Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles AR-15 For Repelling Boarders, Red Dot or Traditional Peep Sight?

You fellas can beat this pony 'til it bleeds, and I hope you have fun along the way. Stepping back in time a bit are some recollections about what works in the great outdoors re: boarders.

M-16A1 with issue ball ammo. 55 gr FMJ boat tail bullet at about 3200 fps out the snout using a 14" twist. If you'll take a look at the following link and scroll down a way you will find discussion about penetration tests. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M16_rifle

My observations were such that I think the info is fairly accurate. I also pass along that I never saw anyone shot with the M16 that survived due in part to the rather traumatic nature of wounds inflicted. One personal anecdote I'll pass along for consideration. I was strolling along in the A Shau Valley one morning training my new platoon leader on the art of scouting. We were on the Valley floor headed in a northwesterly direction intent upon doing a bomb damage assessment for a Arc Lite mission the night before. Maybe 25’ off the dirt and about 60 knots, there I sat in the left seat while the Lt steered us onward. He was generally following a dirt road and as I looked ahead I saw a steel culvert pipe about 4' diameter and 20' long laying parallel to the road. Second glance revealed 3 NVA inside the pipe watching us intently. There was little time for discussion and as we passed over I emptied the -16 at them with virtually all of the rounds impacting the culvert in the general portion where they were crouched. The LT near crapped his pants, but after he settled down we came back around to see whatever there was to see. 2 dead in the pipe, and one crawling away, AK in hand. He was apparently paralyzed from the waist down.

Hey, his boots were in good shape, so I'm thinking he just got into town.



This is my long winded way of saying the 5.56 round will penetrate stuff, perhaps better than you might think. It was good enough for a culvert wall at close range and according to tests, good enough for both sides of a steel helmet at 300 meters. It isn't necessary to get fancy with bullets or other minutiae, quite the contrary. For that reason, among others, I won't be using an AR inside a residential structure, but will rely on a shotgun. I'm handy with both, and respect your own choice. There are many ways to skin a cat, but all are easier if you start with a sharp blade.