# Here's the .45 ACP Poll



## JeffWard

What bullet weight do you prefer for SD?


----------



## Shipwreck

U didn't list a bottle of Colt 45 - perfect for throwing at someone :smt082:smt082

I voted 230 grain. All I ever shoot in 45.


----------



## Baldy

I use 185gr lswc for all my loading of the .45cal. I have worked up a good target/self defense load that works real good in our Government/Commander 1911's.


----------



## js

230gr for me...


----------



## Mike Barham

When I carried .45ACP, I carried 230s. However, I am so unconcerned with ammo selection that I carried everything from premium JHPs to WWB JHPs to, occasionally, plain ol' hardball. You all know my mantra so I will refrain from repeating it yet again.


----------



## Alaskan_Viking

.40 S&W:mrgreen:


----------



## Clyde

5" - I like 230gr

under 5" - 200gr 

:smt033


----------



## Old Padawan

Mike Barham said:


> You all know my mantra so I will refrain from repeating it yet again.


What mantra is that??? :mrgreen:


----------



## hideit

this was a good idea but how about next someone put out the same question for 9mm
i think that might be more interesting


----------



## Benzbuilder

I voted <185. I carry the aquilla 117 gr. IQ load. It pushes 1400fps and has excellent terminal balistics.


----------



## Mike Barham

Benzbuilder said:


> I voted <185. I carry the aquilla 117 gr. IQ load. It pushes 1400fps and has excellent terminal balistics.


Hmmmm. That's an interesting definition of "excellent terminal ballistics," since the Aguilla 117 gr. only penetrates about seven inches in ballistic gelatin (http://www.firearmstactical.com/tacticalbriefs/volume3/number2/article2.htm). Seven inches is woefully short of the 11"-16" recommended by virtually all wound ballistics professionals.

If you have to shoot through something even as simple as an arm to get to the bad guy's chest - an extremely likely scenario - you'll be lucky if the Aguilla load makes it even 2" deep into the chest cavity. The vital organs lay quite a bit deeper than that, of course.

Hell, on a bigger man (think 6'2" 280 pound ex-con who has been working out at taxpayer expense for the last five years) I doubt 7" is even enough penetration on an unobstructed frontal shot - never mind a shot to the side or through a limb.


----------



## ki4dmh

230 grain Fed. Hydra Shock +P :smt023


----------



## mvslay

Federal 200 gr EFMJ +P. But, I feel comfortable with just about anything .45 ACP 185 gr or more.


----------



## rasgun

use 230 gold dots in mine!!


----------



## azqkr

45 230 grain standard velocity

Brownie


----------



## Charlie

Carry load is 230 grain hollow point. Plinking load is either 230 gr. FMJ or 200 gr. semi-wad cutter. :smt023


----------



## milquetoast

I have always carried 230, and I don't care much which 230. Hydra-Shok, Black Talon, whatever is at hand. I bought a few boxes of the Hornady FMJ-FP when they were discontinued, and those are in my spare mags.

However, recently I switched to Cor-Bon DPX 185 for guns carried outside the house. Based on one non-scientific test, it appears that Cor-Bon performs as well as anything else on gelatin, but shoots through car bodies and windows better than any 230 load, including hardball. I am paranoid about cars -- the world is full of them.

Inside the house, though, it's still H-S and Black Talons.


----------



## Mike Barham

milquetoast said:


> However, recently I switched to Cor-Bon DPX 185 for guns carried outside the house. Based on one non-scientific test, it appears that Cor-Bon performs as well as anything else on gelatin, but shoots through car bodies and windows better than any 230 load, including hardball. I am paranoid about cars -- the world is full of them.


I see that John Farnam is also a big proponent of DPX. I have shied away from Cor-Bon for years since I experienced a very uneven batch of .40s from them - light-recoiling powderpuffs followed by flame-belching Goliaths, then more powderpuffs. It appears, based on the knowledgeable people now carrying it, that the quality problems seem to have been fixed.

On the other hand, Cor-Bon was the darling of the gun press when I got the bad batch...I will have to do some experimentation when I get back home.


----------



## Old Padawan

Mike Barham said:


> On the other hand, Cor-Bon was the darling of the gun press when I got the bad batch...I will have to do some experimentation when I get back home.


I can tell you for sure they function well in your Glock :smt023


----------



## Mike Barham

Old Padawan said:


> I can tell you for sure they function well in your Glock :smt023


Well, then...if they work for Mr. Malfunction, I should be good to go!


----------



## Bob Wright

Col. Charles Askins was a proponent of the 185 gr. Jacketed WC bullet for combat. And I carried the 125gr~130Gr. .357s for awhile. But the likelihood exists, to me at any rate, that my target will be a big 275~290 lb. hulk, maybe dressed in a heavy jacket. The fast stepping lightweights just don't have the momentum to get through to a vital area.

