Need Recommendations: Favorite .45 Auto Carry Ammo?

[Zzeke]

What's everyone's favorite .45 auto carry ammo?

 

[JR24]

HST 230 grain, standard or +P.

Then again, I like HST everything.

Gold dot and Golden Saber bonded 230 grain work well too.

 

[cslinger]

As much as I like HST, I like Gold Dots in .45. Like Golden Sabers as well.

All that said I don’t get to wrapped up in Wunderbullets, as long as it’s a decent quality hollow point and reliable I’m all good.

 

[JR24]

As much as I like HST, I like Gold Dots in .45. Like Golden Sabers as well.

All that said I don’t get to wrapped up in Wunderbullets, as long as it’s a decent quality hollow point and reliable I’m all good.

Especially in .45

 

[Zerodefect]

Federal hst.
Winchester pdx1
Speer, Lawman or Gold Dot, I forget. Usually vaporware in .45.

My local stores sell limited amounts of carry ammo, so usually only stock one or two brands for each caliber. Never a full selection. But this also means they never have dusty obsolete junk either. Speer is popular in 9mm. Pdx1 in 40. Winchester's budget white box JHP and Federal HST in 45.

 

[swagbrdr]

I reload my own. I know this will get frowns from the community, but it’s a free country and I’ll choose my own risk. Next frown maneuver, I use 230 grain jacketed flat points. Why? From my experience two holes are better than one. Again, I know the risks and liability issues I face here. I’d rather be alive and in court rather than dead. I’d prefer the perp to not be a witness at court.

As far as commercials stuff goes? You need to find what shoots best in your gun. It’s not smart to practice with plinking ammo and carry fancy HP stuff that shoots totally different when the bad time comes. Paul Harrell has a vid on YouTube that states something similar. I couldn’t agree more.

 

[Obturation]

I use the 230 grain short barrel gold dot. It's a bit more optimized for use in carry length barrels and the bullet design is a little different. I've used it for years and prefer it to anything else.
I know there's a lot of love for the golden sabre , I have a poor opinion of it though.
HST is good but I've already done all my testing on the gold dot years ago and I have no need to do it all again.

 

[kidneyboy]

Currently I shoot 200gr SWC better than any of the other ammo I have available, including HST, so that's what i carry.

 

[Rudolph31]

Winchester Black Talon

 

[JTQ]

... I don’t get to wrapped up in Wunderbullets,...

 

[Howland937]

Sig V crown

 

[WestKentucky]

I no longer own a .45 but I have had a few. All of them were a bit ammo picky except for the xD. The 1911s did not like hp ammo so I carried flat point cones. The xD I carried gold dots. With all guns, the main thing is function, but especially with a 45acp. The GI type 1911s are not made to shoot anything but ball or similarly profiled bullets, and everybody wants to just shoot cheap ball at the range but stick a mag of wonderbullets in for carry without ever testing them, and that turns the guns into really fancy and awkward pump guns.

 

[Obturation]

I no longer own a .45

Blasphemy. This is 'merica , we shoot 45s !

You really should fix that though. No 45 revolvers either?

 

[WestKentucky]

Blasphemy. This is 'merica , we shoot 45s !

You really should fix that though. No 45 revolvers either?

Not right now. I am looking to change that, but so far no dice.

 

[cfullgraf]

I'm comfortable with the performance of shooting 230 RN traveling 800-850 fps from my 45's.

 

[mongoslow]

200 grain +p Gold Dot or XTP

 

[tactikel]

HSTs

 

[bersaguy]

I like 230 grain Golden Sabres, mainly because they feed well in my 1911. Probably wouldn't be my 1st choice in something with a short barrel though, apparently they loose a fair amount of velocity when barrel lengths start getting down to 3½ inch and lower. But out of a 5" 1911....they make some gnarly holes

 

[GBExpat]

Zzeke, Welcome to THR!

I am sorry that I cannot "experience"-recommend any factory ammo for you as I (mostly) carry standard-velocity (~800-850fps) ball or LRN in my .45s (and I handload most of what I shoot & carry).

If I were in the market for some factory .45acp carry ammo these days, the first that I would probably try is something topped with the .230gr Speer GoldDot SB (Short Barrel) bullets.

======

I initially posted another response and walked away to do some chores ... halfway there I realized that I had actually, inadvertantly, ignored your question & circumstances and slipped into reloading mode in my response, which would probably be utterly useless to you. Sorry.

It is really good to have you with us!

 

[Charlie98]

Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel 230grn standard velocity ammos. Fantastic out of my 4" 1911's.

 

[WisBorn]

I use Remington green box (UMC) 230 grain JHP. Cheap enough to shoot often and never had a round not fire. Paul Harrell makes some great points in his videos regarding hyper ammo.

 

[Lennyjoe]

Speer 230 grain Gold Dots. Been my .45 carry ammo for as long as I’ve owned them.

 

[Charlie98]

Just FYI, Speer also sells the Gold Dot as a component bullet as well as the SB Gold Dot bullet... they are a separate part number. I load the SB component bullet over 6.5grn Unique (which is OVER max for this bullet per Speer load data, I worked up to it) as my practice round, and carry factory in my pistols.

 

[CDW4ME]

For a comparison of Gold Dot and HST, manufacturer data:
https://le.vistaoutdoor.com/wound_ballistics/load_comparison/load_comparison.aspx

 

[barnetmill]

I reload my own. I know this will get frowns from the community, but it’s a free country and I’ll choose my own risk. Next frown maneuver, I use 230 grain jacketed flat points. Why? From my experience two holes are better than one. Again, I know the risks and liability issues I face here. I’d rather be alive and in court rather than dead. I’d prefer the perp to not be a witness at court.

As far as commercials stuff goes? You need to find what shoots best in your gun. It’s not smart to practice with plinking ammo and carry fancy HP stuff that shoots totally different when the bad time comes. Paul Harrell has a vid on YouTube that states something similar. I couldn’t agree more.

For my .45's that I do not currently carry concealed, For combat purposes I would use FMJ. Functions well in the gun and has a good reputation for killing. Such ammo also ricochets and yes ricochets can hurt/kill with possible bad and good outcomes.