.45 ACP 185 or 230

[Guest Rupertus]

What's the difference between 185 and 230 grain .45 ACP? I've never analyzed this for any ammo so I'm curious about the grains in different calibers also, like .223, 9mm...

[nightrunner]

what kind of difference are you looking for?

a 185 grain will be a smaller bullet than the 230grain will be. my memory tells me that 230 grain is normally the FMJ with a few manufacturers making JHPs and the 185 grain is normally JHP with a few manufacturers making FMJs.

the lighter weight bullet will have more muzzle velocity though

[Guest Rupertus]

Just wondering the differences in plinking and self defense in the different weights.

[nightrunner]

im not into the ballistics but the lighter weight bullet will have more muzzle velocity.

federal (and maybe others?) makes a 165gr. bullet also.

the 1911 was designed for the 230gr. FMJ cartridge, in some 1911s some other cartridges(lighter weight bullets or JHP bullets) dont feed well or cycle properly

for plinking, id get what ever is cheapest, usually its 230gr. FMJ, in my experience.

for self-defense, def. JHP but other than the difference in muzzle velocity, there shouldnt be much difference. with more muzzle velocity, the smaller bullet might penetrate more but not much

[The Rabbi]

I was told my someone with authority (I think it was John R Wall) that the .45acp was designed to be a 200gr bullet. But the standard forever has been 230gr.

I tell people: in .25acp it doesnt matter what you use, it probably wont be that effective. In .45acp it doesnt matter what you use, it will probably be effective. In 9mm and .38spc it matters quite a bit.

[dunndw]

I use 230 grain for daily carry...185 for training and IDPA. I can't really tell THAT much of a difference in felt recoil. Perhaps in a 3in Kimber I'd notice the difference.

If God forbid I have to shoot @ another human...I don't want there to be any questions that I wish them to stop...therefore I use the heavier bullet :-)

[memphismason]

I carry Remington 230grain Gold Saber for self defense.

I can defintely tell a difference when I shoot a WWB 185grain Target Round and then my carry round. They are louder and more accurate, the Gold Sabers that is.

Edited May 12, 2008 by memphismason

[molonlabetn]

Unless you want to load up with +p, the best way to tailor the performance to your pistol is to use lighter bullets in shorter barrelled pistols, and heavier bullets in longer barrelled pistols. The point is to ensure sufficient velocity for the JHP to expand properly.

230gr bullets seem to work well in 4"-5" pistols, 200gr in 3.5"-4.5", 185gr in 3"-4", and 165gr I suppose could provide decent expansion out of a derringer or something... but I think the point of that light of a bullet in a std-pressure .45 is to reduce recoil (that's how it's marketed by Federal, anyways), and the 165gr loads in other brands are generally +p, intended to penetrate very little for some strange reason.

I'd suggest practicing with a load which is similar to your carry choice, in point-of-impact and recoil.

[Guest Hyaloid]

Easy, the difference is 45 grains.

[Guest 2Old]

Unless you want to load up with +p, the best way to tailor the performance to your pistol is to use lighter bullets in shorter barrelled pistols, and heavier bullets in longer barrelled pistols. The point is to ensure sufficient velocity for the JHP to expand properly.

230gr bullets seem to work well in 4"-5" pistols, 200gr in 3.5"-4.5", 185gr in 3"-4", and 165gr I suppose could provide decent expansion out of a derringer or something... but I think the point of that light of a bullet in a std-pressure .45 is to reduce recoil (that's how it's marketed by Federal, anyways), and the 165gr loads in other brands are generally +p, intended to penetrate very little for some strange reason.

I'd suggest practicing with a load which is similar to your carry choice, in point-of-impact and recoil.

What he said.

[Guest Mugster]

Its also cheaper. Consider this:

1000 230 grain bullets = 32.857 pounds

1000 185 grain bullets = 26.42 pounds

If a major ammo maker can get away with selling lighter bullets (and charge close to the same thing) they stand to make more profit over 100's of K's of rounds.

As far as I know, the 230gr FMJ round was the one originally invented for the model of 1911.

[John Wall]

The Administrator is dead on the money.

Remember, bullet placement is more important than bullet wieght or size.

[threeshot]

What's the difference between 185 and 230 grain .45 ACP? I've never analyzed this for any ammo so I'm curious about the grains in different calibers also, like .223, 9mm...

The information from the FBI regarding Handgun Wounding Factor and Effectiveness has insight that you do not see on internet forums.

http://www.firearmstactical.com/pdf/fbi-hwfe.pdf

This is good to read several times to absorb all the nuances. First, I agree shot placement is the most important.

From the FBI report, do not rely on JHP to expand in order to create a larger wounding cavity with sufficient depth.

Use the largest caliber to create the largest permanent wounding cavity with minimum penetration of 12” and preferably 16 or 18” deep.

