Does .45 ACP Expand from a G30?

[Thy.Will.Be.Done]

Hunters need deep penetration, and are a lot less concerned about Rule Four- with potential overpenetration and associated consequences beyond the target.

I would just point out that this is not the case for responsible concealed carry, which I would presume would be the issue at hand as we are discussing a G30- a pistol that isn’t well suited to shooting non-jacketed ammunition in the first place, due to polygonal rifling.

Do not confuse hard cast with lead bullets, the latter of which is much softer and lead fouls the barrel rapidly. Something such as Buffalo Bore hard cast is perfectly OK to shoot in GLock's or other polygonal barrels.

[Glock17JHP]

I stumbled across this thread while doing research into ammunition for a recently inherited Detonics Combat Master .45 (3.5-inch barrel). Would not carry on purpose for self-defense, but thinking Winchester 230 grain FMJ might be best if I changed my mind. I would want reliability first.

That being said, I wonder if Federal 230 grain non-+P HST would be best hollowpoint for the little Detonics as far as reliability first and expansion second?

[SwampDweller]

I stumbled across this thread while doing research into ammunition for a recently inherited Detonics Combat Master .45 (3.5-inch barrel). Would not carry on purpose for self-defense, but thinking Winchester 230 grain FMJ might be best if I changed my mind. I would want reliability first.

That being said, I wonder if Federal 230 grain non-+P HST would be best hollowpoint for the little Detonics as far as reliability first and expansion second?

I’m similarly curious, except regarding the best load for a HK45C rather than a Detonics, but similar barrel length (well, 3.9” on the HK45C)

[RevolverRob]

The only non-+P .45 ACP I'd trust to penetrate and expand from a <4" barrel would be the Barnes Vor-TX XPB. Which also has a fairly rounded bullet profile and are generally loaded on the shorter end of OAL. So that should aid in reliability. The 185-grain bullet should get about 750-850fps out of a 3-4" barrel. Barnes tends to design its bullets to have a wide velocity envelope for penetration and expansion, I would guess their XPB penetrates and expands as expected when above 700fps, though I can't say for sure.

I can say, if you email the engineers at Barnes, they're happy to talk with you about the bullets and their performance.

[SwampDweller]

The only non-+P .45 ACP I'd trust to penetrate and expand from a <4" barrel would be the Barnes Vor-TX XPB. Which also has a fairly rounded bullet profile and are generally loaded on the shorter end of OAL. So that should aid in reliability. The 185-grain bullet should get about 750-850fps out of a 3-4" barrel. Barnes tends to design its bullets to have a wide velocity envelope for penetration and expansion, I would guess their XPB penetrates and expands as expected when above 700fps, though I can't say for sure.

I can say, if you email the engineers at Barnes, they're happy to talk with you about the bullets and their performance.

Would this apply to the HK45C and it’s 3.9” barrel in your line of thinking?

[serialsolver]

https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/sel...llistic-tests/

Lucky gunner’s 45acp testing was done with 3.64 inch barrel Kahr.

Hope this helps.


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[RevolverRob]

Would this apply to the HK45C and it’s 3.9” barrel in your line of thinking?

Closer to 4" the HST seems to work in calibrated ordnance gel.

I would be fine with a 230-grain HST in a HK45C.

[Sensei]

When choosing a carry load in a compact pistol such as a G30 or commander/officer 1911, I consider the following factors in this exact order:

1) Reliability in my gun
2) Terminal performance
3) Accuracy
4) Availability

The standard pressure Speer 230 grain Gold Dot is reliable and accurate in virtually every gun in my stable. It is also ubiquitous in most gun stores. The HTS has a little better terminal performance as the cost of slightly less availability. Ranger-T is another fine choice. All 3 of these choices reliably expand out the G30 3.78” barrel. Having at least 1000 rounds of either on hand in your ammo cashe is highly recommended. FYI, I no longer is +P ammo in any caliber and see no reason to stray from standard pressures in a G30.

[Velo Dog]

The standard pressure Speer 230 grain Gold Dot is reliable and accurate in virtually every gun in my stable.

The Short Barrel version especially has performed well in every test I have seen

https://www.brassfetcher.com/Handgun...Selection.html

[revchuck38]

FWIW, from my 4" M&P45 Compact, standard pressure HST ran 869 fps and +P ran 896 fps. My ammo is from pre-Covid production (the standard pressure has small pistol primers, so it's newer than the +P) and I may have some from a fast lot of standard pressure and/or a slow lot of +P. Perceived recoil is about the same.

I'd be more worried about function in an old-school 1911 like the Detonics. IIRC, they were introduced when Silvertip was considered the hot setup.