What's Best for Home Defense: AR, AK, or Pistol?

[@nascarwp]

fantastic video most people just line up sheetrock and do unrealistic tests iv never seen someone use a real house vary cool

[@TheBCSledder]

Rock _ 7.62x39 The advantage to lining up drywall and such is that it is controlled vs this way where you can't tell if the rounds are hitting studs

[@cowboyz2143]

TheBCSledder real life is not controlled so ...

[@Profile.4]

Good if your enemy is made of paper

[@c4scompsmith]

Too bad the test is done backwards, this isnt from a home defense standpoint. Shoot from bedroom to front door is more realistic.

[@TMega5612]

@@cowboyz2143 No but controlling gives a standard. If two rounds perform differently in a control you can predict how they'd behave in equivalent circumstances. If some rounds hit a stud or a cabinet and get stopped, great, but that's just due to chance and shouldn't be taken as "oh this round stopped so it's clearly better!"

[@Fireinahorn]

"As you can tell by all the nail holes, the prior owner was an art lover" -Realtor

[@D.L.W.]

Excellent

[@artwebb6939]

🤣🤣🤣

[@nickmcfarland6822]

I'm so glad this video came back around. Everyone needs to see this

[@mikhalize]

This is the best test ever done on youtube! Reality versus gel or number theorizing is always best. A good take away is that in all rounds tested, they traversed the length of the house with enough energy to cause deadly wounds.

[@Matt77125]

Universal Kombat You wouldn't hit every shot at the best of times, let alone when you're surging with adrenaline, maybe in the middle of the night

[@jutde]

Yup, they penetrated just fine. Right into the kids room. Exactly why I don't use a rifle for home defense.

[@Mrgunsngear]

great video! ...and look at JJ getting in front of the camera; regular celebrity these days :D

[@ReidHenrichs]

He is something else. Hope all is well with you too.

[@benedictadonis8426]

pro tip: you can watch series on instaflixxer. I've been using them for watching lots of of movies these days.

[@ameertalon3727]

@Benedict Adonis Definitely, been using InstaFlixxer for since december myself :)

[@northernninety7]

Every time someone says that an AR shoot through your house and the neighbors house I show them this.

[@MrMalthenius]

This was great. Have always been taught to know what's beyond your shot, but this video really drives it home. Thanks for putting it together. Hope to see more videos like this as it's really helpful from a civilian perspective.

[@criscross6591]

I need to move to Tennessee! Looks like I can buy a fixer upper!

[@ridetn7695]

We don't want you here and we will let you know.

[@criscross6591]

@@ridetn7695 Likewise buddy! Go pound sand!

[@airranger7063]

I wish there was a demo of the "evil" 62gr green tip.

[@philrab]

Appreciate your work. My go to home defense firearm is a Saiga loaded with Hornady SST. Good to know there's minimal risk of it getting out of the house.

[@RaftGuidePhil]

That's was great to watch. I think cheap modern spec houses would show some scary results with this sort of testing.

[@stephenn2001]

20:54 starts the summary portion if you dont have the time to spend watching every shot.

[@mdogg6491]

Thx

[@HarrisonCountyStudio]

Lol, I realized I watched this video maybe a year ago... I have now watched it twice! 😁

[@BryGuy418]

By far the best example of what happens to rounds fired inside a house and the effect on the rounds by the drywall and additional media that I've seen. This was awesome! Keep up the great work, guys!

[@thealsatian4232]

Reid, this is one of the best videos to actually demonstrate what these rounds do.

[@DocLarsen44]

I know that JJ was trying to insert some humor with his response to the question, "Did you try a shotgun?" However, I would be very interested in a serious response to that question. I would also have loved to see the results in the house with slugs, 00-Buck, #4- Buck and bird shot say 7 or 8. (I keep a VEPR-12 loaded with #4-Buck with 2 slug rounds at the end.)

[@OGsDangerShow]

Another vote for the shotgun test! I keep two of them around the house (along with a few .45 Glocks) and I'd love to see an array of 12 gauge rounds in the same test.

