Compact 45 Ammo

[147 Grain]

Question:

With the short 3.2" barrel of the Millenium Pro in 45 auto, what ammo is the best for self defense?

Am considering Ranger T 230-gr. +P that's rated at 990 fps in a 4" barrel or Double Tap's 230-gr. +P Gold Dot at 1,010 fps from 4" pipe.

Will these +P rounds be a lot harder to control than standard HP's going 100+ fps slower?

....And, what other ammo should I consider for self defense with the 45 auto in the Millenium Pro?

Thanks again in advance of your assistance! Any other suggestions for a compact 45 auto are needed as well.

Steve

 

[Dave R]

Conventional wisdom is to use a lighter bullet, like a 185 grain, to get back some of the velocity you lose with a short barrel. My PT-145 chrono-ed 230 gr. commercial loads at about 700fps. So I go with a handload that uses a 185gr. bullet at about 900 fps.

And somebody--Cor Bon?--has brought out a 165gr load specifically for short-barreled .45s.

 

[147 Grain]

Dave:

What brand of ammo chrono'd 700 fps (that's pretty low) from your PT-145's 3.27" barrel?

 

[sumpnz]

I chrono'd WWB 230gr hardball from my Sig P245 (3.9" tube). I was getting about 780fps. For a 3.2" tube I'd believe low 700's from the same ammo. With differences in individual guns, and if he was shooting other than the same lot of WWB hardball I could easily believe 700+- from a PT145.

 

[M2 Carbine]

I favor the Iguila IQ.

1280 FPS from my 3 inch Kimbers.

1245 FPS from my Bond Arms Derringer

Interesting bullet.
117gr HP
Fairly mild shooting for a +P.
On a soft target it fragments into 3 or 4 pieces. The base still being 45 cal.
On a hard target it stays in one piece and penetrates.

Either way it seems to deliever a lot of destructive force to the target.

 

[Lennyjoe]

I like using 200gr +P out of anything 4" or less. Thats my personal opinion.

Opinions may vary.

 

[147 Grain]

Has anyone tried or read reviews on Corbon's 160-gr. DPX load that uses Barne's X bullet or PMC copper Hex bullet (is this also made by Barnes?)?

 

[MICHAEL T]

S. Camp has posted a test on the CorBon 160 Need to look around he was impressed .E Marshall has a test posted also. He used a S&W snub in 45auto.

 

[james481]

In my G30 I use DoubleTap 185gr GDHP. 1160fps / ~600 ft/lbs...

 

[Hypnogator]

I carry 230-gr Hydra-Shoks in my PT-145 Millennium Pro. They're designed to expand at velocities as low as 600 FPS, and as one of the member's once said, "Your 9mm may expand, but my .45 won't shrink!"

I've shot several types of +P "premium" ammo through my 145 with no problems. The recoil is a little snappier than with the standard velocity stuff.

I've also shot about half a box of Taurus 185-gr rounds with the Barnes total copper bullets. Recoil was noticably lighter, but I'm still not convinced that penetration was adequate.