Hello. It just depends on the JHP. Some of the newer loads are designed to expand when fired from shorter bbl's. Corbon offers a "Compact Gun Load" in .45 ACP and I think that Speer is doing the same now in .45 ACP as they did in .38 Special and .357 Magnum.

If interested, here are some observations via informal tests on the Corbon load:

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/C...20gr%20DPX.htm

Best.

I have read that in a gun rag before. It will not always expand completely. That is why you have to watch what ya choose

Thank god the bbl on my USPc is 3.8"!

What .45ACP ammo do you guys recommend for a 3 in. barrel? I couldn't find any of the Corbon Compact Handgun ammo at the store.

185 gr? Hornady specs say 970 fps with a 5 in. barrel.

200 gr? Hornady specs say 900 fps with a 5 in. barrel.

The regular 230 gr specs say 850 fps with a 5 in. barrel. I guess it's really slow out of a 3 in. barrel, huh? I have been carrying Winchester Ranger 230 gr in my Taurus PT-145 with a 3 in. barrel.

What about a 230 gr but a +P load? Hornady says 950 fps.

What about the 200 gr in a +P, it's up to 1055 fps.


So many choices....

SPEER Gold Dot Short Barrel

Originally Posted by Blastard

SPEER Gold Dot Short Barrel

Well, this picture on SPEER's website debunks the theory that .45ACP JHPs don't expand at under 850 fps. Maybe I'm ok with 230 gr Winchester Rangers then.

Yes, it is true. 45 ACP thru a short barrelled 1911 is worthless. Beyond worthless even. Just save yourself the headache and send me the gun. I'll pay shipping

4.2 isn't considered short is it?

Triton 54 woman might think so.
I know this out of my Para P-10 (warthog father) and the Llama clone I had 230 ball was useless . Had 1/4" Lexan stop round cold at 15' would not shoot thru wall of my barn. could pull out of wood with fingers. When same targets shot with a Colt Commander no trouble.' I went with the Corbon DPX 165 gr compact non+P and this round performed great. The short guns are gone and I have returned to Commander or Gov size. But have keep the corbon loading for my carry. You can order ammo from Corbon Thats what I do as they never have any in my area. If nothing else stay around 185 and a +P that will work

I guess I set myself up for that one.

My .45 has kinda been set aside since I put a new front sight on my .40 and now I am thinking of getting rid of the .45 in favor of more .40s.

Originally Posted by triton54s

My .45 has kinda been set aside since I put a new front sight on my .40 and now I am thinking of getting rid of the .45 in favor of more .40s.

Shame on you!

Originally Posted by michael t

Triton 54 woman might think so.
I know this out of my Para P-10 (warthog father) and the Llama clone I had 230 ball was useless . Had 1/4" Lexan stop round cold at 15' would not shoot thru wall of my barn. could pull out of wood with fingers. When same targets shot with a Colt Commander no trouble.' I went with the Corbon DPX 165 gr compact non+P and this round performed great. The short guns are gone and I have returned to Commander or Gov size. But have keep the corbon loading for my carry. You can order ammo from Corbon Thats what I do as they never have any in my area. If nothing else stay around 185 and a +P that will work

Having done a few tests after first reading this garbage in an earlier posting I can only say BS. Nothing further will be added!

Originally Posted by scooter

Having done a few tests after first reading this garbage in an earlier posting I can only say BS. Nothing further will be added!

No shit

If there is any doubt about your compact 1911 and SD ammo, I recommend building your own version of the Box O’ Truth and testing it for yourself. Looks like fun to me!

I wish it was that easy. I'm a city dweller.

I saw some 185 and 200 gr .45ACP at Cabela's this weekend. I'll probably get some of those. The part that sucks is it costs so much to run 100+ rounds through my gun to build that confidence level to carry it.

I'm starting to think there are no issues with 230 gr in a 3 in. barrel and the posts I read were just hogwash.

In the traditional 230-grain weight, we have the most dynamically expanding JHP bullets ever, enhancing the .45 ACP's already legendary stopping power. These include CCI's Gold Dot, Federal's Hydra-shok, PMC's StarFire, Remington's Golden Saber, and Winchester's SXT/Ranger series. Specifically engineered to open at low velocities, these rounds make particularly good sense in today's breed of three-inch barrel concealed carry .45 ACPs.

Source: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articl...9/ai_107488554

More data...

The longer .45 certainly developed the sort of velocity we associate with this grand old cartridge, while the snubby .45 was slower by more than 100 feet per second. To my considerable surprise, both penetration and expansion were generally quite good. However, I am still puzzled as to why the well-known 230-grain Federal Hydra-Shok did not expand in either gun. I have fired this same load into the same tank on earlier occasions and produced excellent results. The Speer Gold Dot performed very well, expanding up to .70 inch and penetrating to as much as 46 inches from the tiny little Tussey .45.

Source: http://www.gunsandhunting.com/articl...SB.SI0411.html

One more...

But the logical question to ask is: Do you pay a penalty in bullet performance for a shorter barrel? When I began to work on this project, I would have bet a substantial sum that the answer would be yes.
It didn't quite turn out that way.

There was a time when you could say that load A was demonstrably superior to load B. Those days are gone. So while my personal choice continues to be a Commander-size pistol, those who choose the ultra compact .45s don't have to worry. Ammunition manufacturers have done a good job in designing bullets that will work over a fairly large velocity window.

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articl...24/ai_65910633

I would get two or three boxes of Speer Gold Dot SB 230 Grain GDHP (part number 23975) and run them though the PT-145 to make sure it feeds it reliably, and call it good. Also make sure it does not tumble on you or the HP will do no good at all.

It is probably the best round for the little shooter in my opinion. Just my two cents.

My concern was with the myth that the 230 gr .45 ACP was leaving the 3 in barrel at under 850 fps and wasn't expanding. I have two boxes of the Winchester Ranger SXT. I'll shoot one box and keep the second for defense loads.

Here's more data to convince me (and anyone else spreading the myth)... posted by flyandscuba on The Firing Line.

I conducted a little shoot-out between the PT745C and the P45.



The results were very similar -- with the slightly longer barrel and polygonal bore of the Kahr giving it a slight edge.





The test media was "wet pack" and the shooting distance was 5 yards.





Though I prefer to carry the Kahr P45, the Taurus PT745C performs well and is an economical alternative to the more expensive P45. Esentially the same gun as the PT745C but with a double-stack magazine, the PT145 is a good choice as well.