[@mixter1023]

I agree, Just because Joe Biden is an idiot, doesn't mean that a shotgun is a bad choice. There are many folks who don't have a dedicated home defense gun, and their 12 or 20 gauge bird gun is doing double duty under the bed. It would have been nice to see 00 & 4 buck as well.

[@seanmcpherson7962]

@@OGsDangerShow not just 12 g 20g and multiple chokes. People forget thoigh it is jist as important that one can have multiple chokes with a shotgun. Even a dbl barrel can be set up with 2 differetn chokes..something like a full and a trap combo are possible.

[@tim18wheels76]

Another vote for shotgun, and another vote for Joe Biden is an idiot! It would be nice to see a test like this with a cross section of what is popular. 12 ga, 20 ga & 410 bore shotguns. 7.5, 6 & 4 birdshot. Maybe some lead and steel BB for contrast. #4, #1, #00 buckshot. Probably #000 or #0000 for the 410 because that is what is available. Slugs just for a comparison.

[@briandaniel931]

@@mixter1023 Donald Trump dumbass is the idiot

[@emerald640]

Slightly used house for sale . As seen on you tube!

[@b.ohugin610]

Love your channel and info. Just came across it recently. You explain things very well. Also I was surprised to see who one of your instructors was. Tell J.J. I say hi!

[@castiel241]

I'd laugh my ass off if at the end all you heard was someone yelling "what the fuck are you doing in my house"

[@DanGoodShotHD]

There are so many mis informative videos on youtube where people setup peices of drywall on a table and shoot through 10 to 15 of them. Then they proclaim that the rifle or pistol over penetrated. I was able to do some testing on my own in an actual house of modern construction(1/2" drywall & studs) that was due for demolition. My results where very similar to yours. I used a 16" Stag Arms AR 15, HK VP9 and a Saiga 12. Various projectiles. In all cases the standard ball penetrated the furthest. I most rounds didn't leave the house. A couple 5.56 ball rounds did. It was great to see that you guy's where able to do a video like this and get it posted for people to see a better representation of how projectiles actually behave when fired in a house. Great job guys!

[@danielwysocki6014]

looks like a fun day of research with some seriously useful info.really drives in the absolute necessity of knowing whats behind your target.Taking out the bad guy is useless if you hit a loved one or neighbor in the process.Great video guys,wish I was there!

[@monterogers]

Nice video and information.. off topic, but is this place still for rent?

[@shrugger1]

Priced to sell.

[@monterogers]

The human shrug. Do you still have the eye patch? I would love to walk up to a convenient store counter, pull my money out from behind it and hand it to the cashier.

[@DudeNumberOnePlus]

+The human shrug Now with discount.

[@grappolidipalma]

Yeah man; I go there to sleep at night... ...Come, be my guest for free

[@1MRJB1]

"Minor water damage, Good insulation, Predrilled holes for holding pictures This amazing home could be yours! Give us a call."

[@mskiUSMC]

There is an old beat up single wide trailer at the range I am a member of, and I have never done it, I believe I will give it a go when the weather turns.

[@Toshpug127]

Best video I have seen on home defense options. Nothing beats real world experiments like that. Thanks for shooting up your cabin!

[@8triagrammer]

I was wondering why SWAT uses ARs instead of their MP5s as their main weapon for urban environments...

[@Bigboy_smooth]

I am very surprised to see what these bullets do through walls. From the way some people talk about these bullets they'll have you thinking that these bullets will go through a house. I'll never judge a bullet based on a ballistics gel test again. Very informative

[@GABRIELGIESEL]

excellent video Reid, keep up the good work. Not many videos that have tested this in real world on KZbin

[@paulkozak1740]

So 9mm in non ball configuration has least penetration by what you showed but you said in the wrap up the home defense 223/556 had less penetration than the pistol? Did I miss something? The fridge is not cover is a game changer! Great vid!

[@nicholasw777]

I would have liked to have seen a shotgun compared against the 5.56. I use #4 buck and am still curious how it stacks against 5.56 indoors.

