I think I am going to start carrying a Springfield XD .45 and I was curious what you guys use for .45. I picked up some Hornady Zombie Max (Stores are out of the normal Critical Defense). One of the guys at a store today recommended Federal Guard Dog and then proceeded to say to use FMJ with a claim that there isn't any good HP .45 ACP ammo. What are your thoughts?
What .45 ACP Do You Use?
- Thread starter honkey
- Start date
All my carry guns are loaded up with Hornady Critical Defense...
I don’t have a 45 but my favorite defensive bullets are Federal HST’s and Speer Gold Dots,FMJ’s are great but I can’t imagine that the HST and GD’s would not work in 45acp……much better for defensive application than FMJ, IMO
The Zmax bullets you have are going to be all anyone would ever need, you need to put them in the right spot though .
The Zmax bullets you have are going to be all anyone would ever need, you need to put them in the right spot though .
Glad to be reassures that the Critical Defense is a good choice. I was actually intending on picking up Speer Gold Dot since that's what I carried in 9mm (nitesite got me onto them when we met last year), but an employee I trust at my LGS suggested the critical defense. He could only sell me one box though, so I went to a second store to get a second box. The second one was where I got the other recommendations. I just always though FMJ's weren't good for defense.
Critical Defense and Federal HST.
I think to claim there are no decent hollow points so carry fmj shows some degree of ignorance.
I couldn't say about the Guard Dog, I understand the concept and wouldn't say they aren't effective or good ammo.
I think to claim there are no decent hollow points so carry fmj shows some degree of ignorance.
I couldn't say about the Guard Dog, I understand the concept and wouldn't say they aren't effective or good ammo.
+1 with Rossingol. HP ammunition is better than it has ever been. I carry Federal 230 gr. Hydra-Shok in my .45's. That load has always had a very impressive street record and has been the duty load of my local SD for years.
I also have a good supply of Federal HST 230 gr. in standard and +P, some 230 gr. Speer Gold Dot (huge open cavity), and a box of Hornady Zmax for novelties sake. I am a big fan of slower fatter bullets in .45 so I admit to being more than a little biased. I have been interested to try the Critical Defense for my shorter barreled .45s.
I also have a good supply of Federal HST 230 gr. in standard and +P, some 230 gr. Speer Gold Dot (huge open cavity), and a box of Hornady Zmax for novelties sake. I am a big fan of slower fatter bullets in .45 so I admit to being more than a little biased. I have been interested to try the Critical Defense for my shorter barreled .45s.
Tried out the Zmax today and it fed well in my gun. I think I will stick with it simply because I don't want to have to spend so much money testing out different ammo! The store I go to has a limit of one box of HP per caliber per day. I did see that Remmington Golden Saber ammo was not expensive there though. I was told this wasn't a great choice though. Anybody know much about it?
I cleaned out a deer skull with a 9mm Golden Saber. It literally took every last bit of brain from the skull.
People don’t like them because they weren’t bonded….they are nowadays but the cheaper ones are usually not bonded…..the one that took the deer brains, not bonded…..
People don’t like them because they weren’t bonded….they are nowadays but the cheaper ones are usually not bonded…..the one that took the deer brains, not bonded…..
I personally like HST a LOT, and lobbied my department to completely switch to them for our issued .40-cal ammo.
But I carry a 1911, and the last time I needed some fresh 230-gr duty ammo there was no HST to be found so I switched back to Winchester Ranger Talon R45T which is, to me every bit as good as the HST. While I like Gold Dot, it is a close second place to the other two.
But I carry a 1911, and the last time I needed some fresh 230-gr duty ammo there was no HST to be found so I switched back to Winchester Ranger Talon R45T which is, to me every bit as good as the HST. While I like Gold Dot, it is a close second place to the other two.
Tim4k5
.270 WIN
If your gun cycled the Zmax without issue I would recommend that you take a look at the Hornady Critical Duty rounds. They look nearly identical to the Critical Defense but the bullet is actually different, as well as the powders used.....the Critical Duty rounds outperform the Critical Defense rounds in the FBI testing for penetration.
I load Gold Dots in my .45's and I'm still experimenting on what to carry in my XDm .40.....Currently the Critical Duty is on the top of the list but I'm still trying to get my hands on some of the Gold Dot short-barrel rounds and some of the Winchester Ranger-T's. REALLY want to find some of the Ranger-T's since they are highly recommended and look great on paper. Surprisingly enough, my XDm absolutely HATED the box of Speer GD's I ran through it......the only nice thing I can say about them in that particular gun is that they fired.
I load Gold Dots in my .45's and I'm still experimenting on what to carry in my XDm .40.....Currently the Critical Duty is on the top of the list but I'm still trying to get my hands on some of the Gold Dot short-barrel rounds and some of the Winchester Ranger-T's. REALLY want to find some of the Ranger-T's since they are highly recommended and look great on paper. Surprisingly enough, my XDm absolutely HATED the box of Speer GD's I ran through it......the only nice thing I can say about them in that particular gun is that they fired.
