{"id":3727,"date":"2021-04-06T08:44:38","date_gmt":"2021-04-06T08:44:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/?p=3727"},"modified":"2021-04-08T22:02:44","modified_gmt":"2021-04-08T22:02:44","slug":"best-5-56-ammo-for-home-defense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/best-5-56-ammo-for-home-defense\/","title":{"rendered":"Best 5.56 Ammo For Home Defense"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Finding The Best\u00a05.56 Ammo For Home Defense<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 5.56mm round (and its 223 Remington cousin) is one of the most popular rifle rounds in America today. This is due, in no small part, to the immense popularity and almost unlimited flexibility of the AR-15, which is commonly chambered in 5.56mm. 5.56mm is the preferred rifle round for our military as well many law enforcement civilian applications. Today we\u2019ll be looking at the ammo options available for your AR in order to find the best 5.56mm ammo for home defense.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When it was first introduced, the 5.56 round was not known for being the most heavy-hitting cartridge on the market. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/jeff-cooper-turning-shooting-into-a-science\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jeff Cooper<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, one of the most influential figures in the firearms world, used the phrase \u201cpoodle shooter,\u201d to describe the 5.56mm, which implies it was only good for smaller animals, not man-sized targets.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Underpowered? Not Hardly<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Experience has shown otherwise, and the 5.56mm round is now trusted and used by armies around the world. The popularity of the round has resulted in a wide variety of bullet weights and styles in 5.56mm \/ 223, ranging from <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/223-rem-hornady-superformance-35-grain-ntx-200-rounds\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">high-velocity 35 grain<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> varmint loads to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/223-remington-fiocchi-77-grain-matchking-hp-223mkd-200-rounds\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">77 grain rounds <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">designed for stability at longer ranges. We\u2019ve already looked at how <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/using-5-56mm-ammo-for-hog-hunting\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5.56mm does as a hunting round<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Now in our quest to find the best 5.56mm ammo, let\u2019s look how it works as a home defense \/ personal protection round.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Best 5.56 Ammo For The Job<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because of the wide variety of bullet weights and types of 5.56mm out there, we\u2019ll divide all of it into one of three groups and then test representatives of each group. The three groups are:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lightweight hunting \/ varmint rounds<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">General purpose training\/ practice rounds<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heavier weight, target \/ match ammunition\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The specific ammo we\u2019ll be testing is\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/223-remington-black-hills-40-grain-v-max-m223n11-50-rounds\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Black Hills 40 Grain TSX<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Okay, technically, this is a 223 Remington round, but you get the idea. This a lightweight hollow point bullet with a polymer tip that is designed to expand rapidly when it hits soft tissue.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/223-556-federal-lc-m193-55-grain-fmj-bt-120\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Federal 55 grain FMJ<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The classic M193 bullet that\u2019s been used for decades as a competition, training and defensive round. M193 was the original defensive round for AR pattern rifles, but it\u2019s since been replaced in military use by the next round on our list.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/223556-nato-lake-city-m855-fmj-full-metal-jacket-62-grain-xm855cs\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">62 Grain M855<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The M855 round was developed to replace the M193 as the primary military 5.56mm cartridge. Now M855 has been replaced in turn by the heavier <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.army.mil\/article\/48657\/evolution_of_the_m855a1_enhanced_performance_round\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">M855A1 round<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. M855 remains very popular in the civilian world, due in no small part to the availability of surplus rounds from the government.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/223-556-fiocchi-matchking-69-grain-bthp-20\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">69 Grain Fiocchi Sierra MatchKing HP<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yes, I know, another 223 load, but again, this is meant to stand in for other heavier 5.56mm rounds out there, Sierra is one of the most-trusted names in bullet design, and this round is a known performer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Testing Home Defense Ammo<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As we said before, we\u2019ll be testing these rounds to find the best 5.56mm ammo (or 223 ammo) for home defense. A good home defense cartridge must do two things. It must stop the threat, and it must have minimal effects on innocent bystanders if you miss.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The facts and figures which show that most 5.56mm and similar ammo can stop the threat could fill up most of the internet. As such, we\u2019ll be concentrating on that second part initially, and then circle back to how 5.56 stops the threat (or not). The rifle we\u2019ll be using is a homebuilt AR-15 with a 16 inch long, 1 in 8 twist barrel. This is a very common length and twist rate. It should provide us with a neutral platform to use with our ammo.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It&#8217;s What&#8217;s Inside That Counts<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/test_setup.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-0\" data-magnific_type=\"image\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-3757 size-medium\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/test_setup-300x245.jpg\" alt=\"Best 5.56 ammo test setup\" width=\"300\" height=\"245\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/test_setup-300x245.