Personal defense .45 loads with 3" barrel

[velobard]

I finally moved from a 9mm platform to .45 for my ccw firearm. In case this is a consideration for any recommendations, it's a Kimber. As I've been reading around I've been impressed with the ammo using the Barnes XPB load, but apparently the only company currently loading it for .45 is Corbon. I've read that the 160g DPX ammo with standard pressure is best for short barrels, but I'm hesitant to go that light. The Corbon 185g round is +P, which I'm confident my gun could handle, but I'd rather have a standard pressure round for a gun this small and light. Unfortunately it looks like Taurus has discontinued their XPB ammo, they used to have a 185g .45 round with standard pressure.

I would hardly be crying if I had a box of Rangers or Federal HST, but my first choice at this time is the Barnes XPB bullet.

Am I missing any options? What are the opinions out there regarding the 160g vs. 185g Corbon loads in a 3" barrel?

 

[tipoc]

Some options are available here...

http://www.midwayusa.com/browse/Bro...y=manufacturer_a&pageNum=0&numberOfResults=20

Sorry, I have not tried the CorBon and so can't have an opinion on it.

I do think that anything with a Hydra-Shock or the Gold Dot HP will do the job well enough. To me it's more a matter of what I and the gun prefer. To make that plainer, what feeds reliably in my gun and is the most accurate coupled with what I shoot well tends to effect my decisions on carry ammo.

tipoc

 

[Ken Rainey]

I have a 3" Kimber Ultra Eclipse and I too prefer the standard pressure loadings...I tried some Gold Dot 185 and didn't like the blast of those either. The Winchester SilverTip 185 works well and I can chalk up a one shot stop on a renegade armadillo to it....even so, I have since changed to standard 230 grain FMJ ammo for carry purposes...it's the weight I practice with in reloads and factory loads and since it is coming out of a 3" barrel, I don't worry about over penetration, actually, I don't really worry about it with a 5" barrel either...

The standard pressure Ranger 230 grain had more recoil than the Winchester 230 FMJ I practice with....of course, they do load those Rangers just a tad warmer...but it's enough to keep me from using them in the 3" Kimber, the full size is fine with them but to keep with quicker follow ups and a feed friendly profile with that short stroker, I'm gonna stick with ball ammo...

 

[velobard]

I do, of course, practice with 230g ball ammo, with the exception of a little Remington 230g UMC JHP. Yeah I know, big difference. For now, that's what I carry. I don't know of any affordable .45 practice loads that aren't 230g.

 

[tipoc]

I oughta add that in my Detonics I use 185 gr. loads. The Ranger works particularly well as does the Speer GDHP.

tipoc

 

[MICHAEL T]

I have the following compact 1911
Detonics , Colt officer,Defender,New Agent. All are loaded with the Corbon 185+P I find recoil less than 230 and very accurate. In a compact I read runs around 950FPS It shouldn't hurt yours. I also use this load in my Commanders ,Kimber and Dan Wesson . Guess I like DPX

 

[CWL]

I shoot 185gr Remmy Golden Sabers in my 3" Kimber.

Why? Because they don't punish my hand as much as 230grainers and I can buy them cheaply enough to be able to practice with them.

 

[velobard]

Thanks for that info Micheal T. I wasn't really worried about the Kimber standing up to the +P, but I did figure the recoil would be more of a problem. I doubt that +P is really necessary, but the velocity you measured sounds reasonable. I'm hesitant to drop down to just 160g, that seems like it would negate too much of the advantage to using a 45.

 

[coop4u2c]

Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel. I think speer cuts the hollowpoint different to expand at the lower velocities from short barrels. Haven't tried any in gelitan but it is what I carry in mw CCW. Taurus 650 .357

 

[S&Wfan]

Hi,

My biggest concern is a load that shoots to "point-of-aim," and my early (2000) Kimber Ultra CDP loves the 230 grain stuff.

So, I stoke it with either 230 gn. Federal Hydrashocks OR 230 gn. Remington Golden Sabre. I truly don't know of a single soul who would want to be shot with either!