[@dangelini1137]

Watch paul harrels video on shotguns for home defense. #4 buck is the way to go

[@theincredible9168]

To much penetration.

[@tylerbuchholz3234]

Very nice to see an actual home used. Thank you.

[@brianc1481]

I unfortunately had a negligent discharge years back with an AK-47.. I had a round called MFS it was soft point 7.62x39... It went through my LCD TV luckily it hit a metal box inside the tv that housed the circuit board.. it went into the drywall, barely nicked a stud and most of the round ended up lodged in the plywood.. None of it left the house.. The only real damage was to my ego.. My hearing recovered about 24 hours later and I've been a safety freak ever since.. It'll be my one and only ND .. My roommate's and I are extremely lucky.

[@symmetrytanner5156]

Appreciate the video! Hard to make comparisons when you change multiple variables . Different gun, bullet and shot location. Maybe next time you can use one rifle one location and different cartridges, or change only one variable to learn what is making the difference.

[@nbates9893]

Symmetry Tanner you're reading way too far into this

[@jeffreyschmidt3997]

@@nbates9893 Actually, he's applying the scientific method which is the proper approach

[@stlawrencefisherman]

Awesome video! Very informative and helpful with actual results shown, versus just theories. I always thought it would be great if someone did an experiment like this on video. I never thought I would end up finding a video like this, until I ran across this video today! Great job Reid and Valor Ridge staff! Keep up the great work!

[@Mak-Daddy]

Very cool video! The proof is indeed in the pudding. Would be very interested to see how an AK-74 with various 5.45x39(7N6, Hornady V-Max, Wolf, Etc..) would perform in these tests. I imagine the results would be much better than that of the 47'. As usual, thank you for sharing!!

[@thebudgetchad813]

guite the opposite 5.45 doesnt carry as much weight behind it and will lose velocirt faster than 7.62

[@BertieW0oster]

I'm glad you tested the 62gr Federal FBI TBBC, that's what I keep loaded up and I feel even more confident in that decision now!

[@IdeaCalledFreedom]

Probably the only video of its kind, great info!

[@caseybrown5183]

Nice work, Reid and team.

[@blueduck9409]

This test is interesting. I think a more accurate test would be to shoot a side of beef or pork instead of a paper target. I think the density of the meat would effect the bullets differently. Maybe get one of those ballistic gel filled human skeleton to shoot at.

[@corycarlson8712]

reid, I have waited for a video like this for years! over 6 years for sure. Absolutely awesome job, and great ammo choices. The only other ammo I would have liked to see would have been m855, just to make the point that it's not a good choice. Thanks again!

[@Broney-tw3vy]

Great vid! it's nice to have a chance to see what can really happen when firing inside of a house without having to shoot up my own house!

[@everydayfleettech2286]

The best video on this subject I have see yet! Look forward to seeing you and the staff again Reid.

[@bryceharrington842]

This is a great example of what happens when you miss, which is why you train. Don't miss. Great video; I would like see what happens when the bullet has to pass through meat first, or second.

[@apsaffles531]

I'm sort of confused, a lot would say that 5.56 penetrates less than 9mm, granted the 9mm testing was very limited, but based on these tests it would appear that is false. It looks like the 5.56 rounds tend to scatter and go through more sets of walls than the 9mm does at 9:30.

[@toddk1377]

Great video. I realize if the target had been hit as intended (the bad guy), then we would see little to no penetration compared to what we saw here in the video. However, I think it's nice to know if we were to miss the intended target, then we have an idea of how much penetration we can expect from a similar caliber and load. I do think there needs to be a part 2 to this video, a lot of folks have AR pistols that they would use with common length barrels like a 10.5" for example. Be cool to see how the velocity changes the penetration of these rounds and how different loads perform with lower velocities. I also think it be interesting to see a shotgun used with slugs, unplated 00, 1, and #4 buck shot loads.

[@trollpolice]

Reid you are my favorite firearm channel on KZbin. Every video is quality. Thanks for your input, advice and content.

