What are you all using in your 45 ACPs for self defense? Looking for a good 230 grain factory load.

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jj

Speer Gold Dot

Winchester Ranger 230gr +P. This is quite a hard load to find but I was lucky enough to score four boxes last year. If I didn't have this load I would go for 230gr Gold Dots. Big slow moving soft bullet will take care of business for you.

IMO there's lots of good JHP's out there for self defense in the .45 acp and any of the offerings by the major manufacturers will do fine with no real measurable difference. I have Remington Golden Saber 230gr, Mag Tec 230gr and 185gr JHP +P, Win Ranger SXT 230gr, CCI Gold Dots 230gr and 200gr, Federal HST and Hydrashok 230gr and a single box of Starfire 230gr JHP's. Have carried and loaded each at various times and have always felt well armed.

I've picked up this variety as its come on sale or when found for a good price over the years.

I agree with Steve. Any major brand premium ammo will get the job done. Heck, with 45, Hardball will get the job done. I rotate SXT, HydraShoks, Golden Sabres, Gold Dots and have HST on the way.

Sir, Speer 230-grain Gold Dots run well and are accurate in my 1911. They're also what the local police use, which is nice. FWIW, I don't entirely trust hollowpoints, even the dollar-per-shot ones, so I carry hardball as well.

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

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Wishin' don't make it so.

I'm using Speer 230 grain Gold Dots. They have feed 100% in my 1911 autos.

Like said above, most "name brand" SD ammo out there will do a good job. Pick the one that will reliable cycle and fire from your pistol every time and stick with it. My Springfield 1911A1 seems to like Remington Golden Saber ammo best. My son's 1911 just eats up Federal Hydra-Shok ammo all day long.

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

Like Ron H. I don't fully trust the HP bullet, so I stagger mine with ball. I have used the Win STHP as well as the Speer GDHP.

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Slim, U.S. Army, Ret.

Federal Tactical HST 230gr +P

What ever feeds the best.

Speer 230 gr GD-JHP .. accurate and reliable function in my 1911 autos.

230 FMJ, will do the job that John Browning intended the 1911 to do.

It might still be lurking around here as a sticky, or a FAQ?
But there was a member some time ago now, that summed it up really well. Sorry I can't cite who it was?
#1 The load that runs 100%.
#2 The most accurate of the loads that run 100%.
#3 The best bullet design(s) that are at the top of #1 and #2.
As has already been said, there are far more "good bullets" than "bad one's" anymore! The big 3 all make fine products. My preference is for one in a 230 grain. I might consider a 180-200 out of a compact or light weight gun, as long as it "runs".
JOMO?

THIS! Works fine in my two .45ACPs

DPX in my steel guns, and PowerBall in my alloy Commander

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the world is round everywhere

Local ME says 230 Gold Dot is very destructive and effective. I'll take his word.

I'm with Ron H, Win Ranger 230's and hardball.

The nice thing about the .45 ACP is that any 230gr factory load is good. Hard ball, hollow point doesnt really matter much. With that said, I use in order of preference.
1. Speer 230gr Gold Dot
2. Federal 230gr Hydra-Shock
3. Any U.S made 230gr hardball

In any case as already stated whatever your choice is, it must function 100% of the time in YOUR gun.

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Stay safe people!

Corbon DPX 185-grain +P

Try Winchester's new .45 ACP 230 grain PDX1 load.

Remington Golden Saber 185 grn JHP. Of course, G.I. hardball has been working for almost 100 years.

I don't really get that. I assume you mean you don't trust HP to reliably expand. So, your "solution" is to load the magazine with half expanding bullets and half with a style that FOR SURE will NOT expand. How does that increase your chances of expansion? If the HP does not expand, it acts like ball anyway, so why stagger? Ball increases your chances of overpenetration and injuring a bystander or going through your drywall and injuring a loved one. I have NEVER heard of ANY law enforcement agency alternating different styles of bullets, and I believe there is some indication that doing so decreases reliability of the pistol somewhat. I am sorry to say that it sounds like your solution is not well thought out.

The Gold Dot is an excellent bullet but Speer tends to load it quite soft. They seem to expand rather well, even at lower velocities, but at the cost of penetration. Penetration IS stopping power and the bullet that both expands AND penetrates completely will always provide the best stopping power. If you're afraid that your bullet will shoot through and hit somebody else, that's very noble and compassionate of you, but you have certainly compromised your stopping power. I feel too many people are choosing underpowered ammo. Besides, innocents are far more likely to be shot due to wild, innacurate shots than shoot throughs.