.45 ACP Winchester 185gr Silvertip JHP (Glock 30)

http://www.firearmstactical.com/test_data/45acp/win45-185st-g30.htm

.45 ACP Federal 230gr Hydra-Shok JHP (Glock 30)

http://www.firearmstactical.com/test_data/45acp/fed45-230hs-g30.htm

.45 ACP Remington 185gr +P Golden Saber JHP (Glock 30)

http://www.firearmstactical.com/test_data/45acp/rem45-185gs+p-g30.htm

Edited June 28, 2008 by threeshot
Fixed grammar errors

[J Smith]

The lighter weight stuff will print lower on the target.

[Guest nj.piney]

i use 230 grain remington jhp for practice and carry, it works reliably both in a star pd45 with a 4 and one quarter inch barrel and a colt defender with a 3 inch barrel

as far as expansion, im more concerned with overpenetration. $40 per hundred at walmart.

[Guest price g]

This chart is from Tungsten

[DaveTN]

What's the difference between 185 and 230 grain .45 ACP? I've never analyzed this for any ammo so I'm curious about the grains in different calibers also, like .223, 9mm...

Just wondering the differences in plinking and self defense in the different weights.

The difference in calibers and bullet weights is the application.

If your application is a flat shooting round that punches holes in paper with ease; then a lighter high velocity round (hot 9mm’s) is a good choice.

If you application is making a man unwilling or unable to fire his weapon at you, you want a large caliber (surface area) with a lot of mass (bullet weight) with enough velocity that it will expel all of it’s energy in the body, but not so much velocity that it will pass through the body. In 100 years no common handgun round as ever beat the .45ACP 230 grain at that. (The 158 Grain .357mag is close behind.)

Then you have the guys that slept through the “surface area” and “mass” part of physics class and all the care about is velocity. They are the 9mm guys that will shoot through their bad guys, leaving them standing on their feet returning fire. Don’t get me wrong; because of the great “wound ballistics” and the high velocity of their ammo, their bad guys will die; they will just die later.

And then you have your “shot placement” guys. These are the guys that while experiencing one of the biggest adrenalin rushes of their lives, are going to place a round through the head or the heart. So it really doesn’t matter what caliber or bullet weight they use.

Hope this helps. I'll be leaving now.

Edited July 11, 2008 by DaveTN

[Guest Mugster]

The difference in calibers and bullet weights is the application.

If your application is a flat shooting round that punches holes in paper with ease; then a lighter high velocity round (hot 9mm’s) is a good choice.

If you application is making a man unwilling or unable to fire his weapon at you, you want a large caliber (surface area) with a lot of mass (bullet weight) with enough velocity that it will expel all of it’s energy in the body, but not so much velocity that it will pass through the body. In 100 years no common handgun round as ever beat the .45ACP 230 grain at that. (The 158 Grain .357mag is close behind.)

Then you have the guys that slept through the “surface area†and “mass†part of physics class and all the care about is velocity. They are the 9mm guys that will shoot through their bad guys, leaving them standing on their feet returning fire. Don’t get me wrong; because of the great “wound ballistics†and the high velocity of their ammo, their bad guys will die; they will just die later.

And then you have your “shot placement†guys. These are the guys that while experiencing one of the biggest adrenalin rushes of their lives, are going to place a round through the head or the heart. So it really doesn’t matter what caliber or bullet weight they use.

Hope this helps. I'll be leaving now.

Now thats a driveby and a half.

[deerslayer]

And then you have your “shot placement†guys. These are the guys that while experiencing one of the biggest adrenalin rushes of their lives, are going to place a round through the head or the heart. So it really doesn’t matter what caliber or bullet weight they use.

I guess I fit into this category. I think the shot placement crowd is not as determined to get a heart or brain shot as you would have some believe. Most of the folks who preach shot placement are stressing the need for a simple upper torso hit, as opposed to a glancing head shot or a round through the neck or abdomen or shoulder. Upper torso shots are the biggest, most forgiving areas to target. Head shots are sometimes effective, but are not what golfers would call a "high percentage shot." In other words, the risk of missing/not getting a solid hit is not worth the gamble.

Whatever the case, the .45, IMO, is more desirable (bigger bullets make bigger holes), but is not going to decapitate the bad guys. The .45, .40, 9mm, .357, and 10mm are all relatively weak handgun rounds and are not sure-fire manstoppers, and hollow points don't always expand.

[Guest crytes]

You know thats the first time I've seen 10mm and weak in the same sentence! With of cource the exception of comparing it to .40 short & weak.

[skipsfirearms]

In .45acp it doesnt matter what you use, it will probably be effective.

Well Said!!!

[Guest airbornefox]

I was taught to shoot for the center mass and head , never really thought about ballistics of a particular cal. Guess I need to read up on this. Just one question though, doesn't a .45 travel slower than most cal.? Thats what someone told me once, just curious.

[Guest Ghostrider]

As I understand it, and I'm no expert, the .45 ACP is a big, fat, slow round (usually on the order of 900 fps) that expends most, if not all, of it's energy in the body of the person hit, and is less likely to exit that body than say, a hot loaded 9 mm or a 7.62.

End result, it is the most "bang for the buck" of the more common handgun rounds.

But then again, I'm an idiot who only has .45 acp for handguns and 7.62 x 39 for longer weapons....