45 ACP Short Barrel
- Thread starter Styx
- Start date
Howland937
Member
I've got the SIG 1911 that's the same size as the Kimber UC's and Colt Officer's size. I can say that shooting any near max or max loads in it is only fun for a minute or two. For carry, it's 200gr Hornady Critical Defense.
It was so snappy, the slide lock would hold the slide back with ammo still in the mag! Had a modified stop that had the nub shaved off in order for it to get through a mag full of ammo. It shot my target powder puff load with the regular stop installed, and functioned perfectly.
JTQ
Member
I would be more concerned about feeding and less concerned about terminal performance.
In .45 Auto, 185gr (some 165gr) to 230gr are the common bullet weights. Outside of that range it is more likely to run into function issues in auto loaders, and especially in small auto loaders. It may work perfectly in your gun, but if I was picking a round that I'd expect feeding issues with, it would be a round with weight up around 255gr, and a bullet shape of a typical hard cast round. Additionally, I'd expect the typical Underwood velocities in a little gun would be unpleasant to shoot.
There has been a lot of talk over the past 10 - 15 years about how 9mm is now the equal of the .45 Auto. That's not true. It is close, and that's the point. Because it is so close the other 9mm advantages win out in the selection process. The 9mm is easier to shoot, it is less expensive, it comes in more user friendly sized guns, it is easier on the gun, easier on the shooter, and usually offers higher capacity. If they are close, those 9mm advantages win out.
Nearly anything you shoot out of a .45 Auto will be equal or better than a 9mm.
Last edited:
JTQ
Member
Wilson Combat has some recommendations in their FAQ section for ammo and for ammo for their compact guns. Admittedly, these recommendations are for compact 1911 style guns, but the same concept applies to other compact guns.
wilsoncombat.com
Handgun FAQ
Wilson Combat has been the innovator in custom pistols, long guns, and accessories since 1977. Home of the Wilson Combat 1911, EDC X9, WCP320, and more!
wilsoncombat.com
fastbolt
Member
I don't own a 3.3" Shield 45, but I do own a 3.25" CS45 and a 3.75" 4513TSW. I carry the same loads I was issued at various times over the years, being Winchester RA45T 230gr, Rem HPJ/BJHP 230gr and Federal HST 230gr. A long time ago I also used Speer GDHP 230gr, but it's more expensive and harder to find in my area in recent years.
In older years I used to worry about where a short-barreled .45 would allow a .45 JHP to expand (I carried a Commander and a Star PD as a younger cop). In more recent decades, the big name makers in American ammunition have been offering us some newer bullet designs that are more accommodating of shorter barrels.
I looked and saw I still had pics of an older gel event we hosted at my former agency, by Winchester's Mobile Gel lab, using their prepared organic gel. At that time I loaned my new CS45 to the testing. These were from a couple 4 layer denim test shots, using the standard pressure Ranger SXT and the +P. I don't have my notes at hand, but as I recall the velocities weren't that far apart, and the penetration was similar. The standard pressure is on the left and the +P on the right. I carried the standard pressure, although there was a brief time when the standard pressure RA45T was really backordered, so we had to accept the RA45TP (+P), which produced more recoil (slide velocity & muzzle whip) than many of our shooters liked. The local W-W LE Distributor sold all the T-Series to cops at individual officer pricing (with ID), and I put back a supply of it in different calibers for a while.
Even the standard pressure RA45T has a bit more snap to it than the other major brand standard pressure 230's, but then it has a bit more velocity, so that's not surprising.
Nowadays I carry either the Golden Sabre, HST or the T-Series.
FWIW, Winchester has again revised the SXT derived T-Series since that earlier gel test, but then likely so have the other major makers revised and tweaked their bullets.
Personally, I quit worrying about the potential for expansion when using any of the major American maker JHP's of modern design (90's & onward), as they're making the stuff intended for LE/Gov sales to the same testing specs. I don't have any info on the other JHP lines marketed to the regular commercial market, as the different makers seem to put a different emphasis on how the commercial JHP's may perform in the standardized LE/Gov ballistic testing. It's not unusual to hear how JHP's designed for the commercial market may not be designed with the same intermediate barriers and testing in mind as those designed for LE/Gov sales.
Suit yourself.
First and foremost is to obtain reliable feeding and functioning, in your hands, in your little .45.
In older years I used to worry about where a short-barreled .45 would allow a .45 JHP to expand (I carried a Commander and a Star PD as a younger cop). In more recent decades, the big name makers in American ammunition have been offering us some newer bullet designs that are more accommodating of shorter barrels.
I looked and saw I still had pics of an older gel event we hosted at my former agency, by Winchester's Mobile Gel lab, using their prepared organic gel. At that time I loaned my new CS45 to the testing. These were from a couple 4 layer denim test shots, using the standard pressure Ranger SXT and the +P. I don't have my notes at hand, but as I recall the velocities weren't that far apart, and the penetration was similar. The standard pressure is on the left and the +P on the right. I carried the standard pressure, although there was a brief time when the standard pressure RA45T was really backordered, so we had to accept the RA45TP (+P), which produced more recoil (slide velocity & muzzle whip) than many of our shooters liked. The local W-W LE Distributor sold all the T-Series to cops at individual officer pricing (with ID), and I put back a supply of it in different calibers for a while.
Even the standard pressure RA45T has a bit more snap to it than the other major brand standard pressure 230's, but then it has a bit more velocity, so that's not surprising.
Nowadays I carry either the Golden Sabre, HST or the T-Series.
FWIW, Winchester has again revised the SXT derived T-Series since that earlier gel test, but then likely so have the other major makers revised and tweaked their bullets.
Personally, I quit worrying about the potential for expansion when using any of the major American maker JHP's of modern design (90's & onward), as they're making the stuff intended for LE/Gov sales to the same testing specs. I don't have any info on the other JHP lines marketed to the regular commercial market, as the different makers seem to put a different emphasis on how the commercial JHP's may perform in the standardized LE/Gov ballistic testing. It's not unusual to hear how JHP's designed for the commercial market may not be designed with the same intermediate barriers and testing in mind as those designed for LE/Gov sales.
Suit yourself.
First and foremost is to obtain reliable feeding and functioning, in your hands, in your little .45.
Last edited:
nastynatesfish
Member
Go check out berelli.com. They have a good sale on ammo. The ranger t series are just updated/upgraded black talon bullets. There’s a few YouTube videos of them in short barrels. I like the hst bullet and the sig vcrown loading
Similar threads
- Locked