[@WeaponsEducation]

Great topic and demenstrations

[@lewisrichards6572]

I'm working out of town at the moment. Renting a room from a coworker. He's not to happy with me right now, especially about his fridge:) Great video, can't wait to get over there and take a class from you!

[@Scruffers2011]

I've gotta admit, this was an impressive demonstration, very compelling. I had been told that AR15 rounds weren't good for home defense because of over-penetration but this video clearly debunks that. My primary home defense is an AR pistol in 300 BLK silenced with a SilencerCo Omega300 with 209-220 gr subsonic rounds, so I'm pretty sure over penetration won't be a problem.

[@sbentsen2714]

Love you bro! love you guys bein upstanding Americans and true patriots. Keep standing up for this country!

[@ej732]

No surprises. Definitely helps to shoot at different materials. Putting holes in paper at a range is just group therapy.

[@jamiepilarowski5119]

What about trying this with 76 2 x 39 hollow points and 54 5 x 39

[@Holden1296]

Very interesting. I guess the 223 soft point ot ballistic tip is the way to go.

[@rolandmcrae6817]

If you ever feel like taking this test further, one thing you could try is a ballistics dummy or block of gel in a house. Will the round go through the gel and through walls? Would be good to know what happens to the bullet if you shoot an intruder in your house. Will the bullet going through the intruder be traveling slowly enough to get caught in a wall or will it keep on going?

[@nbates9893]

old timer knows what he's doing using that white oak barrel in his build. Great video

[@glockrtf-mj1gh]

LOL I didn't realize James and Scott left Tactical Response and now work for you, that's crazy

[@PPISAFETY]

Useful video. Really wish someone could have brought a shotgun though. I have to think that many, many Americans still use shotguns for home defense and it would have been great to demonstrate what they actually do.

[@themadminuteman]

Cool video, I'd like to see HP varmint ammo, Tulammo, Wolf and even some M855. It would be also be good to see rounds through the thickest part of the door frame, in reference to the Israeli limited penetration technique. The information is hard to see, I'd suggest using fonts that are sans serif with an outline or shadow to help. Looks like it was loads of fun to make this video!

[@JP-cu6su]

Mossberg 590A1 is my home defence weapon of choice. Not saying this wasn't a great video though

[@JP-cu6su]

+Rob nasty sick setup brother. Can't beat a mossberg pump

[@ensom]

shotguns are certainly versatile firearms, but personally, i think they are very inferior to an ar-15 for home defense. buckshot or slugs will over penetrate in a home like this... the buckshot i imagine would be similar to 9mm, a slug would penetrate quite a bit, maybe like 7.62x39 or more. shotgun recoil is much more difficult to manage, and a shotgun has a lower round capacity, often times must be pumped, so your rate of fire is slowed. most shotguns are not box magazine fed, the aiming system / sights are generally not as precise.. so not as effective at longer distances. when you consider all of these factors, a shotgun seems to have a LOT of disadvantages, compared to an ar-15 ( or even a high capacity pistol ) for home defense.

[@whyisthisnottyping]

Rob nasty I feel bad for you,thank God for the Lonestar state

[@chewee2k]

Song lyrics: "God blessed Texas."

[@seanmcpherson7962]

? A lot of things you said are very variable dependent. MOST defensive home shootings involve less than 3 rounds fired. Thats fact 1. So an 8 round shotgun is plenty. Second this video showed tons of Over penetration. Only the "fbi" rd performed super well. Dont use slugs. I doubt a slug penetrstes like anything in this video,but they dod t shoot any so we dont know. Looking over the o internet i cant find an example of a shotgun going through multiple walls..especially in 00 or #4 shot. Recoil? Defintely more than an ar. But many 20 gauge shotguns have less recoil or similar to many handguns. The same for 12 depending on load..and we are discussing various loads. Not to mention chom2 adjistments which you can do on a shotgun. People over estimate spread often, but a choke can grestly increase or decrease spread. Ive shot a refrdgerstor with a shotgun and unlike the 9mm and the 5.56 shown here.it didnt exit the fridge. To be fair and full disclosure it was #4's through a 20g. These guys own shotguns. Im guessing they didnt use a shotgun because they fear it would show superiority to the 5.56 and 9mm. There was and is a sure fire way to demonstrate it though. Take a 12 and 20 out with various loads and chokes and go to town. I just dont think a shotgun has as many disadantages as you ascribe to it. Esp3cially if over penetration is shown to be less.

