Best round for defense Taurus PT145 Pro

[FloridaBobcat]

I have looked on the Federal site and they have 2 different Premium Personal Defense rounds that I am interested in:

One is a 165 gr. EFMJ which seems to deliver the same force as the 230 gr. JHP round. Is this a better pick for close range personal defense? I operate a store which adjoins other stores so bullets penetraiting the walls and injuring innocent people is also an issue if a gunfight were to occur.

 

[the naked prophet]

The EFMJ performance seems to be only around 80% in bare gelatin, whereas a modern hollowpoint (JHP) will work even through clothing. I would suggest the .45 loads from DoubleTap. www.doubletapammo.com

If the recoil of the hotter DT ammo bothers you, I would suggest the Speer Gold Dot as a milder alternative. Other good options would be the Remington Golden Saber or the Federal Hydrashoks (although these are "previous generation" and supposedly less effective when passing through clothing).

 

[sjones63]

WHICH AMMO?

I also have a pt145 and its a great ccw.I use winchester 230gr sxt's.You ought to see how they open up.I completely believe in them.sj

 

[Manedwolf]

I second the Rangers. I have them in my 745. Winchester Ranger RA45T

If you can't get that, Speer now makes a Short Barrel Gold Dot that might be okay.

I fail to see why you'd want a 165gr bullet. If you want lightweight, get a 9mm and use 147gr rounds. I thought the point of a .45 was to deliver a 230gr thumper?

 

[Hypnogator]

I carry 230-gr Hydra-Shoks in mine, but if excessive penetration is a major concern for you, you might want to try Taurus 185-gr ammo, loaded with the Barnes hex bullet. I've tried a few -- feed reliably and quite a bit less recoil than the 230-gr stuff. Great expansion characteristics, even through clothing, but the lighter weight should tend to penetrate barriers (walls) less.

 

[Clipper]

I shoot 185gr Winchester silvertips in my PT-145 and they give me flawless performance and 6" 60-yard groups!

 

[bigmike45]

+1 230gr. Hydrashoks in my PT-145 MP

 

[PCRit]

+1 for Ranger RA45T in my PT-745C

 

[Lou22]

I carry 185gr Double Tap in my PT145. Muzzle blast and recoil are significantly more than any other rounds I've tried, but is certainly manageable, and gives what I believe great expansion. I think that a faster, lighter bullet will give you the performance you need for human targets, with less worry of over-penetration.

I haven't tried them, but Double Tap now has a 165gr load, rated at 643 ft/lbs (out of a 5" barrel). I'm guessing they are a handful, but like the 185gr, not +P.

No doubt the 230gr is a great load, but from a shorter barrel like on the PT145, I prefer the lighter bullets.

Lou

 

[FloridaBobcat]

Thanks for the help!

I'm glad I found this group! I will try a couple of your suggestions at the range and see how they do.

 

[Pumpkinheaver]

Any of the modern high performace hollow point bullets would be a good choice. Find one that's reliable in your weapon and fear no evil.

 

[Manedwolf]

carry 185gr Double Tap in my PT145. Muzzle blast and recoil are significantly more than any other rounds I've tried,

I consider excessive muzzle blast a dangerous liability at night. You can blind yourself and ruin any chance for followup shots if the BG is in a dark area

That's one of the reasons I liked the Rangers, the muzzle blast doesn't seem to be much of a flash at all.

No flashbulbs in my face, thanks.

 

[the naked prophet]

Manedwolf, the DoubleTap ammo uses special flash suppressant in/on their powder. I have fired the 9mm +P 147 grainers at night, and there is virtually no flash. A few sparks, but very impressive. Especially compared to WWB or Remington UMC green box JHP which both have a huge fireball even in twilight. I would not carry a load which has a lot of flash to it, for the same reasons as you. I believe he was talking about the noise, not flash.

 

[MCgunner]

I fail to see why you'd want a 165gr bullet. If you want lightweight, get a 9mm and use 147gr rounds. I thought the point of a .45 was to deliver a 230gr thumper?

Velocity for more sure bullet performance????

I like the 185 and 200 grain range of bullets, carry a Speer 200 grain at about 950 fps. I think it's quite adequate. I don't get all anal over this stuff. I'm happy with a .45 caliber bullet with a HUGE hollow cavity making 400 ft lbs. I figure they'll work if I put 'em where it counts and those things ARE accurate and 100 percent reliable in my P90.

In a .45 load my priorities are:

1) Reliability
2) Accuracy
3) Good hollow point constructed bullet
4) Power level I consider 400 ft lbs quite adequate

Actually, those are my priorities for about any handgun caliber, though in a revolver, reliability is pretty much a given.

 

[Lou22]

Muzzle blast:

Naked Prophet:

You're right on both points. I've also heard that Double Tap uses flash suppressant powder. I've never noticed any flash at all when shooting it. And yes, what I mean by muzzle blast is the bang. Even wearing hearing protection on the range, the DT 185gr is noticibly louder. I'm not sure at what velocity above which rounds go supersonic, but I'd guess the DT's have the crack as well (1225fps out of a 5" barrel), where the 230gr is likely to be subsonic.

Lou

 

[Cousin Mike]

185gr. Speer Gold Dots - a little lighter, a little faster, still plenty enough to make the BG wish he'd chosen another house. I wonder what kind of loads these other guys are using where night flash becomes a blinder.. I'd sure like me some of those for Home D!

 

[Big Gay Al]

It's been my experience, the best .45ACP self defense load is the one that feeds most reliably in your pistol. It doesn't really matter if it's a FMJ, or a JHP, it's gonna make a big hole when it hits, and it's gonna hurt....a lot.

 

[steelhead]

Because of the short barrel, I was using 185 grain Golden Sabers but have now switched to the Corbon 160 grain DPX. I reserve the 230 grain fodder for the 4 and 5 inch tubes. According to Barnes, their bullet design will penetrate 28% greater than a similar lead bullet. That makes the 160 DPX the equivalent of a 200 grain JHP.

 

[Byron]

I am interested in this pistol. What is the trigger pull like,etc. Thanks, Byron

 

[Hypnogator]

What is the trigger pull like,etc.

Byron, the trigger pull is long but smooth, with not much stacking. It's not a target trigger, but is sufficiently long and strong enough that I can carry it with safety disengaged without worring about an AD.

The bore axis is a bit high, meaning the recoil will give you more muzzle climb than, say, a Glock, but the felt recoil isn't excessive, even with 230-gr +P rounds. As has been mentioned, the little beast is accurate way beyond what you would expect in a compact carry gun, and the grip fits my hand better than just about any weapon I've ever held. I'm tickled spitless with mine!

 

[torpid]

...the trigger pull is long but smooth, with not much stacking. It's not a target trigger, but is sufficiently long and strong enough that I can carry it with safety disengaged without worring about an AD.

Keep in mind that this is likely the double-action only model's trigger.

I believe the newer ones that the factory is sending out under the same name are single action once a round is chambered, and should probably be carried with the safety on.

So I think that if you find one with 3 dot sights it's DAO model, and if it has the Heinie straight eight sights then it's SA.

.