185gr and 230gr .45ACP defence rounds

[The_Eric]

I was looking at the Speer web site, browsing through the Gold Dot loads in .45 ACP and noticed that the 185gr load had a little more energy at the muzzle and at 50yds but a little less out at 100yds.

I've also noticed that Hornady only offers 185gr in their Critical Defense line and it acts similar to the 185gr loading from Speer.

My questions are what are the principal differences in how they would they perform in a defense situation, and which would you choose and why?

 

[RW1]

I prefer the Gold Dot 230s. I'm in the "heavy bullet" camp when it comes to the .45 ACP. If it expands - great! If it doesn't expand - great! At worse it will perform like a hardball round which ain't bad.

The good news is that it should have similar recoil and point of impact to the cheaper 230 ball ammo. Practicing with cheaper ball ammo should closely duplicate the feel of the premium priced 230 JHP.

 

[bubbatime]

Recommended loads for self defense. The 185's are not on the list.

http://ammo.ar15.com/project/Self_Defense_Ammo_FAQ/index.htm#.45ACP

 

[Neely97]

I have a box of Speer Gold Dot 230 HP next to my keyboard , ha!

The 1911s and the Glock 30 like em , my vote is the 230gr.
Both the 185 and 230 in a 45 will work great for personel defense, we are always talking close range when it comes to personel defense , so energy out to 100 yds really doesn't matter , remember it would be hard to defend yourself in court if you dusted a bad guy 100 yrd away while claiming self defense. I heard a judge speak about this, he said the court likes to see powder burns , I have alway remembered that, Clint Smith ( Thunder Ranch ) also said, remember every bullet you send downrange has a lawyer.
Hold center,
Neely

 

[Durango]

Originally Posted By: The_Eric
I was looking at the Speer web site, browsing through the Gold Dot loads in .45 ACP and noticed that the 185gr load had a little more energy at the muzzle and at 50yds but a little less out at 100yds.

I've also noticed that Hornady only offers 185gr in their Critical Defense line and it acts similar to the 185gr loading from Speer.

My questions are what are the principal differences in how they would they perform in a defense situation, and which would you choose and why?


The_Eric,

Hollowpoints are finicky in 1911's and so myself I'd rather use hard ball rounds.

During the fall season people wearing heavy clothing can defeat HP's and so those ruonds would act like round nose anyway.

Durango

 

[Robenstein]

If you are concerned about HP reliability in a 1911 there are options like the Powerball ammo line as well as Federal has their expanding full metal jacket ammo now. No reason to have to rely on FMJ hardball rounds.

 

[The_Eric]

Originally Posted By: Durango
Originally Posted By: The_Eric
I was looking at the Speer web site, browsing through the Gold Dot loads in .45 ACP and noticed that the 185gr load had a little more energy at the muzzle and at 50yds but a little less out at 100yds.

I've also noticed that Hornady only offers 185gr in their Critical Defense line and it acts similar to the 185gr loading from Speer.

My questions are what are the principal differences in how they would they perform in a defense situation, and which would you choose and why?


The_Eric,

Hollowpoints are finicky in 1911's and so myself I'd rather use hard ball rounds.

During the fall season people wearing heavy clothing can defeat HP's and so those ruonds would act like round nose anyway.

Durango


I thought that just the older 1911's were picky? Somewhere I had read that the newer ones had bevels and angles that favored feed hollow point rounds?

All: thank you for your time and input, as well as the link. I've spent some time reading it, but it will definitely demand more to get through it and all the associated links.

 

[Nyquist]

I just got some 230-grain Federal HST hollowpoints and like them. So far they've fed well through my XD(m). The part number on those is P45HST2.

Unless you're shooting at game from 25 yards out with them, you should have no worries about the energy at that or greater distances.

 

[MuzzleFlash40]

The powerball by corbon is a very hot load. You should practice with that round before using it for defense. My springfield 1911 has no issues feeding my Ranger SXT hollow points. Every gun is different so practice with a few boxes before carrying the weapon or using for home defense to make sure the gun likes the ammo.

 

[Loobed]

Originally Posted By: The_Eric
I was looking at the Speer web site, browsing through the Gold Dot loads in .45 ACP and noticed that the 185gr load had a little more energy at the muzzle and at 50yds but a little less out at 100yds.



A 45 ACP wont hit the target @ 100 yards. I know you can hoop the bullet, but it isn't tactically proficient. I would not waste a 45 ACP bullet on a target past 30 yards unless it was absolutely necessary.

If you seriously want to hit something @ 100 yards with a handgun, look at the 357 SIG, 38 Super, or 10mm. I have hit a 36" x 36" paper target @ 200 yards with my 9mm handgun from a bench, but it wasn't accurate. Only about 80% of the shots hit somewhere on the paper.

If you are trying to choose between the 185 ad 230 grain bullet, I would chose the one that is the most accurate during rapid fire. Hitting what you want is more important than bullet type. A .22LR that hits its target is more accurate than a .50 BMG that misses.

 

[The_Eric]

I guess the main reason I put the 100yd spec, was mostly for conversation sake- to compare and contrast them. I know full well that there's not much, if any chance that I'll be firing a defensive round at that distance.

As for my accuracy during rapid fire, it's somewhere in between broad side of the barn and a man sized target. If I slow it down to about .5 seconds in between rounds, I can get pretty decent results.

So getting back to the original question and also referencing the link, why would they claim (by lack of mention) that the 185grn isn't sufficient when it actually has a bit more energy at practical defense ranges?

Originally Posted By: MuzzleFlash40
The powerball by corbon is a very hot load. You should practice with that round before using it for defense. My springfield 1911 has no issues feeding my Ranger SXT hollow points. Every gun is different so practice with a few boxes before carrying the weapon or using for home defense to make sure the gun likes the ammo.


Yes, I agree with practicing with what you carry. I do that every now and again to rotate the ammo, to make sure I can hit what I'm aiming at and to make sure that my 1911 still will cycle them.

 

[hattaresguy]

Bullet type doesn't really matter as long as its a major proven caliber. Hitting the target is far more important. Chances are if you are proficient enough to hit your target a few times they will stop whatever action you want them to.