.45 defensive ammo question

vellnueve

vellnueve

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My current personal defense gun is a CT equipped Glock 22 with Federal 165 gr Hydra Shoks, but having bought my new SW1911PD and seeing that I shoot very well with it, I'm wondering what other people use for defensive ammo. I was looking at the ballistics of the Hydra-Shok versus the Federal HST and the HST definitely looks better on paper, but Hydra-Shoks have been around for a quite a while. Anyone have any thoughts/experience using these rounds in 1911s?

Also, would it be foolish to use +P ammo if I don't shoot with +P regularly?
 
I use HST 230gr Std. Pressure. It shoots great in my sig and the expanded test bullets I have seen online
look pretty darned good. The fact that they were designed by Tom Burczynski,
the designer of the Hydra-Shok (and Starfire, and federal EFMJ, and Quik-Shok) is pretty compelling.
 
vellnueve said:
My current personal defense gun is a CT equipped Glock 22 with Federal 165 gr Hydra Shoks, but having bought my new SW1911PD and seeing that I shoot very well with it, I'm wondering what other people use for defensive ammo. I was looking at the ballistics of the Hydra-Shok versus the Federal HST and the HST definitely looks better on paper, but Hydra-Shoks have been around for a quite a while. Anyone have any thoughts/experience using these rounds in 1911s?
Click to expand...

I use 230 gr Remington Golden Sabre HP for carry. I've fired about 50 rounds of it through my 1911PD without any failures. The stuff feels about the same on the range as the 230 gr FMJ I use for hole punching in paper.

I don't know how much value +P has for .45 because you lose slug mass to gain velocity, and I haven't looked up the kinetic energy of each to see how much they differ, nor have I read any studies to indicate how they compare in efficacy for actual defensive purposes.

Kyle
 
I'm tempted to buy one of each and try them all but my wallet will commit suicide should I try.

Hmm... I'll have to take a look at the Gold Dot ballistics info.
 
squarooticus said:
I don't know how much value +P has for .45 because you lose slug mass to gain velocity ...
Click to expand...

While I'm content with my standard velocity defense ammo, one definitely doesn't have to sacrifice mass to gain velocity, since +P (or +P+) ammo is, by definition, loaded to a higher pressure than standard ammo. For example, Wolf 230gr FMJ has a muzzle velocity around 725fps, while Black Hills Blue 230gr FMJ is about 815fps, which is the typical range for most standard velocity .45ACP. In comparison, both Magtech and Cor-Bon make 230gr JHP+P ammo with muzzle velocities in the 920-940fps range. Higher pressure means higher velocity, and of course, more recoil.

Ken
 
KMaurer said:
While I'm content with my standard velocity defense ammo, one definitely doesn't have to sacrifice mass to gain velocity, since +P (or +P+) ammo is, by definition, loaded to a higher pressure than standard ammo. For example, Wolf 230gr FMJ has a muzzle velocity around 725fps, while Black Hills Blue 230gr FMJ is about 815fps, which is the typical range for most standard velocity .45ACP. In comparison, both Magtech and Cor-Bon make 230gr JHP+P ammo with muzzle velocities in the 920-940fps range. Higher pressure means higher velocity, and of course, more recoil.

Ken
Click to expand...
I stand corrected. All of the +P ammo I've seen before was 180 gr.

Kyle
 
A lot of the +P is indeed lighter weight, but there'se also a lot of standard velocity ammo in those weights as well. It's like seeing a .308 and a .45 and concluding that .30 caliber ammo has more stoping power. There's more than one variable involved. In this case it's easy, since the heaver standard velocity and lighter +P tend to be so common.

Ken
 
These are the loads I'd reccomend:

Speer 230 gr GDHP
Win Ranger RA45T 230 gr
Federal Tactical (HST2) 230 gr
Rem Golden Sabre 230 gr
Rem Golden Sabre 230 gr bonded core

Taurus/PMC Copper Hex 185 gr (corbon and one other company also make a
load similar to this using the barnes bullet). Note that it does not feed
well in some guns, as the bullet profile is sharp/agressive. Had no problems
in my USPc .45 though. Recoil is low.

These are all loads that "work".

I don't see the need to use +P in a .45 for defensive purposes. They
don't expand or work any better than the other stuff. Perhaps in a small
.45 (eg less than 3" bbl) its a good idea, but on the other hand those
little guns have enough issues as it is, never mind adding more blast and
recoil into the equation.

-Mike
 
Federal 230-gr. JHP's here.

I got a box of lighter rounds (185-gr. I think) for my birthday, but haven't had a chance to try them yet to see how they Perforn in the Ruger P345. I remember reading where some folks said their Rugers prefer (fewer FTF's with) the heavier rounds.

Until I know they'll feed well, they're staying in the box on the shelf.

Not that I should have to remind anyone, but make sure whichever round you deicde on works well in your specific gun. One man's "go-to" round may be another man's useless crap.
 
That last point is very true. That said, I'm trying to have a starting point to work with without having to test 10 different brands of highly expensive premium ammo.
 
You can get the 230 grain HST for < $20 / 50 local and $16/box mail
order. At that price you can run 200 through your gun for under $80.
That helped make them very attractive to me. 200 rounds of Hydra-Shoks
costs some serious money.

F
 
It's widely acknowledged that Lee Jurras revolutionized handgun ammo with his Super-Vel ammo back in the sixties.

I'm beginning to think that 20 years from now, people are going to be saying the same thing about Cor-Bon's new DPX ammo with the Barnes copper bullet.

It's probably no better than some of the other fine rounds that people here have mentioned as a purely anti-personel round, but if you have to shoot through car doors and such first, it seems to be a quantum leap forward.

It's not cheap, it's not easy to find, and you DO have to be sure it will feed through your gun properly.

Regards
John
 
Cross-X said:
Speer Gold Dot 230 gr.
Click to expand...
+ 2 for Speer 230gr GDHP.
But, keep in mind they have a very wide hollow point opening. They don't call them a flying ashtray for nothing. I wouldn't consider putting them in a carry gun until I run AT LEAST 200 rounds thru the gun without any problems. If I encounter a problem I correct it and reset the counter to zero. Yeah, it's expensive, but I'm worth it.
-Cuz.
 
I like the HST, Speer GD, and Remington GS.

I stay away from Corbon. Sometimes they don't go boom and sometimes they don't even fit in the mag. Very poor quality ammo.
 
Cross-X said:
No premium ammo discussion would be complete without a mention of the noble Hornady TAP round.
Click to expand...

I like the TAP rifle loadings in some bullet weights but from the feedback
on balgel tests on the pistol rounds, they don't appear to expand as
reliably as other JHPs do. I have some 10mm TAP but I'm not really sure if I trust it
or not, I know the gun will like it, but if it's anything else like the rest
of their pistol ammo, it's not that much better than "mid shelf" defense
ammo. (eg, the bullet performance is 2 generations down now).

Edit: From what I've heard, their 9mm Makarov loading is one of the
best, though.


-Mike
 

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