[@grantorino2009]

This is how meaningful testing is done, folks.

[@Billfish57]

Just as important as picking the right caliber is picking the right ammo for that caliber. For instance, Leigh Defense now makes the best self defense rifle ammo called Close Quarter Ammo but it's only available in .300 Blackout, .308 Win. and 243 Win. It is by far the best rifle ammo for dumping all it's 2,800fps energy within about 9" with the .300 and it just blows up a big hole inside the target but will not leave the target. Perfect. It's fast and light so more energy, less recoil and way, way less penetration compared to ball or any other ammo you can buy. I have it in .300 Bk Out and .308 win and it's truly amazing stuff but I would love to see the damage done to a melon with a .243 traveling at 3745 fps. Super high quality ammo and it's in my SCAR -17 and my AR-15 in .300 BK. Enjoy!

[@tsafa]

I don't know for sure but I suspect that if you stack 10 layers of sheetrock on top of each other, any bullet will penetrate all 10 of them.... However if you space 10 sheets of sheetrock 10 feet apart, only about 4 to 6 of them will get them will get penetrated. The space between objects counts.

[@MrShizzlblizzl]

Would love to see more AK 7.62 x 39 ammo test... How about the 7.62 x 29 8M3 HP AMMO ??? Nobody would use ball ammo in house with an AK

[@ianharris3502]

HST is not ball

[@Hainero2001]

We did some experimenting similar to this in the police academy in Utah. It was really interesting to learn just how thin walls really are and eye opening to see what goes through several walls and what doesn't. There were definitely some surprises.

[@axe609]

I live in a log cabin of 6 inch logs. I just assume bullets are going through all walls. I live in the country and only one house in range. this is why being able to shoot from all angles and thought my family to role to certain sides of a room on the floor. one thing was nice to see is the deflection was less than I expected. I figured there would be some flyers.

[@jshaw1503]

Fantastic video I have been wanting to see real world testing on over penetration in relation to home defense. Great content.

[@irishsavage8715]

Great video thanks Reid & team... we will be seeing you guys in June.

[@usarmyfl1]

You left out one of the most popular choices for HD?!?! Shotgun???

[@rayherndon3728]

Great information. Its good to see how different rounds react to the different mediums. It's nice to see the crew too.

[@alejandrogonzales7022]

awesome video. I'm about to share the link to this with a bunch of my buddies

[@jameswrobinson]

Watching this in September of 2024. Mr. Gunsngear sent me here. This is fantastic info. Thanks, gents.

[@onguard4596]

Great information. Thank you. Learned a few things. Big one is to NOT cover behind a refrigerator. It would be useful to see the same testing using shotguns. Thanks again.

[@glockgaston2922]

Reid really awesome video brother thanks so much for sharing this

[@walterwanting8653]

I would really like to see how the Winchester PDX1 Defender 223 would hold up in this test. It did great in the ballistics gel test but I would like to see what it does in a house if I missed the intruder. Thank you so much Reid!

[@heavyhitta52]

Glad to know my cousin bubbas double wide will hold up well during our next shooting contest with my auntie goes outta town

[@scottyk9393]

Great demo! Yeah it’s 4 years old, but proof that an AR is best for home defense. I’ll still keep my .45 next to my bed though!

[@boulderado1965]

Good real life application testing.

[@jimmorris7606]

I have a win mod 12 in my bedroom loaded with 8 rounds of military 00 buck. I would like to see this test replicated using something similar. Great video guys!

[@Shift-Plus]

Lots of good information here - thanks for making this video Reid!

