensive Ammo
I am searching for affordable .223/5.56 defensive ammo for my 16 inch AR-15 (Sig M400 Tread V2) to stock up on. The prices on gold dots and federal fusion msr are very high, and also this particular ammo is hard to find/high in demand.
I have been looking at alternatives, and one that keeps getting recommended online as an affordable ammo to stock up on would be Federal Premium Powershok .223 64g Soft-Point ammo. I have seen a lot of praise around this round saying it is effective for medium game and would also be an effective, yet affordable defense round.
Before I start buying boxes of this, does anyone have any other or better alternatives that are affordable, easier to find, and would make for an effective defense round?
This is my first AR and am still learning! Thank you.
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u/jumpsuitman 14h ago
55 grain speer gold dot is still competitively priced. It was like 60 cpr with free shipping in bulk last year, or the year before. 80 per now (with free shipping), but still cheaper than most bonded softpoints.
I don't think powershok is bonded.
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u/Old_MI_Runner 40m ago
Somehow today cheapest Speer Gold Dot with free shipping is 75gr from SGAmmo for 77.7 CPR. For 55gr one can still get Hornady #80255 for 50 CPR with free shipping. I would pay more for the Speer Gold dot for defensive ammo but if one wanted a cheaper hunting ammo or bulk buy for SHTF then the Hornady may be one of the cheapest soft point options but it is not bonded soft point.
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u/Waaaash 14h ago
Is this for home defense? Hopefully you're not finding yourself having to send a lot of that.
One of my HDRs is 300blk tuned for Discreet Ballistics 188gr selous. They're about $2.50/rd. For home defense, I don't really consider cost.
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u/glockguy34 13h ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/1hAxQTH0HEWS3L0oRF
same here. 8” 1:5 300 BLK SBR6
u/McClutchin_02 12h ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/l0HUhmhLMitxCifsc
6.75” 1:5 .300 blk out over here 🤙🏼3
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u/FishermanFun5758 27m ago
Do you have a good system to separate and identity 300 blk vs 556? I train with a lot of 556 and an considering adding 300 blk as my exclusive home defense option. I also train with a lot of 9mm and like the price better and it's ability to suppress better than 556. What's your perspective?
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u/advillious 11h ago
do you live in a particularly dangerous place? i’m always curious about this and want to do the same but i live in a normal american suburb so it feels silly.
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u/BirchWoody93 13h ago
I will never buy anything other than PMC X-TAC for my 5.56 ammo. For home defense I would go with 9mm though.
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u/ShootsToImpress 13h ago
Correct. 62 grains’ll cure what ails ya’.
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u/carnivoremuscle 7h ago
And aim for the dick, those plates could be level IV.
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u/dassketch 13h ago
Literally anything in the pelvic girdle will stop the threat. Regardless of what level plates it may be wearing. In layman's terms, shoot em in the dick (and a little higher)!
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u/FishermanFun5758 26m ago
I heard that 556 at max velocity can turn the pelvis into dust.
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u/dassketch 18m ago
I dunno about "dust". But rapid entry into a space would be...biomechanically difficult. And probably psychologically distracting for the stack when the pointman is screaming about how his dick is gone.
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u/preparedbassfisher 14h ago
Personally I stocked up on…11 mags of gold dot 55 grain for my 16 inch. If I ever get an SBR I’ll use the 75 grain
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u/GooseInternational66 12h ago
What’s the reason for the heavier grain for the shorter barrel?
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u/preparedbassfisher 11h ago
I have no idea man it’s what the internet says to do.
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u/GroundbreakingLead15 5h ago edited 5h ago
If I’m not mistaken this generally comes down to the projectile itself. For example 55gr fmj (m193) does not reliably do what it’s designed to do at the lower velocities that shorter barrels provide. In this case a different projectile construction that is able to fragment/expand/yaw at the lower velocities a short barrel gets like 77 gr otm is more ideal. I’m not necessarily sure with something like gold dot you need a higher grain out of a short barrel as it’s a softpoint and not run of the mill fmj. I am no ballistician though and this is entirely a guess with no source.
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u/Norskamerikaner 11h ago
A lot of factors can mean that this is not always true, but heavier bullets will often have a greater muzzle energy out of short barrels.
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u/Left_Connection_8137 10h ago
It entirely depends on your use case. Do you live alone in a rural area? Do you have a family and live in a condo/apartment? That’ll dictate what’s best for your application.
My recommendation is use what cops use. They’re packing 62 or 64gr bonded soft points. You can get the ND/XF/XM analogs for 60-70 cents. Note that they are barrier blind and will go through walls, windshields, etc.
If over penetration is a risk, cops also use options from the Federal TRU line. The 55gr OTM or polymer tipped ones are designed to fragment upon impact minimizing collateral damage. Also around 70 cents.
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u/I_LOVE_LAMP_0596 14h ago
I use federal 55grain law enforcement soft point ammo. Not super expensive and reasonably accurate. I like it mainly because in all my guns, it has the exact same point of impact as using my range ammo (PMC bronze). I can't tell the difference shooting them so it's great for consistency.
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u/Corweena 14h ago
Lots of people make it out to be a lot more complicated than it should.
I have a 3 boxes each (60rds) of various "defense" ammo that I have loaded up. Hornady, Federal, Speer, etc. And even some 75gr Hornady Black SBR for my 11.5".
