185 grn 45 acp wad cutters

[powerboatr]

I have 125 or so 185 grn 45acp wad cutters full metal jacket bullets. I purchased them mainly to run a lighter bullet for range time, but found the 185 grn rnhb fmj berry to be far superior for range work and loading because they are dimensionally the same size as the 230 grn, just less mass.

I had loaded a few of the wad cutters last year but was not impressed, so i tweaked.
and now have very good feed results. however i am curious if they would make good pers protection rounds.

thanks

[Topbuilder]

More mass wins. I think most would recommend factory loads for personal protection for legal reasons .

[Jumping Frog]

I have 125 or so 185 grn 45acp wad cutters full metal jacket bullets.

Are you meaning semi-wadcutters? Actual Wadcutters are more typically used in revolvers since they do not feed well in semi-auto's.

As far as personal defense goes, lead semiwadcutters were a pretty good hunting bullet back in Elmer Keith times, so they would also hurt a human.

But just like the revolution in hunting rifle bullets that has occurred in the last 30 years, the new jacketed hollow point pistol bullets are far superior to the old lead semi-wadcutters for self defense purposes. If I was loading my own, I'd load Speer Gold Dot Bullets 45 ACP Short Barrel (451 Diameter) 230 Grain Jacketed Hollow Point Box of 100 .

Personally, I use commercial ammo for self defense daily carry, but I reload everything else I shoot.

[powerboatr]

yes semi wad cutters
i guess they will be range rounds.

i to use factory made for pers defense but i had these left over so I said what the heck, i will throw it out there.
they do make nice holes in the targets
thks

[Jumping Frog]

they do make nice holes in the targets

They sure do! One reason I load semi-wadcutters for 9mm, .40 S&W, 44 Mag, and .45 ACP is I just get a nice sense of satisfaction from the crisp round holes in the target.

Even though there are better hunting rounds, I'd like to bag a deer sometime with my own cast semi-wadcutters in my .44.

[powerboatr]

update
yesterday for grins i took a 4x6 pressure treated piece of lumber (dried) and at 20 feet fired one 185 grn RNHB FMJ and one 185 grn SWC
same powder load and same powder (western and accurate #5)
the rn nose went clean through the wood, while the swc is somewhere about 3/4 in the wood.