PRO-LOAD .45 ACP Ammunition Evaluation
In November of 1999, I got to "unload" some .45 ACP Pro-Load ammo in 185, 200, and 230 grain offerings. 4 shooters shot the various loads in two pistols. Sorry, from 1911s, not G30s or G21s. Had a full sized and a commander length. We shot in the dark shade, but not dark. All 4 shooters agreed on the shootability related below. FYI, the 230 and 200 are Plus P loads while the 185 is not.
The 230 grain definately had the most amount of felt recoil. In the commander length, it would not be a fast 100 round range session! I would not call it excessive though and it could be shot for a field course without difficulty. A nice good thump. We were shooting at pieces of broken clays at about 20 yards and accuracy was great out of both barrel lengths. Noise level was definately there but not sharp. A slight muzzle flash was perceptible from the side, but not from the shooter's view. From the "sex appeal" viewpoint, this was the most impressive round with a nice wide HP. Function was 100% in both pistols.
The 200 grain had the least amount of recoil of the 3 loads and no perceptible muzzle flash. Accuracy was again exceptional! All 4 shooters prefered this round for those reasons. Still a visually appealing HP, but not as imprressive as the 230. This load had 1 FTF. The edge of the mouth hit the bottom of the feedramp and did not chamber, or leave the magazine. It was most likely a gun/magazine problem since the wider mouthed 230 did not have any feed problems. This round was not what I would call a "soft" target load and still had a beefy amount of recoil from both pistols and a noise level that let you know that this was a full power load. This is the load I would use in a carry .45 based on the preliminary results. As compared to the Cor-Bon 200 grain load, which is advertised as 50 fps faster, the recoil and muzzle flash are MUCH less. The 200 grain load really does not feel or shoot like most Plus P loads, it is BETTER.
The 185 grain load would be my last choice of the 3. The muzzle flash was not excessive, but was perceptible from the side and from the shooter and the largest of the 3. Accuracy was still very good. Function was 100%. The muzzle flip was the most pronounced (which makes sense) on this load and the muzzle blast was starting to approach a sharp sound.
Again, I have been extremely impressed with the consistency and quality of the Pro-Load ammo. The accuracy of all 3 rounds was great. While I do not regularly have a .45 for defense, the 200 grain .45 load from Pro-Load would be my choice. 1 of the other shooters uses a .45 and liked it so much he is considering swiching from his current load to the 200 grain Pro-Load.
In December of 1999, I received a new loading from Pro-Load, the .45 ACP 200 grain Defender. This is a soft point slug that offers a good defense loading for those parts of the country that have outlawed hollow point ammunition. I was able to shoot it at the range and in low light conditions. It offers excellent accuracy and very low muzzle flash. The recoil impulse is also very manageable.
September 15, 2000. Went to the range to try out a newly outfitted full sized 1911 and a G30. The ammo I used consisted of Cor-Bon 185 and 200 grain, Federal 185 and 230 grain, Winchester 185 grain, Norma 200 grain, Remington 185 grain, Triton 230 grain and Pro-Load 200 grain. All were JHPs from the manufacturers premium line and were all plus P loads. The Remington and Pro-Load had the least recoil but it was hard to tell the two apart. The least muzzle flash went to Pro-Load, and then the Federal 230 grain. Pro-Load was the most accurate followed by Winchester.
This held true for both the full-sized 1911 and the G30. I did not take chrono readings or shoot these into gel. I might try to get that done in December. With what I experienced at the range, if I were asked to rank the ammo I fired, for defenseive use, in order, it would be...
Pro-Load 200 grain
Winchester 185 grain ST
Federal 230 grain HS
Triton 230 grain QS
Remington 185 grain GS
Cor-Bon 200 grain
Federal 185 grain HS
Norma 200 grain
Cor-Bon 185 grain
