Newly aquired .45 semi auto - Ammo for HD?

[triplebike]

Hi all, the above handgun was purchased strictly as a home defense weapon. I am very familiar with this new handgun since I have the exact same in a 9MM. Which HD ammo do you folks recommend. It will be kept " locked & loaded " in my home with infrequent periodic trips to the range just to stay sharp with it. Thanks

 

[Fremmer]

Buy 3 or 4 different brands of JHP and see which brand your pistol prefers in accuracy. Go with that. I'd probably just use 230 grain jhp's, most any major brand will perform well. Try some ammo from Winchester, Federal, Remington, etc. Just make sure it digests at least a couple of boxes of ammo without a problem.

 

[gwnorth]

I've got winchester's PDX1 230gr JHPs in my Colt gov't at home these days. It has fed reliably and shoots well. The nickel cases also do well for a gun that may sit for weeks at a time and have some benefit in feed reliability with in-use ammo that sits in the mag for long periods of time.

 

[Ben86]

My favorite HD/CC ammo is spear gold dot jhps. I've tested some myself and they are amazing and work in everything I have. So I say buy some 230 grain, make sure it works in your gun, and if it does stick with it. The others I would consider are winchester pdx1, federal hst and remington golden saber bonded. As long as your stick with a bonded jhp from one of the big manufacturers you should be fine.

 

[Red Cent]

http://www.shootingillustrated.com/Ammo/Handgun/glaser45.html

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=75038

Round nose bullets will definitely feed. Wife uses Blue Glasers. Awesome destruction. Glasers advertise super accurate.
Corbon at 1225fps is devastating.
"
"The new bullet design is different from anything else available, but seems so simple that it is amazing that it hasn't been done before in handgun ammunition. The bullet has a large cavity in front into which is inserted a polymer ball. The ball basically serves two functions. The first is to promote smooth feeding in autoloading pistols. The ball gives the bullet the shape and nose profile of hardball ( full metal jacketed ) ammunition, assuring that this ammo will feed in any handgun which will feed hardball. The smooth plastic nose slides right up the feed ramp with nary a hang-up." (Corbon or Glaser)

http://www.gunblast.com/PowRBall.htm

 

[BADUNAME37]

I use 230 grain FMJ. My take on it is it has good penetration through any clothes and if the bullet hits bone, the bone will shatter and at the speed the bullet hits bone, pieces of bone will be acting like shrapnel and small projectiles.

Another good thing about it is that it is relatively inexpensive. I got 500 rounds for about $210.

 

[ArmedBear]

Federal 230 grain .45ACP+P HSTs are my choice. A little from the old, tried and true: big and heavy. A little bit from the new and high-tech: fancy pre-cut bullets going relatively fast.

That would be contingent on your gun feeding them perfectly, of course.

 

[Ben86]

My take on it is it has good penetration through any clothes and if the bullet hits bone, the bone will shatter and at the speed the bullet hits bone, pieces of bone will be acting like shrapnel and small projectiles.

Really?

 

[DasFriek]

Done!
Winchester Ranger Talon 230gr. +P HP
http://www.ammunitiontogo.com/catal...30gr-p-hp-ammo/cName/45-acp-hollow-point-ammo

 

[MICHAEL T]

.45 ACP Glaser Silver Safety Slug

The downside to fragmenting specialty loads like the Glaser Safety Slug is limited penetration.

Thats why their no good for self defense. and will cost you a lot of money. To test say 200 rounds for reliability Don't waste you money .

Get a good HP that feeds in you pistol I use Corbon DPX and Yes I have tested them started about day they came on market..

if the bullet hits bone, the bone will shatter and at the speed the bullet hits bone, pieces of bone will be acting like shrapnel and small projectiles.

More like will deflect and break bone No shrapnel effect. Now if you can show some proof I might change my mind. Ball fine for Military but not on street where you can carry the best you can afford . Why short change your self Were not bound by some out dated treaty as civilians

 

[Zane]

Consider Fiocchi Extrema. It is loaded with the Hornady XTP bullet. You can get 50 cartridges for about $30. It is one of the best deals I have seen for self defense ammunition.

 

[Hatterasguy]

I load mine with whatever reliable ball is on sale, UMC now before it was Blazer.

230gr FMJ is a very affective round if I double tap on the center mass. If they are not dead or crying for their mama after that I have 5 more rounds in the mag.

 

[Ben86]

If they are not dead or crying for their mama after that I have 5 more rounds in the mag.

Goodness.

 

[Dr.Rob]

Federal Hydra Shock 230gr. Practice with Winchester white box 230 gr FMJ. Out to 25 yards you'll get the same point of impact.

