Remington Golden Saber VS Federal Hydra-Shock VS Hornady XTP 45 ACP Ammo

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For a defense load in 45 ACP,which between these following brands,Remington Golden Saber(230 Grain),Federal Hydra-Shock(230 Grain),and Hornady XTP(230 Grain+P)would you choose?For your information,the reason for me asking only about these brands of 45 ACP ammo is because I live here in the Philippines and they are only one what are available here.
Thanks in advance.
 
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Hello to you in the Philippines, a beautiful country! I use Federal Hydra-Shock. Bought several 50 (yes, 50) round boxes when they were available at a great price several years ago. It would still be my choice, but the other choices you have are not bad, either.
 
What flavor of .45 Auto do you have? I normally use Golden Sabers because in my 1911-style semi-autos they have fed well with nary a jam.
 
All three are good ammunition.
Of course, reliability is first consideration.
Assuming they all function well in your pistols, I would pick Golden Saber, Federal Hydrashock and Hornady XTP last. They are the same weight but they have different velocities with Golden Saber being the slowest and XTP being the Fastest. More speed means more recoil in this case.

But ....... if the cost differences between the three are significant, I would pick the cheapest.
 
The Hydra-Shok is a very old design that has been shown to NOT perform well in expansion testing. That would be my last choice regardless of what else was available.

Of the other two, the Hornady XTP is the newest bullet design and arguably the best of the three you mentioned for penetration, expansion, and weight retention. Despite that, I use Golden Sabers, for the same reason as Quincunx: the bullet shape is best for reliable feeding in any 1911 I have ever tested them in.

Note that Golden Sabers are available in both 185-grain and 230-grain, +P or not +P, and bonded or not bonded. I use the 230-grain non-+P, but I am starting to think that I should be using the 185-grain +P in short-barrel pistols for the extra velocity. There is little difference between the two in perceived recoil. If you can get them, the bonded have better weight retention, but the non-bonded are still good bullets.
 
I've never had a problem with expansion with the Hydroshock bullets. However, if price were no object, I would go with the Hornady. The have tested better for the FBI. Really it's a personal choice as all are very fine choices.
 
while 100% reliability is the first criteria, because of the ammo availability and price issues I would "reverse engineer" a bit. Find out which of the three you shoot most accurately first. This can be done with the purchase of just one box of each. When you have found what your most accurate load is, get 4 or 5 more boxes of It to do a 100 round reliability check.
If any of the choices fail reliability in the accuracy test It can be eliminated imediately.
I however suspect It will boil down to which one you feel more comfortable with. All three are good choices.
 
I favor the XTP loads for the velocity, and reliability has been 100 percent with
our run of the mill 1911's. The 185 grain XTP makes the 1911 feel modernized, IMHO.
 
What Cheapshooter said!

Get one box each of the three and check for reliability, then accuracy, then controlability.

Accuracy means the ability to shoot tight (or at least the tightest of the three) groups with you shooting. Adjust the sights AFTER determining which load is most accurate.

Keep your pistol clean and make shots count.
 
You can't go wrong with either the Golden Sabers or the Hornady XTP's. The Federal Hydra Shok would be last choice of the 3.

The Golden Sabers have a bullet profile that is very close to hard ball, so they might be the most reliable feeding. Whatever you choose, run at least 50 rounds through the pistol to see how it likes the ammo.
 
The Hydra-Shok is a very old design that has been shown to NOT perform well in expansion testing. That would be my last choice regardless of what else was available.
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From tests I have seen Hydra Shok's expands better than the Golden Saber. Also I from what I have seen Hydra Shok's, though it is an old design, has expanded reliably in tests I have seen and done. Personally I have tested both Hydra Shok and Golden Sabers and have not had failures to expand in either so have no qualms about using either. Many praise Speer Gold Dot's as the best thing since sliced bread but I have seen numerous tests where they have also failed to expand. So it just goes to show that no matter what HP round you pick, they will not expand reliably 100% of the time. Also IMO denim wrapped over gel isn't the best choice, that is unless you encounter Denim Dan wearing 4 layers of denim jackets. I would say cotton is a far better than denim to wrap a block, because realistically not many people wear denim shirts or jackets anymore.
 
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I would opt for the Golden Sabers. I have shot hogs with them and seen picture perfect expansion, and they feed as reliably as hard ball in anything I have used them in...including 9mm and 45acp.
 
I have 230 gr. Hydra-Shok in my Glock; that bullet was supposedly the best HP available about 15 - 20 years ago and I believe it will work just as well now as it did then.
 
CDW4ME said:
I have 230 gr. Hydra-Shok in my Glock; that bullet was supposedly the best HP available about 15 - 20 years ago and I believe it will work just as well now as it did then.
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Oh, it will. The point isn't that the HydraShok has gotten worse in twenty years ... the point is that everything that has come out since then is better. What was considered "good" performance twenty years ago is not what is considered good performance today, because so many better bullets have entered the market.
 
?

I checked YouTube: tnoutdoors9 has a video showing the 230 HS fired into ballistic media covered with 4 layers of denim. The bullet expanded to. 77 and penetrated 15' - that was in 2011, or fairly recent.

In the book Stopping Power (printed 2001) the 45 Hydra-Shok 230 gr. had the enviable rating of 96% OSS based on 173 shootings.

Sounds like pretty darn good performance to me, 15 years ago or compared to the "latest & greatest".
 
Sounds like pretty darn good performance to me, 15 years ago or compared to the "latest & greatest".
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I agree, from all the tests I have seen the Hydra Shok performs just as well as the next. Many just automatically dismiss the Hydra Shok because it's an older design. There is a reason that it is still around after 20 years, and that's because it performs well time and time again.

Speaking of tnoutdoors9 the Hydra Shok actually expands reliably in .380 for him where the Golden Saber does not. The .380 has been known to not reliably expand due to it's lower velocity, but it just goes to show that the ol' Hydra Shok still works just as well as ever.

Honestly, I think people hold too much weight on bullet choice. What it really comes down to is how well you can shoot, everything else including your bullet choice comes after.
 
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