If you were going to carry 45 ACP ball for self defense...

Ranger T-series, Gold Dot, Carbon JHP, and Gold Sabers are good enough for LE they are good enough for me There are several ballistic tests where they are fired through multiple layers of fabric and other common obsticals, most premium HPs expand reliably in spite of the obstruction. And like I said in the worst case scinario something does prevent expansion, it is still causing as much soft tissue damage as the FMJ if not a tad more due to the flattend tip. There is a new tiped bullet from Horandy that is not effected at all by any amout of clothing since the cavity cannot be blocked by fibers, but I have not seen extensive testing of it yet so I cannot vouch for it.

Cool, man! Thanks! I appreciate the help. I checked the prices at my local gun shop. Most JHPs run at about $24 for a box of 25. I may just buy one box to start with and kinda purchase a box or two whenever I have some spare money hanging around.

I always was under the impression that JHPs would not expand reliably when they came in contact with multiple layers of heavy clothing. If JHPs will expand properly through coats, then I guess I'll carry them.

Click to expand...

Even if they fail to expand, then the worst thing that can happen is they act like FMJ.

I may just buy one box to start with and kinda purchase a box or two whenever I have some spare money hanging around.

Click to expand...

You need to try some to make sure they feed reliably. Some guns are finicky about which JHP's they like. I wouldn't buy some and just hope they work.

Snowdog said:

If I couldn't carry anything that was designed to expand, it would be SWC. If I couldn't carry that, I might look for something that was FMJ-FP, such as this.

Otherwise, I would of course just use FMJ which has served millions perfectly well for quite some time.

Click to expand...

Flat nose and soft point. A great choice sir. If it hits bone it will be less likely to deflect and may even expand a slight bit. Sounds like a winner to me.

If your gun won't feed hollow points then your gun needs some adjustment. I personally carry Federal ball rounds that I have pulled the bullets from and checked to see if there is a flash hole in the case. (you would be surprised how many times I have seen cases with no hole or one that is just barely punched through) I then resize, reseat and crimp the rounds. The bullet's fit in the case must be tight enough that I cannot force it to set back into the case even with no crimp applied. The factories don't seem to bother to do this anymore.

Right, the idea that I'd shoot them to test them was implied. I probably should have added that to my previous post. I just meant that I don't have the budget right now to stock up on JHPs in bulk purchases.

How many people are you planning on killing LOL You don't need to stock up on hundreds of JHPs for presonal defence, a couple boxes worth is all you need for your testing and defence. Practice with the cheap stuff and shoot the real stuff when it matters. If you want to stock up for the end of civilazation go ahead and get a few cases of elcheapo for when you run out of real bullets Like I said before you simply won't find any tangable difference between the terminal performance of the various FMJs They will all punch a clean hole in and out, no real performance aspect to them. now if you want to talk about non expanding hardcast that is a little different story.

Right, the idea that I'd shoot them to test them was implied. I probably should have added that to my previous post. I just meant that I don't have the budget right now to stock up on JHPs in bulk purchases.

Click to expand...

I feel your pain. Even my FMJ budget is suffering at the moment.

I do carry FMJ .45acp in my CCW (well in my 1911 anyways, when I carry the XD, HPs are the name of the game). I tend to carry Prvi Partisan or Georgia Arms factory reloaded ammo. They're both fairly cheap so I can get in alot of practice with the load I'm carrying but also have been highly reliable and accurate (no issues what so ever). They seem to me to both be rather more consistance that WWB and Fiocchi (I was VERY unimpressed with the box of Fiocchi I ran through the 1911 and the XD). They also seemed on par with some expensive "HPR" ammo which was supposed to be very consistantly loaded. YMMV depending on what your gun likes. I suggest trying a few different brands through your gun (perhaps depending on what you can get readily and without breaking the bank) and see what it likes best.

Tell me about it. Here it's $22 for a box of WWB. On my budget, that's... too much. It's gotten to the point where I actually have to start budgeting for ammo purchases.

I've heard that Clint Smith only uses FMJ in his .45s. Also JHP are a no-no in N.J. (Remember that Sopranos episode?)

No way they banned HPs, I would be up in arms about that. Or shooting those new Horandy poly tips

If your 45 won't run hp try the expanding fmj they seem to be doing wonders for military spec 1911's .

Hornady's poly tip Critical Defense loads have been oked by some of the east coast states. Make sure that you check it out with your state if you live on the east coast.

Please, this discussion is NOT about hollowpoints, or a discussion about the advantages of hollowpoints. Just about FMJ loads only.

Click to expand...

I guess some people just can't help themselves. The op, like many of us, I'm sure, has heard about all of the so-called advantages offered by .45 caliber bullets having an orifice in the front ad nauseam and he was clear about not wanting to endure anymore. I think he'd be appreciative if posters would honor his wishes and restrict their opinions to "FMJ loads only."

With the op's expressed desires in mind, I would suggest using Winchester White Box hard ball. It shoots cleanly and accurately for me and is relatively affordable.

Balrog said:

What brand and load would you carry?

Please, this discussion is NOT about hollowpoints, or a discussion about the advantages of hollowpoints. Just about FMJ loads only.

Click to expand...

Balrog,

I guess if I went the FMJ route I'd go with White label Winchester for practice and Honady 45 Auto 230 gr FMJ RN.

Deaf

I would carry what shoots best

I would not carry .45ACP ball, but if I had to:

1. Try several loads to see which shoots the most accurately.

2. Select the most accurate load that has the least stoppages.

3. If their are several loads that meet the above requirements, then the lowest priced one would win out. That way, I get more practice ammo.

Jim