.45 Auto 185gr - Speer Gold Dot

CatSnoutSoup

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Wondering if folks have experience and/or opinions on 185gr Speer Gold Dot ammo?

My usual .45 cartridge of choice is a Federal HST 230gr (sometimes +P) in a Glock 30.

However, I was looking at the Lucky Gunner ballistics tests on the Speer 185gr cartridge and it seemed pretty impressive when compared to 230gr offerings.

Here is the Speer Gold Dot 185gr test (13.8" penetration / .731" expanded)

Here is the Speer Gold Dot 230gr test (12.9" penetration / .707" expanded)

Here is the Federal HST 230gr test (13.4" penetration / .840" expanded)

I was impressed enough to order 200 rounds of the stuff just because I was intrigued. There is some cost savings compared to 230gr equivalents, but that is not really a factor I just wanted to try it out and based on the data it seems as if it would do the job in the unlikely event it had to be used in self defense.

Anyway what do you guys think of this Speer 185gr cartridge in barrel lengths up to 4 inches?

Now, I know some folks will say, "If I wanted to shot 185gr I would use a pistol chambered in .40 S&W," but let's limit this to the context of .45 Auto.
 
I don't run anything other than 230s in .45, settled on that a long time ago, mainly due to availability and at the time when I reloaded, that was the only bullet weight I used so it kept performance characteristics similar. Win RA45T out of my G30 Gen4 goes about 850 fps or so, good enough to get full performance out of it....

-Mike
 
I don't run anything other than 230s in .45, settled on that a long time ago, mainly due to availability and at the time when I reloaded, that was the only bullet weight I used so it kept performance characteristics similar. Win RA45T out of my G30 Gen4 goes about 850 fps or so, good enough to get full performance out of it....
-Mike

Sound reasoning -- and I will admit a lack of consistency as all my target ammo is 230 gr and my hand loads use 230 gr XTP (got a good deal on a 1000). However, the 185 gr Gold Dots were available and the price was right, so that got me looking into their performance and while I know the LG data is just one source you have to admit it is impressive.
 
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