What's your .45 AARP Carry Ammo?

[Ghost Dog]

What's in your Mag? TM royalties owed to be settled in court

And to me, I kind of differentiate .45s in Shorter than Commander Length 4.25", and Commander or Longer length barrels.
If anyone can share Real World Performance on any of these, how they worked OIS/DGU, how often or not they fully expanded, just kind of partially mangled expanded, or failed to expand especially if heavy clothing. I wonder how say Hydrashoks really did, and am curious what LAPD and SIS used back in the day if anyone knows and how they did? That kind of info is appreciated. Were most poking out in back skin/T-shirt/found on scene not far from bodies or falls on the floor in the bus ride?

Anyone seen enough or had access to enough info to speak to 185 gr vs 200 gr vs 230 gr JHP differences on Bipeds?
Can you speak to more straight path performance than lesser than God Calibers with lighter bullets that are perhaps more likely to deflect off bone? Any 45's with their big Ogives bouncing off & sliding around skull stories whether on 2 legged or 4 legged?

Multiple Choices allowed, because too me while HSTs work in all barrel lengths, something like WWB performs decent out of 4.25" or longer, while 185 JHPs seem to shine in the shorter barrel lengths or perhaps some find in lighter pistols a bit less perceived recoil depending on the load or appreciate the lighter loaded mag on the hip. Others may have a JHP for the shortie in town, but carry Hardball or SWC in the full size for the woods.

Post the why's & barrel lengths if you are willing to please

1. They All Fall to Hardball; Two World Wars; 230 gr FMJ
2. Some kind of handload, possibly SWC or other
3. 230 Gr WWB JHP
4. 230 Gr Hydrashok (tempted to put 230 gr Golden Saber/Ultimate Defense in here as well?)
5. 230 Gr Winchester xname JHP (Ranger T, Bonded, PDX1, SXT, Black Talons of Scary Razor sharp death etc. etc.)
6. 230 Gr Gold Dot
7. 230 Gr HST
8. 220+p Critical Duty
9. XTP's of any grain
10. 185 gr JHP of any type (Critical Defense, Golden Saber, 2 different types of Sierra JHP all look to perform well even from shorter barrels)
11. Any other grain JHP 165, 200 etc.
12. Some kind of screwdriver, fragmenting, or other "Gimmicky" type of bullet design

[BobM]

Hydrashok because I’ve had it for years and rarely carry my remaining 45, a Kimber Desert Warrior. I’d probably buy Gold Dot or HST if I started carrying it again, or if I buy an M&P45.

[revchuck38]

230-grain HST, both standard pressure and +P. I currently have the +P version loaded in the M&P magazines and the moonclips for my 22-4. Barrel lengths for the M&Ps are 4" and 4.5"; the 22-4 has a 4" tube.

If I ever carry my Commander or Gubmint Model again, they'll get the standard velocity version.

[Super77]

HST 230gr

[Ghost Dog]

230-grain HST, both standard pressure and +P. I currently have the +P version loaded in the M&P magazines and the moonclips for my 22-4. Barrel lengths for the M&Ps are 4" and 4.5"; the 22-4 has a 4" tube.

If I ever carry my Commander or Gubmint Model again, they'll get the standard velocity version.

How's the 4" M&P handle? Is that 10+1 or 8+1? What's fully loaded weight do you happen to know? Like..kinda heavy on hip or whoa this is sucking after a few hours?

[revchuck38]

How's the 4" M&P handle? Is that 10+1 or 8+1? What's fully loaded weight do you happen to know? Like..kinda heavy on hip or whoa this is sucking after a few hours?

The M&P45 Compact has the full-length grip so it's 10+1. The reason I'll carry it but not the Commander is the weight; I don't know what the weight is, but it's considerably less than the Colt, even with three more rounds (my Commander is reliable with seven-round magazines but not with the eight-rounders). My SWAG is that it weighs about the same as my G19, maybe a hair more due to bullet weight.

My carry autos seem to have full-length grips and four-inch barrels/slides...G19 w/Grip Anchor or G45, full-size PX4, full-size M&P40 (okay, 4-1/4"), M&P 45 Compact.

[JohnO]

I have both Ranger T and HST in 230 gn. Even a few pristine boxes of vintage Black Talons. Along with some boutique stuff people have given to me along the way. The oddest of the oddballs being 150 gn. DRT. In all honesty I don't give much thought to what type of projectile gets launched. What I care about is where is goes.

