With the high cost of SD/HD ammo....

[SAFireman]

....And being on kind of a 1911 kick right now....

-> What is a good, high quality, reliable substitute for factory JHP's? I ask this due to the ever-increasing cost of factory loaded self defense loads that are currently (somewhat) available.

- LSWC 230gr?
I have a variety of 1911's that feed random reloaded cases with lead, semi-wadcutters very well. In fact, they feed empty cases too...

- Truncated cone, jacketed 230grn
We had these in the police academy, they 'seemed' to hit the steel plates with a certain 'authority'.....I know, I know, I know....that is not terribly scientific, but are they a step up from the old 230gr ball?

- Other choices? what else is out there, and would be a OK alternative for SD/HD use?

 

[Nevada Ed]

I would think that any bullet from a .40 cal. and up would be ok with any design
as long as it had enough energy or fps to get 14" of penetration or better.

If you find some in your price range, load up.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

In .45ACP I use a lot of cast 230-TC as well as 200-SWC. Either one makes a reasonable choice for defensive use. More recently I have added a mold for 200-RN-HP (very large cavity) and these have shown excellent accuracy and reliability in my pistols.

In .44 Special I have used cast bullets exclusively for years. The 240-SWC and 210-SWC are both very good choices.

In 9X19 my usual choice is cast 125-RN-FP.

In .38 Special and .357 Magnum my usual choice is either a cast 158-SWC or 150-SWC-HP. Both have proven to be more than adequate for Colorado mule deer (usually 150-250 lbs. live weight). I also have a mold for 140-SWC that can provide a very hard cast 132-grain result in the harder alloys, and the .357 Magnum can drive those in the ~1500FPS range, for those wanting to explore the edges of the performance envelope.

Much to be said in favor of the modern developments in factory JHP, but I have not yet joined the group that believes that these are the only possible choice! I still believe that cast lead alloy bullets with large blunt frontal areas are very effective choices.

For those who are not into casting their own, GT Bullets offers a wide range of excellent designs, also tailoring the casting alloy to the intended uses (velocity, pressure). That makes a lot of sense to me!

 

[biku324]

In factory rounds, I use Winchester RED45 (230 grain FMJFP) for carry.

 

[scattershot]

A 200 grain SWC at 900+/- fps is nothing to sneeze at.

 

[stansdds]

I'd say a truncated cone or semi-wadcutter bullet. Either would likely produce a little better crush cavity than a round nose bullet.

 

[Pisgah]

Your thinking is backward. 230 gr. FMJ is the standard; JHP, strictly optional...

 

[smoothshooter]

200 gr. Lead semi-wadcutter.

 

[sigp220.45]

If I was loading up my .45 Shield and there was a box of hollowpoints and a box of ball on the table, I would load with whatever was closest to my hand.

 

[Rudi]

If push comes to shove you can always fall back to standard hardball 230grn FMJ. It has been the equalizer in all the wars in CQB.