My 625 is a revolver and it feeds everything with complete reliability. Every bullet I have ever shot through it is more than accurate enough for self defense purposes. It all comes down to which bullet is chosen, how well it is made and how fast it is going. I'll choose the heaviest Barnes XPB, followed by the Gold Dot and any other bonded bullet moving as fast as possible.

Dave Sinko

Reliability issues aside, there is no reason in this day and age to use hardball for general purpose carry ammo IMO. The current generation of bonded hollowpoints in .45 ACP are incredible feats of engineering. Modern stuff (a prime example would be HST) appears to work well, even through auto glass, in testing I've seen. That said, we should all use what we are comfortable with.

Has anyone tried Hornady's 230gr +P XTP load? Bass Pro had them for a decent price and I picked up a box to try in my M325

I've shot a box of them. They were accurate & functioned 100%, but I prefer the 230gr +P HST from Federal.

I know of a Texas Ranger who in recent times carried his 1911 with ball
and HP staggered in the mag. He carried it that way because he did not
trust the HP to go deep enough. This man knows what he is doing. A lot of people don't trust 45 HP in the penetration category. I carried a 1911 hog hunting for a while and believe me the 230 JHP doesn't go all that deep, even the 230 +P Ranger SXT. I know of someone who shot javelinas with that load and the bullet was lying on the ground behind the 40 lb javelina after being shot with it. Not impressive! 45 230 ball does not over penetrate as badly as some say either, it is short and fat for its size- not conducive to deep penetration.

I also heard of a LEO shooting where the 200 gr Speer Flying Ashtray bullet penetrated one inch, balled up and stopped. That particular officer
had also been involved in several other shootings and he said the 230 ball performed ever time 100% for him.

Some rural LEOs who carry the 1911 .45 still swear by and carry them with what they were designed to be used with- ball. It works and always has.

Even though it is not popular in the gun rags, with Evan Marshall, or among the gun shop ninjas who sell HPs , some of the most knowledgeable handgunners will tell you to run 230 ball in 45s. Clint Smith of Thunder Ranch for one says run 230 ball and he has actual combat experience with it.

I've gone with Marshall and Sanow's stopping power report, and have carried 230-grain Federal HydraShok in my .45s for years. From the recoil, as compared to GI hardball, I believe it has a bit more oomph, as well. Feeds reliably in all of my guns.

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

My carryin' Colt Combat Commander is loaded with Glaser Safety slugs. Spare mags have the old Remington 185gr SJHP+P.

230 grain Golden Saber. Its free.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

I started placing a 230 FMJ on top with a 200gr H.P. under, then a 230 FMJ and so on. I reload so I adjusted the power level to shoot all to point of aim. I think it will work out but I hope I never have to find out. I do feel better with the staggered method. I can imagine situations where it would be a good idea. But they would both have to shoot to the same place IMO. I have been in situations where a confrontation would take place a greater distances than your might encounter in a urban environment. That for me is why I like the idea.

I’m not sure I understand the logic of staggering HP with ball. Isn’t a HP that fails to expand essentially a hardball? Why not just shoot HP and if it expands great, if not it’s already as good as a hardball.

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Shoot fast & live long
Warren

Sir, as Mr. Sinko wrote a page or so ago, the concern with hollowpoints isn't failure to expand, but rather failure to penetrate. I want enough penetration to reach the vitals under any reasonably likely conditions (bad target angle, heavy clothing, stuff in pockets, arms in the way, etc.), and I'm not confident that a hollowpoint can provide that.

However, modern hollowpoints have a good record, and I'm a hopeful sort, so I do carry them. I do not alternate them with hardball in the same magazine, though. I load a hollowpoint in the chamber, with the rest of the magazine hardball. My thinking, FWIW, is that if the first shot out of the gun (the HP) does the job, great. But if it doesn't, I'm probably going to need hardball penetration from the following rounds.

JMHO, and YMMV.

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

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Wishin' don't make it so.

All of the modern 230gr bonded JHPs penetrate barriers as well as ball, and even better in some cases as it is more likely to dig in instead of ricocheting off, and less likely to fragment on windshields.

