Best defense ammo for short barrel .45s

[glbedd53]

That's what CorBon Pow R Ball was supposed to do. Seems like everybody was crazy about them for a while. I guess that passed. I have some pow r ball in .40 but I never saw any for .45

[saltydog452]

Since 230 Hydra Shock seems reliable, its my 'best' choice in my short slide 45 through my magazines.

salty

[HankB]

Shorter barrels ideally need faster-burning powders in order to burn up all the fuel before the bullet leaves the barrel to achieve the maximum velocity in a stubby tube. Heavier bullets usually help achieve this as they travel slower and allow a bit more time for the powder to burn up; a side benefit is less muzzle-flash if the barrel-length and burn-rate of the powder happen to match each other nicely. Massive muzzle-flash usually happens where the powder is still burning after the bullet has left the barrel

I know Speer made a Gold Dot package specifically for short barrels about 5 years back or so (Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel); I don't know if it's still available. Obviously, you'd have to first and foremost make sure it's reliable in your auto - I'd rather carry reliable stuff that's not optimized for a short barrel than something unreliable that is.

Here's what the old Speer #8 manual said about short-barrel loads in a .357:

"Many shooters have expected the faster burning powders to give better performance than the slower burning powders, but this is not true. The relatively slow burning powders still give the highest velocities, but at the cost of terrific muzzle flash. Faster burning powders give you less flash but also less muzzle energy."

Of course a .357 isn't a .45, and new powders have been introduced since then, but until I see contrary chronographed data, I'll keep thinking the principle still holds.

As to specific ammo for a shorty .45 . . . any premium JHP from the major ammo companies (Remington, Federal, Winchester, Speer, maybe Hornady) that works with 100% reliability in YOUR pistol is a good choice. (I wouldn't turn up my nose at a +P, either.) I think they've all pretty much got things right these days. My personal preference is for 230 JHPs - even if the bullet doesn't expand, I'm no worse off than if I were using hardball. And that ain't bad.

[lrb111]

My Corbon +P 230gr. JHP is identical to the Hornady loads at 950 fps. I've always liked Hydra-Shoks in whatever caliber.. Just love em in .357 mag.

[baldeagle]

Given the same caliber, the heavier the bullet and the faster its velocity, the more damage it should do.

According to Ballistics By The Inch, the highest velocity (of the tested bullets!) was the Corbon 165gr JHP +P. At 3 to 4 inches, the highest muzzle energy was generated by the Corbon 165gr JHP +P, the Corbon 185gr JHP +P and the Corbon 230gr JHP +P (they are about equal at that length.) If you don't mind using +P ammo for SD, the Corbon 230gr looks like a good choice for your length barrel. Unfortunately, they didn't even test Gold Dot.

This page also has a lot of information about various forms of .45 ammo.

The 2008 Wound Ballistics Workshop (pdf) results show the Federal HST with the highest expansion and excellent penetration and weight retention.

[CC Italian]

I have always had good luck with Black Hills Ammo. Quality is up there with all the big names but costs a good amount less.

[The Annoyed Man]

Shorter barrels ideally need faster-burning powders in order to burn up all the fuel before the bullet leaves the barrel to achieve the maximum velocity in a stubby tube. Heavier bullets usually help achieve this as they travel slower and allow a bit more time for the powder to burn up; a side benefit is less muzzle-flash if the barrel-length and burn-rate of the powder happen to match each other nicely. Massive muzzle-flash usually happens where the powder is still burning after the bullet has left the barrel

I know Speer made a Gold Dot package specifically for short barrels about 5 years back or so (Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel); I don't know if it's still available. Obviously, you'd have to first and foremost make sure it's reliable in your auto - I'd rather carry reliable stuff that's not optimized for a short barrel than something unreliable that is.

What he said. I carry 230 grain Federal HSTs in my 3" Kimber and in my 5" Springfield.

[SpringerFan]

I like the idea of Short Barrel Gold Dots because they where designed specifically for carry guns.