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.45 ACP SD Ammo

C

Connor44

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Does anyone have any recommendations for a good brand of SD ammunition that is quality but wont cost me a arm and a leg to keep well stocked and good online places or stores to get them through?
I've looked at Hornady, Speer Gold Dot and Remington...I'm looking for any and all recommendations..Thanks for all the help guys!!
 
Winchester sells a 230 grain hollowpoint round that comes in 50 round boxes for about 35 a box. When its on the shelves and I get lucky I nab a couple boxes. Better that buying the designer stuff that is in the 20-25 round boxes and way more expensive. Frank
 
Hard ball ammo has been stopping men for over 100 years so I see no reason why that would change. With smaller diameter bullets expansion is important if you want a big hole but the 45 Auto starts out @.451", that already big!

the name of the game is hit something important and make them loose blood fast. Both can be done with a 230gr ball bullet in the 45 Auto. The added benefit, they feed perfectly in the 1911.
 
There are really no bad choices of .45acp jhp .differences in glass or hard barrier penetration might or might not be a factor in LE duty ammo , but for civillian SD that a major consideration.

Before the present ongoing ammo shortage , the Winchester White Box ( aka WWB ) 230jhp was widely available , and at popular prices in 50rd boxes. This ammo is essentially the same as the Deep Penetrating Sub Sonic , which was once W-W premimum line of ammo. Performance is solidly mid pack among 230jhp's. As a class std vel 230jhp will have similar POI to 230fmj , allowing for practice with similar sighting , trajectory , and recoil impluse.
 
Quality, best-technology .45 ACP SD ammo will cost at least a buck a pop. Stock as much as you like.

My "poor man's" bulk .45 ACP SD ammo is the 200-grain LSWC over a healthy dose of Unique. Hardball is my third choice: good stuff if you have to labor under the Geneva Protocols but it's not a death ray.

That said, a nationally known and highly respected SD instructor told me that his SHTF stash is conventional 230-grain hardball.
 
I like the hollow points; they're more likely to get the job done without passing through, and will cut a wound channel that stays open better than ball.

Favorites in 230 grain .45 ACP are Federal HST and Speer Gold Dot; Winchester Ranger a back up. Choose what runs best in your specific weapon.
 
Hapworth said:
I like the hollow points; they're more likely to get the job done without passing through, and will cut a wound channel that stays open better than ball.

Favorites in 230 grain .45 ACP are Federal HST and Speer Gold Dot; Winchester Ranger a back up. Choose what runs best in your specific weapon.
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I'll add Remington Golden Saber to that list. It seems a bit easier to find than Federal HST or Winchester Ranger.
 
Ball is very good, bonded hollow-points are even better.

When looking at the Remington Golden Saber just know what you are paying for - as there are two types - one bonded the other is brass - both labeled BJHP. Bonded is preferred. You can not purchased the Golden Saber bonded bullet for reloading as Remington only sells the brass version as a component.

Speer Gold Dot is plated but bonded and is an exceptionally good expanding round and can be purchased as a component for reloading - a 230 grain Gold Dot is a very formable round.
 
I've fallen back on hardball for SD use but I am real fond of the Speer 230gr Gold Dot ammo for the .45 ACP, if you are running them through a 1911 check that the blunt ogive on these clear the slide stop nub. Close second is the old standby Federal Hydra Shock, one of the early hollow pointers that worked and it still does.
 
One of the many desireable features of the 45 acp is that the least expensive ammo (ball) is at least as effective as the premium ammo in smaller calibers such as 38, 9mm and 40.

This means that you only need one load for everything and that your practice ammo is your carry ammo.
 
Just tested a box of Federal HST in 230gr. When I carry my gov't 1911, it will be holding these!
 
Hapworth said:
I like the hollow points; they're more likely to get the job done without passing through, and will cut a wound channel that stays open better than ball.

Favorites in 230 grain .45 ACP are Federal HST and Speer Gold Dot; Winchester Ranger a back up. Choose what runs best in your specific weapon.
Click to expand...

Your three favorites are also mine, plus I'm looking very hard at Barnes new TAC-XPD loading.
All copper 185 gr HP at 1000 fps. It is a +P if that is a consideration.
I don't use +P in my 1942 Remington-Rand 1911A1, but will use it in newer guns.
I'm on the third box for function testing. It looks good so far. :)
 
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I agree with those who have mentioned the Gold Dot, Golden Saber and Winchester 230 gr. JHP. However, I need to ask what you are going to carry the round in? Shorter barreled handguns, including Glocks, 1911s and anything with a barrel length of less than 4" tend to be a bit more sensitive to bullet grain and pressure due to lighter slides resulting in higher slide speeds. This is especially true in short 1911s under Commander lengths. Even the Glock 30S has had some issue with .45 ACP 230 gr. (especially +P) rounds due to slide speed affecting reliability. If you are planning on using the ammo in such a handgun, particularly a 1911 sub compact, consider 200, 185 and even 165 gr. loads.
 
