My first 45 acp pistol that I am quite happy with....all opinions very so much...let me know what Shield ammo you use for defense

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One day at a time

I do not own a Shield, or any striker fired pistol. In my Gen. 3 pistols, all in .45 caliber, I carry Federal 165 gr. Hydra Shok ammunition.

I use Hornady Critical Duty 220gr w/ FlexLock™ hollow points in the Black Pearl:



Intended for Law Enforcement use, there are restrictions for Civilian purchase. I just bought a 50 round box for $35 making it relatively inexpensive for premium ammo.

digiroc

Shoot Well My Friends

45's need to be heavy because their size, too lite it's really like a flying dime and will lose penetration, when I carried a glock 30 it was loaded with gold dots 200gr+p.

What restrictions are there for civilian use?

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No restrictions on Critical Duty.

In my 1911, commander size, all steel, I carry Speer Gold Dot 185gr and in my Shield 45 I carry Federal HST 230gr standard pressure.

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USN Submarine Service '66-'71

Hornady Critical Duty Flexlock 220gr. +P for my 45 Shield.

In my 45 shield, I carry Federal 230 gr HST standard pressure.

My choice is either 230 gr Federal HST or 230 gr Speer Gold Dots, either one will serve you well. I typically buy any of my self defense ammo from sgammo.com (They have target ammo too) Not only do they have great prices, they ship very quickly. They also don't price gouge like some businesses did.

I use just about any standard-velocity 230 gr. JHP load. Truth be told, even regular 230 gr. FMJ "ball" ammo ain't bad, and if I lived in some benighted state like NJ that disallows hollowpoints that's what I'd carry without a worry.

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Pisgah

The first thing is finding ammo that reliably works in YOUR gun, not my gun or anyone else's gun.

Not all ammo will do that, so you want ammo that runs 100% reliably in YOUR gun: 100 trouble free rounds.

OP made a good choice selecting a 45: he doesn't need expanding ammo to have a very effective sd gun.

Don't get sucked into the ultra light weight stuff because of higher velocities: big and slow has worked great for a long time.

I have two .45s, a Shield, and an FNH FNX .45 Tactical (5.25" barrel). One self defense round has proven to be the most accurate in my testing from both of these pistols: Federal Tactical Bonded 230g +P.

It is on DocGKR's recommended list of self-defense ammo (Service Caliber Handgun Duty and Self-Defense Ammo), and it has performed very well in the Lucky Gunner's tests for penetration and expansion ([url=http://www.luckygunner.com/45-acp-p-230-grain-tactical-bonded-hp-federal-le-tactical-50-rounds#geltest/url]). It is expensive and hard to find, but it is well worth it in my opinion.

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What, me worry?

I've been using critical duty in my 45's as well.

I can't tell you what you should carry in your Shield specifically but I've always liked 230-gr Rem GS and 230-gr Federal HST, both shootable, effective, and available.

No restrictions on civilian use (fixed that in my post), but there are restrictions on sales unless you provide documentation on being a "Qualified Professional" This can be Police, Fireman, Commercial Pilot, and some other professionals :

Hornady 45ACP 220gr+P FlexLock™ Critical Duty 50ct box $0.00

This also gets you a discounted price of $25 for a 50 round box.

digiroc

I'm not sure what Bud's is trying to do but there's nothing about that ammo that's restricted to "Qualified Professionals". It doesn't explode on impact, doesn't go around corners, cannot be locked onto a target. No more or less deadlier then HST or GD. I own several boxes of it in 9 and 40 I bought at Cabela's a while ago. No one asked for ID. Just logged on to SGammo .........




EDIT:

So after browsing Bud's for a few minutes it seems that that is just their "discount" program. They just market the 50 round boxes for "Professionals". Seems like Bud's discount is the same as regular price elsewhere! Whatever! Ill just buy my 50 round boxes of Speer Gold Dot for $25 or HST for $27 without a special discount
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I just bought a 50 round box of Critical Duty from my LGS for $35, no questions asked, but he did mention that the ammo was for "Law Enforcement use" so maybe Hornady has a discounted price for LEO's that applies to the Critical Duty ammo.

digiroc

In my Colt Commander 1911, I carry Federal HST 230 gr. standard pressure or Speer Gold Dot 230 gr.
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Hornady Critical Defense. 45 Auto. 185 grain at 1000fps. Consistent and reliable expansion.

Possibly!

I don't know too many agencies that use Hornady. It's all GD or HST with a sprinkling of Ranger. Not counting the State Police the biggest department here has 6500 officers and it's GD ammo. Other departments vary from a few officers to several hundred. Maybe they're trying to broaden their sales?!?

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Same as above for me.