In my 3 1/4" chopped barrel Model 25-2 S&W revolver, also in .45ACP, I prefer the Federal 230 grain Hydrashock, simply based on the Federal primers being the most reliable out there with double action S&W revolvers that have tricked out trigger jobs.

T.

 

[EHL]

I used to load lighter grains in my Kimber ultra eclipse. I too read that lighter loads are more likely to expand. Then I started seeing a trend of more and more shooters shying away from this rule of thumb. After researching some of the higher end companies that provide law enforcement with thier ammunition, I found that two of the biggest and best companies often don't even load their law enforcement ammo in lighter grains, especially when it comes to the venerable 45 acp! (Federal and Winchester) The only variation they do tend to do is whether it is loaded to standard pressure or +P. When I ordered these heavier bullets for my small 1911 I tested them out on wet packs and milk jugs and found they expanded even when I was 2 ft away! I guess it's true what they say, good self defense ammo will normally expand no matter what the barrel length.
Also, I believe that ammo to go still sells the Taurus standard pressure Barns X bullets. They're very resonably priced.

 

[Hypnogator]

Unfortunately it looks like Taurus has discontinued their XPB ammo, they used to have a 185g .45 round with standard pressure.

They may have, but Sportsman's Guide lists them for $13.97 for a 20-rd box. That's a smokin' deal, as I have seen them listed elsewhere for as much as $29.00 per box. Just ordered 160 rds for my new Kahr PM-45. BTW, they're on back-order, scheduled to ship 2 Sep.

 

[DawgFvr]

Corbon DPX is your answer...

I use this compact .45 ACP load for short barrels in my pocket cannon...accurate and just feeds perfectly.


http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/Corbon 160 gr DPX.htm

 

[hotshotshoting]

it really depends on what your you like... lighter faster bullets that fragment... or big heavy bullets...

the 3 i would stay with would be the 230gr golden sabers.. the 185 corbons, or the 230gr gold dots (they even have a short barrel load specifically for your barrel)

i personally would avoide the hydroshocks being they have the least reliable expansion after all of our testings on them (they only seemed to fail when there was cloth involved..)

 

[mpmarty]

My lil snubby MilPro PT145 packs the custom Taurus ammo with the Barnes solid copper flying ash trays in PMC nickle cases in front of a nice load of Hodgdon powder, HS6 I think. MV is right at 1000fps out of the 3".

 

[velobard]

They may have, but Sportsman's Guide lists them for $13.97 for a 20-rd box. That's a smokin' deal, as I have seen them listed elsewhere for as much as $29.00 per box. Just ordered 160 rds for my new Kahr PM-45. BTW, they're on back-order, scheduled to ship 2 Sep.

I decided to go with this deal, although they now say they'll ship on 9/22 instead of 9/2. Hopefully they'll still come through, although I have to admit I wonder where they're getting new stock if the product is discontinued.

Remington loads some of the Barnes XPB bullets (the ones used in this Taurus ammo and the Corbon DPX), but they designate them as hunting loads instead of personal defense, so they don't offer it in .45 since that's not traditionally used as a hunting cartridge.

If you want to see a very different take on personal defense loads, check out http://www.fsdip.com/website/Home/English/tabid/134/Default.aspx

They have bullets designed to separate into two sections upon impact, creating dual wound tracks. They also have armor-piercing loads, but I don't see civilians importing those anytime soon.

 

[dispatch]

I’m sure I’m a throwback guy. But it seems to me that the 230 grain FMJ is a perfectly adequate defense round. It seldom requires tuning the pistol and it makes a big hole. My dad, a WWII vet (Infantry) thought very highly of the 1911 and standard military load. I can’t really see the upside to a lighter higher velocity hollow point that may or may not expand, may or may not penetrate adequately, and that may or may not function with the reliability of the hardball.

 

[jwxspoon]

With my 3" SA Micro Compact I carry 230 grain hardball. I do this because my micro digests hardball better than anything and because with the reduced velocity of a 3" I feel like I get just as much bang for the buck with hardball, and a heavier bullet to boot.

jw

 

[velobard]

I can’t really see the upside to a lighter higher velocity hollow point that may or may not expand, may or may not penetrate adequately, and that may or may not function with the reliability of the hardball.