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/test_setup-1024x835.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/test_setup-768x626.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/test_setup-1536x1252.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/test_setup-610x497.jpg 610w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/test_setup-1080x880.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/test_setup-627x511.jpg 627w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/test_setup.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>To test what happens when you miss with a round of 5.56mm ammo inside of a typical American home, we\u2019re going to recreate the interior of a home, shoot rounds through one wall and then have them impact ballistic gelatin on the other side of that wall. We\u2019ll also set up another larger wall to see what happens if any of the rounds make it through the testing medium.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019ll be using walls that are built from common construction materials like 2&#215;4 pine lumber and \u00bd\u201d drywall. We built them using common construction methods. The testing medium we&#8217;ll be using is a 16 inch block of ballistics gel, a very common means of testing bullet performance and penetration. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hornadyle.com\/resources\/fbi-test-protocol\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">FBI testing protocols show<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that a projectile which penetrates more than 12 inches into ballistics gel has a very high chance of being a lethal hit. The best 5.56 ammo for home defense should therefore be able to stop a threat to our lives, but not be a threat to innocent life if we miss.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What Makes The 5.56 Round Effective<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s pause for a moment to talk about what makes the 5.56 an effective defensive round. 5.56 ammo tends to use bullets with a low ballistic coefficient and sectional density. It shoots them out at high velocity. In layman\u2019s terms, that means they\u2019re skinny, very aerodynamic and travel very fast. As a result, when they hit something that\u2019s more dense than the air, they lose their stability quickly, tumble end over end and can even fragment into many pieces. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Larger, slower bullets (like from a pistol) act differently, Those tend to push right through when they impact the target, relying on the design of their bullet to open up and transfer the energy of their motion to the target. The ability of a 5.56mm round to destabilize and tumble through the target is one of the reasons why it\u2019s become such a popular round for all sorts of defensive applications. However, as we shall see, there are exceptions to his rule.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now let\u2019s go at the test results.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Black Hills 40 Grain TSX\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/black_hills_40gr-1.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-1\" data-magnific_type=\"image\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3755 size-large\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/black_hills_40gr-1-1024x663.jpg\" alt=\"Black Hills 40gr tsx\" width=\"1024\" height=\"663\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/black_hills_40gr-1-1024x663.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/black_hills_40gr-1-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/black_hills_40gr-1-768x497.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/black_hills_40gr-1-1536x994.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/black_hills_40gr-1-2048x1326.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/black_hills_40gr-1-610x395.jpg 610w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/black_hills_40gr-1-1080x699.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/black_hills_40gr-1-627x406.jpg 627w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Average Muzzle Velocity: 3086 fps<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Minimum Gel Penetration: 0.75 inches<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maximum Gel Penetration: 16+ inches<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Struck Rear Wall: N<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Penetrated Rear Wall: N\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This round had a drastic effect on the ballistics gel, literally ripping the first few inches to shreds. Each bullet immediately began to destabilize and fragment when it hit the first wall. The bullets split apart into a myriad of pieces, coming to rest almost immediately in the gel. This is exactly what you want from <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=czfFk74L-CY\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a round that\u2019s designed to hunt gophers, groundhogs and other small pests<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, but it probably falls a bit short of the performance you need to save your life. Most shooters will opt for a bullet that offers more consistent penetration.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Federal 55 grain M193 FMJ\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/federal_m193-1.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-2\" data-magnific_type=\"image\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3751 size-large\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/federal_m193-1-1024x663.jpg\" alt=\"55 grain 5.56 is great for self defense\" width=\"1024\" height=\"663\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/federal_m193-1-1024x663.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/federal_m193-1-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/federal_m193-1-768x497.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/federal_m193-1-1536x994.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/federal_m193-1-2048x1326.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/federal_m193-1-610x395.jpg 610w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/federal_m193-1-1080x699.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/federal_m193-1-627x406.jpg 627w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Average Muzzle Velocity: 3027 fps<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Minimum Gel Penetration: 1.5 inches<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maximum Gel Penetration: 12.5 inches<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Struck Rear Wall: N<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Penetrated Rear Wall: N<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We were honestly surprised by how quickly this round started to destabilize. A close examination of the front of the gel showed that two of the three bullets actually entered the gel sideways: The impact with the first two sections of drywall was enough to start them tumbling. As a result, on average, it penetrated just slightly over the FBI minimum into the ballistics gel.