AVB
Jesus of Cool, I'm bad, I'm nationwide
Back on Nov 12 I was asking about 10MM pistols. Well the next day a deal fell into my lap for the Rock Island TAC II 10mm - under $500 delivered. I liked it so much after it arrived I bought the TAC II in 40 S&W the next week.
That got me to thinking about what I should carry in my 1911 style pistols. I've always had 230 grain ball and 230 grain hollow points (alternating) in my 45 but a lot has happened in the 40 years since I started packing so I thought I'd run through some ammo and see which I liked best for each gun.
I ended up shooting 1200 rounds between the 3 guns - one box of hollow points and one box of ball for each of 4 different brands. They were Remington, Sig Sauer, Speer and PMC. I regularly shoot Federal so I already knew how they would do in the 45 at least. This is not scientific, no chronographs, gel blocks, benches, vices or anything besides me shooting.
S&W 40 cal:
I liked the Speer Lawman 165 grain TMJFN (Total Metal Jacket Flat Nose) in ball. They say it is a training round but with 1150fps and 484 ft-lbs of muzzle energy at the barrel it will punch through most things you would encounter in a gun fight and still have enough juice to make the person move so that you could use......
Speer Gold Dot 165 grain hollow points. Same speed and energy as the Lawman but with 50% expansion of the round. With most 40 cal rounds in the 900-1000fps area you will notice these are a little zippier but still easy to control.
10mm:
Sig Sauer might just make the best "standard" 10mm ammo of any major manufacturer. They design both the their ball and hollow points (180 grain) to have the same characteristics - in this case 1250 fps and 624 ft-lbs of muzzle energy. A combo that can't be beat. While not considered to be a "hot" round it is a bit above most 10mm you can get which is usually in the 1100-1150 fps/540 ft lbs range. Unless you run across some of the FBI lite ammo which is even weaker.
45 ACP:
Remington Golden Saber 185 grain BJHP +P (GS45APC). This was the surprise as they were not going to be part of the test but after shooting a box there was no doubt they were a winner. I had not shot any 45 cal +P ammo before since my 1984 Colt wasn't designed to handle it but my newer 45 can. Most 230 grain ball ammo leisurely leaves the barrel at 800-850 fps and has 360 ft lbs of energy. Not this stuff. It screams (for a 45) out at 1140fps and 534ft-lbs which is 10mm territory, a cartridge designed 80 years later. Being a Bonded Jacketed Hollow Point it has better penetration than most regular types of hollow points. Unfortunately, there isn't an equivalent round in ball available unless you load your own but I don't think you really need it carrying these. If you wanted to stick with standard rounds then almost any will do. After 100 years everybody pretty much has the hang of making 45 ACP ammo.
I like the fact that no matter which 1911 I decide to carry that day that they all have about the same feel to them with the ammo I've selected. That may not be as important to you but any of the rounds I recommended will protect you well once you have shot a few hundred rounds in your favorite pistol to get the feel of them.
That got me to thinking about what I should carry in my 1911 style pistols. I've always had 230 grain ball and 230 grain hollow points (alternating) in my 45 but a lot has happened in the 40 years since I started packing so I thought I'd run through some ammo and see which I liked best for each gun.
I ended up shooting 1200 rounds between the 3 guns - one box of hollow points and one box of ball for each of 4 different brands. They were Remington, Sig Sauer, Speer and PMC. I regularly shoot Federal so I already knew how they would do in the 45 at least. This is not scientific, no chronographs, gel blocks, benches, vices or anything besides me shooting.
S&W 40 cal:
I liked the Speer Lawman 165 grain TMJFN (Total Metal Jacket Flat Nose) in ball. They say it is a training round but with 1150fps and 484 ft-lbs of muzzle energy at the barrel it will punch through most things you would encounter in a gun fight and still have enough juice to make the person move so that you could use......
Speer Gold Dot 165 grain hollow points. Same speed and energy as the Lawman but with 50% expansion of the round. With most 40 cal rounds in the 900-1000fps area you will notice these are a little zippier but still easy to control.
10mm:
Sig Sauer might just make the best "standard" 10mm ammo of any major manufacturer. They design both the their ball and hollow points (180 grain) to have the same characteristics - in this case 1250 fps and 624 ft-lbs of muzzle energy. A combo that can't be beat. While not considered to be a "hot" round it is a bit above most 10mm you can get which is usually in the 1100-1150 fps/540 ft lbs range. Unless you run across some of the FBI lite ammo which is even weaker.
45 ACP:
Remington Golden Saber 185 grain BJHP +P (GS45APC). This was the surprise as they were not going to be part of the test but after shooting a box there was no doubt they were a winner. I had not shot any 45 cal +P ammo before since my 1984 Colt wasn't designed to handle it but my newer 45 can. Most 230 grain ball ammo leisurely leaves the barrel at 800-850 fps and has 360 ft lbs of energy. Not this stuff. It screams (for a 45) out at 1140fps and 534ft-lbs which is 10mm territory, a cartridge designed 80 years later. Being a Bonded Jacketed Hollow Point it has better penetration than most regular types of hollow points. Unfortunately, there isn't an equivalent round in ball available unless you load your own but I don't think you really need it carrying these. If you wanted to stick with standard rounds then almost any will do. After 100 years everybody pretty much has the hang of making 45 ACP ammo.
I like the fact that no matter which 1911 I decide to carry that day that they all have about the same feel to them with the ammo I've selected. That may not be as important to you but any of the rounds I recommended will protect you well once you have shot a few hundred rounds in your favorite pistol to get the feel of them.
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