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45 ACP ammo would not shoot through a 55 gallon drum and exit the off side. Those days are no more.

Glenda wanted a burn barrel and burn barrels need air holes. No better or easier way to put holes than to shot them into the barrel. I first fired 8 rounds of 185 grain XTP 45 rounds all exited the off side. Next up was Hornady 220 grain +P Critical Duty ammo. These also exited the off side.

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Are barrels more cheaply made now?

We brought a pickup bed full home and they seem to be as well made as they ever were. The ammo is much better, for sure. IMHO

45 ACP Ammo!

This is satire, right?

No it is not.

Interesting.
JWP, what 45acp factory load or component bullet would you recommend for deer and hogs (short bbl; Glock 30)
thnx

I like the XTP's for a JHP, if max penetration is warranted I'd opt for a 255 grain hard cast +P.

THNX

It's possible that the steel of the drums is more cheaply made now. Everything seems to be. Perhaps older drums were stronger than they needed to be and as a cost cutting measure the engineers thinned the rolled steel they're made from. The only experience I had shooting at 55gallon drums was at a range and ball ammo was the only thing I used. It's hard to imagine that with the same materials and velocity, the .45acp bullet is penetrating better on the same test medium.

Ammo is good these days, but they don't make barrels like they used to.

Dan the drums are not weaker at least the examples here. The reason the old 45's would not exit was before the faster +P ammo. Speed is the primary factor in penetrating steel. Even very fragile 22 center fires varmint bullet will penetrate 3/8" A-36 steel plate at 50 yards when fired from a 22-250.

I chrono'ed some 230 JHP a few years ago (green box Remington from Wal mart) that clocked 960 fps over an Ohler 35 and were not marked +P. That is a far cry from 830 FPS.

I have a 45 slug (230gr hardball) that looks like a banana. It went into the dresser in the bedroom, through a few drawer panels in it, out the back and through the wall. Hit the toilet bowl and ricocheted back through the doorway (door was open) and landed on the floor in the bedroom.

Didn't hurt the toilet bowl, which I was right proud of.

You can overlook a bullet hole in furniture, but $hit gets real when you bust the crapper.

Say WHAT? And the rest of the story is........................

No lie. I hate replacing toilets..

Just did some reading up on 55 gallon drums. Historically, the've had two different thicknesses based on the materials they were intended to hold. Also, there are both carbon steel and stainless steel drums which would offer slightly different resistance to impact, depending on brittleness I suppose. The drum photographed looks to be stainless, but I am not an expert. Still, the drums I used to shoot at were definitely heavy old carbon steel drums that were used for burn barrels and such. I'm fairly certain that over the years, as the economy changed, engineers discovered 55 gallon drums had been over-engineered and could be made lighter and still safely hold their intended liquids. Just as car doors and trunk lids became much thinner over the years too.

First off the drum is carbon steel. Steel has gotten string over the years. I have made a living with steel for 44 years. The drum originally held motor oil. i will shoot one with the old 230 hard ball and see. my experience in shooting steel s that the faster the velocity the better to penetrate steel.

What did that dresser ever do to you?

Were you shooting AT someone and missed or what???

Steel drums can be purchased in various thicknesses in gauge steps from 22 down to 16. There's a big difference in the weight of the drum from heaviest to lightest. Years ago there were fewer options, but the drums available today are just as good and probably better due to the coatings.

The drum in the photo looks light to me by the way the petals curled around the bullet holes, but that's just a guess.