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">62 Grain M855\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/federal_855-1.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-3\" data-magnific_type=\"image\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3753 size-large\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/federal_855-1-1024x663.jpg\" alt=\"M855 has good penetration\" width=\"1024\" height=\"663\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/federal_855-1-1024x663.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/federal_855-1-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/federal_855-1-768x497.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/federal_855-1-1536x994.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/federal_855-1-2048x1326.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/federal_855-1-610x395.jpg 610w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/federal_855-1-1080x699.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/federal_855-1-627x406.jpg 627w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Average Muzzle Velocity: 3014 fps<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Minimum Gel Penetration: 2.5 inches<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maximum Gel Penetration: 16+ inches<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Struck Rear Wall: Y<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Penetrated Rear Wall: N<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/testing-m855-vs-m193-5-56mm-ammunition\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The M855 round has a tip that is specifically designed for barrier penetration<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and that\u2019s exactly what this round did in our tests. M855 was the only round of the four we tested which went through the front two sections of drywall and all the way through the testing medium. In addition to this, each round deviated significantly when it hit the ballistics gel. One round impacted on the far side of our four foot wide rear wall, one impacted the other edge, and the third missed the wall entirely. Both of the rounds that impacted the rear wall hit one of the 2&#215;4 stringers, so we were unable to determine if those two rounds would have gone past the rear wall.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">69 Grain Fiocchi Sierra MatchKing HP\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/fiocchi_69gr_smk.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-4\" data-magnific_type=\"image\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3750 size-large\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/fiocchi_69gr_smk-1024x663.jpg\" alt=\"69 grain 223 is great for self defense\" width=\"1024\" height=\"663\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/fiocchi_69gr_smk-1024x663.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/fiocchi_69gr_smk-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/fiocchi_69gr_smk-768x497.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/fiocchi_69gr_smk-1536x994.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/fiocchi_69gr_smk-2048x1326.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/fiocchi_69gr_smk-610x395.jpg 610w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/fiocchi_69gr_smk-1080x699.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/fiocchi_69gr_smk-627x406.jpg 627w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Average Muzzle Velocity: 2400 fps<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Minimum Gel Penetration: 6.5\u00a0 inches<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maximum Gel Penetration: 13.5 inches<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Struck Rear Wall: N<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Penetrated Rear Wall: N\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A 69 grain bullet is approaching the top end of 5.56 ammo, and the MatchKing round is an open tip match (OTM round). As such, we were expecting this round to slow down through expansion, rather than tumbling. Imagine our surprise when the round not only tumbled, but performed at a level very similar to the lighter weight 55 grain FMJ round.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is the Best 5.56 Ammo For Home Defense?\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s go back to our original parameters. An effective 5.56mm home defense round must stop the threat and minimize the threat to innocent life. The 40 grain varmint round certainly did minimal damage to our testing medium. However, I\u2019m not sure I\u2019d rely on it to penetrate into the target and cause a wound that would stop a threat.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the other hand, the M855 round did exactly the opposite, which is not surprising for a round that was designed to go through barriers. M855 is useful in other situations such as punching through cover and concealment, but its utility in those situations means it\u2019s not the best 5.56 ammo to use inside the home.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This brings us to the last two rounds in our test, the 55 grain M193 and the 69 grain Fiocchi. Both are terrific rounds, and they did about the same amount of damage to our testing medium. The 69 grain MatchKing is a proven hunting and target round, and 55 grain M193 has years of effective use by both law enforcement and military. However, M193 is less expensive per round than the Fiocchi ammo. This means you can practice with the same ammo you use for personal protection, giving you more confidence when lives are on the line. As such, based on these results, we\u2019d recommend M193 as the best 5.56 ammo for personal protection inside the home.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What do you think? Did we get it right? Sound off in the comments below.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Finding The Best\u00a05.56 Ammo For Home Defense The 5.56mm round (and its 223 Remington cousin) is one of the most popular rifle rounds in America today. This is due, in no small part, to the immense popularity and almost unlimited flexibility of the AR-15, which is commonly chambered in 5.56mm. 5.56mm is the preferred rifle [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3742,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,5,11,15,19,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guns-101","category-guns-201","category-practice","category-prepping","category-rifle-shooting-tips","category-training","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Best 5.56 Ammo For Home Defense - AmmoMan School of Guns Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Is the AR-15 good for home defense? 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