[patgwashere]

speer gold dot is my sd round of choice.
They have 2 versions of sd 45 acp ammo
230 grain regular 45acp and 200 grain +P
Has anyone shot both in their xdm-45?
if so which did you prefer and why?

 

[MCFLYFYTER]

I would take the 230 every time. I believe I will start carrying the speer 230, since the hornady disagrees with my xdm.

 

[patgwashere]

I would take the 230 every time. I believe I will start carrying the speer 230, since the hornady disagrees with my xdm.

i hope your right because I ordered 5 boxes of the 230 before I found out about the 200 +p.
Any particular reason you prefer the 230 vs the 200 +P

 

[MCFLYFYTER]

I would recommend you do some research on the subject. I will say that there was a reason they switched from 200 to 230 a hundred+ years ago.

 

[Nacho Man]

i wouldn't run any +p in steel framed pistols such as the 1911. for polymer framed guns like m&p, xd, glock's, they eat em up like candy. 230gr is the optimum weight for penetration & has a excellent reputation for 1 shot stop with hydra shok's. stick with the 230 & pair it with a more modern design such as the GD's & you got a winner. +P only adds 40-50fps, not a real drastic improvement.

 

[Croesius]

Here's a link I saw which did some comparisons between types of .45 shells,

Test Expansion Characteristics and Velocities of Several .45 ACP Commercial Cartridges - L. Bengtson Arms Co.

And here's a word against using the 200,

Corbon 160/185gr DPX .45ACP vs. Federal HST

Hope it helps, I am no expert, just a googler.

 

[patgwashere]

thanks for the excellent info guys. glad i bought the 230 grains.

 

[MCFLYFYTER]

I guess the speer 200 has the same problems as the hydra-shok. I learn something new every day. I do find it odd that the speer 230 functions properly through heavy clothes. Even if the bullet does fail, I would rather have a 230 fail.

 

[Yoopermike]

I carry the 230's every day in my cc rig!

 

[FyreCalG17]

Not disputing either of the tests, but here's my opinion.
The first test is about 6 years old and none of the 200 gr rounds were +P.
Unsure about the date of the second test, but 4 layers of denim? Maybe up north somewhere but down here in Houston it's been in triple digits for about 3 months. I think the 200 gr will shoot through a t-shirt just fine.

Just my humble opinion

 

[Buffman]

Those are the standard parameters for controlled testing. 4 layers of denim..

 

[ThumperIII]

The main point here should be to find the most recent reliably sourced test data. The commercial ammo field changes rapidly. The second point is that even with a good national brand, reliable expansion plus penetration can vary greatly with individual bullet weight or caliber. Just because a particular design series works well or not in one weight and caliber is no indication the entire brand line is either good or bad.
I think there was considerable new design work performed with that 200gr after initial failures were reported by LEO agencies. Don't know if the outcome of that was successful or not.

 

[carstensxd45]

speer gold dot is my sd round of choice.
They have 2 versions of sd 45 acp ammo
230 grain regular 45acp and 200 grain +P
Has anyone shot both in their xdm-45?
if so which did you prefer and why?

Check out my thread titled: "Bullet Tests", Ranger T ammo is incredible!!!!! 230 gr. buzzsaw going thru the flesh!!

 

[Cuda66]

i wouldn't run any +p in steel framed pistols such as the 1911. for polymer framed guns like m&p, xd, glock's, they eat em up like candy. 230gr is the optimum weight for penetration & has a excellent reputation for 1 shot stop with hydra shok's. stick with the 230 & pair it with a more modern design such as the GD's & you got a winner. +P only adds 40-50fps, not a real drastic improvement.

1--There's no issues running +P in 1911's. I've run 'em in pretty much every 1911 I;ve owned, not a problem. To claim otherwise is silly.

2--One stop shot stats are bogus--as in, they are based on a bogus study that used falsified data, and only the ignorant use them as a baseline for choosing a round. And Hydrashoks have a terrible track record when compared to modern rounds; they have problems expanding after hitting things like cloth. http://firearmstactical.com/test_data/45acp/fed45-230hs-g30.htm

To the OP--the 200gr Gold Dot has a horrible track record; it tends to not expand when going through light barriers, like clothing. Stick with the 230's.

Link: http://ammo.ar15.com/project/Self_Defense_Ammo_FAQ/DocGKRData/45_200grGDHP.htm

 

[fredj338]

i wouldn't run any +p in steel framed pistols such as the 1911. for polymer framed guns like m&p, xd, glock's, they eat em up like candy. 230gr is the optimum weight for penetration & has a excellent reputation for 1 shot stop with hydra shok's. stick with the 230 & pair it with a more modern design such as the GD's & you got a winner. +P only adds 40-50fps, not a real drastic improvement.

Hmm, the only pistols I like to run +P in are steel frame 1911s. I have little use for +P loads in any 45acp but in a steel frame gun, the recoil isn't as objectionable.
For that reason, I would go 230grSGDHP vs the 200gr+P. If they made a std vel 200gr, that would be my choice as long as the bullet was designed for that vel window. The 200gr is a good balance of recoil & performance but bullet design has everything to do with the performance @ any vel level. Why Speer can't get heir 200gr to work well & have perfect results w/ their 230gr is baffling. My choice for small frame/ltwt guns is the 200grXTP in std vel form. It still makes just under 900fps in my OM or my friends G36. Expansion is nominal but always expands. That causes the bullet to penetrate about as far as many 230grJHP. There are few bad 45acp loads.