Good and More Gooder Ammo

With the .45 ACP, most any modern SD ammo, including the 230 grain ball loading, will get the job done. Trying to differentiate between brands is a highly subjective undertaking. Either way, you don't want to be on the receiving end of any of them.

The one overriding criteria is that the ammo you choose must function flawlessly in your handgun. If there's one round you feel you must have but perhaps has a reputation for feeding issues, the easy solution is to load one up the tube followed by whatever you prefer.

As someone else mentioned, law enforcement needs are a bit different than CCW needs. We generally don't take on barricaded gunmen or people in motor vehicles.
 
Frank46 said:
Winchester sells a 230 grain hollowpoint round that comes in 50 round boxes for about 35 a box. When its on the shelves and I get lucky I nab a couple boxes. Better that buying the designer stuff that is in the 20-25 round boxes and way more expensive. Frank
Click to expand...

Completely forgot about these! They're loaded in my .45ACP derringers.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103
 
If your gun is picky about what it feeds, a 230 grain RNFMJ might be the best choice. Otherwise, I firmly believe an expanding hollow point delivers better stopping power in a 45acp, as they do in most handguns for SD, not necessarily better killing power.

I invest the $ in a couple hundred rounds of good SD ammo to ensure the reliability of my carry pistols, then reload or buy cheap factory FMJ loaded to the same approximate velocity for practice. If your gun is new, it is a good idea to run several boxes of cheap stuff thru first before testing the good stuff so as to help fit mating surfaces, and identify any problems before serious ($$) testing.

Like Snowman45 said, some shorty 1911's tend to have problems with heavier bullets do to slide velocity / timing. Make sure the heavier bullets run in yours if you have one. My 3 inch 1911 runs fine with Winchester Ranger / PDX 230 hp's, but that's my gun.
 
snowman.45 said:
I agree with those who have mentioned the Gold Dot, Golden Saber and Winchester 230 gr. JHP. However, I need to ask what you are going to carry the round in? Shorter barreled handguns, including Glocks, 1911s and anything with a barrel length of less than 4" tend to be a bit more sensitive to bullet grain and pressure due to lighter slides resulting in higher slide speeds. This is especially true in short 1911s under Commander lengths. Even the Glock 30S has had some issue with .45 ACP 230 gr. (especially +P) rounds due to slide speed affecting reliability. If you are planning on using the ammo in such a handgun, particularly a 1911 sub compact, consider 200, 185 and even 165 gr. loads.
Click to expand...

I'll be carrying a full size M&P .45, with a 4.5 in barrel.. The full size handguns fit my hand better since I have really long fingers..
 
Carried a US M1911A-1 through two tours in Vietnam. Used it a number of times. Saw it used by others several more times. Always loaded with either GI ball ammo or tracer-ball ammo.

Never heard about a customer complaint.

Over the past 40-plus years I've heard about any number of problems associated with hollow-point, SWC, or other ammo in the .45ACP pistols, and I've seen dozens of things happen to disrupt the cycle (magazine, feeding, firing, extraction, ejection, etc). Nearly all of those have involved someone trying to force a pistol to accept the owner's definition of the "best ammunition".

Nothing has ever achieved the degree of reliability in the .45ACP pistols that GI-standard ball ammo will deliver. Nothing.

Reliability is the gold standard in a defensive handgun.

Period.
 
LoboGunLeather said:
Nothing has ever achieved the degree of reliability in the .45ACP pistols that GI-standard ball ammo will deliver. Nothing.

Reliability is the gold standard in a defensive handgun.Period.
Click to expand...

Yes, reliability is the gold standard relative to defensive pistol carry - I've never had a reliability problem with Ball but I also have had no reliability problems with either gold dot, brass golden saber (gold dot/brass golden saber are my handloads) or Buffalo Bore 255 grain cast - one has to know their defensive 1911.

G.I. Ball has been and will probably continue to be the gold standard other types will be judged against for reliable feeding, but the premium ammo has come a long way in the past decade and IMHO is now an equal partner with G.I. Ball in most quality 1911's.

Some have had reliability problems with about every type of ammunition tried, while others like myself, haven't experienced any reliability issues with either factory or reloads in my Baer 1911 or my Sig P220.
 
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