Federal 45 HST 4in barrel velocities?

[Hot Cereal]

The last batch that I bought was in 2015, it had large primers, and had an average velocity of 844fps from a Sig P220 4.4" barrel. The new HST which I think changed in 2016, uses a small primer and runs at 871fps from the same Sig P220 4.4" barrel.

I've noticed that Winchester also increased the velocity of their standard pressure .45acp Ranger Talon and Ranger Bonded loads to get closer to 900fps. Most likely the changes by Federal and Winchester are to improve the barrier penetration ability of their product.

You're probably right. I've always thought the Winchester .40 165gr Ranger T and .45 230gr SP and +P Ranger T were their best Ranger loads. The +P .45 is pretty hot. Spec'd at 990 fps.

Another possibility is trying to reach the spec velocity from a 4.5in barrel. Increase the load slightly, not enough to change spec, but now you're getting 871-890 depending on the gun (Sigs always seem to have slow barrels, JMO). How many LE agencies or regular folks carry 5 inch .45s? Not many. Most are carrying Glock 21s, Sig 220s, M&P 45s, something with a barrel length between 4 and 4.5 inches. I've noticed through various gel testing the 45 HST seems to be the most velocity dependent of the HST line. I've seen several short barrel tests of the 45 HST that have shown failures to expand through clothing/denim. Perhaps Federal is trying to address that because they know end users will use it in pistols with barrels as short as 3 inches. If that is the case, kudos to Federal.

[Galbraith]

I've seen several short barrel tests of the 45 HST that have shown failures to expand through clothing/denim. Perhaps Federal is trying to address that because they know end users will use it in pistols with barrels as short as 3 inches. If that is the case, kudos to Federal.

It's really all about powder burn rate, and the powder volume of the cartridge. Generally, smaller calibers handle shorter barrels better than larger calibers with larger charges. The blast and muzzle flash between a .45acp in a 4" barrel and a 5" barrel is considerable, because more of the charge is burned off inside the barrel on the 5" gun. A .45acp JHP load can be setup with the right powder for a 3" barrel no problem and do fine in the FBI protocols, but that custom load may not be ideal in a 5" barrel.

Personally, I wouldn't go any shorter than a 4" barrel in .45acp. Most ammo manufacturers keep their top JHP loads in .45acp designed for barrels between 4"-5"(+or-), so I would stay within that window. Besides, the primary part of the gun that makes it conceal better is the size of the grip, not as much the slide length.

[Hot Cereal]

Personally, I wouldn't go any shorter than a 4" barrel in .45acp. Most ammo manufacturers keep their top JHP loads in .45acp designed for barrels between 4"-5"(+or-), so I would stay within that window. Besides, the primary part of the gun that makes it conceal better is the size of the grip, not as much the slide length.

I tend to agree. However, I think manufacturers should start engineering .45 loads with 4in barrels in mind. Most agencies that carry .45 are carrying 4.5 in guns and most concealed carry .45s fall somewhere between 3.3-4 in. Developing with 4 inches in mind instead of 5 makes sense to me.

[Hot Cereal]

Will the HST provide substantially better performance than a 230gr Golden Saber?

[Robinson]

Will the HST provide substantially better performance than a 230gr Golden Saber?

Golden Saber was a pretty good choice back when it became popular. Today I think there are better options, including HST and Gold Dot.

[DocGKR]

Terminal performance of these loads from 4-5" barrels are essentially the same. Typically when you get the .45 Auto Ranger-T or HST above 925-950 fps, bad things happen. We do most of our .45 Auto testing from a 4.5" barrel.

[Hot Cereal]

Is the performance of the HST substantially better than Golden Saber? In other words, is it worth spending the cash to swap things out? When I picked up the GS I couldn’t find HST in stock. Now the price of HST seems to have gone up a bit as well. I was also looking at the Golden Saber Black Belt, which seems to have good performance, though everything I’ve seen tested has been 9mm. Any testing of the GSBB in 45?

[Sensei]

Is the performance of the HST substantially better than Golden Saber? In other words, is it worth spending the cash to swap things out? When I picked up the GS I couldn’t find HST in stock. Now the price of HST seems to have gone up a bit as well. I was also looking at the Golden Saber Black Belt, which seems to have good performance, though everything I’ve seen tested has been 9mm. Any testing of the GSBB in 45?

LMGTFY

https://www.americanrifleman.org/art...t-pistol-ammo/