lol you sound like me.... 40cal next to the bed, another 40 on the tv stand in front og the bed, kel-tec p-32 where ever my wallet and phones are placed, 12ga in the living room, 16 ga in the kitchen, and a 10-22 next to the couch.....

Actually the .223 round is not exactly the same as the 5.56, the pressure is higher in the 5.56 rounds. Although this will usually not make a difference in a well manufactured firearm, it would not be a good choice to throw a 5.56 into a cheap .223 chamber. They will come apart! If you get 5.56 ammo that is loaded at a lower pressure it would not matter.

Winchester Law Enforcement Ammunition East Alton Illinois

- The cartridge casings for both calibers have basically the same length and exterior dimensions.
The 5.56 round, loaded to Military Specification, typically has higher velocity and chamber pressure than the .223 Rem.
The 5.56 cartridge case may have thicker walls, and a thicker head, for extra strength. This better contains the higher chamber pressure. However, a thicker case reduces powder capacity, which is of concern to the reloader.
The 5.56mm and .223 Rem chambers are nearly identical. The difference is in the "Leade". Leade is defined as the portion of the barrel directly in front of the chamber where the rifling has been conically removed to allow room for the seated bullet. It is also more commonly known as the throat. Leade in a .223 Rem chamber is usually .085". In a 5.56mm chamber the leade is typically .162", or almost twice as much as in the 223 Rem chamber.
You can fire .223 Rem cartridges in 5.56mm chambers with this longer leade, but you will generally have a slight loss in accuracy and velocity over firing the .223 round in the chamber with the shorter leade it was designed for.
Problems may occur when firing the higher-pressure 5.56mm cartridge in a .223 chamber with its much shorter leade. It is generally known that shortening the leade can dramatically increase chamber pressure. In some cases, this higher pressure could result in primer pocket gas leaks, blown cartridge case heads and gun functioning issues.
The 5.56mm military cartridge fired in a .223 Rem chamber is considered by SAAMI (Small Arm and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute) to be an unsafe ammunition combination.


Before buying either of these two types of ammunition, always check your gun to find what caliber it is chambered for, then buy the appropriate ammunition. Most 5.56mm rounds made have full metal jacket bullets. Performance bullets - soft points, hollow points, Ballistic Silvertips, etc. - are loaded in .223 Rem cartridges. Firing a .223 Rem cartridge in a 5.56mm-chambered gun is safe and merely gives you slightly reduced velocity and accuracy. However we do not recommend, nor does SAAMI recommend, firing a 5.56mm cartridge in a gun chambered for the .223 Rem as the shorter leade can cause pressure-related problems.

Winchester Law Enforcement Ammunition East Alton Illinois

i keep two guns on me at all times...but don't worry the safety's on :dm2:

Yes they ARE the exact same round except that the 5.56 has a SLIGHTLY higher pressure. Its not enough to make any notable difference. Keep in mind that there are several different spec variations for both rounds but they are the same round.

P-32 is a nice choice. If I hadnt got the 380 I would've went with a P-32. :up2:

Shotgun (with a standerd dove shot, not slugs) is a much better choise for home defence than any centerfire/rimfire for many reasons; a shotgun blast (with dove shot) will not exit a house or even most interior walls unless close, but then it will loose a lot of energy, being less effective and not killing your kid or wife in the other room. Shotgun will have a wide spred, giving you a much higher % of hitting your target. When it's late and you just got woke up by the intruder, it's far more difficult to accuratly aim a pistol and fire, a shotgun, you just have to get close.

There are so many 'what ifs', but basicly anything is better than nothing and you don't bring a knife to a gun fight.

What does dove shot do to a guy wearing a few layers of heavy clothing (hobo), a guy hopped-up on meth or a professional paranoid in a bullet proof vest?

I've always heard buckshot being the recommendation. Advantage over slugs being that they're eaisier to hit the target in a fire fight.

your using a long gun in a small confined space, takes alot point and shoot with a shotgun that it would with a pistol. you want something that even if you miss you still hit your target. not everyone is john wayne

Remember, we are talking about home/self defince, so you are normally only 15' or less from your target. Any blast from a 12g shotgun (any shot) will more than knock over the guy just from it's power, no matter what he has on or what he is on. Dove shot just increases your area, but is still plenty effective and like I said, reduces the risk of injuring someone else. IF he get's up from there and you are still in danger......you now have time for an accurate head shot. If he turns Terminator on you, it's time to grab the Cal-Tec and unload a 30 round clip through him. If you still miss that much at 15', you should of praticed the Playstation a little more, so now kiss your ass good-by.:ouch:

Well I keep 3 1/2 steel shot in a shortened 12 ga. Don't really have a particular reason for that shell choice other than that's what I have and it'll work pretty good. Like I said, it'll most likely be messy if I ever have to use it. I don't have to worry about kids getting hurt and the wife will most likely be right behind me...probably armed.

I decided I'm going with the SU. I think it'll be nice since it's collapsible for tight places plus I found a front hand guard for it to replace the useless bi pod. I can hang a spot or laser on it. :U: