Question about .45 + P ?????

[KINGMAX]

What if anything can be said about the marrage of a

GLOCK 21 & .45 acp + P. Any good to it???

Any problems ???

Recoil + / - ???

PERSONAL COMMENTS ???

Please share if you will. THANKS to All

 

[Nightcrawler]

+P .45ACP shouldn't hurt any modern pistol. I've fired quite a bit through my Colt and my CZ-97B. Compared to, say, .40, .357 Sig, and 10mm (Glock produces pistols in all of these chamberings), even +P .45 is pretty low pressure.

Recoil...it's going to have some more oomph to it. Never fired it out of a polymer gun, so I can't tell you what it'll be like. Never thought it was bad, though.

Noticably louder, too.

 

[HighVelocity]

+P Winchester 230gr Ranger and Federal HST 230gr +P feel mild in my Glock 21 compared to the same ammo in any other 45 I've ever had. The 21 tames the hot stuff pretty well.

 

[MCgunner]

I really don't see the need to spice the .45 up to +P levels for self defense. I can get up over 400 ft lbs with it in a standard pressure load, pretty danged effective. But, the +P stuff runs up over 500 ft lbs and that's gotta be effective, I guess. Any service sized pistol, Glocks included, should be fine with it. I have a +P handload I made up for outdoor carry, but rarely shoot it. It does have a bit more muzzle flip. My carry load in .45 is standard pressure, 400 ft lbs, 950 fps with a 200 grain speer hollowpoint. It's very accurate and should be plenty effective and there's less muzzle climb with the load than my hotter load. It makes for easy double taps. I figure getting two in the boiler room in rapid succession is more valuable than one with a few more foot lbs behind it.

 

[buck00]

I carry .45 + P in my Glock 30 as my CCW. If you are going to carry it, definitely practice with it at the range- the recoil is more intense than a regular .45 round.

I really don't see the need to spice the .45 up to +P levels for self defense

MCgunner brings up a valid point. My buddy is an LEO and carries a Glock 21 on duty. He also argued there is no need for a spiced up .45 round. He said you want a .45 moving slower so when it hits a perp it distributes the power. I am not a ballistics expert. I'll throw this out to you guys to discuss.

However, I think getting hit with a .45 + P round center mass would ruin your weekend.

 

[ugaarguy]

However, I think getting hit with a .45 + P round center mass would ruin your weekend.

Ever seen the bruise left under body armor even after a 38 Special hits you? A parole officer friend of mine described it as a bullseye pattern with the center a dark black-purple-blue then concentric rings of unbruised skin alternating with bruised skin in lighter shades as it goes out from the center. It's the result of the energy going out in a wave form as it dissipates across the vest. He described it as feeling like getting hit in the stomach with a hammer. I think getting hit by any centerfire handgun round would hurt like heck and ruin your weekend. The only reason I see for 45 ACP +P is higher velocity for punching thru barriers; not a bad idea with modern safety glass, etc.

 

[Lou22]

I ran several +P kinds of loads through my G36, which is a smaller version of the G30. Maybe I'm not recoil sensitive, but the +P recoil was more noticible but easily handled.

Lou

 

[MCgunner]

I see for 45 ACP +P is higher velocity for punching thru barriers; not a bad idea with modern safety glass, etc.

As an armed civilian, punching through safety glass isn't part of my arms requirements. If he's behind safety glass, likely I can just turn around and walk or run away.

I'd think the choice of bullet would have a lot more to do with penetration of barriers, though, than velocity, energy, or momentum. And, with a head on hit, I can't see any .45 loads bouncing off any, but bullet proof glass. Maybe I'm wrong there, never done any glass shooting, but I don't think too many defense loads would bounce off save frangibles.

 

[GTSteve03]

.45ACP, especially from shorter barrels, is going so slow that it often fails to expand for the JHP rounds.

A lighter weight and +P charge are often just the ticket to get good expansion and performance from .45ACP out of shorter barrels.

 

[TOADMAN]

Speer 45 ACP short barrel ammo will suffice..

 

[MCgunner]

.45ACP, especially from shorter barrels, is going so slow that it often fails to expand for the JHP rounds.

