Hi:
In reference to .45 ACP .230 Gr. Hollow Point Ammo:

Is the bullet moving fast enough for the bullets to expand ?

Thanks
Jimmy

Yep...

Like all calibers it depends on the particular load. For self-defense the following are recommended by Dr. Roberts.

Barnes XPB 185 gr JHP (copper bullet)
Hornady Critical Duty 220 gr +P JHP
Federal HST 230 gr JHP (P45HST2)
Federal HST 230 gr +P JHP (P45HST1)
Federal Tactical 230 gr JHP (LE45T1)
Speer Gold Dot 230 gr JHP
Winchester Ranger-T 230 gr JHP (RA45T)
Winchester Ranger-T 230 gr +P JHP (RA45TP)

There are six 230 grain loads on that list so the direct answer is "Yes."

I use them in my pistols. I don't have any experience with ballistic jello but I trust that they do expand.

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Have Gun Will Carry

Even if they don't expand they are still a .45.

MANY German and Japanese soldiers met a quick death with just one round of NON expanding FMJ .45ACP bullets. The whole reason the military moved to .45 cal was because the previous standard with 38 cal bullets didn't get the job done whereas the 45 did and did it without the need for expansion. Also, if you're shooting the standard unworked over 1911 pistol, don't bet your life on it reliably cycling anything other than RN non expanding bullets.

I not ran across any name brand 1911's made in last 20 years. That has trouble with HP ammo . I shoot HP in my 1951 Commander in 9mm and not had a problem .

What next are you going to be telling us 1911 accuracy is side of a barn at 25 yds.

Check out the luckygunner.com hollow point ammo testing results here:
http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self...=libertyrising

You'll need to scroll way down for the results.
Some of the .45 ACP rounds expanded up to an inch in their gelatin testing and still had good penetration.

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What, me worry?

Good point!

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Only difference Fool/Mule-ears

Jimmy, answering your question is impossible as asked. We would need to know which JHP bullet and at what velocity. Usually a JHP bullet needs to achieve 900 fps to reliability expand but sometimes more. Speer short barrel bullets are designed to expand at lower velocities associated with short barrel handguns. Some bullets are tougher than others and some hollow points will clog easier than other designs causing the bullet not to expand. We need specific information to give an accurate assessment of the ammo.

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

When it comes to hollow points and expansion I am all for it - ESPECIALLY when referring to .38 Spl. and .357's. When referring to a 1911 and .45 acp the RELIABILITY and MASS of the .45 acp 230 grain Hardball is more important to me than possible expansion and therefore I would personally choose the Federal American Eagle (red box) for self defense. The other thing is that brand & loading has the highest MV of any of the main ammo company's offerings for 230 grain Hardball and is somewhat of a +P loading. Their stated MV is 890 fps as opposed to 830/835 for Remington & Winchester branded ammo.

Measuring just under a 1/2" wide, expansion is not nearly as important as it would be on a projectile that has a diameter of just over 1/3" and the .45 acp's sheer mass is devastating. So I personally choose American eagle Hardball in 45 acp and leave hollow point loadings to the 38/357 department. YMMV.

The correct answer is: It depends on the velocity envelope that a particular bullet was designed to expand within.

Some work really well from shorter barrels, others cannot be reasonably expected to expand from anything other than a service length barrel.

I would also like to point out that .45 ACP ball does not leave .451" diameter permanent wound channels due to its rounded ogive and the elastic nature of tissue; Dr. Martin Fackler expounded upon this in his wound ballistics research. FMJ ammo is still very much lethal, but typically very inefficient at crushing tissue compared to modern JHPs.

After looking at the Lucky gunner pictures................

one with that load only needs 752 fps if shooting the Speer Gold Dot.

I believe the Federal HST .45 ACP will expand well from almost any length barrel.

When I read ".45 ACP HP", it made me think of that recent listing by J&G of .45HP ammo.

This is a GREAT deal for those with moon-clip revolvers, as it's PPU brand JHP, for $159 a case of 1000... but it's NOT ACP and won't run in a semiauto or more modern revolver like the Ruger.

You don't mean this stuff, do you?

Yep.. they create a big leak.