what 45 ammo do you carry?

G

griffin12aaa

New member
What is the type of ammo youcarry and why ?

Ive done some research but im confused some say "bigger os better" some say "velocity is key" while others say big 230 grains delivers more "energy" quicker than 185 grain.

Just want something good that is a proven platform nothing fancy. Butat this point idont even now what to look for or where to start. I have a g21 so has to be 45. Right now im carrying 230 grain ball ammo from wallmart so i kimda want to upgrade.

Thanks in advanced.
 
Winchester Ranger T 230gr +P JHP on and off duty because it's hot, well proven, and it feeds perfectly in all my .45s.
 
I typically carry 230 grain full metal jacket often loaded with Winchester 231 powder. Why? All of my .45 ACP's handle it well, they are inexpensive to reload, and I enjoy reloading. The .45 ACP only gets partial carry time depending on my out and about senario.

Then there is my S&W Mountain Gun in .45 Colt. It is not a carry gun, but if things got bad it would work with my handloads using 255 grain lead bullets.
 
Top .45acp carry/defense/duty rounds....

In .45acp Id suggest the Hornady Critical Duty 220gr +P round. It performs well in the FBI protocol tests(a series of ballistics testing in different media; wood, auto glass, denim fiber, etc).
I used the Critical Duty round often with my M&P .45acp Compact.
Other good defense or carry loads include the Ranger T 230gr JHP, the Speer Gold Dot 230gr JHP +P, the PowRball round, the DPX load, the MagSafe SWAT(good for home defense or areas that are densely populated like malls or office buildings). I used a box of Golden Saber 185gr +P in my M&P on a recent trip to PA but was really surprised by the low quality of the brand overall :mad:.
I wouldn't buy or suggest it anymore until I can see them improving it.
Speer Gold Dot & Winchester Ranger T/T Series get a lot of public service contracts. The DPX line isn't cheap but they offer good ballistics.

Clyde
www.sgammo.com www.shopcorbon.com www.natchezss.com www.brownells.com www.midwayusa.com www.grafs.com
 
Ranger T or Golden Saber for some time and they run in all of my .45's. Later found that several veteran LEO buddies swear by either. Seems good enough for them, why not me?
 
I suggest Speer Gold Dot 230 grain or Federal Premium HST 230 grain.

Avoid Hornady Critical Defense an Critical Duty. Critical Defense doesn't penetrate deeply enough to reliably reach vitals and it doesnt perfom well against common barrier materials that you may encouncter if you CCW. Whereas the lead core of the Critical Duty load is too hard and it affects expansion reliability - especially when fired from shorter barrels.

Good luck!
 
Over the years, I have carried all sorts of ammo in a .45 ACP including Winchester & Federal law enforcement ammo. I have also carried 230 grain ball ammo. While I am sure that the pricy stuff is of good quality, I was always good with straight 230 grain ball ammo.
 
185 gr Hornady Critical Defense for the XD-S

230 gr Federal HST for the XD-m.

The XD-S for some reason doesn't seem to feed the HST's very well, but works great with the Hornadys. Suits me just fine, the 185's kick a little less with the smaller pistol so I am happy with them. I am not worried about their expansion/penetration capabilities, they'll work just fine.
 
Hornady Critical Duty 45 Auto+P 220 gr FlexLock.
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230 gr fmj. I don't recall the brand.

For range ammo, I still am mopping up the last bit of 1200 rounds of defensive reloads a trusted friend made. Had a couple different recipes that his guns performed well with. They were all properly labeled but over time they have all migrated to one general pile. Reminds me, I need to connect back up with that friend and see if he is willing to sell me some more.

Back to what I carry, most threats up here are going to be wearing thick outer jackets and at least two layers under it. So JHPs may not perform any better than a FMJ.
 
I usually carry a 9 or a .38. That being said, my 1911 & my 1917 are loaded with 230 grain Golden Sabers.

My Cimarrons are loaded with 225 grain Winchester PDX1 JHPs. When I've taken them out in the country, those have been replaced lately with handloaded LSWC.
 
Usually WWB 230 grain FMJ or 230 grain JHP. Both feed well through my 1911 and my XDs.

I have used 230 Magtech, American Eagle, Selliers and Belott, Lawman, and Aguila. I buy 230 grain exclusively, whether FMJ or JHP. For no other reason than it works in all of my pistols.
 
Post 16; morgue monsters & jello junkies....

The FBI protocol T&Es & other testing is why loads like the Ranger T/T Series, Speer Gold Dot, Hornady Critical Duty, DPX-CorBon are suggested.
They've been tested to do well against things like car doors, glass, fabric, etc.

Some shooters & armed citizens go by court reports or ME details to pick a round. Others go by a round's performance in gelatin or plywood or wet phonebooks.

You can pick the best carry load for you. What you choose should be well made & high quality.

Clyde
 
A variety of equally important methodologies are used for terminal performance testing, including actual shooting incident reconstruction, forensic evidence analysis, and post-mortem data and/or surgical findings; properly conducted ethical animal test results; and laboratory testing—this includes the use of tissue simulants proven to have correlation with living tissue. Some individuals seem to be under the mistaken impression that one of these areas is more important than others--this is not the case, as each category provides important information to researchers.
Click to expand...

-- http://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?1624-New-9-mm-ammo-testing&p=135096&viewfull=1#post135096

In general, the Hornady Critical Duty ammunition did NOT perform as well as several current JHP loads. The best performing Critical Duty load was the .45 Auto 220 gr +P and the worst performing was the .40 S&W 175 gr. In areas where conventional JHP designs are prohibited, the Hornady Critical Duty joins the Federal EFMJ as an option that is better than the Corbon Powerball or FMJ loads....

...The Hornady CD loads simply do not work as well as other options when looked at in aggregate. Is it better than an FMJ? Yes, but the CD are not as good as many other options, so I cannot recommend them for general use.
Click to expand...

-- http://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?7205-New-Service-Caliber-Handgun-Tests
 
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