Best .45 acp ammo
- Thread starter Joshboyfutre
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Joshboyfutre
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After seeing a man be shot by an m-2 .50 machine and actually be alive with his lung hanging out of his body while still working, what I do understand about the human body is that its a resilient design. Hand guns are side arms and very underpowered in comparison to rifle and even certain shotgun ammo. I'm more than aware that one shot isn't gonna do it and stopping power is a term for stuff with brakes, lol. I figure with all the different rounds out there and my inexperience with the .45 I would see what everyone runs and go with the top three suggested. Federal HST, Hornady Critical Defense, and Speer Gold Dot seem to be the most suggested. If I'm gonna use a weapon that I'm more than likely gonna have to shoot multiple time in a fight I want a round that is known to perform. Shot placement will always be king, but sometimes its not so easy to take a perfect shot. Maybe people think I'm putting to much thinking into my ammo, but with today's technology the difference between some rounds is vast. If I was being a jerk about some answers, well sometimes I carry some stuff over from other situations, I'm sorry for that. Thanks for the input and putting up with me.
horsemen61
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I like 230 grain ball myself
bannockburn
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I have always had excellent performance from Winchester 185 grain Silver Tips. Extremely reliable and very accurate, especially in my Colt Officers Model and Combat Commander.
JTQ
Member
I believe the difference between the best .45 ACP and the worst .45 ACP is smaller than the difference between the best .380ACP and the worst .45ACP.
.380 ACP isn't a 'service cartridge'.
9x19
.40 S&W
.45 ACP
.357 mag
.38spl +P if the barrel is reasonably long
And anything substantially similar if you can get the best rounds for it. .357 sig, .45 GAP, 10mm (don't know of any HST or Gold Dot for that one), whatever.
Of course the too-weak cartridges like .32 and .380 aren't going to make the cut, and .38spl +P can be marginal depending on the round and the barrel length
RetiredUSNChief
Member
What JTQ said.
I shoot WWB 230 gr jacked for target shooting. About 850 fps. It's cheap, it's reliable, it's accurate, and my gun likes it.
I shoot Gold Dot 230 gr hollow points. About 850 fps and I can't tell the difference in point of impact compared to my target ammo. It cycles flawlessly in my gun. Since it shoots the same as my target ammo, I know there should be no surprises about point of impact and no need to adjust my point of aim any different than what I practice with.
Any quality brand name, like those cited by JTQ above, are going to meet your needs as a defensive round. Buy few boxes of different brands and try them out to see what works well with your gun, then make an informed decision with that information.
JTQ
Member
I'm not sure of how that connects to my post and why you quoted it?
Some context for my post in the event you haven't read the whole thread.
From the OP...
The OP has gone from a .380 to .45ACP.
I practice mostly with my reloads. For SD its a good JHP, currently Remington Golden Sabers, Speer Gold Dots, Winchester Rangers, Federal Hydra Shoks and HST's. Some of the best defense and lower cost ammo available is Law Enforcement surplus.
You certainly don't need to buy a lot of SD ammo. Just enough to test for function and fill a couple magazines to carry.
You certainly don't need to buy a lot of SD ammo. Just enough to test for function and fill a couple magazines to carry.
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Joshboyfutre
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What I meant by that is that I use hst for 9mm and other standard rounds but use hydra-shok specifically for .380 because its the only round that seems to get decent penetration while still expanding for .380 ( anemic ). I aware that there is a difference between .380 and .45 guess the way it reads threw everyone off cause there r a few people comenting on .380 compared to .45. To clarify .380-hydra shock / 9mm-hst / .45-? I was basically asking what everyone out there is prefers for a .45, just curious. Sorry for the confusion
RetiredUSNChief
Member
^^^^
Kinda looks like a sausage grinder, doesn't it?
Kinda looks like a sausage grinder, doesn't it?
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Joshboyfutre
Member
Sure does! Some of these rounds out there are wild lokkin when they expand. Folks that make that r.i.p. round have a new one that doesn't segment but expands to about the size of a quarter, can't think of the name of it tho. I think its just another novelty round but still pretty cool. I want a dragon breath round for .45 or .44... That would b fun
Deanimator
Member
- I won't carry FMJs in ANY handgun caliber.
- My favorite .45acp defense load was the Hornady 200gr. TAP JHP. Naturally they stopped making it. I've considered replacing it with Hornady 200gr. XTP JHP, but it's VERY hard to come by at local gunshows.
- As an interim measure, I've switched to Speer 200gr. GoldDots, since they're consistently available at the best gunstore in the county.
Winkman822
Member
Not sure how familiar you are with the 1911 platform, but they CAN be finicky with ammo. That said, my preferences for JHP ammo for my 1911s are as follows (depending primarily upon availability as all have proven reliable in my current crop of 1911s)
Federal HST .230 Gr.
Speer Gold Dot .230 Gr.
Remington Golden Saber Bonded 230 Gr.
Hornady XTP 200 Gr. and 230 Gr.
I have also used Winchester Ranger Talons, but they are not 100% across all of my pistols. My TRP doesn't seem to like them during fast shooting.
Federal HST .230 Gr.
Speer Gold Dot .230 Gr.
Remington Golden Saber Bonded 230 Gr.
Hornady XTP 200 Gr. and 230 Gr.
I have also used Winchester Ranger Talons, but they are not 100% across all of my pistols. My TRP doesn't seem to like them during fast shooting.
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