Most Vicious/Lethal .45 ACP Round?

[LovespongeJones]

Can someone tell me the type and grain of the absolute most lethal .45 ACP round that will pretty much guarantee near fail-proof defeat with one shot? If possible, I'd like to also have the ammo not cause heavy recoil, so fast follow-up shots can be easier (even if one round itself is enough).

So essentially I'm looking for the type and grain of the most lethal round that maintains manageable recoil. I read something somewhere about Black Talons being devastating rounds, but for all I know there could be something better. I've also heard that almost all .45 rounds are man-stoppers, it just depends on which ones expand more. I have no clue about pistol ammo, and tomorrow I'm ordering an HK USP Compact .45 for defense, and I need to know which ammo to get in the future.

Thanks.

 

[marcodo]

Here's agood start

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=377538

 

[LovespongeJones]

Thanks. I feel stupid now for not looking further before posting. I'm currently looking into Extreme Shock ammo, particularly the "Fang Face" bullets. They look majorly advanced.

 

[rantingredneck]

Save your money. Majorly advanced at marketing perhaps.

Quality 230gr JHP from a reputable manufacturer. Shot placement. Practice.

No such thing as a guaranteed one shot stop with any man portable weapon.

 

[SaxonPig]

The wording of your question makes me wonder if you are not in fact an anti-gun activist trying to portray the members of this forum as bloodthirsty barbarians.

Assassins worry about the lethality of their ammunition, not law-abiding citizens who rely on handguns for defense of self and family. Most any 45 ACP ammunition will work effectively to stop a violent, criminal attacker and that's what we want.

 

[XD45]

Stuff I've read showed the Fang Faces to be more hype than anything else. Go with Federal HST (my current choice) or Winchester Rangers (T-series).

 

[LovespongeJones]

SaxonPig, no, I am in fact a pro-gun conservative. I just have no experience with handguns and their ammo whatsoever. I've shot a 9mm and a .38 for fun a couple times in my life, and that was roughly six years ago. It's just time that I'm going to buy a real handgun for practice and defensive use and I wanted to know an ammo type that was deadly effective and highly reliable, yet manageable. That is all.

 

[Kayback]

The most lethal .45ACP is one that impacts in a triangle between the eyes and mouth.

Aside from that no pistol is really powerful enough to ensure a single shot kill.



KBK

 

[Marlin 45 carbine]

Remington factory Golden Sabre is a good choice, not hot-loaded but the slug sure makes a nasty wound channel.
can't substitute for good placement though.

 

[skywarp_]

Hahaha fang face ammo.


Wow.


Yeah.


What everyone else said. Most anything will work but i like the Ranger T's and HSTs

 

[doc2rn]

+1 to Winchester Rangers, that is what I carry in my FNP.

 

[Walkalong]

The wording of your question makes me wonder if you are not in fact an anti-gun activist trying to portray the members of this forum as bloodthirsty barbarians.

Crossed my mind too.

Buy any major makers HP that will feed in your gun well, practice, and hope you never have to use them.

 

[HGUNHNTR]

The Remington 185gr +P Golden Saber would be my vote. Others noted would be very good as well.

 

[basicblur]

So essentially I'm looking for the type and grain of the most lethal round that maintains manageable recoil. I read something somewhere about Black Talons being devastating rounds, but for all I know there could be something better

Well I'm going to assume you're a noob based on your Black Talon remark. Do yourself a favor and get your hands on Stopping Power: A Practical Analysis of the Latest Handgun Ammunition".
Maybe starting to get a bit out of date, and some folks just love to hate these guys, but it makes for some interesting reading.
Might also get your hands on anything by Massad Ayoob (lots of folks love to hate him also!), 'specially anything that covers actual cases (the actual shooting, legal aspects, etc).

If I remember correctly, Black Talons really weren't that good as they tended to overpenetrate before expanding. Think they were redesigned as Winchester Ranger/SXT? and now expand more quickly, but hey...they don't have that gangsta name now!

 

[basicblur]

And another thing!

Can someone tell me the type and grain of the absolute most lethal .45 ACP

You're not shooting to kill, you're shooting to stop.
A little more reading and the semantics will become clear grasshopper!

 

[elChupacabra!]

In .45ACP, I chose Federal Hydrashok 230gr +P. I've got Hydrashoks for all 3 of my defensive handguns, 9mm, 40S&W and .45ACP. I don't exactly know whether they are much better or much worse than the other major offerings (Remington Golden Sabers, Speer Gold Dots, Winchester Rangers, etc.), but I found them at a great price and bought 300 rounds. Although not the most important, cost does factor in since you will need to prove that your gun can feed them reliably without failure of ANY kind. Some say you should put 200 consecutive defensive rounds through the gun without any failure before you load that round for carry / HD. That would probably get expensive with ExtremeShocks... plus almost everybody regards that brand as a joke.

If you really want to be serious about defense, pick a solid, major offering, prove to your satisfaction it works in your gun, and spend plenty of time practicing.

And, as everyone else has said, you do not want LETHAL, VICIOUS rounds. You want effective rounds to stop an attack - you're not trying to kill the felon, you're trying to save your life by stopping him.

Have you considered what a prosecutor might think of this post if you ever DID have to shoot someone? You'd have alot of explaining to do about why you are so interested in vicious, lethal ammunition.

 

[basicblur]

Guess I ought to throw in what I carry since he asked?

I tend to go with Federal Hydra-Shoks, but do have a fair amount of Federal EFMJ.
'Course, things have changed a bit since I did my research and stocked up on defensive ammo.
Don't know exactly what I'd go with today, if not what the local PD uses?

I keep hearing good things 'bout HST and Power Ball, but that's mostly 'Net chatter, and you know how that goes?

 

[NG VI]

Thanks. I feel stupid now for not looking further before posting. I'm currently looking into Extreme Shock ammo, particularly the "Fang Face" bullets. They look majorly advanced.
__________________

Stay away from those. They don't do anything well, box o' truth tested their claims of limited penetration in walls and they failed miserably, punching through as many walls as any regular FMJ bullet. And they weren't very impressive against water either.

Using loaded language like "most lethal ammunition" outside of a hunting context is not going to be very well received. You'll pick up on things as you go though.

Welcome to THR

 

[silverking]

In your search for effective self defense ammo, try to avoid words such as vicious, devastating, destructive, and other hard hitting terms. That should apply to only being attacked by an extremely angry wild four legged animal who might just be a neighbor of your area. BUT--you did say manstopper.

 

[baker437]

Can I suggest you look into some formal training if you have not had any by certify instructor. NRA Basic Pistol Class is great way to become safe and accurate handgunner and typical doesn’t cost that much to do.

http://www.nrahq.org/education/training/find.asp

Two book by Massad Ayoob that I have found helpful when I was starting out in handguns were “In The Greatest Extremes” and more recently Combat Handgunnery .

 

[PO2Hammer]

Edited

 

[REPOMAN]

Placement is key..

The best defensive round in the world is no good without the proper shot placement......FWIW

 

[Conqueror]

Here's what I think of Extreme Shock fang face:



Seriously, it is crap. Get some Federal HST and never look back.

 

[rcmodel]

They look majorly advanced.

Oh yea!

Anything with NyTrilium in it is so "majorly advanced", modern science hasn't heard of yet.

It's not even a word, let alone an element or alloy.

But then again, 50 or so Mall-Ninjas can't be wrong!

rcmodel

 

[rondog]

Me, I carry Winchester Ranger SXT's in 230gr. They work fine in all my 1911's, and look like they'll discourage your average maggot. Make a fine mess out of water jugs too.