LAPD SWAT used to carry back-up mags of ball if they needed it but no longer do so since the newer bonded ammo makes this practice unnecessary.

I would only carry ball if I was forced to, such as being in the military, or if it was a SHTF situation and I had no other ammo available.

I have personal experience with the Federal 230 grain +P Tactical bonded. I fired four shots from a Colt Commander (4-1/4 inch barrel) at 2 men wearing winter clothing. Two shots expanded fully and exitted the torso of each. One struck the upper side of the skull of one of them and deflected down into the shoulder, causing a depressed skull fracture with bone fragments as secondary projectiles, penetrated the shoulder several inches and expanded fully. The fourth shot was from an odd angle, penetrating the torso from the side, under the armpit, and ranged down through the body, at an angle, about 18-22 inches. X-rays made it look like it expanded but the surgeons left it there.

Penetration was plenty adequate; two of four were through-and-through. Expansion was consistent. Weight retention was nearly 100%. I couldn't have asked for anything better.

If your gun feeds a quality JHP loading, there is no reason to use ball any more. Bullet technology has come a long way in the last 20 years.

+1. I think hardball is a waste of time. Today's best JHPs are marvels of engineering.

Thank you for sharing that, Buff.

Load-X 230 grain FMJ flat point.

I doubt there is actually a "bad" self defense load for the 45ACP. Even 230 grain ball ammo is effective. I have used a number of good loads through the years and am currently using Speer 230 grain Gold Dots. The load you chose must, above everything else, function 100% in YOUR handgun and be accurate enough for the job.

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195th Session FBINA

Double Tap

Bullet : 185gr. Nosler JHP

Ballistics : 1225fps - 616 ft./lbs. - 5" 1911

Thats 10mm terratory.

I feel any of the better 230 jhps are adequate for the task of duty use or SD. Most of the good ones are restricted by the mfg to LE officers and agencies, but this doesn't mean they can't be had. The best one IMO readily available to everyone is the Speer 230 Gold Dot & the Remington 230 Golden Saber. However, you must ensure your gun runs 100% with these and it can be expensive to run a large enough sample to be certain. If my gun wouldn't run reliably with the jhps, and I still had to have a .45, I'd get a gun designed to run them (M&P, H&K, Glock 21). 230 ball is better than nothing but is not a good choice with the numerous other excellent options available.

sigp220.45, are you still issued standard 230 Golden Sabers or have you gone to the bonded version? The expanded one in the pic looks to have held together well with no lead core slippage.

My brother is a deputy sheriff and his dept uses Remington Golden Sabers in their Sig P220s. He claims the FBI uses the Golden Sabers, also. In addition to the GS, I like the Federal HST and Buffalo Bore hollow points.

I use Speer Gold Dots in my 38s and I'm sure they're good load for the 45, too. Probably any good quality hollowpoint is a decent choice.

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With S&W, you're holding history in your hand

Its the same stuff we've had for the last several years, since the Hydra-Shoks. There may be newer stuff out there, but I am at the ***-end of the FBI (Indian Country) and get everything new last. I poached the picture off the internet.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

Is that why you drink my milkshake?

Its hard to come up with a good movie quote of less than thirty characters!

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

Federal 230 gr. Hydra Shok.......old faithful.

Federal HST 230+P PS. In case of 45 ACP, a good 230 grain Ball will do just fine. Also, in case of a 1911's , no matter what, the quality 230 ball will ALWAYS be more reliable.

I carry 230 Gold Dot. But whould also use Federal 230 HST +P if I did not have the Gold Dot issued to me. The Remington Golden Sabre works very well also.

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NEVER FORGET SEPT. 11th 2001

I agree with there not being a great deal of variance between today modern JHP for use in self-defense. The biggest thing is trying the different brands and seeing which functions well in the particular firearm being used. The worse thing about it is spend big bucks testing.

That's my take also. I'm chomping at the bit to see what works well in my soon-to-ship 4516. I've rounded up a pretty good sample to start with:

Federal HST 230
Win. Ranger 230
Gold Dot 230
Win PDX1 230

I might find some Cor-Bon DPX also. My M&P40c likes all of the above rounds so I thought they were the right place to start in 45. I have confidence in all of these rounds, so whichever is most accurate will get the nod.

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Fast is fine;accurate is final