Check this site out if you have not seen it yet, and make your own decision.

http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self...c-tests/#45ACP

I use Federal HST 230 gr Standard Pressure in my Shield 45 and my XDm 3.8 Compact.

The link to the testing was most informative, thank you.

Underwood Xtreme Defender is the "go to" ammo for our family's EDC's. We carry 9mm and .380. I'd have no problem carrying this in .45ACP. Check out this video: Underwood Ammo .45 ACP Xtreme Defender

Here's a link to find who has the cheapest ammo online. For those of you who like me use Federal HST 230 grain the below will take you right to that round.


.45 ACP/Auto ammo handgun Federal 230 grains HST

When I carry a 45 its usually while hunting in hog country and I stick with FMJ 230s. No need to get fancy with a pig.

As someone said earlier, big and slow works and has for over 100 years.

Just my opinion.

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Isaiah 41:10

Federal HST 230 gr or 185gr in my XDS. I will use any defensive ammo as long as its Federal HST

Here's another vote for the 230gr.HSTs.I have that ammo in all my .45s.
Clark

Buds is limiting sales to LE for the price, but you can walk into Academy and pick these up off the shelf for $24 (25 rounds) or a 50 round box at GT Distributers for $35.

What I carry:

I have two full-sized Colt Government models (5" barrel), and two compact S&W Model 457 (3-3/4" barrel) pistols. I use 230 grain FMJ ammo in all of them.

From my own experience, and everything I have read, 45 ACP is not known for its over-penetration. Hollow point and light weight bullets would seem to further exacerbate this situation. I am happy with all of the penetration I can get in this caliber.

I have had no problems with Gold Dot standard pressure 230G JHP or the same in Federal HST. I also would not hesitate to use plain old FMJ ball ammo like ya use at the range. It will work fine, but may over penetrate in a defensive situation. This might be a good thing if the target is a pig or a bear or some such probably.

Try different ammo in your pistol and see what it likes to eat more than worry a whole lot over ballistics. I do favor heavy JHP for mine.

i like the HST or SXT in 230 Grain +P flavor. Check out lucky Gunner Blogs they have some real extensive ballistic/gelatin testing with many many rounds. The HST and SXT preformed well, Also the Golden Sabres and God dots did well also.
I do not put much stock in the 12" minimum penetration for a round to be effective, But once the Feds make a statement for some reason its gospel.

I also can't understand those who carry different calibers during different season. I think the crushes the 9mm v 40 v 45 round debate. Many people choose the 9mm during the summer months because of the light clothing thats worn so its easier to penetrate to the body. BUT in the winter months they prefer the heavier 40 and 45 for penetration. Same deal with those who go camping or hiking, they seem to always choose a 40 or 45 over the 9mm. just seems odd to me

I would just stick with standard FMJ's. The .45 round is already a relatively slow round, sacrificing velocity in comparison to other popular SD rounds (9mm,40,357), plus, you're bleeding off even more with such a short barrel. I personally prefer 45's in 4-5 inch barrels, I'm not real keen on them in little 3" barrels. Also, there's the statistically higher reliability of FMJ's versus hollow points, as well as the fact they cost about 1/2 what HP's do.
If the .45acp is the death-dealing cannonball it's always made out to be, shouldn't FMJ's be more than sufficient?

Unfortunately it's not the "death dealing cannon ball it's made out to be".

Unless you're using a 50 year old gun FMJ is no more or less reliable then HP's.

HP isnt that expensive. 50 rounds for under $30. People will pay all kinds of money for grips and finish but god forbid spend $10 extra dollars on good ammo! I bet of they were extra shiny and made of shiny wood people would pay $100/round

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I do not understand the concern about penetrating clothing at all. Even my air rifle will penetrate winter garments with ease, so I can't understand why anyone would think clothing will affect a handgun (9mm, 38/357, 40, 45 etc.) bullet's penetration in a significant manner. I think people chose smaller guns in summer to make concealment easier.

But far more important than FMJ vs HP vs SWC is reliability. One's ammo must be 100% compliant with the chosen gun.

"Accuracy" is nearly irrelevant in a SD situation.

I'm with the FMJ guys. I do not believe in the efficacy of hollow point bullets at pistol velocities.

I like Speer Lawman 200gr. Nice meplat, feeds well in my guns. Last time I bought some on sale it was under $20 per 50. Pleasant to shoot.

Edit: a quick check of the interweb shows multiple sites selling 50 rounds for 15.99.

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I've still got it made.

230 grain HST Tactical Federal Premium, Full Size Sig P320. Sounds interesting enough. Dislike short barrels in .45.

That's the nice thing about 45 ACP, ball ammo has been getting it done for 100 years.

I use 230 grn HST in my 45 Shield

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M&P .40, M&P 9c & Shield 45