Like to get your guys opinion of what weight, 185gr. or 230gr. HP defense ammo for the 45 ACP.

Hornady TAP 200 grain +P for me.

I like the Speer Goldot 230gr or the Speer 200gr+P hp. Good stuff for 2 legged or 4 legged critters. I've killed several feral hogs with both.

I was kinda leaning towards the 230gr. Speer Gold Dot SB because I've just aquired a Springfield XDMs with the 3.3" barrel.

230 grain for me. But, I'm not saying it's the best weight for self-defense. I just chose it because it seemed to be the most popular weight. (I'm shooting Federal Hydra Shoks)

230 Ranger T's in my Les Baer Commander and 200 Gold Dots in my Kimber Pro CDP. Try as i may the Kimber only shoots 230's so so, but likes the 200 gdhp. Both loads are known commodities in terms of reliability and performance and both came highly recommended by and commonly issued to area LEO's.

Fact is that on 2 legged critters any reasonably built HP that shoots amd cycles 100% out of a 9mm up should have a guy in tall cotton.

That is my pick. They used to call them Black Talons but they are not black anymore.

Hard to make a bad choice in 45 ACP. Dwell on shot placement and that will carry the day.

Hit him first and more often and that will count. Lots of good bullets in .452.

Kind of my thought.

same here!

+1............

I like 200 gr XTP's......started using them several years ago after buying them from someone here at teh fire. Bought five boxes as I recall and teh fella said that he used to load them for Mountain Lion hunting back in teh day as he was a guide. Worked really well on cats he said. I've found them to work well on everyting I've pointed them at!

230 grain FMJ (hardball) a lot of dead guys out there and some of them wore quilted cotton jackets.

I like the recoil pulse of fast 185gr fodder. And because of the increased velocity, 185gr pills open up more consistently, IMO. Penetration isn't a problem on 2 legged critters.

Orion - I've always favored the 165 grain Cor-Bon load for a short barrel; however, any .45ACP in the boiler room is likely to do the job.

I'm running Speer 200 gr. Gold Dots. The bullets have a good reputation and the loading makes my pistol happy.

Dave

Any of the above, wouldn't want to get hit by any of them!

Winchester Ranger 230-Grain .45 ACP

Yes, sir.

Hit someone in the chest with a 45 ACP and I doubt they won't wonder what bullet you used...

Depends on what you want in performance. I prefer the 230 gr. stuff because I want to be able to shoot through stuff like car doors and windshield glass and still have something left to do some real damage.
The faster 185 gr. stuff does do more damage. I might add that Federal's 165 gr. Personal Defense stuff does kick less if you are packing a light gun and does at least as much damage as the 230 gr. stuff. It does not penetrate as well however.
I note that there has been alot of work put into fancy 9mm, and to a lessor extent the .40 S&W, to make their loads work in tough situations. The .45 ACP doesn't have that problem. E

I prefer the 230 gr. It is all about shot placement though.

I notice if you use the word "fancy" it implies negative connotations. You define Swaro and Zeiss as fancy as well. As for the the 9mm comment I have zero worries for the ability if my Glock 19 (9mm) or Kimber 45, both are plenty capable of ruining a bad guys day.

Many people haven't a clue how ammo itself have changed everything and to that end you don't need a 45 for every application, just like I don't need a 300 Win Mag for most hunting applications. This much should be odvious.

A good validated source of info on the topic:

http://m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=19887

I shot 230 gr Gold Dots for years and in my no-name opinion it's a very fine bullet, but in recent years have switched to the 185 gr TAC-XP's from Barnes.

Gunner

Yep, have seen similar studies but thanks for posting the link. Not under gunned with a 9, furthermore there is always piece of mind having a double stacked mag!! I'll let someone follow that comment with "you can't use a Glock as a hammer", great, it's a frickin' gun and it hits where I point it.

cfran, that wasn't meant to imply anything about your post or 9mm. I posted it in ref to the OP's question as it is directly applicable to it. Read thru the linked thread as it does not state that the 9mm is inferior in any way.

I'm with you, no worries.

I've never actually shot anybody, but I've never felt under gunned with a .45 pistol or revolver loaded with any 230 gr bullet. Hollow points are good, but they must be 100% reliable in your pistol. Otherwise, a hollow point in the barrel and hard ball or lead round nose in the mag.