A gent once told me of trying a Colt Python on a wild boar. He was using Remington factory .357s, 125 gr. SJHPs. The bullets barely penetrated the tough hide, didn't pass the layer of fat.

Bob Wright


----------



## Spartan

ki4dmh said:


> 230 grain Fed. Hydra Shock +P :smt023


I'll second that.


----------



## Mike Barham

Bob Wright said:


> The fast stepping lightweights just don't have the momentum to get through to a vital area.


The DPX rounds seem to be an exception to that general rule. Several sources show them penetrating 12-13" after defeating the 4-layer denim test, as well as various hard materials (as *milquetoast* pointed out).



> A gent once told me of trying a Colt Python on a wild boar. He was using Remington factory .357s, 125 gr. SJHPs. The bullets barely penetrated the tough hide, didn't pass the layer of fat.


The Remington SJHPs were "old bullet" technology, though, designed before FBI-Miami and the resultant revolution in bullet design that gave birth to Golden Saber/Gold Dot/SXT/DPX. Also not sure a wild boar is a good representation of a human, though bullet results on deer are fairly convincing, since deer are more similar to people.


----------



## TOF

Ialways thought we humans were called "Long Pig" by the cannibals. I guess they should change that to "Long Deer" but the Indian feller named Long Deer might complain.

:anim_lol: :anim_lol: :anim_lol: :anim_lol: :anim_lol: :anim_lol:

:smt1099


----------



## samskara

I carry 230gr Remington Golden Saber in my Springfield Mil-Spec. I've never done any personal tests with them but I've had 100% reliability and thats key in my opinion.


----------



## soldierboy029

*You are pretty much covered in .45 ACP*

When shooting the .45 ACP you are pretty much covered from a defensive standpoint, both do the job quite well. Its more a personal choice if you like the flatter trajectory of the 185gr sacrificing a little downrange energy and getting less recoil. The 230 gr has worked and stood the test of time. I have found the 200 grain bullets available for this caliber shoot really well, especially the Hornady XTP's. But as long as you carry a bullet from a reputable manufactuer, I wouldn't feel undergunned with any of them at average self defense distances which usually occur at conversation distances, 7 yards or less.


----------



## Polak

230 hollow point.


----------



## gmaske

Couldn't vote cause I'm using the 200 grain Hornady XTP's:mrgreen:


----------



## fivehourfrenzy

Benzbuilder said:


> I voted <185. I carry the aquilla 117 gr. IQ load. It pushes 1400fps and has excellent terminal balistics.


I didn't know they even made a load that light in .45ACP. What's the point of carting around a .45 if you're gonna have a bullet lighter than most 9mm loads? That's half the weight of a 230gr.


----------



## Mosquito

230 Grain hollow point


----------



## Steve M1911A1

Me, too.


----------



## DevilsJohnson

samskara said:


> I carry 230gr Remington Golden Saber in my Springfield Mil-Spec. I've never done any personal tests with them but I've had 100% reliability and thats key in my opinion.


I mostly use same for my carry loads. I roll my own for target and have used about everything made as far as slugs are concerned. I have come up with a great load for 230 and 185 but the 230 won out after the oh so long testing. I'd like to use my loads for carry but all my LEO pals tell me that it's not good to do so:smt030. Seems shooting someone with store ammo means ya not pre-meditated in your shooting..I think they are all pre-medicated in their thinking but I really don't want to test that standing in front of a judge. I mean..Does it really make a difference what comes a sailing outta the pipe?

They tell me that by using a hand loaded hollow point I am trying to make sure I get the most possible damage to the BG....I think it's more a You can make something better than we use and we can't figure a way to out right stop you from loading your own. So we scare people by spanking those in court that use hand loads in a carry gun.


----------



## Firedude

I load 230gr XTP's in my 1911's for SD.


----------



## oak1971

I have not used anything but 230 gr xtp's and hydroshocks. My carry gun has a 3.25 inch barrel so I moght load up some 185's. Any thoughts?


----------



## fivehourfrenzy

oak1971 said:


> I have not used anything but 230 gr xtp's and hydroshocks. My carry gun has a 3.25 inch barrel so I moght load up some 185's. Any thoughts?


Get the 185gr Corbon DPX +P (if your gun is high pressure rated). The DPX is the one exception to the rule that lighter bullets don't have the momentum to reliably penetrate. They're 100% copper and don't fragment upon contact with steel or glass, and they have an extremely deep cavity that allows them to expand at lower velocities. The only problem with them is they're $32-35 for a box of 20, and recoil harder than any other .45ACP load you'll shoot, unless there's a <185gr load that's +P+ rated, which would be pointless anyway. They're also used in fast cycling SMGs, so they're tested for fast cycling. Git sum!!!


