You .45ACP guys what do you use for SD ammo?

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I bought a box of Speer Gold dots and a box of Remington Golden Sabers , both 230 grain and hit the range today with a buddy of mine who is retired from the Sheriff's department. I also bought of box of my usual range ammo the CCI Blazer Brass 230 grain.
We were both surprised at how hot the 2 rounds are for hollow points, especially the gold Dots.
Is this normal or desired with .45 ACP? I was surprised , my 9mm Hydra shoks shoot much softer.
what do you .45 acp guys recommend for a good SD round? (or do I already have them , I want hot with the .45 round)?
The 230 gr Blazer Brass was noticeably softer shooting
 
.45 Speer Gold dots 230 is fine and usually run well in 1911 if that's what you're running. Try to find a practice load that feels the same.
 
I'm using a springfield Armory XDM 3.8C . They shot fine, very accurate , just surprised me at how hot they were. LOL!
 
many good choices out there, but the federal HST is simply impressive (at least in ballistic gel).

 
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I can't believe you are comparing 9's to .45's in the first place.

My mags are filled with Black Talons on both the 45's and 40's.
I'm not, I just noticed when going to Hollow point from ball ammo in 9mm I didn't recognize the Hp's feeling like they were "hot"
I immediately noticed it with the .45's
Obviously there is quite a difference between 9mm and .45 [rolleyes]
 
I use Hornady Critical Defense 185gr out of my M&P 45c. Always been reliable and in stock. My .357 SIG I use LE Gold Dots. Theyre always noticeably hotter.
 
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I can't believe you are comparing 9's to .45's in the first place.

My mags are filled with Black Talons on both the 45's and 40's.

If the 90s attack you, you're covered. Otherwise, consider that 8-tracks have also been somewhat updated. [wink] SXTs and similar are almost Black Talons, but they include some of the lessons learned since 1991.


generally

One of the real advantages, or maybe the only real advantage, of .45 is that you don't really have to be too careful to find a reliable JHP that meets FBI standard or better. Just stay in the major brands.
 
Ferderal Hst's are considered the all around best in regards to gel tests, no matter the barrel length.Gold dots, hornady critical defence and critical duty are also solid performers. Old school Hydra shocks and golden sabors are notorious for not expanding in heavy denim tests, especially with short barrels. There really is benefits from the modern bullet designs. If you think golden sabors are hard recoiling stay away from the HST +p's.
 
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I don't think they are hard recoiling, I was just surprised by how noticeably hotter they shot.
I was actually concerned more about blowing a hole through the wall behind my target than anything else.
They were both easy enough to handle and shoot accurately, just curious what other people are shooting.
 
HST 230's here. Also running HST's in my 9's and 40's. Gold Dots, Rangers, Sabers, HST's are all good choices just make sure you function test a fair number to see what works in your gun and you can hit what you're aiming at. In my experience a fair amount of range ammo is pretty soft shooting.
 
I had been using 230 gr Gold Dots for many years, but recently acquired a 3" S&W Pro Series 1911 that absolutely choked (FTF) on them. This prompted me to perform new testing in search of a self defense load that was not only highly rated, but worked across my half dozen various 45's. I settled on the 230 gr Federal HST +P. It also shoots to the exact point of impact as my normal range round, the 230 gr CCI Blazer Brass.
 
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