I'm giving some thought as to what .45 Colt bullets I would like to load for defense purposes. I've narrowed to a range of JHP bullets from 200 to 260 gr. (These will be used in a new lever rifle, so concerns about handgun recoil, or use in old or weak firearms don't apply.)
I'm really just trying to determine what velocities might provide optimal defense bullet performance (good expansion, deep penetration, minimal bullet fragmentation) for each of these bullets. Because they will be used in a rifle, moderately hot loadings are no problem.
In general I get the impression that Gold Dots may hold together better than the other JHP designs, but I'm not sure. While I'm confident that any of them would get the job done, if I had to just pick one myself, I think I'd lean toward the 250 gr. Gold Dot at about 1250 fps., but I'm no expert.
I'm just looking for an approximate, general velocity range best suited to each bullet.
Speer 200 gr. Gold Dot JHP
Speer 250 gr. Gold Dot JHP
Speer 225 gr. JHP
Speer 260 gr. JHP
Sierra 240 gr. JHC
Are any of these bullets likely to be superior performing defense loads, all other factors aside?
Thanks in advance.
I'm really just trying to determine what velocities might provide optimal defense bullet performance (good expansion, deep penetration, minimal bullet fragmentation) for each of these bullets. Because they will be used in a rifle, moderately hot loadings are no problem.
In general I get the impression that Gold Dots may hold together better than the other JHP designs, but I'm not sure. While I'm confident that any of them would get the job done, if I had to just pick one myself, I think I'd lean toward the 250 gr. Gold Dot at about 1250 fps., but I'm no expert.
I'm just looking for an approximate, general velocity range best suited to each bullet.
Speer 200 gr. Gold Dot JHP
Speer 250 gr. Gold Dot JHP
Speer 225 gr. JHP
Speer 260 gr. JHP
Sierra 240 gr. JHC
Are any of these bullets likely to be superior performing defense loads, all other factors aside?
Thanks in advance.