.45 ACP. 200gr SWC vs heavier HP?

[PNW_Steve]

Hey Everyone,

I don't want to sound like a fruitloop but I am very concerned and uncertain about what is going on in our country these days. I am feeling the need to be prepared for thing that I never would have thought could occur here.

I hope that I am wasting my time but I am setting in supplies for a SHTF situation.

One item on my list is .45ACP ammo. Ideally I would load up a bunch of 230gr HP's. Unfortunately I don't have them on hand and don't have a mold.

I do have 3000+ 200 gr SWC's. Does anyone have any data on the effectiveness of a cast 200 gr SWC as a defensive round?

I know that it is not ideal. I wonder if it would be adequate? Or would it be not worth the trouble?

I am hoping to avoid sourcing and spending $$ on molds and lead to cast HP's when I have 3000 SWCs on the shelf. I would rather spend that money on powder.

What do you all think?

[scattershot]

Never shot anything with them, but I can’t see a 200 Grain .45 caliber bullet at 900-1000 fps not doing the job. Remember, a .45 starts out at what other calibers aspire to.

[yovinny]

JMB's original 1905 model 45 bullet weight was 200gr at 900fps,,, The Ordnance Dept wanted it heavier and upped it to 230gr at 850fps for increased penetration in the 1911 model.
It's been said, that call was based on experience of needing to shoot through horses.
I cant imagine it would really make a lot of difference with a good placement hit on a fragile human body...

[skeettx]

200 Semi's are just fine and hope you never need to use them for social stuff.
Mike

[tazman]

I can't imagine a situation where a 45 caliber 200 grain SWC boolit would not be adequate at the very least for defensive purposes.
Most listed starting loads give 850fps or more. Full power loads are in excess of 900fps. You would have a minimum of a 45 caliber hole clear through a person with all the associated tissue damage from that meplat.
I consider them more than adequate.
The only thing a heavier boolit would do is give more penetration on heavier targets.

[TNsailorman]

A .45 bullet in 200grain SWC going at 850 to 900 fps will most likely pass completely through a human body. If I wanted to hit a little harder, I would maybe look for a WC .45 mold in the 220 to 230 grain weight at the same velocity. Now that would be a pounder.

[fredj338]

IMO, a shtf scenario, type of bullet wont matter. What will matter is do you have a gun & ammo for it & more importantly, do you have the training & skill to deploy it effectively? Mere possession of gun & ammo means little IMO. Its just part of surviving a self defense situation.

[mvozz]

A few years ago before I started casting, I was talking to the folks at Montana Gold Bullets about their 124gr HP. Knowing that they sell mostly target rounds for competition, I asked if they thought this would make a good defensive round. With a chuckle in his voice the salesman said, "Sir, at the right velocity everything is a good defensive round". Apply that thought to your 45 and you will be just fine.

[WinchesterM1]

Back when I used a pistol hunt a whole bunch are used to use the Lee 200 grain semi wadcutter that I used to cast it soft and push it pretty hard around 1100 ft./s I killed a lot of deer with that load and only had them run 20-30 yards.

I shot one deer right through the vitals with it at about 15 feet away after I gut the deer I was hanging it in a tree and I remember seeing light through the exit and entrance hole where it looked like someone took a sharpened pipe and ran it right through the deer, it cut a perfect hole through both sides of the deer, this was out of a Glock 21

[Petrol & Powder]

To address the first issue of a 200gr SWC bullet for 45 ACP, I believe that flat point bullet cast from relatively soft alloy would be more than adequate as a fight stopper.

Now, let's talk about the concern for the current situation.
We, as a nation, have been through this mess before. There are many historical examples to draw from but the key is to keep your wits about you. Fear is powerful and a poison.

The civil rights movement of the early 1960's
The Vietnam War protests of pretty much the entire 1960's
The large scale civil unrest of the 1960's and 1970's
A couple of oil shortages
Natural disasters
Economic Recessions and depressions. Inflation and unemployment
The dust bowl
The Spanish Flu
Wars
Terrorist attacks

WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH TOUGH TIMES BEFORE AND THIS WILL NOT BE THE LAST TOUGH TIME.

Take a moment, get away from the rhetoric, the hype, and mostly the fear.
Are you, your family and friends safe?
Are there REASONABLE steps that can be taken to improve your situation? That may be financial. That may be planning for reduced income. That may be as simple as a contact list for your family members.

Make rational decisions based logic do not react based on fear.

[onelight]

The main difference today and in the past is we have a major political party as part of this rioting , murder and property destruction done by a bunch of Marxist . They have the bulk of the educational system the bulk of the media and the Democratic Party .
The silent majority better speak up.

[oldsalt444]

Your 200 SWC boolits will do just fine for defense. That big flat meplat will transfer energy into the target in a big way. Anywhere in the 800-900 fps range will easily change the attitude of any 2 legged predator.

[Petrol & Powder]

The main difference today and in the past is we have a major political party as part of this rioting , murder and property destruction done by a bunch of Marxist . They have the bulk of the educational system the bulk of the media and the Democratic Party .
The silent majority better speak up.

Regardless of what forces may or may not be in the background, political and class strife is nothing new.

[Gunslinger1911]

I cast and carry a MiHec 230g HP - picture a heavier Speer flying ashtray;
for decades I cast and carried a H&G 68 (200g SWC). Didn't feel under gunned at all.

[gwpercle]

Remember ...the boolit is already .45" ...it doesn't have to be a hollow point .
SWC's hit hard , 200 grain 45 cal SWC at 900 fps will do the job quite nicely .

I cast the 200 Gr. SWC , Lyman #452460 , and load it over a maximum charge of 7.5 grains of Unique for 980 fps , according to the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook 4th Edition this is a max. load Note... might want to start at 7.0 grains and work up .

I worked up this 7.5 gr. Unique load years ago when it wasn't a maximum load (Speer Manual #8 1967 ) ... This was my "serious business" load and very accurate from my 1911 AMT Hardballer .

Load up those 200 grain SWC's to 900 - 950 fps and fear no evil !
Don't let them not being a hollow point or not being jacketed bother you ...they don't need either .
Gary

[onelight]

Regardless of what forces may or may not be in the background, political and class strife is nothing new.

For sure it's , been around as long as man.

[Martin Luber]

Use factory! Seriously....

[PNW_Steve]

Use factory! Seriously....

Sorry, I didn't win the lottery. Seriously!

[alamogunr]

I haven't actually loaded these yet but I think I would rather trust this bullet than a SWC similar to a H&G 68.



http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...t=arsenal+mold

[PNW_Steve]

Thank you all for your input. I am convinced �� The SWCs it is.

I have loaded a ton of them in the past but for target not defensive. I push them at around 800fps. I am going to load some up based on the recommendations above and give them a try.

Thanks again.