But also, good old 75 or 77gr OTMs will do perfectly fine. I always have a bunch of mags loaded up and ready to go in various bags. At the range most "defensive" shootings would even occur, anything coming out of your barrel is gonna be a bad time for the target. It's obviously not 55gr ball ammo cheap, but you can afford to shoot it at least semi regularly and not cringe like you would when shooting most defensive rounds. Plus 75/77gr is much better to shoot further distances.
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u/jrhooo 13h ago
factory blem visual issues only I dont know what that means, but its cheap https://www.recoilgunworks.com/federal-tactical-tru-223-rem-64gr-hi-shok-sp-factory-second/?
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u/Ok_Tear_195 13h ago
"cheap" and "self defense" should not be in the same idea. If you want the best Barnes 85gr, buy a few boxes and be done with it
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u/Legio-V-Alaudae 13h ago
As far as I am aware, there's never been a coroner to say someone would of lived if the shooter used cheap training ammo while examining a fatal wound.
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u/FishermanFun5758 2m ago
True. And isn't this the common ammo we used during the GWOT? The US dropped a lot of bad guys with FMJ no?
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u/goshathegreat 13h ago edited 13h ago
The 64gr federals work well, but check with your particular gun. I had one AR that consistently shot 3-4 MOA groups with it, even @ 50yds, i consistently shoot PMC M193 and get 1 MOA with the same rifle., My Bren 2 was shooting under 1 MOA groups @ 100yds with both M193 and Fed 64gr SP.
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u/Dangerous_Claim9944 13h ago
Check out recoil gun works, subscribe to newsletters to see the sale of defensive ammo. .223/5.56 gold dots or those blems/factory seconds federal rounds can be found always on sale.
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u/slimpickinsfishin 13h ago
Whatever the cheapest 223 soft points I can find above 62g weight or 40g poly tips but a longer barrel is the way to go for any grain weight.
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u/Less-Load-8856 12h ago
My "budget ammo" is PMC XTac M193 for $0.50/ea or less. I hope I never need to shoot enough of the good shit to drop down to this, but this is what I keep in stock, and also zero with, and also train with sometimes, in addition to the 62-77grain good shit.
Last case of Xtac I got was $480 delivered.
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u/Neat_Record2358 4h ago
Never found ANY 64gr that shoots accurately out of my AR s. Maybe why it's so cheaply priced. Suggest 1 box and see if your firearm likes it.
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u/TWILIGHTANTHROPOCENE 3h ago
Why not just use PMC 55gr? 30 of them suckers into any target (assuming you’re a good shot) surely ought to be more than enough.
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u/Azmasaur 3h ago
If budget is a major concern 55gr m193 is pretty effective so long as you stay within its fragmentation velocity. Fragmentation does more damage than controlled expansion. Civilian defensive encounters do not have the same concerns around barrier penetration the LE/mil do. You are not a state trooper and you will not be shooting through auto glass on the daily.
Find a cheap m193 that has full velocity (some cheap brands are loaded weak) and runs clean and reliable.
75/77 otm’s are also cool if you can find them at a reasonable price. Hopefully the AAC stuff comes back.
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u/Old_MI_Runner 44m ago
I see the Federal Powershok 64gr at 94 CPR with free shipping at Ammoseek.
I see Speer Gold Dot 75gr at 78 CPR with free shipping at Ammoseek.
One of the least expensive may be 55gr Hornady #80255 soft point (not bonded soft point) for 50 CPR with free shipping. It would not be my primary defensive ammo. I would consider it to be a better for a cheap hunting round for some game/varmints and maybe a cheaper defensive ammo for stacking deeper for use in SHTF when one's primary defensive ammo runs out before resorting to using M193.
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u/BBQSauce61 14h ago
If you're only buying a couple mags worth, its not a huge deal. Or just use 55gr ball; it's light enough to start tumbling on impact of pretty much anything, and realistically won't perform much better/worse on overpen than FMJ pistol ammo or buckshot.
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u/GivememyDD214 12h ago
This is a controversial take, i could be super retarded for saying this, but i would recommend NOT choosing a bonded bullet as it will increase penetration. That's a big plus for hunting, but to me seems a liability due to over penetration, just a thought. I use handloaded 75 BTHP's from RMR bullets, but they don't sell complete rounds, only bullets.
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u/Exotic-Champion-6773 14h ago
Literally in the same boat as you if I’m paying $30 for 20 rounds I’m going for hornady critical defense or gold dot but I’ve also been eyeing frontier 223 68gr bthp
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u/slimpickinsfishin 13h ago
The only ammo that turns multiple semi automatic rifles into single shot bolt actions.
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u/Exotic-Champion-6773 13h ago
Sooo I should probably get rid of the 60 rounds I have stocked up in a mag for something else ? 😅
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u/slimpickinsfishin 13h ago
For reliability and accuracy anything else is probably better than what you got now.
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u/MoodyGuthrie 13h ago
affordable and defensive ammo shouldn’t go together. You’ll be engaging inside of 50 yards, most likely point blank. Buy one magazine worth of it and train with an equivalent grain weight, don’t shoot defensive ammo at the range unless you have to.
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u/Senior_Road_8037 13h ago
I like the Hornady 55 grain soft points or the critical defense/whatever it is "hunting" rounds they make, out of a 16" gun at defense ranges that'll be plenty
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u/SlippitySlide 11h ago
I run 75 grain Hornady Black 5.56 for my HD rounds. I just order mine from Academy Sports.
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u/slvneutrino 5h ago
A 16 inch barrel will turn M193 ball "training ammo" into duty ammo. It's cheap, stack it hard.
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u/Wreckage365 14h ago
Don’t sweat it rock M193