I have a lever action .45 LC rifle that I bought for plinking and home protection. I reload for plinking but want factory ammo for home protection, does anyone have any suggestions?

Buffalo Bore Heavy loads. Dave

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Time Wounds All Heels

At home, Glasers are the only sane choice! They will break up on wallboard, so you don't kill your kid sleeping in the next room! On flesh, they create a devistating wound, much like a shotgun. Glaser Safety Slug at Dakota Ammo - COR®BON/Glaser Self Defense and Tactical Gear

If you ever venture out on the street, I would load Hornaday Critical Defense.
Hornady Manufacturing Company :: Ammunition :: Handgun :: Choose by Caliber :: 45 Colt :: 45 Colt 185 GR Critical Defense®

At my house, 255 grn lead RNFP over 8 grains of Unique...

Speer loads the .45 Colt with a 250 grain Gold Dot at 900 fps .
Sold in 20 rd boxes .

I'd like to know which round that is, product #, etc., because their website lists the 250 gr. GDHP at 750 fps. Not trying to be critical, I'd just really like to buy such a load if it's available...

Speer Ammo - Ballistics Tables

Cheers,
Tom

750 or 900 fps isn't going to make any difference.

A 20% difference in muzzle velocity? That seems pretty significant to me...

Cheers,
Tom

Been around for years 225 gr soft lead

Only thing I've ever killed with it is phone books all of them left a fist sized hole on the way out, none of the phone books got to run more than 15 or so inches......

Yeah, 20% is a lot since energy is derived from velocity squared as opposed to being a straight line function on bullet weight.

BTW, I am fond of .44 special with 8 gn. of Unique behind a 210 gn. hpswc.

I guarantee any home intruder shot with a 750 fps .45 Colt load will be just as sick and in need of medical attention as one shot with a 900 fps load.

A 255 gr slug? He'll, throw it

There are good suggestions already but most of them are very expansive, and for no good reason. If you don't want to use your reloads for HD I suggest buying some Winchester 225gr Silvertip ammo. Silvertip bullets are proven technoligy and they are hollow points. Best part is, even though it's good ammo it won't cost you a ton of cash to buy.

Buffalo Bore is over $37/20 rounds. The Winchester ammo will cost you less than $20/20.

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

Remember folks, this is RIFLE ammo, not pistol ammo.

Geoff
Who has NO experience or secondary knowledge of .45 LC Rifle rounds.

How is the Glaser ammo at longer ranges, 50-75 yards? Is it only a short range proposition?

Not disagreeing with anyone here at all on the effectiveness of 750 fps vs. 900 fps, just wondering if Speer really does make such a factory load...I've seen it mentioned in other posts, and would love to find some for back-country defense against other than two-legged threats.

Okay, enough thread hijacking for now...I'm right up there with Geoff on my knowledge of .45 Colt rifle rounds
Cheers,
Tom

Greg,
I had a similar question, although for my handgun.
Found this article which provides some very good insight on all types of ammo for most weapons.

Ammunition For The Self-Defense Firearm

My preference for home defense is a 12 guage, with #4 shot. probably the most intimidating weapon, and the most effective in stopping power. Just my 2 cents.

I don't generally keep my .45 Colt revolver out for home defense duty but this load would be my choice.

The 255 grain .45 caliber lead slug seems hugely more significant to me than the 20% velocity difference does.

This is a weak answer but, I think any .45 round that functions flawlessly is going to be very effective at room distance or across the driveway distance.

WILDPIG

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I ain't from around here.

100% functioning first, which is important in a long gun firing a handgun round. I also believe just about anything would work well enough, once you have that size and weight heading downrange (or across the room). A round designed for a handgun might not gain too much speed out of a much longer barrel.

There is a Blazer 200gr JHP at 1000fps.
LE: Ballistics Detail

How about a 200gr Gold Dot at 1100fps? (out of stock)
"NEW" .45 Long Colt 200gr Speer Bonded Unicore Hollow Point 50pk

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I miss my 4546 the most.

This one was not too bad.

YouTube - 45 Long Colt - CCI Blazer - 200 Gr. JHP Ammo Test

We tested a few others including Winchester's PDX-1. I will try to get them uploaded tonight.

Andre'

Here is the pdx-1...

YouTube - 45 Long Colt - Winchester PDX-1 - 225 Gr. JHP Ammo Test


We tested 3 others that I will upload as soon as I finish editing them.

Andre'

Anybody know where I can get a "repro", Jesse James, (.45 Schofield, 7" barrel), leather HOLSTER?

255 flat tip 8grs of Unique in my opentop Uberti Colt. About 850 fps hits like 45 auto ball. Its enough. P.s. western Slim Jim holster like Jesse James Schofield are at carricoleather under western leather.

Another vote for Winchester Silvertips.

Krusr

If I used it for self defense, the Silvertips would be my choice. But I keep 255gr LSWC over 9grs of Unique in the gun.

It would be interesting to shoot some of these loads out of a rifle across a chrono to see how much difference the longer barrel makes. I expect you would see some pretty significant gains.

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Proud anachronism

Dont do this. Please. You will be doing yourself a disservice.

The human body hides all its good stuff relatively deep. Tucked behind bone, muscle, and more bone. Vital organs, major blood bearing vessels, arteries, and the only thing guaranteed to stop a fight instantly, the Central Nervous System.

With that in mind, a bullet that doesnt penetrate deep enough will have less effect than a bullet that does. If you dont have a bullet that penetrates deep (12-18 inches is preferred) you have to rely on exsanguination, bleeding out. That takes time. In that time, the bad guy(s) can still operate effectively, which means he/they can still kill you and/or yours.

Its not good up close, it wont be better at distance. A bullet that stays intact, penetrates deeply, is releiable in your weapon, is accurate in your weapon is ALWAYS a better choice.

Not really. Its not muzzle velocity, or even kinetic energy that wounds. In a pistol round, its what the bullet actually contacts. Its the tissue that is crushed, torn, or lacerated.

100fps or 500 fps isnt going to make a world of difference because it is still a pistol round, even in this case when it is fired by a rifle. When you get up to rifle calibers, that is when the difference becomes noticeable.

That article was written by Ed Sanow of the infamous Marshall & Sanow. Over the years their "work" has been thoroughly destroyed members of the International Wounds Ballistics Association, the FBI Firearms Training Unit, and by the departments they supposedly quote (Amarillo, TX, Toledo, OH being very upset). There is no stopping power.

You can find several papers about them being discredited at FirearmsTactical.com - Home.

Though I think we are in "violent agreement" on most things, pushing a hollowpoint pistol bullet 500 fps faster can cause it to expand too quickly and under penetrate and/or come apart. That then falls right in line with all the other things you said...

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Proud anachronism

I agree. That said I wasnt speaking of using the same bullet at that increase