.45 ACP - Assistance Please

[johngalt]

A number of years ago I bought a case (500 rounds) of 230 gr Speer Gold Dot on sale, about the same price or a little less as hardball. It functions well in my 1911. I still have 1/2 of it left.

It is effective vs paper, no 1st hand experience vs people.

 

[mikerjf]

I've "heard tell" that 200g bullets cycle more reliably in more guns than 185g. No personal experience, except to note that back in the day it was not uncommon to put a JHP in the pipe and FMJ in the mag to be sure they would feed.

Like said above, any 45 round works pretty well for SD. It's one of the attractive things about the caliber. And it's nice to reload.

 

[swsig]

You can also Google "Dr. Roberts ammo list' and see what he recommends. I'd have no problem carrying anything on that list.

Here is a link to Dr. Roberts' ("DocGKR") list of ammo that meets acceptable penetration and expansion standards:

Service Caliber Handgun Duty and Self-Defense Ammo

 

[johngalt]

another magazine spring question

I don't think long term storage of loaded pistol magazines is a problem - but I'm curious about standard capacity rifle magazines? I have a few 30 rd AR magazines, I'm thinking of just loading 20 in them, but not sure if it is a problem worth worrying about.

 

[Cellar Hound]

Thanks

Paul Harrell (on youtube) did some videos on the 45 acp and JHP ammunition . The results were very interesting , and surprising , what worked and what did not . Regards, Paul

Thanks Paul! Great info.

 

[sandog]

I don't think long term storage of loaded pistol magazines is a problem - but I'm curious about standard capacity rifle magazines? I have a few 30 rd AR magazines, I'm thinking of just loading 20 in them, but not sure if it is a problem worth worrying about.

Load them to full capacity, they are made for 30 rounds, so put 30 in them.

Keeping mags loaded for years, even decades, doesn't hurt or weaken the springs. What weakens springs are full cycles, loading and unloading, loading and unloading, over and over.

 

[crazyphil]

I'm old so my choice is probably "old school", but I have always
believed the 230-Gr. Hydra-Shok from Federal, is the gold standard
for self-defense with a .45 ACP.

 

[sandog]

Hydra-Shoks are 30+ year old technology. They are as far from "the gold standard" as you can get.
Look at the Lucky Gunner tests, 230 grain Hydra-Shoks didn't expand one bit. The 185 Hydra-Shoks are better, but some fail to expand.
230 grain Hydra-Shoks are basically just FMJ with a higher price tag.

Federal HSTs, Speer Gold Dots and Winchester Ranger T's expand from .70" to 1 inch, while still penetrating 14 inches or so.

 

[Rule3]

In a "nutshell" it really doesn't MATTER!

 

[sandog]

It's your life, or the life of your loved ones, so it should matter.
All of these SD rounds cost about the same, so why not use one that actually expands and puts all of it's energy in the target ?
Better that, than FMJ, or a HP that acts like FMJ, penetrates 22 inches, goes through the target and hits something you don't want it to hit.

In .45 and 9mm, I only carry HST, Gold Dots and Ranger T, because it does matter.

 

[DeplorabusUnum]

I've always carried Federal HST in my 9mm carry guns, and .45 home defense handguns, just because it's so widely regarded as one of the best and it cycles reliably and repeatedly.

For what it's worth, I just ran a test on 5 self defense loads (pictures added) for my 9mm Glock. I was testing for consistent velocity and accuracy.

I was somewhat surprised by the result. #1 by a good margin wasn't the round I'm carrying. It was the Speer Gold Dot. I'd have to dig to find the finish order. I need more data to see if this is consistently the story, and I also want to do the same testing for 45 ACP loads, just because I'm curious.

In the meantime, I agree with those who say to shoot a round that expands reliably and that you can shoot accurately.

 

[Cellar Hound]

This is all great information! Thanks to all that have responded to my thread. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!

 

[Execpro]

My Son's PD before switching to 9mm carried Glock 21's with Speer Gold Dot 230gr.

Be SAFE and Shoot Often!

 

[Skeet 028]

I happen to have a couple of mags loaded with Golden Saber. They work through both 45s I usually carry...but that being said.. I carried 45 Ball for many years and it does work very well. Still larger than expanded 9mm

 

[kmyers]

With how much, or how little ammo, on shelves and able to locate online, you get what you can. I love that the H&K USP here has worked with everything put through it. It is also great at how bullet design has improved to the point of the my load is best. If needed just pull the trigger as needed instead of worrying that one particular brand and load will drop a fraction of a second quicker than another one.