 

[Shawn Dodson]

.45 ACP:
Barnes XPB 160 & 185 gr JHP (copper bullet)
Federal HST 230 gr JHP (P45HST2)
Federal HST 230 gr +P JHP (P45HST1)
Federal Tactical 230 gr JHP (LE45T1)
Speer Gold Dot 230 gr JHP
Speer Gold Dot 230 gr +P JHP
Winchester Ranger-T 230 gr JHP (RA45T)
Winchester Ranger-T 230 gr +P JHP (RA45TP)

See: http://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=19887

 

[Gary A]

I use Federal Hydra-Shok mostly because I was able to buy a quantity of them at a good price. I have found myself gravitating to .45 acp in part because should ammo be hard to find or very expensive, if I find I must rely on hardball, I would prefer it be big hardball and subsonic.

 

[Manco]

I would recommend 230 grain PDX1 (AKA Ranger Bonded), HST, or Gold Dot. I'd stay away from the +P stuff because it may shoot differently from your range ammo, and standard pressure will get the job done fine in this caliber.

As for the suggestions of FMJ ammo, unless you specifically want massive penetration, you might as well stick with 9mm JHP because it should perform better than .45 ACP FMJ.

 

[Gary A]

Good point, Manco, but I really only noticed one actual recommendation for FMJ. My take on .45 fmj is just what I said: if I were limited to fmj, which is a potential real future scenario, I would prefer that fmj to be big and heavy and subsonic. .45 fmj is, I believe, less penetrative than 9mm fmj while certainly being penetrative enough (and then some). I certainly agree with you that JHP is better in both cases. While it may not be true that "all fall to hardball", certainly plenty have as long as shot placement is adequate. Every major caliber will work, even with fmj, if the shooter does his part. Certainly JHPs work better in most cases.

I certainly agree with your picks and your recommendation to stick with standard pressure in that caliber.

 

[Fremmer]

I don't think that fmj penetrates less than jhp. Both are gonna penetrate just fine.

 

[Gary A]

I was meaning to say that I believe .45 acp fmj generally penetrates less than 9mm fmj.

 

[.357 magnum]

Winchester 230gr Bonded.

Over the counter it is known as Winchester PDX 1 Bonded 230gr JHP. Winchester Ranger Bonded LE 230gr is basically the same thing, but you can get it in Boxes of 50 rounds instead of just 20 rounds over the counter. DO NOT listen to anyone that wants you to use FMJ for Defense. I was in LE long enough to tell you if you want to STOP someone stick to Hollow Points. A Perp will eventually Bleed Out Pretty good from FMJ, but it takes a lot of TIME! Hollow Points Are made to STOP the threat MUCH MUCH Faster The Winchester Bonded to me is one the BEST Period. I like the the Federal HST 230gr but I have seen them not feed properly in Springfield XD's and any Failure to me is Unacceptable. Speer Gold Dot 230gr Short Barrel and Standard are also Very Good. But Winchester is the Bomb! In ALL the years I have shot semi-autos in the three major calibers- [9mm, .40 and .45]- Winchester Ranger Ammo has NEVER Failed.

The Best to You and Yours!

Frank

PS. I do not use +P Ammo for the .45 caliber. To me the increased Recoil is a Waste of Time for the little trade of you get in Ballistics. I would rather have less Recoil and Better Accuracy!

 

[Old Ranger]

.45 ball ammunition penetrates about 27 inches in ballistic gel. And take my word for it - - - most of the time it zips through a Human body as well. Ball ammunition; even low velocity stuff like Winchester target or Magtech could easily go through an intruder and through the wall of the baby's nursery.

High tech bullets like Gold Dot ect.,ect - - - - are tough; designed to penetrate barriers and still do their job. They were designed for cops; not home defense.

I have tested some of them in wet pack 14 inches thick, and properly prepared. The ball stuff slammed on through, a couple of Gold dots did the same thing; the two I captured were at 13 or better inches, and didn't open up - - - - bad juju for home defense. Same stuff with others.

The only bullet and ammo that consistently stopped at 9 to 12 inches and stayed in the pack was Remington's Ultimate Home Defense with it's Golden Sabre round. It opened up to about .70 caliber and separated from the jacket - - - creating a chunk of schrapnel as well as a big, broad slug.

I know for a fact that they don't go through a 250 pound Hog - - - so I figure the same holds true for most Human targets. Best home defense ammo available.

 

[Shawn Dodson]

I was meaning to say that I believe .45 acp fmj generally penetrates less than 9mm fmj.

.45 ACP 230gr FMJ (26 inches penetration potential):

9mm 124gr FMJ (28 inches penetration potential:

 

[Gary A]

LOL, Mr. Dodson...OK..maybe only a little less.

Maybe only a wee little less...

 

[jeepguy]

after i ran 500 or so rounds through my .45 i bought 3 different kinds of good quality hp's. different wt.s & some +p. then i went to the range and tried all three. i didn't notice any difference in poi/poa & they all cycled properly. i didnt even notice that much diference in recoil.