.45 auto short barrell JHP ammo?

[chrisnoel27]

Have a 3 inch PT145 Millennium Pro that I carry. Currently have Remington Golden Sabre 230 grain ammo. Want to switch to 185 grain due to lack of JHP expansion through testing. I Have researched and found that 185 grain JHP is recommended by many "experts" for 3 inch barrel ammo.
You guys with short barrel .45's what do you think?

Thanks!

 

[chrisnoel27]

This is all the response I get? No offense to you Jeff but I need more help here. My question has yet to be addressed. mrpapaa, go spam somewhere else.

 

[Walkalong]

go spam somewhere else.

That was fast. The mods have made it happen already. Good job.


I don't buy completely into the fact that the 230 Gr cannot work in a short barrel, but there is something to the fact that they cannot get up to speeds we consider the minimum to make a JHP expand to its potential.

Right now I have Speer +P 200 Gr short barrel GD's in my 3" Kimber .45.

If all I had was 185's or 230's, I would not sweat it much though.

1. Bullet placement

2. Bullet placement

3. Well, you know.

And if you do not keep your cool, it doesn't matter anyway.

 

[chrisnoel27]

Thanks, anyone have any opinion on the Power Ball 185 grain or it's competitor Hornady Critical Defense 185 grain?

 

[amd6547]

I use 230gn JHP (whatever brand I find for a reasonable price that shoots accurately) in my Glock 30.
When I shoot a 45, I want that heavy bullet. I also like lower cost 230gn ball to practice with.

 

[Drail]

Yup, if you're gonna shoot a .45 ACP, you want all the 230 gr. mass there is. Any 1911 can be modified to feed just about any round. With some of them it's easy. But some of them will make you wish you had never bought the thing.

 

[gofastman]

185 grain JHP is recommended by many "experts" for 3 inch barrel ammo.

they're wrong, imo.
sacrificing penetration for expansion is a bad idea.

the only time I would EVER use a 185gr bullet in a .45 is if it was a Barnes Tac-XP
i.e. Corbon DPX

maybe a XTP, if i was pressed to do so.

I might also look at 185's if were adding .45 Super (.45 +P+) to the mix

 

[huntershooter]

I'm not familar with the PT 145. If it has fixed sights the 185 could be an issue as .45 acp pistols are presumably engineered around the 230 gr. bullet (in terms of front sight heigth).

 

[Nakanokalronin]

I have a RIA Compact, Kimber UCII and used to own another Kimber UC II at one time. All of those guns where tested with 230gr. ammo. I shoot nothing but 230gr. ammo in any or my 45acp guns. I've never experienced a failure but have seen plenty of people talk about jams when switching to lighter ammo.

The "short barreled" ammo is usually just set to a higher pressure to increase velocity. I tried some Powerball 165gr. +P ammo one time and the polymer ball on the front acted like a rubber stopper on the feed ramps of every 45acp handgun I owned. I finally forced myself to shoot them off after sitting for years in my ammo box. I found out that the 165gr. +P ammo had more kick than a 230gr. +P round in the same platform.

My advice, stick with 230gr. weather it be ball or HP.

 

[ambidextrous1]

I believe you'll get good penetration from a 185 grain bullet in a 3 inch barrel. I personally use the Taurus 185 grain HP with the solid copper Barnes bullet in my Defender with 3 inch barrel. Penetration in phone books is good, and the Barnes bullet expands to abour 0.730 inch diameter.

 

[gofastman]

I believe you'll get good penetration from a 185 grain bullet in a 3 inch barrel. I personally use the Taurus 185 grain HP with the solid copper Barnes bullet in my Defender with 3 inch barrel. Penetration in phone books is good, and the Barnes bullet expands to abour 0.730 inch diameter.

a 185gr Tac-XP bullet is a totally different animal than a traditional 185gr JHP.
In most service calibers they penetrate like a slug that is 30grs heavier
http://ammo.ar15.com/project/Self_Defense_Ammo_FAQ/DocGKRData/45_CorbonDPX.htm

 

[DeepSouth]

I have a PM45 and I always shot the 230gr Short Barrel Gold Dot's. A couple years ago I killed a rather large whitetail doe, it completely penetrated after shattering two ribs. The bullet stopped just under the skin on the outgoing side, just like my 243 does most of the time. It also expanded much better than I thought it would, not all the way to gold dot but close.

I have since switched to 185gr Gold Dot's because I personally would rather under penetrate than over penetrate, not a popular position but it's where I stand. I also recently got the PM45 ported and I have been saying I was going to do more night shooting to see just how much the short barrel ammo reduces muzzle flash, and I may switch back. I wish they would just make a 185gr short barrel gold dot.

Either way I believe you will be fine, I don't know what you've been testing expansion on but that will have more to with your results than most anything else. The Gold Dot's have always expanded for me, it's just a matter of how much. From my limited experience I would say "The lighter the bullet, the faster the bullet. The faster the bullet, the more expansion. The more expansion, the less the penetration." There's always a trade off, for me, I'll take the expansion. That said I've never seen enough difference to lose sleep over either way. It's hard to go wrong with a .45!!

 

[Blue68f100]

In my state your responsible for every thing your bullet hits. So I like many others would rather under penetrate than over. I have switched to the Hornady Critical Defense 185gr for my carry ammo, in my Kimber Ultra Carry II, 3" barrel. The CD has always been soft shooting and more manageable for those who may be recoil sensitive. Hornady mastered the expansion in the small 380 round first and now in the larger calibers. Now the small 380 does not meed FBI specs on penetration, but it is close, 10". It was designed for HD not LE. I have not seen the test data on the larger calibers. I do not believe you need or would want full FBI spec if your not in law enforcement.

 

[MICHAEL T]

In my Defender , New Agent, and Detonics I have only one load CorbonDPX 185+P
I believe it will handle the problem. I had another compact 3" and one day I shot my old wood barn wall (230 ball white box) . Bullet stuck in the wall . Same ammo , Fired from a Commander I had a hole in the wall I decided right their 230 from a short barrel wasn't the answer.. I know not a very good test but I didn't expect the bullet to stop in a old barn wall.

 

[Ken Rainey]

I use 230 grain FMJ in my short barrel pistol (3.5 inch 1911 style) for a few reasons...

1.) It's probably what the pistol will be the most reliable with since that is what most were designed to operate with - especially 1911 styled pistols.

2.) No worry of it over penetrating with solid hits - on the contrary, it's needed for adequate penetration out of the shorter barrels -- why use a lighter weight +P HP bullet that, if it does expand, may have less penetration plus more muzzle blast to deal with?

3.) It's cost efficient and what is practiced with most often - nothing better than training with what you carry.

Shot placement with adequate penetration determines ammunition effectiveness.

As always, YMMV