45 ACP FMJ Ball Ammo for Carry ???

[PhillyGunslinger]

In the world of high performance hollow point and "Glamour" defense cartridges out there I don't hear of too many people loading up with 200 or 230 gr 45 acp Hardball ammo these days. While hollow points do have their advantages so do FMJ's. One would be penetration, your not going to get better penetration than a FMJ round. Second would be shattering bone, heavy FMJ loads are known to crack and blast through bone, and FMJ's even expand upon hitting bone. Third would be feeding reliability, less worries about stovepipes and jams.

Yes I know some will say FMJ's overpenetrate, but that's only true with High speed loads aka 357 Mag, 9mm. and even 38 Special. The 45's big, heavy, slow bullet stays in it's target. Generally if the load is under 1000 fps in 45 Hardball it won't overpenetrate. There are loads out there that fall into that category and still put out 405 ft-lbs. American Eagle, Winchester WB, and Fiocchi come to mind. All at approx 890 to 900 fps. These would make for a good defensive round. The loads lower than 850 fps are target loads, with lower power.

So Question is who here uses 45 Ball ammo in their carry pistols and why do you prefer it ?

For those who don't use it, explain why ?

[bogey1]

I used them in my mac10 with not one problem. If i didnt have the hollow points i have now(one mag's worth) , i would definitely use them. (colt lightweight officers model).

[Irwin Inhabitant]

I have carried .45 FMJ for years. Believe me, I have read all the data and stats of ball vs. hollow points, and had many discussions/arguments over it.
IMO unless you have a custom polished feed ramp and barrel throat, there is always a chance that a hollow point could mis-feed, FTF,FTE,etc.

I am speaking only about the 1911 platform here, my experiences, not XD etc.

Plus there is the factor of cost. I think that you should fire at least 400-700 rounds thru a gun before it can be trusted to carry. That gun that feeds FMJ reliably might choke on HP's. That is a lot of cash for practice. YMMV

The military used nothing but .45 ball ammo for a long time.

But mostly, I am referring to real world testing on varmints and nuisance critters on my property.
I knew what a FMJ ball round would do to varmints, had to test it a few times.

Imagine my surprise when I shot a possum on top of a bird feeder from less than 6 feet away, using a .45 hollow point. Instead of dropping immediately, it hissed at me, and slowly tried to climb down. It looked like he was sneering in defiance at the inadequate penetration!

In my past experiences at that distance with a vitals shot, he should have fell.

That got me to thinking about how effective a .45 hollow point could be on a 2 legged varmint if it ever came to self defense, and he was wearing a heavy leather/winter coat.

Obviously shot placement is everything, but sometimes that may not be the reality of a 1 second life or death situation.

These are my opinions only, I'm sure others here will chime in and disect and belittle and question everything I said.

[ungawa]

Yes I know some will say FMJ's overpenetrate, but that's only true with High speed loads aka 357 Mag, 9mm. and even 38 Special. The 45's big, heavy, slow bullet stays in it's target. Generally if the load is under 1000 fps in 45 Hardball it won't overpenetrate.

Do you have some more info on this? I thought .45 had some of the highest penetration, and also thought that heavy slow bullets had higher penetration in general (momentum vs. velocity and energy, and lack of upset/deformation). But I might be confusing the issue with my understanding of HP and fragmenting bullets. I'm was under the impression that .45 penetrates quite well.

[notenoughguns]

I use 230 gr hard ball . If it was good enough for uncle sugar for 70 + years , It's good enough for me .

[Irwin Inhabitant]

I use 230 gr hard ball . If it was good enough for uncle sugar for 70 + years , It's good enough for me .

I'm with ya on this.

[Dave_n]

Hardball 230s always feed in any 45 ACP I have tried them in and own/carry (SW645, 745, P99, 625, Norinco 1911) so if it is a 45 ACP, it is 230 grain hard ball. Dave_n

[Posit]

Hit something with a .45 ball, don't need a lot of sophisticated technology to bust it up.

[nicholasivanclark]

I have a mag full of HP's but my back ups are FMJ, and I regret buying those. We are carrying a .45 because it is a .45 we don't need to get fancy with it like those 9mm guys do. A FMJ is going to stop someone if you hit them just the same.

[Pagoda240]

I have a mag full of HP's but my back ups are FMJ, and I regret buying those. We are carrying a .45 because it is a .45 we don't need to get fancy with it like those 9mm guys do. A FMJ is going to stop someone if you hit them just the same.

Ditto, well sorta ... Spare mag is a mix of fmj and jhp...