Reality Regarding Caliber "Stopping Power"

[Member 52301]

My MT husband uses 230Grain FMJ almost all of the time.

He does use 230Grain Hydra-Shok not shock HP sometimes in the summer.

He only uses 230Grain in his 45acp pistols. ONLY that grain!

And that was for his former pistols that I never saw but heard about, his former Kimber pistols that I did SEE and his current two Glock 45acp pistols.

The John M. Browning 1911 pistol was designed for the 230 Grain FMJ. That is what I read and that is what my husband and other people told me.

He swears by that load for his 45acp pistols. Past and present ones.

Cate

 

[bbbass]

My MT husband uses 230Grain FMJ almost all of the time.

He does use 230Grain Hydra-Shok not shock HP sometimes in the summer.

He only uses 230Grain in his 45acp pistols. ONLY that grain!

And that was for his former pistols that I never saw but heard about, his former Kimber pistols that I did SEE and his current two Glock 45acp pistols.

The John M. Browning 1911 pistol was designed for the 230 Grain FMJ. That is what I read and that is what my husband and other people told me.

He swears by that load for his 45acp pistols. Past and present ones.

Cate

Yes. I think it's the case for most 1911 shooters I believe because of tradition, and the tried and true factor, as well as the higher availability of different loadings for 230gr... don't know what the trend is for Glock .45 shooters. But I have read of people that use both the 200gr and those that use the 185gr... maybe for cost effective, or recoil? IDK. But it's not unheard of. I think Xtreme bullet manufacturer sells plenty of all of them.

 

[OldBroad44]

Cate and BB, I really appreciate your sharing your experience with shooting while older. I have back problems, but so far no arthritis or other hand problems. But I'm thinking, judging from what you and others have said, that perhaps I should act proactively and drop back in the recoil demands of what I shoot now as a precautionary measure. I used to shoot just .44 mag in my .44 mag revolvers, for example. But now I'm planning to switch mostly to .44 special. Exclusively .44 special except for my biggest heaviest gun, which will soon wear a scope and be even heavier.

 

[Alexx1401]

My MT husband uses 230Grain FMJ almost all of the time.

He does use 230Grain Hydra-Shok not shock HP sometimes in the summer.

He only uses 230Grain in his 45acp pistols. ONLY that grain!

And that was for his former pistols that I never saw but heard about, his former Kimber pistols that I did SEE and his current two Glock 45acp pistols.

The John M. Browning 1911 pistol was designed for the 230 Grain FMJ. That is what I read and that is what my husband and other people told me.

He swears by that load for his 45acp pistols. Past and present ones.

Cate

The "original" ball load has the advantage of being more reliable if the pistol is "picky". If one will not feed that then chances are not good for the "better" ammo. I still like the Speer load they used to call the flying ashtray. Now that not all 1911's would feed without some work. Last time I went to buy more could not find it so settled on some stuff by another big name in 200gr JHP. In my rifle that uses .45ACP stuff turns out some impressive ballistics. As is often mentioned even with the ball load it is still a .45 hole to begin with, so it has that going for it

 

[DizzyJ]

I dont advise anybody else. I merely state what I do as my self defense practice pattern. Others make their own choices. No I have never shot someone in the head. Nor in their bubblegum nor any other part of their body either.

My practice drills are mostly first one or two shots to the head, the rest to the body. My reasoning is that head shots are harder to make but MUCH more reliable stoppers than body shots. So including both is a compromise. And these days some bad guys might wear body armor, meaning the body shots are useless. And these days, someone on drugs might not be stopped by a body shot. I figure the first couple of shots will be the easiest ones to make as head shots, since the bad guy is further away. (Say 10 or 15 feet away.) Assuming the BG is charging he's going to be almost on top of me by the third shot, and the angles etc make it harder to do a head shot, and I may need to be fending off with one hand. Also, if BG has a gun, and my first shots are to the body I'm almost certainly going to get shot too. Only a head shot would incapacitate BG fast enough to prevent getting shot myself. Everybody has to consider these kinds of factors and make their own choices about practice routines.

I will agree with you that there are lots of factors to consider when deciding where to place a shot (I seriously hope I never have to). I recall a class not that long ago I took. The instructor was pretty adamant about not trying to make a head shot because "that's one thing on the human body that will be moving the most and it's a smaller target than center mass". I won't repeat what else he had to say about it, but he wasn't speaking highly highly of it.

