Favorite Ammo for the 45 Shield

[FloridaS&W]

Just curious as to what different folks here are running for practice and self defense

 

[gunny4053]

Practice, 230gr ball anything. Carry, 200gr +P Gold Dots or 230gr Gold Dots.

 

[schnee72]

I got 1000 rounds of Blazer Brass 230gr fmj at a good price for practice. I have 230gr Gold Dots for defense. I have tried lots of different ammo without any issues as well.

 

[Shov76]

I usually shoot Winchester white box 230 grain fmj for target with no problem. For my defensive carry round I currently have American Gunner 185 grain jhp. It's a Hornaday XTP bullet..

 

[Funflyer]

Any practice ammo as long as it's brass case. For defense, Hornady Custom 200gr +P.

 

[ScaryWoody]

I've been using Magtech 230gr for practice. Got it on sale. For defense same as Funflyer, Hornady 200.

 

[vista461]

Practice Federal brass or aluminum case. For carry 230grn HST.

 

[swsig]

I like American Eagle 230g FMJ or Winchester Service Grade FMJ 230g for practice. They are both accurate and reliable. For self-defense rounds, I've found Federal Tactical Bonded 230g to be the most accurate, but not by much. Federal HST 230g was a close second.

 

[Dad_Roman]

For practice I dont much mind what it is. Aguila, Blazer, Federal, WWB (yuck), Armscor etc.

For SD only the top of the line Speer or Hornaday in JHP's or Hydro-Shok's.

Do NOT get into buying the RIP ammo

 

[mustangman]

My Shield likes everything I've put in it so far, WWB, Magtech, Federal aluminum, all 230gr.
My carry ammo is Magtech 230gr Bonded.
Lucky Gunner testing has it performing at the upper end in expansion at a .73 avg, and right in the middle of the FBI's 12-18 inches of penetration at a 15.3 avg.
Its accurate, reliable and wont break the budget at around $20 for 50.

https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self-defense-ammo-ballistic-tests/#45ACP

 

[hesser]

I load my own 230 gr ball from Accura for target and home cooked 230 gr Hornady XTP for defense.

 

[Mark IV]

So, to summarize, virtually any FMJ/ball ammo is fine, as is virtually any of the popular, big-name hollow points. Shoot whichever is cheapest and most readily available.

 

[rbh350]

So, to summarize, virtually any FMJ/ball ammo is fine, as is virtually any of the popular, big-name hollow points. Shoot whichever is cheapest and most readily available.

That's pretty much it. My personal choice for SD carry is the Federal HST 230 gr.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

FMJ/ball for practice and carry. If it was good enough back then, it's good enough now. I get expansion to .45 of an inch which is pretty good-it's cheap and if questioned by the police after a shooting, I can always say, hey if I wanted to kill him, I'd a used a super duper defense load-as it is now I was just using cheap practice ammo-I really didn't think he would actually die.

 

[bluelund79]

230gr HST for carry. I do buy a box of it to shoot every month for practice. For range fodder, I use my reloads, either 230gr lead round nose or plated, or my 200gr plated SWC. I like this gun a lot, it's fed everything I've put in the mags.

 

[ultratec00]

PMC Bronze 185 JHP. Very accurate/reliable in my Shield 45 and inexpensive enough to run a couple mags through every time I go to the range w/o breaking the wallet. All else are handloads. Zero 185 JHPs @ ~900 fps.

 

[FloridaS&W]

FMJ/ball for practice and carry. If it was good enough back then, it's good enough now. I get expansion to .45 of an inch which is pretty good-it's cheap and if questioned by the police after a shooting, I can always say, hey if I wanted to kill him, I'd a used a super duper defense load-as it is now I was just using cheap practice ammo-I really didn't think he would actually die.

That's an interesting perspective, lol

 

[FloridaS&W]

My Shield likes everything I've put in it so far, WWB, Magtech, Federal aluminum, all 230gr.
My carry ammo is Magtech 230gr Bonded.
Lucky Gunner testing has it performing at the upper end in expansion at a .73 avg, and right in the middle of the FBI's 12-18 inches of penetration at a 15.3 avg.
Its accurate, reliable and wont break the budget at around $20 for 50.

https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self-defense-ammo-ballistic-tests/#45ACP

Very nice charts there.

 

[mattwings]

I use Federal or Winchester 230gr FMJ at the range. Tried several and now carry Federal HST 230 gr. Never had a misfeed and consistent POA with everything I have shot through it. HST is available locally and performs well in testing for penetration and expansion.

 

[martybee]

Magtech FMJ 230 gr., S&B FMJ 230 gr., Blazer Brass BB230, for range and target shooting. I also use FMJ 230 gr. for SD. I, like CAJUNLAWYER, am from the old school; If it was good to use for so many years, It is still good to Go!