I can tell you this about the .45 ACP M&P 2.0. It holds 10 in the magazine. My buddy who has them was shocked that my lightweight commander felt lighter in the hand than his M&P.

[Ghost Dog]

The M&P45 Compact has the full-length grip so it's 10+1. The reason I'll carry it but not the Commander is the weight; I don't know what the weight is, but it's considerably less than the Colt, even with three more rounds (my Commander is reliable with seven-round magazines but not with the eight-rounders). My SWAG is that it weighs about the same as my G19, maybe a hair more due to bullet weight.

My carry autos seem to have full-length grips and four-inch barrels/slides...G19 w/Grip Anchor or G45, full-size PX4, full-size M&P40 (okay, 4-1/4"), M&P 45 Compact.

Thanks, one of the M&P's would be my choice, but grab a kitchen scale and check all your loaded weights. If you do, plz let me know. I'm thinking 38 ounces 10+1, if it's 28.2 for 2.0 Compact, 11 230 grain pills I believe is 10 ounces. That puts it into the...I kinda don't want to that often category for me by just a bit.

LW Commander 8+1 is around 34-35 ounces

I can't be the only one that wants a lightweight 45 option, w at least a 3.75" barrel, that's not a glock or 1911. Actually, diddled a G5 G30 and it does feel better than finger grooves to me. But wish there was something new, not only plastic 9s.

[revchuck38]

I can tell you this about the .45 ACP M&P 2.0. It holds 10 in the magazine. My buddy who has them was shocked that my lightweight commander felt lighter in the hand than his M&P.

My Commander is the steel-framed version.

[Hambo]

20 year old Winchester Ranger. Why so old? Because that's the last time I carried a 1911. I don't plan to ever buy defensive .45 again.

[farscott]

I have several cases left of the bonded Remington 230-grain Golden Saber round. I also have a few cases of the standard pressure 230-grain PMC StarFire. The latter is being consumed during range sessions while the former is what I have loaded in my carry magazines. I shoot one box every couple of weeks of the GS as I rotate ammo. The GS load is very sensitive to bullet setback, so it gets pulled once it has been chambered once. All is being shot in a customized Kimber Warrior as that is what I carry. I have one Commander-length pistol left but it does not see the light of day. I occasionally willl use one of my Harrison Custom guns during a range session, but they are retired from carry usage.

[RJ]

I have 7+1 rounds of Federal HST 230 grain .45 American Communist Perforator in my Springfield by God 5" all-steel 1911. I figger all I gotta do is point that big ole barrel their way and they'll either drop on the spot from fright, or run away peeing their pants.

[gruntjim]

My G30S gets standard pressure HST.

The 30.4 and the M&P Compact 4" are omnivorous. They just don't care, and the Smith seems to recoil less. Seems.

Those two are much more accepting of +P, and I found it to be a tiny bit more accurate. Would it matter? Not as much as tactics.

[SCCY Marshal]

I carried a .45 once after a match. Some Hornady Critical Defense hit to point of aim so one went in the chamber with a magazine of ball under it. Spare magazine in the pocket had more ball. Because that's what I had left to load in the gun rather than switch back to my revolver. For further P-F demerits, the gun was a Firestar running the flush 6-round magazine. And I open carried it while getting mozzarella sticks on the way home.

Edit: My incomplete 1911 only cycles Winchester White Box FMJ, right now. But not a carry gun so whatever.

[Totem Polar]

230 ball or GDHP. Because: long vetted; decent track record; I’m an old Lewiston guy at heart; too expensive to buy and vet with anything else, since I know all my 1911s work with ball and GDHP 230.

Dirty 230, FTW.

[BN]

Because I am a card carrying AARP member, I probably won't be carrying a 45. :)

However, if I was I chose hardball because it is most apt to work in any gun. I remember when I was shooting a lot of 1911s in 45 in competition. Every weekend I would be going through my large collection of magazines, checking to see which ones were going to function OK this week.

I would probably drag out my old Star PD and carry it Mexican like I used to.

[Ghost Dog]

Star PD interesting...tell me more how was it? It's really too bad regular 1911 mags won't work most on GB have only 1 mag but there was one with lime 4 mags a year ago I considered bidding on. I found one company that still made recoil rod or something that's needed often something to that effect?