The specific load I'm buying use the Barnes XPB bullet, only weighs 185g because it's solid copper. There's no jacket to separate. It has a great track record of consistently expanding. Once it expands, there is no rounded-off lead core to expose, just sharp-edged copper petals, and from the tests I've read they generally open wide and pretty well stay there, where a lot of JHP's with lead cores practically turn inside out, with the petals flipped all the way back.

I don't want to go below 185g, which is why I'm shying away from the 160g Corbon. This looks like a pretty interesting bullet design, so I'm going to go with it for now.

 

[Hypnogator]

I'll admit that I snapped up the Taurus/DPX ammo from Sportsman's Guide because of the price, and because I'm getting a new Kahr PM-45 for my main carry piece. I've had good luck with Federal Tactical Bonded 230-grs in my Taurus PT-145 Millennium Pro, but I'm not convinced that the recoil might not be a bit much for rapid follow-up shots in the much lighter Kahr. I bought a box of the Taurus ammo from CTD when I bought the pistol, and the recoil seems significantly lighter.

I ordinarily prefer the 230-gr stuff, but have been impressed by the results the Taurus/Barnes and Cor-Bon DPX rounds have shown both in tests and in actual shoots. I'll be picking up my Kahr tomorrow, so should know by this weekend how the two rounds stack up in that platform.

 

[velobard]

I'll be interested to see if you notice a difference.

 

[Hypnogator]

I'll be interested to see if you notice a difference.

The difference was very noticeable. I put about 110 rds of Hardball, 20 rds of Federal Tactical Bonded, 10 rds of Federal EFMJ, and 4 rds of Taurus/Barnes Hex through my new Kahr PM-45. I'll do a range report when I get a little more time, but here were my observations regarding the ammo:

Standard ball (Win white box) had significant recoil in the lightweight Kahr, but was not unmanageable. Federal 200-gr EFMJ +Ps were indistinguishable from the 230-gr ball rounds, as far as recoil was concerned. The Federal Tactical Bonded 230-gr +P rounds had recoil that was somewhat on the harsh side of severe. The 20 rounds I fired caused the grip to abrade the skin on the back of my thumb, causing about a 1/8" sore. The Taurus standard pressure 185-gr loads were noticeably lighter in recoil.

I would speculate that Cor-Bon DPX rounds, using the Barnes Hex bullet at +P pressures would be equal to or slightly lighter in recoil than standard 230-gr hardball.

Hope this helps.

 

[velobard]

Thanks for the follow-up. I placed my order for 100 of the Taurus Hex ammo a few days ago and today I received a tracking number for shipment, even though the website claims they didn't expect stock until 9/22.

I also have a new slide stop on the way from Kimber, which will hopefully fix a slight issue I'm having once in awhile, so by the end of the week hopefully I'll be good to go.

After I eventually run out of the Taurus stuff, presuming it's not going to be available before long since I think it's discontinued, I'm hoping that Remington starts loading the Barnes XPB bullets in 45. They have it available in what they consider hunting handgun calibers, but not 45.

 

[Ken Rainey]

A new slide stop....is it because it'll sometimes lock open with rounds left in the mag?? Mine did that...had to "dress" the part of the slide stop that engages the magazine follower back a little because it was getting nudged into lock by the ammo...

The 185 ammo "should" work fine, I just decided to go with the regular 230 ball due to availability and since it was coming out of a short barrel with a reduced velocity and a lesser chance of expansion anyway, I figured it would be a win/win situation all the way around....

 

[Nakanokalronin]

I use 230gr. HST in my 5" SA Mil-Spec and 230gr. HST +P in my Kimber UC II. The rcoil increas is not as bad as people think in the small 1911s and is very accurate. I've always though about ball in the UC II since the velocity is alot less and over penetration is reduced. However if its reliable with HP ammo then either way the .45 will either stay .45 or expand which is a win-win for you.