Now, I always try to take away the info from a class and digest it as well as critique it concerning any situation I may find myself in. Sometimes the info makes sense, sometimes it doesn't. I do tend to lend more credit to those who've "been there and done that" than those who haven't.

That said, I can possibly see where a head shot might be necessary, but it would only be if it were my only choice. The head moves independent of the body (to a certain extent) and unless that person has a death wish, neither one of you will be standing still once the bullets start flying. This makes a head shot even less plausible imho.

For many reasons brought up earlier in this conversation is also why I consider 9mm to be a better self defense option. More capacity, and faster reloads are just two of the reasons I'd prefer a 9mm.

 

[Member 52301]

Yes. I think it's the case for most 1911 shooters I believe because of tradition, and the tried and true factor, as well as the higher availability of different loadings for 230gr... don't know what the trend is for Glock .45 shooters. But I have read of people that use both the 200gr and those that use the 185gr... maybe for cost effective, or recoil? IDK. But it's not unheard of. I think Xtreme bullet manufacturer sells plenty of all of them.

BB,

I don't know and I can't answer this post. I don't know what people are buying or using other than what he CHOOSES for his own guns.

I haven't looked at 45acp factory ammo or 45acp reloading bullets for some time now. I haven't talked about it in a store either.

My MT husband has been LOOKING at prices go up and down here and there in ALL stock though. In stores around here.

A lot of it went UP since I helped him stock up in various products and gift AND sell what he was getting out of in calibers. Did some things go down? YES, but not all things.

I only shot HIS and another man's 45acp pistols a couple of times and that was a LONG, long time ago. Back east and out here was when I shot them.

I NEVER owned a 45acp pistol but I did own the other stuff that I will not repeat all over. I NEVER reloaded.

One Christmas, I ordered EXTRA Glock brand magazines for him after double checking what HE really wanted. I told him to pick them up.

Plus when he wanted a duplicate, EXACT copy of a 45acp pistol like his one Glock. I called M who is dead now and told him what I wanted for our full in store CREDIT and he special ordered it in. He called us when it came in.

My husband reloads 99.9% for ALL of his CF firearms including the 45acp pistols.

When we had a BUNCH of full in store credit, consignment sales, he picked up some quality factory made ammo to use up some of that credit. NOT a lot of it but some of it and it was in 230 Grain - 45acp. He picked up some factory 30-30 ammo to use up some more credit and it was on sale. I was with him and looking at other stuff there too. This was at the Ronan store that closed up when the owner sold the building and retired. They wanted to LEASE a space but the building BUYER - NEW OWNER did not want to do that or they could not agree on a price. Up by Flathead Lake close to Polson, MT. I REALLY MISS THAT STORE and I have not been up there since they CLOSED even though it was about 55 miles - one way to get there.

My husband wants to take a drive that way and we will do it. I don't know what they ever did with that one sold building. IT was in business for a LONG, long time and that owner bought it from a previous owner who retired too.

They had ALL kinds of stuff in there from ranch clothing to fishing gear to books to you name it.

Lately, when my husband looks around at GUN gear or any other sporting goods stuff, he has been doing it AROUND HERE in this town.

WE miss some of the small stores that closed up. We miss the nice and smart gun men who died too. One of them who died was on a local radio show every week with other people. The show continues with fishing and hunting talk. They have callers from ALL OVER MT. They tell funny stories and it is nice but it is NOT the same. It is not the same when we walk into BW's store and our man, our friend, is not there. Life goes on.

I figure that the only way that you will know what you like and how it works for you is to TRY it. Reload it or buy the factory ammo.

Take care.

Cate

 

[Member 52301]

The "original" ball load has the advantage of being more reliable if the pistol is "picky". If one will not feed that then chances are not good for the "better" ammo. I still like the Speer load they used to call the flying ashtray. Now that not all 1911's would feed without some work. Last time I went to buy more could not find it so settled on some stuff by another big name in 200gr JHP. In my rifle that uses .45ACP stuff turns out some impressive ballistics. As is often mentioned even with the ball load it is still a .45 hole to begin with, so it has that going for it

Hello,

My MT husband never had a PICKY pistol in 45acp and he uses FMJ and HP in the 45acp pistols. Past and present ones. I asked him. As I said, he reloads almost all of his ammo - 99.9% of it. SEE other posts and he has reloaded since the early 70's.

