45 acp ammo question

[rob b]

I am looking to buy more home protection ammo for my sig 220
the ammo I want is federal hst 230 grain
I see federal makes it in regular load and +p

my question is the +p worth getting or will the regular load be fine
will the +p ammo supercharge my 45

 

[Deep Creek Rock]

Look in your manual and see if +P ammo is approved to fire in it.

+P ammo is ok for self defense rounds - but a steady diet of them, particularly in a semi auto, just ends up battering it.

 

[Lou45]

Either one is fine, just don't use the +P on a regular basis as it will wear out the gun prematurely.

Make sure it functions completely reliable in any situation. It may take several hundred rounds to REALLY put it through it's paces.

 

[byf43]

I am looking to buy more home protection ammo for my sig 220
the ammo I want is federal hst 230 grain
I see federal makes it in regular load and +p

my question is the +p worth getting or will the regular load be fine
will the +p ammo supercharge my 45

IMNSHO, in the .45 acp, +p is really not necessary.

YMMV.

 

[sailskidrive]

IMNSHO, in the .45 acp, +p is really not necessary.

YMMV.

Go easy on the guy, we don't know his ex wife! He made need +P+!

For home defense, I always stick with whatever I use at the range. Unless you're going to practice with it and know what to expect from an accuracy, recoil, and feeding reliability standpoint, why mix things up?

I think I'm going to work one of those "Gyro Jets" into my nightstand rotation.

 

[byf43]

Go easy on the guy, we don't know his ex wife! He made need +P+!

For home defense, I always stick with whatever I use at the range. Unless you're going to practice with it and know what to expect from an accuracy, recoil, and feeding reliability standpoint, why mix things up?

I think I'm going to work one of those "Gyro Jets" into my nightstand rotation.

For my ex-wife, I'd need an old WWII "King Tiger" tank!!!!!
(Or a 10 kiloton nuke suppository!)

 

[WheelHead]

Que the "nuke them from orbit" graphic.....

 

[dj_in_md]

I'd go with the regular load. +P is harder on the pistol.

 

[Catch-10-22]

The non +P HST has a better reputation than the +P and gets sufficient penetration and expansion. If you haven't seen this already:

http://www.everydaynodaysoff.com/2010/11/11/federal-premium-tactical-hst-ammo-comparison/

I went with the standard pressure.

 

[Boom Boom]

Standard-pressure 230gr is more than sufficient. Skip the +P.

 

[lkenefic]

Is this a Jacketed Hollow Point round? Normally, I'd go with a higher velocity round to insure reliable expansion of the JHP, but in this case, you're already launching a 230 gr bullet down range... even nominal expansion at normal velocities is good in a home defense round.

 

[hairba111]

No use in beating up your 1911/P220. Regular rounds will do the job.

 

[peace]

I really like the 185gr Hornady Zombie stuff. NOt too expensive either.

 

[Cold Steel]

Plus-P these days are so buried in legal restrictions and mumbo jumbo that it doesn't mean as much as it used to. Still, if I were going to shoot many +Ps, I'd probably invest in some stiffer mainsprings. If you get malfunctions move back to the standard springs. Regarding stopping power, as long as you stay away from the round nose jacketed, you should be fine. Heck, you should be fine with just about any ammo. I use 185gr JHPs, not because I think they'll expand; it's because I think they'll be less penetrating than the heavier round nose rounds.

The .45 has a great psychological effect on people and it boosts the confidence of people using it. But round nose ammo is rotten regardless of its caliber. Some of the fellows I've talked to who have served in Iraq said they valued the penetration and firepower of the 9mm rounds over any advantage the .45 would offer. The bottom line is that the type of ammo you use is frequently more important than the caliber. There's some specialty ammo sold by WalMart that goes for about a buck a round. I can understand you wanting the +P, though any jacketed hollowpoint will probably do the job.

 

[Biggfoot44]

The std will be fine. In general all of the major brands in 230gr JHP will do fine at std vels , and gives the advantage of similar recoil and POI to 230fmj practice rounds.

The other question you didn't ask is evaluating the parameters of specifically home defense. You aren't needing to shoot thru carbodies of windshields inside your home. When it comes to penetrating thru walls, etc less is generally better than more.

While it isn't the newest kid on the block , WW Silvertip 185s will have the least wall penetration of any conventional round , and still have decent stopping power.

 

[Baccusboy]

I agree with the "go with standard pressure" camp. In this loading, anyway.

From tests I've seen, the non-+P actually penetrates further than +P with heavy clothing.


And FYI, for buying online, check out mahsupplies.net or sgammo.com

 

[Baccusboy]

I really like the 185gr Hornady Zombie stuff. NOt too expensive either.

It's neat, but only penetrates just under 9" in Simtest gel media.

 

[peace]

It's neat, but only penetrates just under 9" in Simtest gel media.

Can you link?

Found *Link!*

I see that it doesn't mean penetration standards but is that not enough expansion to do damage?

 

[matt.ruszala]

I'm with most of the posts you have gotten. Stick with standard charge. I'd run 38 +P or +P+ through the .357 magnum king cobra I had but that was due to it being a .357 magnum.

For personal protection a near 1/2" diameter round is gonna hurt no matter how much propellent is behind it.

Save your money and buy quality standard charge rounds that work best for yourself and your gun.

 

[Baccusboy]

Can you link?

Found *Link!*

I see that it doesn't mean penetration standards but is that not enough expansion to do damage?

Sure, it would do damage, but there are better things out there for the premium price. Pick either: HST, Gold Dot, Ranger-T, Ranger Bonded, Barnes-X...

I also didn't feel the Zombie (Critical Defense) load didn't show much for cutting action with the petals compared to something like the Ranger-T. Also would want at least 12" or so of penetration. Myself, I like to see 13.5 to 14 inches. That's just me. FBI standard is 12".