45 ammo

[Guest eggman]

I went to Wal Mart 3 weeks ago and picked up the only box of 45 auto they had. It was Winchester range and target 230 grn. FMJ 100 round box. Got it for 34.97 a box plus tax. I went back last friday and looked they had 4 boxes of the winchester still for 34.97 and 2 boxes of Federal 230grn FMJ 50 round for 16.97 a box. So I picked up the 2 boxes of federal.

These are alot better than the prices at a local gun shop. Their cheapest 45 auto is 26.99 for 50 rounds. Gander MTN. Is about the same price in Jackson and Paducah. Their .45 colt is 50 dollars for 50 rounds for cowboy action rounds at Gander too.

Are these descent shells. I am going to shooting them through a Ruger Blackhawk. And is a descent price for .45? If it is I am going to start stocking up on these And get some personal protection rounds for the house. What would you recomend for those type of shells?

Thanks Eggman

[gregintenn]

Good price, good ammo, would work fine for personal protection. Carry what you practice with is my motto.

[DavidD]

$34.97 for 100 count WWB (Winchester White Box) is an excellent price. Wally World has the cheapest price that I have seen on this ammo and yes, it is perfect for the range.

Edited February 22, 2010 by DavidD

[daddyo]

230 gr FMJ is fine for target shooting, but there's no way I would use it for personal protection unless there was nothing else available.

No expansion, and you run the risk of over penetration. You want expansion in a service caliber SD round.

[lowbud]

This is as good as it gets right now for plinking ammo. Stock up!

ammotogo had some speer gold dot on sale a few weeks ago at a reasonable price. couple boxes of those and you'll be all set.

[dlm37015]

nothing wrong with 230 ball in a 45. most of the expanding bullets in a 45 acp dont work very well any how. try it your self i have tested most of the hollow point bullets on the market and after 10 to 15 yards they don't expand very well .load your own much cheaper

[daddyo]

nothing wrong with 230 ball in a 45. most of the expanding bullets in a 45 acp dont work very well any how. try it your self i have tested most of the hollow point bullets on the market and after 10 to 15 yards they don't expand very well .load your own much cheaper

Which ones have you tested exactly and what were the conditions? Were you shooting water jugs, or ballistic gels, or some other material?

Edited February 22, 2010 by DaddyO

[gregintenn]

Ball ammo should feed EVERY time in your pistol. Hollow points, exposed lead, and other designs might feed or might not. I want my gun to go BANG BANG BANG when I pull the trigger three times. A 230 grain 45 bullet will make a very impressive hole without expanding. And what is overpenetration? What are the odds of a 45 ACP shooting completely through a human?

[bvarnell]

Ball ammo should feed EVERY time in your pistol. Hollow points, exposed lead, and other designs might feed or might not. I want my gun to go BANG BANG BANG when I pull the trigger three times. A 230 grain 45 bullet will make a very impressive hole without expanding. And what is overpenetration? What are the odds of a 45 ACP shooting completely through a human?[/QUOTE]

I would say there is a high probability of complete penetration unless you hit a major bone.

[gregintenn]

Really? It's hit or miss on a bullet exiting a deer carcass when fired from a high powered rifle. A deer is roughly the size of a human, without the clothing. A high powered rifle is leaps and bounds ahead of just about all handguns in terms of penetration. You may be correct, as I've never shot a human, but I find it difficult to believe that a 45 bullet would consistantly penetrate a grown person. I would want it to almost, if not go through them.

[Guest dmhazel]

My experience with Winchester 45 Auto (white box) has required a lot of cleaning of smoke and soot. I prefer Remington for target ammo. Federal hydro shock is my preference for personal defense in 45.

[eapking]

Have used WWB FMJ 230gr .45 quite a bit. No problems. That's a great price for a box of 100.

[bvarnell]

Really? It's hit or miss on a bullet exiting a deer carcass when fired from a high powered rifle. A deer is roughly the size of a human, without the clothing. A high powered rifle is leaps and bounds ahead of just about all handguns in terms of penetration. You may be correct, as I've never shot a human, but I find it difficult to believe that a 45 bullet would consistantly penetrate a grown person. I would want it to almost, if not go through them.

The Sight 1911 .45 ACP Page

Having established the almost universal agreement that the .45 ACP is an acceptable personal defense cartridge (kind of like proving the ocean is wet), are there negatives? Sure there are. For one thing, the .45 ACP is big and heavy. The same characteristic that makes it so admired by the big hole school also makes it heavy to carry and bulky, resulting in fewer rounds being available in compact handguns. A fully loaded Thompson submachine gun is fairly heavy if you have to lug it around through a hot jungle all day. Some people find the recoil of the .45 ACP punishing although I'm not one of them (I actually prefer the recoil of the .45 ACP over the recoil of the 9mm). The penetration of the .45 ACP 230-grain FMJ bullet is 26" in ballistic gelatin, making it problematic and dangerous as a personal defense load. The threat of over-penetration with the military round necessitates the use of hollow points for LEO and civilian PDW applications. Some of the older 1911 pistols don't like hollow point bullets very well and have to be throated and have their feed ramps polished for reliability. And last, there is the cost. The .45 ACP is expensive as pistol cartridges go, often $3-$4 per box more than 9mm or .38 Special

Not wanting to start an argument, but .45 acp 230 gr. does some serious penetration. 26" of ballistic gel is probably more than enough to give an exit wound.

If my memory is correct (and it frequently isn't), .223 only has about 1/2 that much penetration.

[dlm37015]

hydra shok black talon which was the best by a long shot gold dot it expanded pretty good as well i used to work for a powder company in there lab all testing was done under lab conditions i still have most of the data it all proves one thing there is no magic bullet its all about bullet placement there were lots of other bullets teated but the 3 above were the best at the time tested although the 230 ball was the best overall performer

[dlm37015]

check out the thompson leguard test that will tell you most

[gregintenn]

The Sight 1911 .45 ACP Page

Having established the almost universal agreement that the .45 ACP is an acceptable personal defense cartridge (kind of like proving the ocean is wet), are there negatives? Sure there are. For one thing, the .45 ACP is big and heavy. The same characteristic that makes it so admired by the big hole school also makes it heavy to carry and bulky, resulting in fewer rounds being available in compact handguns. A fully loaded Thompson submachine gun is fairly heavy if you have to lug it around through a hot jungle all day. Some people find the recoil of the .45 ACP punishing although I'm not one of them (I actually prefer the recoil of the .45 ACP over the recoil of the 9mm). The penetration of the .45 ACP 230-grain FMJ bullet is 26" in ballistic gelatin, making it problematic and dangerous as a personal defense load. The threat of over-penetration with the military round necessitates the use of hollow points for LEO and civilian PDW applications. Some of the older 1911 pistols don't like hollow point bullets very well and have to be throated and have their feed ramps polished for reliability. And last, there is the cost. The .45 ACP is expensive as pistol cartridges go, often $3-$4 per box more than 9mm or .38 Special

Not wanting to start an argument, but .45 acp 230 gr. does some serious penetration. 26" of ballistic gel is probably more than enough to give an exit wound.

If my memory is correct (and it frequently isn't), .223 only has about 1/2 that much penetration.

I'd have never dreamed the 45 acp would out penetrate the 223.

Some of the older 1911 pistols don't like hollow point bullets very well and have to be throated and have their feed ramps polished for reliability.

Herein lies a problem much more severe than that of penetration. If your gun doesn't fire, it is little more than a poorly balanced club.

[molonlabetn]

.223 bullets penetrate less because of lower inertia, they deposit their energy faster. The only way to deposit the energy of a .45acp faster and reduce penetration is to increase the surface area (hence a hollowpoint). A bullet which passes completely through the target doesn't distribute much destructive energy and is only effective if it happens to directly strike a critical structure, whereas a bullet which displaces more tissue will disrupt a larger area (what some call the 'temporary cavity').

[Guest eggman]

This has turned out to be a great thread. I have learned a lot from it. And hope to learn more. But I do think I will get some hollow points for it when I have loaded for home defense.

[dlm37015]

the latest fbi study says don't put much stock in temp, cavitys because they don't produce actual tissue destruction which is why they went to a heavier for caiber bullet ie 147 grain 9mm 180 grain 40 and 230 grain 45

[gregintenn]

This has turned out to be a great thread. I have learned a lot from it. And hope to learn more. But I do think I will get some hollow points for it when I have loaded for home defense.

Then that's what you need to practice with.

[Warbird]

Then that's what you need to practice with.

You should shoot defense loads through your PD gun to ensure it fires reliably and that it maintains an acceptable level of accuracy.

However you sure don't have to perform the majority of your practice rounds with expensive defense loads.

[gregintenn]

Does a baseball player practice with a softball? You should be used to the gear you will have on hand should you need it.

[gregintenn]

I'm not convinced the expensive boutique ammo of recent years is worth the extra cost. That goes for pistol ammo as well as high powered rifle ammo.

[molonlabetn]

the latest fbi study says don't put much stock in temp, cavitys because they don't produce actual tissue destruction which is why they went to a heavier for caiber bullet ie 147 grain 9mm 180 grain 40 and 230 grain 45

If that was entirely the case, then (for example) what makes a bullet driven by a .357magnum more effective than a .38special? It's the same bullet diameter, and the same potential for expansion, and both will penetrate the human body... resulting in the same permanent wound track. Or, why the .223 enjoys better effectiveness than 9mm, even though it penetrates less and punches a smaller hole.

The heavier bullet weights simply ensure penetration, which is the FBI requirement. The FBI study regarding temporary cavities is 20 years old (before they discovered that .357sig is one of the best manstoppers available, in contradiction to the 'bigger hole is better' theory).

[dlm37015]

what it said was heavy bullet for caliber ie75 grain in 223,180 in 357 i don't think the study i read was 20 years old i will look for it but the most important thing about it is shoot what you carry but as the thompson leguard test confirmed bigger bullets do a better job granted this testing was donea long time ago but it still has merit today