----------



## AdamSean

It all depends on the ammo launcher. If I were using a full size 1911 I would go with a 230gr. But I carry a Taurus PT-745 with a 3.25 inch barrel so the lighter faster burning powder bullets are going to have a better function for me. I currently carry Glaser Pow'R Ball .45 Auto +P 165gr. Velocity is 1225 fps with energy at 550 ft/lbs.


----------



## Justice_Guy

I like 230g I use it now


----------



## submoa

230gr, subsonic. Just the way John Moses Browning intended.


----------



## Steve M1911A1

submoa said:


> 230gr, subsonic. Just the way John Moses Browning intended.


Is 850 fps subsonic?
At the moment, the math escapes me.
I've had 'em go by overhead, while working the pits, and I don't remember a "crack," so I guess you're probably right.
But I'm not _sure_.


----------



## submoa

Steve M1911A1 said:


> Is 850 fps subsonic?


1128fps is speed of sound at 70 degrees sealevel, slower with altitude and temp.


----------



## Steve M1911A1

Thanks, submoa.


----------



## wahsben

Usually have Remington golden sabre 230gn in the 45.


----------



## Deltaboy1984

Cor-bon 230 +p HP :smt1099


----------



## knoxrocks222

185g federal hydrashocks but i have a 9mm now


----------



## Fred40

Hmmm....I mostly shoot 200gr.


----------



## fmj shooter

230 grn JHP for me.


----------



## hunter18372

I don't know why you didn't list a 200 gr selection. 
The Speer Gold Dot in 45 + P IMHO has about the same recoil of 230's in the 850-900 fps range and alot less than anything else I've shot over the years in a 45 that is pushed over 1000fps.


----------



## lostsoul

JeffWard said:


> What bullet weight do you prefer for SD?


185gr.Let me guess,Springfeild XD-nothin wrong with that.


----------



## 3/325

Every time I look at ammo the 230gr is cheapest and I have no idea why. But, since money is a factor for me, I buy it. 

WWB FMJ for targets
Fed Premium HST JHP +P for defense (might step down to standard pressure)

Gold Dots, Corbons, and Golden Saber are on my list of brands to try...


----------



## revolvers&w

230 grain, they are big fat and heavy, or is that me?


----------



## curmudgeon8

230gr. Remington Golden Sabers for SD in both of my COLTs. WWB 230gr. ball for practice. No malf.'s with either.


----------



## bill5074

My Kimber Ultra CDP ll does not like the 230gr much, especially the WWB stuff. I have found the Federal Preminum 200gr JHP works the best in my gun. It works the best for me so that is what I use for carry.


----------



## Hooligan John

230 gr. for me too.


----------



## Slowfire

I side with the bullet weight that JMB designed the fabulous 1911 platform around.:mrgreen:


----------



## DevilsJohnson

bill5074 said:


> My Kimber Ultra CDP ll does not like the 230gr much, especially the WWB stuff. I have found the Federal Preminum 200gr JHP works the best in my gun. It works the best for me so that is what I use for carry.


That's the important thing to try several and find the ones *your gun*likes best. It doesn't matter if it's professed to be the best round in the world. If you don't like the way it works in your weapon. It's useless.


----------



## dog wonder

I use the .45 caliber -Federal HST 230+P for both its expansion thru variou materials and yet penetrates aprox. 12 thru 13 inches--very reliable ammo!

I am a new member and look forward to posting on this forum!


----------



## MJP

I prefer 230 gr if I can find some.:smt1099


----------



## MJP

Woot woot...just picked up 6 boxes of .45 ammo from Walmart! 5 more days until I take my girfriend (sig p220) out on a date with my wife!


----------



## hawcer

230gr...anything less than 200gr my 40 will cover.


----------



## Sonny Boy

*230*

230 Gold Dots as well.


----------



## Peaceful

*Gold Dots*

I also use the Gold dots and have for the last 20 yrs or so. I've qualified in 3 different states and 3 different jobs. For off duty just about any reloads will do.
I have to add that because of health reasons (my wife) I had not shot in over 5 years. Last Tuesday I went and qualified (using my Gold Dot. And put the shame on 11 others at the qualifiying shoot.
Then I looked at the price on Gold Dots today 
WOWWWWW have they ever gone up in price. But I still got a 200 in the safe. Got to get some reloads.
Peaceful:smt1099


----------



## cougartex

230 grain JHP Winchester White Box


----------



## Josser

230gr is what Kimber recommends in my gun, no misfires at all, goes BANG everytime!


----------