[Ghost Dog]

A decent amount of 185 respodants and I'd like to know why?
Are some of the loads lower perceived recoil? Or believe they will expand more reliably or at least from shorter barrels? Or is it lowering already heavy Weight by just a bit?

[Robert Mitchum]

Have a good supply of them.
HST 230 grain
Gold Dot 230 grain
Gold Dot G2 45 Auto +P 230 Grain
Ranger T 230 grains = Range trip yesterday fired 137 rounds with my Sig Legion 220
Hornaday 45 Auto +P 220 g

[03RN]

Either 255gr swc or 230gr hst +p

[NPV]

230 HST, easy and relatively inexpensive to get 50 round boxes. Recoil is also relatively light compared to the +p version and it works in all my 1911s.

[RevolverRob]

Like almost everyone else:

230gr HST.

___

But also sometimes hardball if the gun is picky...they do all fall to hardball. :rolleyes::eek:

[theJanitor]

185 HP. Bill Wilson made an argument for lightening the weight of the ammo column in shorter guns. He argued that a lighter ammo stack made it easier for the mag to get the next round in place before the slide strips it, in faster cycling guns. It made sense to me, so I just converted the defensive ammo for all the 1911's to the 185.

[Ghost Dog]

185 HP. Bill Wilson made an argument for lightening the weight of the ammo column in shorter guns. He argued that a lighter ammo stack made it easier for the mag to get the next round in place before the slide strips it, in faster cycling guns. It made sense to me, so I just converted the defensive ammo for all the 1911's to the 185.

Ok thanks that's interesting I'd true about slide velocity but maybe 185s are running the slide faster too?

Commander is shortest so far for me but if I had a 3.5" or something like that I'd probably go 185 anyway for jhp full expansion. 3.75" up HST

[BN]

[QUOTE=Ghost Dog;1560319]Star PD interesting...tell me more how was it?

I had won a case of Cor-Bon 200 grain hollow points at a match and that's what I carried in my Star PD. Those were the famous "Flying Ashtray". My Star fed everything I ran through it. It slung the brass from those Cor-Bons about 30 feet. No Glock dribble with them.

[theJanitor]

Ok thanks that's interesting I'd true about slide velocity but maybe 185s are running the slide faster too?

Commander is shortest so far for me but if I had a 3.5" or something like that I'd probably go 185 anyway for jhp full expansion. 3.75" up HST

185's shoot soft, so I don't know how that relates to slide speed. I didn't want to maintain two different SD ammo for 1911's, which I have quite a few, so I transitioned everything to 185.

[Detmongo]

I have all three weights in the GD line,as well as most of the other rounds mentioned. The only.45 I would and have carried recently is my G30 and it is loaded with GD 200 gr +p simply because that’s what was on the shelf when I loaded the gun and magazines up. I gave up worrying about what ammo was in the gun regardless of caliber along time ago. I know how to shoot and where to put them. Just saying.

[Robinson]

230gr HST or hardball.

A standard pressure LSWC round would be tempting.

[UpDok]

.45 ACP +P 230 gr. HST in my magazine when i'm carrying a HK45C, thank you.

It's amazing how many formerly youthful celebrities who used to be too young to appear on the cover of "AARP The Magazine" are now finding their way to the AARP cover in the autum/winter of life.

In the remote past King Solomon said; "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven."

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Thread drift, latest AARP magazine had suggestions for safety at home. Have a ball bat or OC for a weapon for invaders - but don't explore, call the law. Decent advice for the non gun folks. They are antigun though. I do have a nice supply of OC, impact weapons, edged weapons available but obviously they are just side effects of my interests. I even have two nice sturdy vampire stakes I whittled from oak branches from a cut tree - for fun. However, they would be evil to be impaled with for living or dead.

AARP does have useful geezer info, so their gun hatred is tolerable.

[Oldherkpilot]

Thread drift, latest AARP magazine had suggestions for safety at home. Have a ball bat or OC for a weapon for invaders - but don't explore, call the law. Decent advice for the non gun folks. They are antigun though. I do have a nice supply of OC, impact weapons, edged weapons available but obviously they are just side effects of my interests. I even have two nice sturdy vampire stakes I whittled from oak branches from a cut tree - for fun. However, they would be evil to be impaled with for living or dead.

AARP does have useful geezer info, so their gun hatred is tolerable.

What, no silver bullets?😁