defensive loads for 223 and 308

[shuamee]

i have a guy wanting me to go pick up stuff tomorrow he has a colt 6940 and a m1a loaded. one does anybody have any good safe loads for these and two which type of bullet would do the most damage? keep in mind he wants cheaper bullets like hornady and sierra doesnt want to pay for the higher like barnes. any suggestions? said he may want some distance rounds for 243 bolt gun also said it depends on his funds. same thing thohe wants the distance but still defensive type ammoi no things will need to be fine tuned im lookin for a good starting point

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

Originally Posted by shuamee

i have a guy wanting me to go pick up stuff tomorrow he has a colt 6940 and a m1a loaded. one does anybody have any good safe loads for these and two which type of bullet would do the most damage? keep in mind he wants cheaper bullets like hornady and sierra doesn't want to pay for the higher like barnes. any suggestions? said he may want some distance rounds for 243 bolt gun also said it depends on his funds. same thing he wants the distance but still defensive type ammo no things will need to be fine tuned im looking for a good starting point

Hand loads are a legal nightmare if the weapon was ever employed in a shooting. Get him a box of 55 or 70g ttsx factory ammo to keep in his colt. As far as the damage factor is concerned people are not as tough as you may think, its barrier penetration you have to think about inside the home and outside. If he is unwilling to pay for the barnes I would look at lighter fragmenting type bullets that dump there energy fast on target for use in the house.

As far as loads I run LC brass CCI (thick cup primers), R15 and 175g SMK bullets in my M1a. R15 is safe for the gas system on the M1a as well as varget, imr 4064 and a whole lot more.

In my 5.56 I run R15 and 70g ttsx in LC brass, wolf primers for hunting and 55g FMJ, with mil surplus 844T, LC brass and wolf primers for training. I have seen a powder around called TAC by ramshot it like varget and r15 are safe for both rifles.

[shuamee]

i have heard bout all the legal problems. hes a sheriffs dept so hopefully he wouldnt do anything dumb. as far as the bullet goes i should look for smk's and a-max? i know they say dont use them as hunting bullets but is that just bc they have a thin jacket and fragment when they hit ?

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

First off I talk to much and I think the AMAX would be the best choice for his application, It has the best balance of price, killing power and barrier penetration.

Well I like the SMK for my m1a, I have shot the amax out of it and it worked well but not as good as the 175g smk in my rifle. The military issues the 77g smk in the mk262 round for use in DM rifles, the Marines also have a new bullet called a SOST I don't know the details. But keep in mind just because the military uses it does not mean its the best, they have to fallow the Hague governing the laws of war. It says that the bullet should not cause unreasonable suffering. To bad the regular military does not have the same JAG as SOCOM. Their JAG said "whats unreasonable suffering have to do with it when your trying to kill someone" thus you see them using different stuff, stuff hunters use.

I run in a circle of LE and I am amazed everyday that some are allowed to carry guns, not saying your buddy is just keep that in mind.

My wife's department will give her ammo for her off duty gun, at the very least he should for defensive purposes use what ever his department issues to the officers as a duty round for those platforms.

[shuamee]

hey thanks for the reply. have you done anything to your m1a? as far as stock or anything like that?

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

Originally Posted by shuamee

hey thanks for the reply. have you done anything to your m1a? as far as stock or anything like that?

I have 3 stocks 2 wood and a fiberglass. I had a McMillan for a while but it was just to heavy. I have bedded one of the wood stocks and had 2 hydro dipped. The rifle its self is NM accurized, and I have run 2 different scope mounts on it, a sadlik steel mount and a Springfield armory scout mount. That's about it so far

[shuamee]

Have you had a chance to handle and get a good feel of a sage ebr or a troy mcs?