Popular Handgun Calibers - The .45 ACP, also known as the .45 Auto, is one of the premier handguns for personal defense, with a solid reputation for stopping power and reliability among the military, law enforcement, and civilians. .

Of course, there are plenty of other options out there — like 9mm, 11mm, .40 S&W, and .380 ACP — all of which are happy to cite all the reasons why the .45 ACP is considered the best handgun around. . round for self-defense.

Popular Handgun Calibers

Popular Handgun Calibers

Maybe you're part of that, or maybe you're doing a little research to help you choose a caliber for your first (or next) gun.

Mm Luger Subsonic Handgun Ammo, Terminal Performance|velocity Tactics

However, before our best .45 ACP bullet recommendations for personal defense and the range, settle in to learn a little about the history and benefits of this venerable round. .

In 1904, the US Army decided that the .45 caliber was the minimum acceptable caliber for a service rifle, after smaller calibers failed to stop Moro warriors during the American-Philippine War. , when it was found that the .45 Colt had enough stopping power. power.

So in 1905, they asked Colt to expand the .41 caliber round they were working on with Browning, which resulted in the earliest version of the .45 ACP cartridge. At the same time, Colt also increased the caliber of the pistol, working to go with the .41 caliber round.

But the tour is not over yet. These, along with the pistol, were subjected to tests to compare them with combinations of round and pistol from five other competing manufacturers: Bergmann, Deutsche Waffen and Municipalfabriken (DWM), Savage Arms Company, Knoble, Webley, and White-Merrill.

What Caliber Is An Ar 15

Only Colt, Savage Arms and DWM passed the first round, held in 1906, but DWM chose to return this time, for reasons we can only guess, because they were not ready to explain themselves.

The next attempts were made in 1907-1911. One particular phase was to fire six thousand rounds from a pistol in two days, cooling the pistol simply by immersing it in water.

The Savoy pistol had 37 flaws, which isn't bad for a tough test, but doesn't compare to the Colt's zero flaws.

Popular Handgun Calibers

Finally, in 1911, after a series of successful trials, the .45 ACP and its corresponding pistol were officially adopted by the Army, the pistol being designated the Colt M1911. You may have heard of it.

Handgun Cartridges That Will Soon Be Obsolete

More than a century later, the .45 is still one of the most popular defensive rounds not only in the military, but in law enforcement and civilians.

To this day, .45 ACP is still the go-to round for 1911s, but there are also many rifles chambered for .45 ACP.

Well, the .45 ACP is designed to effectively stop even the most hardened attackers with a desire for self-defense, so it seems like a pretty good definition of self-defense.

Of course, the debate of 9mm vs. . stopping power and related to the M1911, and is generally considered the best handgun for self-defense.

Caliber Pistol Cartridges

In addition, the .45 ACP is not only powerful, but also reliable. And nowhere are the stakes higher than in self-defense scenarios.

In these moments, all you need are the rounds that work: they must enter the room without any defects, and they must have the stopping power necessary to neutralize the threat. The little things can be the difference between life and death.

Winchester is obviously a big name in firearms, and they offer, at least in theory, quality assurance on all the products they make.

Popular Handgun Calibers

The Winchester Supreme Elite PDX-1 rounds definitely follow the Winchester standard. They are at the high end of the scale in terms of price, but they also offer a high level of performance.

Choosing Your First Handgun

These rounds use the Winchester Ranger bonded bullet. These bullet cores are chemically bonded to the jacket to prevent core-jacket separation and improve weight retention, making them more effective against obstacles such as clothing and bones.

This is the same larger caliber bullet with the 180 gr .40C&B load used by the FBI for service weapons.

It offers a wide, consistent expansion up to .652 and meets FBI standards. Hollow point control helps with penetration, and average penetration in ballistic gel tests is around 18.

This round is also very reliable and malfunctions are rare, especially with the short bursts used in most personal defense situations. Nickel-plated brass prevents corrosion and promotes reliable feeding, while the boxer-style priming system allows for easy loading.