A lighter weight and +P charge are often just the ticket to get good expansion and performance from .45ACP out of shorter barrels.

Good point, but I wonder what the muzzle flip is like from an officer's using +P? Good thing to have a little heft in the gun, I guess.

 

[shooter429]

No problem from any Glock I have used

You can run .45 +p all day long from a Glock. My G30 and 36 digest them regularly with no problems. I have never worn out a Glock .45. I cannot imagine shooting enough to worry about it. The 36 has a bit of bounce to it. The 30 less so and the 21 is a pussycat. But if you are very recoil sensitive, or not used to major caliber recoil, just shoot lighter loads and work up.

Shooter429

 

[ugaarguy]

As an armed civilian, punching through safety glass isn't part of my arms requirements. If he's behind safety glass, likely I can just turn around and walk or run away.

I agree, my +P comment was more in line with the previous poster's LE scenario. I also doubt any non frangible would bounce off glass. However with making traffic stops being a frequent part of the job a little extra penetration to go thru automobile safety glass if needed wouldn't hurt in LE if things got out of hand; probably not common, but, unfortunately, not unheard of either in our current social state.

 

[Pistol Toter]

Fellows just a thought here; I have some published data, I believe that it is FBI test information, that shows the .45 acp +P expands to a greater diameter however, the penetration is greatly diminished. It would seem that the higher velocity as we all recognize facilitates the development of the hollow point projectile but in the .45acp +p's case does not give enough power to give a desired depth of penetration hence the +p may not give the performance that a conventional standard loading gives. Again, this is only food for thought and academic argument. I chose the Remington 230gr Gold Sabre for my GLOCK 21. I frequently conceal carry that gun. P.T.

 

[MCgunner]

Penetration is more a function of bullet construction. With a SWC, higher velocity should produce more penetration. Hollowpoints differ in construction, but I do not feel a .45 packin' 550 ft lbs isn't going to do some damage, and a 200-230 grain bullet should penetrate enough regardless. Now, with barriers, I don't know. If I worried about barriers, perhaps I'd shoot a SWC rather than a rapidly expanding hollow point.

 

[rbernie]

Most 45ACP +P ammo that I've shot has some pretty objectionable muzzle flash, and the veolcity increase in many cases has chrono'ed out to not much more than 50fps.

I don't see that as a worthwhile tradeoff.

 

[Freddymac]

I love the the Rem 185 +P's for outdoor use.

When ever I take my 45, be it a 1911 or my USP, into the woods, I like to have the extra umph. If I'm wandering around and stumble across a bear, I know that it's not the best defense, but I feel that it is better than standard loads.

 

[MCgunner]

When ever I take my 45, be it a 1911 or my USP, into the woods, I like to have the extra umph. If I'm wandering around and stumble across a bear, I know that it's not the best defense, but I feel that it is better than standard loads.

No bears down here, but I used to go hog hunting with these idiots who chased 'em with dogs. The dogs would pen 'em by the ears, we'd take turns stabbin' 'em in the neck to cut the jugular/carotid. I didn't, at the time, have a .45 Colt and had sold the .357 I had at the time. So, I worked up a load using a 200 grain SWC hard cast packing over 500 ft lbs. It was hard on the 1911 I had at the time. A box using a 22 lbs spring would bash a recoil buffer to bits. ROFL! But, I carried it for if a hog got after me and I needed more than a friggin' knife. Never shot a hog with it, though. The dog owner didn't want weapons around his dogs, but I didn't wanna go without it. I promised him I wouldn't use it unless I had to.

I don't know if THAT load would have been enough on a big enough hog, though I could have done a head shot at the handshake ranges I'd likely have needed it. But, I'd have more faith in it than a 185 grain JHP. Here again, the bullet controls penetration more than the velocity of the load.

 

[lurkersince03]

What about Hornady TAP FPD .45 +P 230 grain JHP's?

 

[BluesBear]

The Hornady TAP .45ACP is a pretty impressive round.

I consider it to be one of the best available alongside the Remington 230 Golden Sabre and Speer 230gr Gold Dot.