I spent over an hour searching and reviewing old threads but can't find what I'm looking for. There was a fairly recent post on "what you carry in .45" ammo thread. Yeah I know I suck at search--nothing new but I tried.

I paid for an xd45 compact today (Christmas/b-day present for myself) and aside from some 230 Winchester hardball ammo I've horded for practice I need something for perps.

Anybody bookmark that thread and want to share?

If you're willing to buy off the net, go with Federal HST or Winchester Ranger T (the current flavor of the Black Talon). Either of those does scary things when it hits flesh. Think of a mushroom/flower shaped thingy about the size of a quarter. It's not going to through-and-through on your attacker, and if doesn't do the trick, you needed to land a better hit. Period.

If you're going to be buying locally, no question. Speer Gold Dot.

Federal 230 gr. Hydroshocks. The Winchester Ranger stuff scares me too much. :laughing:

I carried 230 Fed. Hydros. But now have Hornady 230 TAP's

Ive never seen ranger for sale locally or I would try that.

I did some more searching and found a lot of info on pd rounds, testing etc etc . Thanks for the input.

9 more days:shaking:

Federal Hydrashok 230gr. for me.

Why do so many of you guys still carry Hyrda-Shok?

It was state of the art years & years ago, but there's so many better options out there now. If you're not buying off the net, Hornady's TAP, Speer Gold Dot, Remington Golden Saber, Cor-Bon, and a few others should be available locally.

Hydrashocks expand, but not as reliably as new loadings do, and they make a small round-edged mushroom. If I'm paying that much per round for my carry ammo, I want it to become a jagged, razor-edged flying projectile of death. ;)

Random pics I saved from various backyard ammo tests. They're almost all 9mm since that's what I carry, but they give you a general idea.

It's obviously not as reliable as figuring out which ammo performs best in actual shootings, but it's interesting how consistent the results are: These pics are from all over the net, and some of them shot into milk jugs filled with water, some into wet newspaper, and I think one actually made ballistic gelatin.

Here's the first "test" I have saved. Repeatedly seeing it expand & penetrate like this is the reason I chose 147-grain HST. :)

Found some 45s...

Five more, and that's it...

The first picture is several calibers worth of Ranger SXT. Those jagged claws (Winchester calls them petals instead of talons now :laughing: ) around the edges of the bullet sure look like they'd be effective.

230 Gr. HST +P

:laughing:BAre wetback, WTF??!! Some bullets work better than others 'gainst mexicans?!?!?

Wetpack. Not wetback. :lmao: :laughing:

"Using wetpack as a test medium" sounds more scientific than "I shot these here bullets into wet newspaper". ;)

I still carry plain old 230g FMJ. Been planting tangos for over a hundred years :D
I do have some Gold Dots.

I save the fancy ammo for the 9mm.

Why do so many of you guys still carry Hyrda-Shok?

It was state of the art years & years ago, but there's so many better options out there now. If you're not buying off the net, Hornady's TAP, Speer Gold Dot, Remington Golden Saber, Cor-Bon, and a few others should be available locally.

Hydrashocks expand, but not as reliably as new loadings do, and they make a small round-edged mushroom. If I'm paying that much per round for my carry ammo, I want it to become a jagged, razor-edged flying projectile of death. ;)

I have several reasons for useing the Hydro-shok.
1) It is a proven round.
2) I`ve never seen any reason to "keep up with the Jones`s" in the ammo race.
3) God forbid the day I have to shoot in self defense, I don`t want it to appear I chose the biggest, baddest, most flesh rendering round available. :shaking:
4) I`m old school in my belief of heavy bullets at moderate velocitys getting the job done.
5) It`s a .45 ACP. Even with Hardball like Aloha uses, as long as you connect it will be effective.
6) I practice enough to have confidence that what I`m useing will be effective, instead of counting on a giant killer to make up for a crappy shot or inferior caliber. :flipoff2:

3) God forbid the day I have to shoot in self defense, I don`t want it to appear I chose the biggest, baddest, most flesh rendering round available. :shaking:



Do you want to appear dead in your casket? Get real. I know the deal with hand-loading rounds in "self-defense" as the whored-out defense attorney thinks. It is a store-bought round. Who the F goes hunting wild game with a 45 acp? If that is your angle, hell, carry a CO2 pellet gun. Or, better yet, some spitwads. Just because you connect does NOT mean it is over.

I understood you until this part. What are you trying to say? I never said anything about hunting with a .45 ACP?

Who the F goes hunting wild game with a 45 acp? If that is your angle, hell, carry a CO2 pellet gun. Or, better yet, some spitwads. Just because you connect does NOT mean it is over.

Even with Hardball like Aloha uses, as long as you connect it will be effective.


Hey its good enough for #47. Given he is using a pair of 6" barrels, but still...






:laughing::laughing::laughing:

Hey its good enough for #47. Given he is using a pair of 6" barrels, but still...






:laughing::laughing::laughing:

I don`t get it, please enlighten me. :D

I r a game addict :laughing: Right now its COD4, I rawk at night with an M4, PEQ, and NVGs :D

I have not seen the movie, but the games were a blast.
Agent 47 has a sweet matched pair of 45 long slides.

People do look at me funny when I show up at the pistol range in the suit and tie for some reason. Full combat gear, BDUs, MOLLE, etc and being 50+ pounds overweight is the norm.

http://www.hitmancontracts.com/images/hitmanLogo_de.jpg

http://www.wildbluffmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/hitman_header_01.jpg

Got AMT hardballer? :D

The movie was great for what it was - a shoot-em-up movie based on a video game. As long as you're expecting good fights, and not an oscar-winning love story, you'll like it.

Oh, you also have to tolerate guys repeatedly firing 18 rounds out of a single-stack 1911. And the scene where he's discussing a gun buy with a black-marketeer is so error-prone it's hard not to laugh out loud in the theatre.

But other than that, it's pretty damn good. :)

I r a game addict :laughing: Right now its COD4, I rawk at night with an M4, PEQ, and NVGs :D

I have not seen the movie, but the games were a blast.
Agent 47 has a sweet matched pair of 45 long slides.

People do look at me funny when I show up at the pistol range in the suit and tie for some reason. Full combat gear, BDUs, MOLLE, etc and being 50+ pounds overweight is the norm.

http://www.hitmancontracts.com/images/hitmanLogo_de.jpg

http://www.wildbluffmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/hitman_header_01.jpg

Thanks for the clarification. I don`t play vid games at all so I wouldn`t understand ANY references toward them. I don`t have cable tv either. :laughing: I was going to say the same thing as TN did, AMT Hardballer longslide. :smokin: I had one back in the mid 80`s I used for pin matches. Magnaported and slicked up by a `smith friend in Tacoma, Wash. That AMT longslide was a bad ass looking peice back then, it kinda fed my need for the Automag I couldn`t afford. :( One of those guns I never should have sold. :shaking: