Another (SIGH) Ammo Question - XDTalk Forums - Your HS2000/SA-XD Information Source!

redtree · 04-12-2008, 02:49 PM

I'm sorry to beat a dead horse but I've tried searching, obviously in vain, for some answers to my questions. I'll try and give some backround to my question to "filter out" any off the wall answers. I also thank you in advance for your answers and patience! I live in Utah and thus spend alot of time playing in the mountains, fishing, camping, etc. I bought an XD 45ACP TACTICAL several months ago and am wondering if any of you have any experience or recommendations on good animal rounds. I know that I'm gonna get some go get a 357 or 44 answers but that isn't an option right now. Personally I've encounterd moose while fishing and have had a couple of buddies and my dad stalked and one buddy rushed by a cougar. He was hunting so he was able to kill it. Also there have been some bear attacks and a kid was even killed by a bear last summer. I know a 45 isn't going to do much but piss off a bear or a moose but I at least wanna have a fighting chance, and toting around my shotgun isn't really an option either. I've been checking out Buffalo Bore and am also interested in the EFMJ stuff. I know that you have penetration issues with animals so I'm not so sure about JHP rounds. Like I said any info would be useful. Thanks again.

Verk · 04-12-2008, 03:54 PM

Okay, I won't tell you to get a 44 Magnum but that really is the answer to your delema. Ammo choices for the 45 ACP for what you want are going to be very limited. Unlike the 44 Magnum or 357 Magnum where there are some rounds developed specially for hunting, the 45 ACP was never designed to be a hunting round and therefore, there really aren't any loadings developed for it for that purpose. That being said, I'd stick with a 230 grain loading.....you want as much bullet weight as possible for larger animals.

There is a difference between soft skinned animals and animals such as bear. A JHP might work okay on a Cougar but on a larger animal such as bear you want a solid for maximum penitration. When you are dealing with underpowered cartridges for larger animals, shot placement is even more critical. Hard to do when something is chasing you but it beats throwing rocks. Good luck.

Pit Man · 04-12-2008, 05:05 PM

Check out Honady's custom ammo with the XTP bullet, in +p the ballistics are the same in the 230 grn as Buffalo Bore and it's about $6 cheaper. May also consider carrying some bear pepper spray (along with your gun of course).

redtree · 04-13-2008, 11:38 AM

Thanks for the insight. Verk I know that I should really look into a 357 or a 44 revolver and a few hundred bucks is really better than my life and my family's lives. And bear pepper spray is somthing that I'm definately taking with me on all of my out door activities from now on. The bear killing the kid that I mentioned in my first post happend very close to where I live and was only a few miles up a canyon from the major Wasatch Front populated areas. Just 20 miles south of Salt Lake City. It really opened the eyes of people and Fish and Game around here. Given that I have younger kids this was an eye opener to me too and I will be extremely cautious when we're out camping and fishing as a family. Thanks again.

rogerxd45 · 04-13-2008, 12:03 PM

osCommerce
ive never shot double tap ammo but the ballistics look REALLY good
45acp 230grain fmj, or 230 gold dots at 1010FPS (5" 1911)
standard pressure gives about 850fps with 230grains
+p seem to be about 950 for 230 grain

you will want a heavy bullet so it will penetrate deep enough in case you have to shoot a bear or other large animal. when up in the mountains i carry 230grain JHP alternated with 230grain FMJ that way i get the penetration with the FMJ and i get the expansion with the JHP. I will be getting the double tap ammo before i go camping again especially for the 230grain FMJ because i have never seen a 230 grain FMJ with a speed faster then 850 at any gun store.

this ammo seems to get great reviews but like i said i have no personal experience but it definitely appears like its a very powerful factory round.

also depending on where im at i will carry a round of snake shot in the chamber, it doesnt cycle the slide so i only carry one round of it and i know i will have to hand cycle it so i can do it pretty fast. i had to shoot a rattle snake once and i had the 45 acp "shot shell" in the chamber and i was about4 feet away and it did a great job. had i been bit by the snake there would have been a good chance i would have gotten really sick or worse. I was about 1 hour from my car in really difficult terrain and another 2.5 hours from the hospital and i was by myself and had no cell service. i dont know how much a bite could incapacitate you or if i would have been able to make it back to my car before i got sick, but i do know i am very thankful for having my xd on me. Reactions from snake bites very quite a bit depending on type of rattle snake and how much venom they deside to inject into you, and how your body reacts to that venom very alot also. so its impossible to say weather or not i would have made it out of the mountains ok. I also now carry a GPS so if a instance like that does happen i dont want to waste time trying to figure out how to get back to my car, i can imagine that in a situation like that it would be really easy to loose track of how to get back.

04-12-2008, 02:49 PM	#1
redtree XDTalk 100 Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Utah Posts: 185	Another (SIGH) Ammo Question I'm sorry to beat a dead horse but I've tried searching, obviously in vain, for some answers to my questions. I'll try and give some backround to my question to "filter out" any off the wall answers. I also thank you in advance for your answers and patience! I live in Utah and thus spend alot of time playing in the mountains, fishing, camping, etc. I bought an XD 45ACP TACTICAL several months ago and am wondering if any of you have any experience or recommendations on good animal rounds. I know that I'm gonna get some go get a 357 or 44 answers but that isn't an option right now. Personally I've encounterd moose while fishing and have had a couple of buddies and my dad stalked and one buddy rushed by a cougar. He was hunting so he was able to kill it. Also there have been some bear attacks and a kid was even killed by a bear last summer. I know a 45 isn't going to do much but piss off a bear or a moose but I at least wanna have a fighting chance, and toting around my shotgun isn't really an option either. I've been checking out Buffalo Bore and am also interested in the EFMJ stuff. I know that you have penetration issues with animals so I'm not so sure about JHP rounds. Like I said any info would be useful. Thanks again. __________________ “We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security.” Dwight D. Eisenhower If you lend someone $20, and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

04-12-2008, 05:05 PM	#3
Pit Man XDTalk 100 Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Aurora, CO Posts: 138	Check out Honady's custom ammo with the XTP bullet, in +p the ballistics are the same in the 230 grn as Buffalo Bore and it's about $6 cheaper. May also consider carrying some bear pepper spray (along with your gun of course). __________________ XD-40 Service XD-45 Tactical

04-13-2008, 11:38 AM	#4
redtree XDTalk 100 Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Utah Posts: 185	Thanks for the insight. Verk I know that I should really look into a 357 or a 44 revolver and a few hundred bucks is really better than my life and my family's lives. And bear pepper spray is somthing that I'm definately taking with me on all of my out door activities from now on. The bear killing the kid that I mentioned in my first post happend very close to where I live and was only a few miles up a canyon from the major Wasatch Front populated areas. Just 20 miles south of Salt Lake City. It really opened the eyes of people and Fish and Game around here. Given that I have younger kids this was an eye opener to me too and I will be extremely cautious when we're out camping and fishing as a family. Thanks again. __________________ “We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security.” Dwight D. Eisenhower If you lend someone $20, and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

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04-12-2008, 03:54 PM	#2
Verk XDTalk 100 Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 329	Okay, I won't tell you to get a 44 Magnum but that really is the answer to your delema. Ammo choices for the 45 ACP for what you want are going to be very limited. Unlike the 44 Magnum or 357 Magnum where there are some rounds developed specially for hunting, the 45 ACP was never designed to be a hunting round and therefore, there really aren't any loadings developed for it for that purpose. That being said, I'd stick with a 230 grain loading.....you want as much bullet weight as possible for larger animals. There is a difference between soft skinned animals and animals such as bear. A JHP might work okay on a Cougar but on a larger animal such as bear you want a solid for maximum penitration. When you are dealing with underpowered cartridges for larger animals, shot placement is even more critical. Hard to do when something is chasing you but it beats throwing rocks. Good luck.

04-13-2008, 12:03 PM	#5
rogerxd45 XDTalk 3K Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: boise ID (its boy-see, not boy-z) Posts: 3,592	osCommerce ive never shot double tap ammo but the ballistics look REALLY good 45acp 230grain fmj, or 230 gold dots at 1010FPS (5" 1911) standard pressure gives about 850fps with 230grains +p seem to be about 950 for 230 grain you will want a heavy bullet so it will penetrate deep enough in case you have to shoot a bear or other large animal. when up in the mountains i carry 230grain JHP alternated with 230grain FMJ that way i get the penetration with the FMJ and i get the expansion with the JHP. I will be getting the double tap ammo before i go camping again especially for the 230grain FMJ because i have never seen a 230 grain FMJ with a speed faster then 850 at any gun store. this ammo seems to get great reviews but like i said i have no personal experience but it definitely appears like its a very powerful factory round. also depending on where im at i will carry a round of snake shot in the chamber, it doesnt cycle the slide so i only carry one round of it and i know i will have to hand cycle it so i can do it pretty fast. i had to shoot a rattle snake once and i had the 45 acp "shot shell" in the chamber and i was about4 feet away and it did a great job. had i been bit by the snake there would have been a good chance i would have gotten really sick or worse. I was about 1 hour from my car in really difficult terrain and another 2.5 hours from the hospital and i was by myself and had no cell service. i dont know how much a bite could incapacitate you or if i would have been able to make it back to my car before i got sick, but i do know i am very thankful for having my xd on me. Reactions from snake bites very quite a bit depending on type of rattle snake and how much venom they deside to inject into you, and how your body reacts to that venom very alot also. so its impossible to say weather or not i would have made it out of the mountains ok. I also now carry a GPS so if a instance like that does happen i dont want to waste time trying to figure out how to get back to my car, i can imagine that in a situation like that it would be really easy to loose track of how to get back.