YOU name it in '45' and he has shot it in s/a and d/a revolvers and in many semi automatic pistols in '45'.

Did he PREFER some rifle or other handgun loads (Factory and handloads.) more than others when he was hunting, competing, using a chronograph, target shooting, etc.? Yes, of course.

When we have had shooting events here, private invitations, you could open up 3 gun stores when it came to how many types, brands, calibers, etc. firearms were here. Handguns, rifles, and shotguns. NOT counting when just a few friends came over on just one or two days of shooting.

I am NOT trying to be an expert or rude here. I am NOT like that! I am NO expert - I never was an expert in that pistol or caliber.

I am just telling you what he said and I am NOT knocking any person here.

He likes what HE likes and if someone LIKES or uses something else... he doesn't care if they LOVE IT because it is THEIR GUN.

I feel the same way. USE what you love in any or all products and shoot what you love.

Funny thing, since you mentioned that TERM above, MANY years ago before my late husband's cancer was discovered and he died, he went shopping for me. Christmas time and he only shopped on ONE DAY - Christmas Eve - in and out of the store. HE DID NOT 'SHOP' - HE BOUGHT. LOL

I usually got a BOOK store GC and a box of ammo per MY request and sometimes a girly item that I PICKED OUT first. A mild cologne, a pretty nightgown or small pierced earrings. But I wanted my BOOK GC and a box of ammo FIRST! LOL

I shot cowboy loads (Factory ammo.) in my Blackhawk in 45Long Colt. IT was the ONLY 45long colt HANDGUN that I ever owned in close to my 69 years old on earth.

He came home and handed me a BOX of ammo. The gun store man even WRAPPED IT UP WITH A RIBBON on top! I kid you not! I said that it was not like the cowboy loads that I usually got in one or two brands at my one store. This was one year before his last Christmas on earth.

Well, they were called FLYING ASHTRAYS by the gun store man and he told my late husband that. I will be DIPPED if I remember the exact brand name now but I think that they MIGHT have been made by Speer.

So anyway, I was at a party and people asked me what I got and I told them FLYING ASHTRAY ammo for my 45Long Colt COWBOY GUN. Most of them did not know what a Ruger Blackhawk was so if I said my COWBOY GUN - they remembered.

So the reply to the flying ashtray ammo was, "Say what or huh?!" LOL

My late husband told me that it was supposed to be VERY GOOD AMMO for my gun so he got it as a spare box of ammo. My gun store man told him this. I shot a bit of it back east and I brought the rest of it out here to Montana after he died.

He only owned a FEW guns in his life and only in 357Magnum and 22lr calibers. HIS choice not mine. And he owned far more sail and power boats than guns in his barely 56 years on earth!

Take care and good shooting to you.

Sincerely,

Cate
Typos!

 

[Alexx1401]

Well, they were called FLYING ASHTRAYS by the gun store man and he told my late husband that. I will be DIPPED if I remember the exact brand name now but I think that they MIGHT have been made by Speer.

So anyway, I was at a party and people asked me what I got and I told them FLYING ASHTRAY ammo for my 45Long Colt COWBOY GUN. Most of them did not know what a Ruger Blackhawk was so if I said my COWBOY GUN - they remembered.

So the reply to the flying ashtray ammo was, "Say what or huh?!" LOL

Yep Speer. It's a Gold Dot HP round. The nick name comes from the way they look when you are looking at them from the front. They have such a large hole and the way the jacket is done it gives the appearance of being an ashtray. Not too long after they hit they were tagged with that name and people loved the way it sounded.

 

[bbbass]

They had ALL kinds of stuff in there from ranch clothing to fishing gear to books to you name it.

I love those kind of gun stores. Reminds me to give a shout out to Oregon Trail Trader, my LGS for 40 years now. They sell every kind of firearm except BP. Also high quality steelhead rods, scopes, fishing reels, camp gear, targets, holsters, rain gear, survival stuff, ammo, reloading gear, and in the back room one will find antiques and 2nd hand items. Great place, great people!!!