.45 Ammo

[opd743]

What would you consider to be a better all around load from Double Tap, the 165gr XTP JHP or the 230gr Gold Dot?

Bullet : 165gr. XTP JHP
Ballistics : 1325fps - 643 ft./lbs. - 5" 1911

Bullet : 230gr. Speer Gold Dot JHP
Ballistics : 1010fps/ 521 ft./lbs. - 5" 1911

They would be fired from a G21 which is my duty weapon. How does each compare at penetrating windshields or car doors? Both of which are real possibilities for me.

I carry Federal Hydra Shoks 230gr right now but they have been carried since December and I ussually get new carry ammo every 6 months so its time for a change. If I won't be getting anything extra from the Double Taps I will just get more Federals. I am just looking around since the time has come for fresh ammo.

 

[.45&TKD]

Well, I'm not in LE, and I don't have a G21, and I've never had those ammos, but I always go with 230 grain bullets in my 1911 45's. IMHO, if you're going to go as low an 165 grain bullet, you might as well carry a G22. Defeats all the benefits of a 45 caliber, plus the overpenetration issues.

I'm sure others will chime in.

 

[1911RjB]

i would agree with .45&TKD i stick with the 230 grain, but sometimes in this forum i feel like i don't know anything.. so go with what you shoot better with.

 

[opd743]

.45&TKD, I understand what you are saying. I always carried the
230gr "Flying Ashtrays" as other officers like to call them because that was the size the .45acp was designed for. But, we had a guy that was shot at in a local "project" that came to file a report at the station. He had three .45 rounds hit his windshield that left 1/2"wx3"L "skip" marks. The only way we knew they were .45 was by finding one lodged between the windshield molding and the roof, where it lodged after it skipped off the windshield.

As far as the G22, I hate the .40 and can't shoot it good enough to trust with my life. I won the firearms award at the academy with .45 however, so it's what I will stick with. I know its probably just a mental thing but i just don't like the caliber. And, as odd as this will sound, I prefer the larger grip of the 21/20 over the 17/22. It just seems to fit my hand better.

My real interest in the 165gr .45 is to see if it offers better penetration over the 230gr or if the difference is too little to matter.

 

[Geno]

TKD & .45 ACP. Life's best combination bar none! Here's some of my ashtrays. The fired projectiles were dug from a boar.

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