[@fredr4258]

Good start for training. How did you guys score a house to shoot up? Very good video, but you keep talking ball, 556 and other terms that a lot of people do not understand. Improvement could be straight english and perhaps show the ammo being shot for those who do not know what you guys are talking about.

[@mrrob8496]

awesome and real world informative video, highly appreciated! i see your're all wearing hearing protection but any feedback on the sound concussion? one of you guys should've took one for the team!

[@chevyvet69]

Wow This is the best demonstration I have ever seen an actual house in real world A lot of the 556 didn't make it through It will be a whole different ball game was 762 by 39

[@jameslester5405]

always like your videos but this was very nice to see the actual results.Btw think Claire is giving you guys a run for your money on hitting the Mark.maybe a future instructor huh.thanks again I know it's not cheap setting this test up but much appreciated brother.keep up the great work.I hope to be out there soon for some training.

[@Rot05]

Great video Reid. Do you plan to do more videos like this?

[@cameronlair1204]

Thanks for taking your time to show us this. Keep up the good work

[@DanielHernandez-sg3xu]

Great video! Thanks for showing real world ballistics.

[@ratroute8238]

TreyH, Meth(methamphetamine) in that neighborhood...

[@noncare9079]

I got an ak wasr with old german steel core for penetration and a mossberg shockwave for homedefense

[@slick4401]

Great video. That is some very important information for home defense.

[@jk-76]

fantastic video! I use HST for AKS also and now I am reassured...

[@2dAnglicoSix]

Concur with your Staff Instructor’s assessment at the 25’40’’ mark. As a general statement (excluding extremely frangible 9mm Para ball), a handgun round (particularly 9mm 124 grain NATO ball) is far more of a penetration and ricochet danger than the M193, 55 grain, 5.56mm, FMJ fired from an M-16/M-4 platform particularly with an engagement area with concrete flooring. This is precisely why years ago, our Paramilitary Security Force @ my former USDOE employer charged with protecting US nuclear weapons switched from H&K MP-5’s (9mm) to M-4’s utilizing 5.56mm NATO ammo. The concern in over-penetration or ricochet was from the perspective of nuclear weapon’s safety more than hitting a friendly or non-combatant..

[@clongo92]

I'd like to see this video again but with shooting through gel or something to simulate actually passing through a body, not a piece of paper.

[@Hoplitetacticalsupplies]

I'll give you $3.50, jar of hooch, and a egg laying hen for the house.

[@joedawson190]

Are we talking some good home brew hooch or some fruity prison style pruno?

[@Hoplitetacticalsupplies]

Well if it's going to be prison hooch I can up the offer to two jars.

[@FastSloW-qt8xf]

I think you are seriously underestimating prison hooch.. not to bad... i can no longer see anything but.. very tasty, and no hangover

[@phreddie8958]

Nah its got holes in it and on exterior walls. Gonna get weather in the house

[@peterbedford9785]

Awesome work there thank,s to yourself and crew , regard,s , pete.

[@pliskenx51mm83]

Great video. I wish I had an old house on some property I could go shoot in.

[@waltergrant7991]

Another great video, and shows actual damage by different calibers and loads, thanks Guys

[@PBuffdaddy00]

Really cool video, Reid. Good stuff!

[@mikeoutdoors4729]

You're a hero for posting this, very informative.

[@drdarwin1]

I appreciate the general information, but one medium is missing, the ballistic gel representing an invader.

[@aphillips229]

I'd love to see 8M3 tested in there.

[@RemyISnow]

Never heard of that definition for keyhole. I guess it means different things different places. In the military it meant you put two bullets through the same hole.

[@OGsDangerShow]

Commonly used term for a round that slides through a target sideways. Hence making a "keyhole" shaped hole.

[@silentshadow7625]

thank you guys for the video. i think you should've used the rubber dummies for more of a realistic test

[@silentshadow7625]

well actually if you have bullets missed the bad guy this is realistic lol my bad

[@EssentialE13]

5.45x39 would have been interesting to see as well