Reality talking here....
a 230-gr RN FMJ in an XD-45 is a very potent defensive round. Seriously, FMJ 230s are pretty effective "good ju-ju". Great feeding, good recoil impulse, and shoots to the sights on fixed sight pistols....
One of the best (and more affordable) JHP choices for the .45 Auto is Winchester USA45JHP Personal Protection (in the white box) 230-gr Jacketed Hollow Point. At $28.00/50 from Academy Sports it should be for a lot of shooters THE go-to choice for hollow point .45 ammo that doesn't rape the wallet and IT WORKS!!!!!! So does 230-gr FMJ!!!!!!!
a 230-gr RN FMJ in an XD-45 is a very potent defensive round. Seriously, FMJ 230s are pretty effective "good ju-ju". Great feeding, good recoil impulse, and shoots to the sights on fixed sight pistols....
One of the best (and more affordable) JHP choices for the .45 Auto is Winchester USA45JHP Personal Protection (in the white box) 230-gr Jacketed Hollow Point. At $28.00/50 from Academy Sports it should be for a lot of shooters THE go-to choice for hollow point .45 ammo that doesn't rape the wallet and IT WORKS!!!!!! So does 230-gr FMJ!!!!!!!
Let me preface this with, I am not one of those that buys into all the scientific gelatin tests and all that, when it comes to any .45 rounds.
If I do my part (hitting my target in the correct spot) any .45 round should be more than sufficient to do the job.
Heck my daily carry is no longer a .45...it was for a long time, hence my handle here LTB45.
I have been carrying a .380 for a while now. Smaller and lighter to carry. If I ever get myself in a self defense situation where I feel undergunned with a .380 then I am somewhere that I did not belong to begin with.
If I do my part (hitting my target in the correct spot) any .45 round should be more than sufficient to do the job.
Heck my daily carry is no longer a .45...it was for a long time, hence my handle here LTB45.
I have been carrying a .380 for a while now. Smaller and lighter to carry. If I ever get myself in a self defense situation where I feel undergunned with a .380 then I am somewhere that I did not belong to begin with.
Interesting, I never thought of cast bullets as being a defensive bullet. I have a few boxes of the Zmax and a box of Gold Dot now. Everything I have put in this gun has been flawless, except for my own cast bullets. I was actually about to post about some cast bullet problems I am having in my XD when I saw this thread got rejuvenated. I am guessing that my bullets are just too large since I sized them to .452 ( thought with cast bullets you wanted to go .001 over diameter) It looked like the ammo was feeding, but when I went to the range, I noticed that the slide isn't moving all the way closed. I also had a problem a few times with the ammo being stuck since it made it so hard to pull the slide back to clear it. There is a small bump in the brass near the bottom of the bullet. Should I be sizing to .451?
I love the XD, but there is a really good deal on a 1911 at my LGS. My original plan was to buy a 1911 next week, but the deal will be gone by then, so I may be selling this XD so I can buy the 1911 and then repurchasing another XD next week.
I love the XD, but there is a really good deal on a 1911 at my LGS. My original plan was to buy a 1911 next week, but the deal will be gone by then, so I may be selling this XD so I can buy the 1911 and then repurchasing another XD next week.
Honkey~
Seat the cast bullets deeper in the case and your problem will disappear. I have two cast bullet moulds for .452" bullets which require me to seat more deeply because the ogive is too full where the bullet and case mouth meet. The leade (where the lands begin) is very close to the end of the chamber where the cartridge headspaces. It's not really the sized diameter but the curvature of the bullet nose. It's very common. Oli700 and I have CZ pistols that require some bullets with certain ogives to adjust seating depth to stay off the lands. Seat yours a couple thou deeper and see if they pass the plunk test of your chamber with the barrel removed. Let some of the sticking ones try the plunk test and you'll see the difference when you get the seating depth right. The O.A.L. length in the manual is a MAX to allow the cartridge to fit in the magazine. Millions of handloaders find that the MAX is too long for their chambers even though it's fine for the magazines.
Seat the cast bullets deeper in the case and your problem will disappear. I have two cast bullet moulds for .452" bullets which require me to seat more deeply because the ogive is too full where the bullet and case mouth meet. The leade (where the lands begin) is very close to the end of the chamber where the cartridge headspaces. It's not really the sized diameter but the curvature of the bullet nose. It's very common. Oli700 and I have CZ pistols that require some bullets with certain ogives to adjust seating depth to stay off the lands. Seat yours a couple thou deeper and see if they pass the plunk test of your chamber with the barrel removed. Let some of the sticking ones try the plunk test and you'll see the difference when you get the seating depth right. The O.A.L. length in the manual is a MAX to allow the cartridge to fit in the magazine. Millions of handloaders find that the MAX is too long for their chambers even though it's fine for the magazines.