Underrated Handgun Cartridges Deserving More Popularity

Just as Winchester is one of the biggest names in rifles, Federal Premium is one of the biggest names in ammunition, and the Personal Defense HST line is a popular defense line in .380 Auto through .45 ACP.

Like the Winchester rounds we just discussed, Personal Defense HST rounds are also designed to meet FBI and other law enforcement requirements, and are used by many law enforcement agencies across the States. United States.

In making these rounds, Federal Premium has improved on their famous and beloved Hydra-Shock bullet, which you may be familiar with if you are familiar with Federal products.

Popular Handgun Calibers

The bullets are unrelated, but they are very well made, with an average penetration of 13.4" in ballistics gel tests and an average consistent expansion of .84". Federal also designed the bullet point blank to penetrate obstacles and clothing, like other rounds.

A Beginner's Guide To Choosing Pistol Ammo

Federal advertises that these rounds have a velocity of 890 feet per second, which is pretty strong, but some shooters have reported actually recording much higher velocities in some firearms.

This next round has been around for a long time and is designed for law enforcement, so you know it has reliable stopping power. Today, it remains a popular tour among law enforcement agencies.

While the Speer Gold Dot doesn't offer as much penetration as other rounds, it's a good option if you're worried about too much penetration. With an average penetration of 12.9 in Ballistics Gel tests, it penetrates well enough for self-defense, but is less prone to over-penetration than other high-end defensive rounds.

It offers good, consistent expansion up to .707. Bullets are chemically bonded and alloy coated to prevent separation, improve weight retention, increase bullet power, and improve clean shooting.

Magnum Ammo: What Is It And Popular Calibers

Like the other rounds we have discussed so far, Speer Gold Dot rounds have a nickel-plated body with a punching system.

The speaker also offers the .45 ACP Gold Dot round with a 185-grain bullet, which offers higher velocity and power, slightly improved expansion and a moderate penetration depth of one inch, better for high barrel rifles.

This latest round of personal defense from Hornady, is another big name, and this list wouldn't be complete without him. Although we call it a personal defense round, it is a great cartridge not only for self-defense, but also for shooting and even hunting medium and small game.

Popular Handgun Calibers

The standard product line is Hornady's best, yet it is more affordable than other high-end bullets, making it perfect for shooters on a budget.

All About .32 Caliber Pistol Cartridges

The steel is carefully designed and selected for corrosion resistance, reliable feeding, and required hardness and resistance to pressure. On the other hand, plain copper isn't as good for reloading as the nickel-plated alternatives, but you can reload these cartridges.

Of course, it doesn't matter, you don't reload. (If you want to reboot but don't know how to start, you can learn more in our reboot guide.)

The powder is carefully loaded for the right level of pressure as well as consistency between rounds. Round boxer.

The jacket is strategically placed and varies in thickness along the length of the bullet, both of which work to control bullet expansion. In addition, the jacket ensures proper feeding and expansion of the bullet nose.

New From Nosler: Asp Handgun Ammunition

Finally, to ensure that the bullet is stable in flight and that the bullet expands evenly and consistently when it hits the target, the core density is uniform.

Additionally, this round has a lighter bullet than the other rounds we've discussed, providing slightly higher velocity but also less power.

All of these features combine to create a reliable round with excellent accuracy, impressive expansion and deep penetration.

Popular Handgun Calibers

There is also an excellent +P, 230-grain version, but it must be used in a firearm approved to handle the increased pressure.

The Top 10 Calibres Across Australia

For all of you, the bullet can be purchased by itself, as well as in 185-grain and 230-grain options.

Of course, you don't want to use your good defensive gun, but that doesn't mean you want to use the junk either. Here is our top

What is the most popular handgun, handgun calibers in order of power, large handgun calibers, most popular handgun caliber for law enforcement, small handgun calibers, calibers, popular calibers, popular hunting calibers, handgun calibers comparison chart, most popular police handgun, common handgun calibers, powerful handgun calibers