Self Defense Load 45 ACP

I feel any of the better 230 jhps are adequate for the task of duty use or SD. Most of the good ones are restricted by the mfg to LE officers and agencies, but this doesn't mean they can't be had. The best one IMO readily available to everyone is the Speer 230 Gold Dot & the Remington 230 Golden Saber. However, you must ensure your gun runs 100% with these and it can be expensive to run a large enough sample to be certain. If my gun wouldn't run reliably with the jhps, and I still had to have a .45, I'd get a gun designed to run them (M&P, H&K, Glock 21). 230 ball is better than nothing but is not a good choice with the numerous other excellent options available.

sigp220.45, are you still issued standard 230 Golden Sabers or have you gone to the bonded version? The expanded one in the pic looks to have held together well with no lead core slippage.
 
What are you all using in your 45 ACPs for self defense? Looking for a good 230 grain factory load.

My brother is a deputy sheriff and his dept uses Remington Golden Sabers in their Sig P220s. He claims the FBI uses the Golden Sabers, also. In addition to the GS, I like the Federal HST and Buffalo Bore hollow points.

I use Speer Gold Dots in my 38s and I'm sure they're good load for the 45, too. Probably any good quality hollowpoint is a decent choice.
 
sigp220.45, are you still issued standard 230 Golden Sabers or have you gone to the bonded version? The expanded one in the pic looks to have held together well with no lead core slippage.

Its the same stuff we've had for the last several years, since the Hydra-Shoks. There may be newer stuff out there, but I am at the ass-end of the FBI (Indian Country) and get everything new last. I poached the picture off the internet.
 
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Its hard to come up with a good movie quote of less than thirty characters!
 
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Federal HST 230+P PS. In case of 45 ACP, a good 230 grain Ball will do just fine. Also, in case of a 1911's , no matter what, the quality 230 ball will ALWAYS be more reliable.
 
230 45 ACP load

I carry 230 Gold Dot. But whould also use Federal 230 HST +P if I did not have the Gold Dot issued to me. The Remington Golden Sabre works very well also.
 
I agree with there not being a great deal of variance between today modern JHP for use in self-defense. The biggest thing is trying the different brands and seeing which functions well in the particular firearm being used. The worse thing about it is spend big bucks testing.
 
There's not a nickle's worth of difference in performance between today's premium JHP ammo.

Pick what you shoot the best from your gun.

That's my take also. I'm chomping at the bit to see what works well in my soon-to-ship 4516. I've rounded up a pretty good sample to start with:

Federal HST 230
Win. Ranger 230
Gold Dot 230
Win PDX1 230

I might find some Cor-Bon DPX also. My M&P40c likes all of the above rounds so I thought they were the right place to start in 45. I have confidence in all of these rounds, so whichever is most accurate will get the nod.
 
Federal Hydra-Shok 230 gr. Based on reading Paladin Press' Street Stoppers, from 1996. The data at that time was very convincing. Since then I have read articles in several magazines but saw nothing that change my opinion. Marshall & Sanow proved much of the "conventional wisdom" completely wrong with the research they did. There might be ammo that slightly outperforms Hydra-Shok, but I see no reason to change.
 
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