.45 Self Defense Ammo

[Femme Assise]

I haven't ever bought .45 ammo before, since the .45 I have came with 200 rounds of federal FMJ ammo. I was just curious what you guys would recommend for a home defense round? Price isn't a factor.

 

[sgreen3]

Ive always been a FMJ kind of fellow. Buy what you are going to practice with.

 

[Nightwalker65]

IMHO...FMJ's are for practice....for defense,use a good hollowpoint load to avoid the possibility of blowing through a wall and injuring or killing someone on the other side,you are responsible for every round that leaves your weapon(OK, Public service announcement done,back to the subject at hand).....try different ones and stick with the one that gives you the best accuracy and functions 100% in your gun.....for example,my Taurus PT145 Mil-Pro like 185gr Golden Sabers,but my 1911 liked 230gr JHP's no matter what brand....there are many excellent factory loads out there,don't be afraid to try 'em all.....there's no such thing as too much practice

 

[Femme Assise]

I was leaning towards getting a box of JHP's. I think I would have more confidence in my gun, knowing that JHP's would have a higher chance of stopping a assailant. Would bonded or non-bonded ammo be more suitable? Im not really sure of the difference.

 

[XtremeVel]

Would bonded or non-bonded ammo be more suitable? Im not really sure of the difference.

An example of bonded would be the Speer Gold Dot. Bonded are typically thought to hold together better.

A non-bonded would be Federals HST.

Both are great bullets, along with many other fine choices. Choose more on what will feed and which you find more accurate. Actually, I base my choice on what works best for me and also cost. Luckily, both the Gold Dot and HST work great in my gun and I wait until I see it available in the 50 round boxes under $30.00. Getting it much cheaper so I can afford to actually shoot what I carry much more often is more important to me than whether it's bonded or not.

 

[Nightwalker65]

An example of bonded would be the Speer Gold Dot. Bonded are typically thought to hold together better.

A non-bonded would be Federals HST.

Both are great bullets, along with many other fine choices. Choose more on what will feed and which you find more accurate. Actually, I base my choice on what works best for me and also cost. Luckily, both the Gold Dot and HST work great in my gun and I wait until I see it available in the 50 round boxes under $30.00. Getting it much cheaper so I can afford to actually shoot what I carry much more often is more important to me than whether it's bonded or not.

Just to add my to this....Bonded means the jacket is bonded to the lead core of the bullet to avoid jacket separation on impact for better weight retention and penetration...typically a desirable feature for hunting ammo,but works well for defense also, I'm not sure one is better suited(for defense) than the other,as long as you're using quality ammo,and it runs well in your gun....

 

[03A3]

I hear alot of good things about the Gold Dot, but like was said there are several good loads and reliable function should be the deciding factor.
Many good bullets are available as reloading components, including the Gold Dot, if that is an option.
For plinking the FMJ and cast lead are king unless you have a very generous ammo allowance.

 

[NIFT]

Per Dr. Gary K. Roberts, Letterman Army Institute of Research (LAIR)

The following loads all demonstrate outstanding terminal performance and can be considered acceptable for duty/self-defense use:

9 mm:
Barnes XPB 115 gr JHP (copper bullet)
Federal Tactical 124 gr JHP (LE9T1)
Federal HST 124 gr +P JHP (P9HST3)
Remington Golden Saber 124 gr +P JHP bonded (GSB9MMD)
Speer Gold Dot 124 gr +P JHP
Winchester Partition Gold 124 gr JHP (RA91P)
Winchester Ranger-T 124 gr +P JHP (RA9124TP)
Winchester Ranger-T 127 gr +P+ JHP (RA9TA)
Federal Tactical 135 gr +P JHP (LE9T5)
Federal HST 147 gr JHP (P9HST2)
Remington Golden Saber 147 gr JHP (GS9MMC)
Speer Gold Dot 147 gr JHP
Winchester Ranger-T 147 gr JHP (RA9T)
Winchester 147 gr bonded JHP (RA9B/Q4364)

.40 S&W:
Barnes XPB 155 gr JHP (copper bullet)
Speer Gold Dot 155 gr JHP
Federal Tactical 165 gr JHP (LE40T3)
Winchester Ranger-T 165 gr JHP (RA40TA)
Winchester Partition Gold 165 gr JHP (RA401P)
Federal HST 180 gr JHP (P40HST1)
Federal Tactical 180 gr JHP (LE40T1)
Remington Golden Saber 180 gr JHP (GS40SWB)
Speer Gold Dot 180 gr JHP
Winchester Ranger-T 180 gr JHP (RA40T)
Winchester 180 gr bonded JHP (RA40B/Q4355/S40SWPDB1)

.45 ACP:
Barnes XPB 185 gr JHP (copper bullet)
Federal HST 230 gr JHP (P45HST2)
Federal HST 230 gr +P JHP (P45HST1)
Federal Tactical 230 gr JHP (LE45T1)
Speer Gold Dot 230 gr JHP
Speer Gold Dot 230 gr +P JHP
Winchester Ranger-T 230 gr JHP (RA45T)
Winchester Ranger-T 230 gr +P JHP (RA45TP)

 

[oucme69]

have the same question going to buy my first 1911 tommarow and don't know what edc ammo to use in my g23 I carry hydro shocks

 

[Joseph]

Personally I like hornaday critical defense and spear gold dot. I use hornaday cd in my 9mm and gold dot in my 40 and 45

 

[Robert Richardson]

Get more than one kind and make sure your pistol will feed and eject it before you carry it.Try the Winchester PDX-1.

 

[Regionnus Rattis]

A .45 acp is a defense round by it's size alone. Just about any load that fires reliably from your pistol is a good round to use. Doesn't really matter if it's a hollow point or fmj. It will still knock the crap out of anybody.

 

[Classic]

There is more than sufficient evidence to support the recorded stopping power of the 45 with the 230 gr. FMJ. It is just the right weight, shape and speed to stop the fight with one fair shot.

 

[U.S. Patriot]

When I owned a .45, I carried FMJ ammo. It's a heavy slow moving round, and I was not worried about over penetration, nor expansion for that matter. Also, some .45's will not reliably cycle HP ammo without polishing the feed ramp. At least that was the case with the pistols I owned.

 

[U.S. Patriot]

There is more than sufficient evidence to support the recorded stopping power of the 45 with the 230 gr. FMJ. It is just the right weight, shape and speed to stop the fight with one fair shot.

Really?

 

[jonny4523]

So far out of the ones I've shot, I am currently seeing the best accuracy out of Hornady Critical Defense in both .45ACP and .380

 

[supercook]

Personally It's a .45 , dosent matter what ammo you use . You should allways consider the pennetration count , 1 rnd = 2 bad guy's if they are stacked , or 1 rnd ='s 1 bad guy and one bystander.