Opinions on +p ammo for .45acp

[Texspeech]

What are ya'lls opinion on using +p ammo in .45 acp? I picked up some Hornady 230gr. +p hollowpoints but have yet to shoot them. Are they any good? are they better than standard pressure .45?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[OldVet]

If regular .45 ACP can't get the job done, you need 10mm.

[Brad426]

Never saw the purpose of +P in a .45.

[finst3r]

+1 , on OldVet's post

[bombthrower77]

I actually get a bit better accuracy with my HK 45c at distance with the Hornady TAP 230+p. Just when I will need that, I'm still not sure.

[QKShooter]

As I have said on the forum before - .45 acp +P can only ever get so "PLUS" due to the inherent nature of the .45 acp cartride case.
If pressures get too steep the .45 cartridge case will rupture on extraction.

Way back when...some gun writer hand loaded Steel case .45 acp to very high (near .44 MAG velocity) but, those steel cartridge cases had trouble on extraction and would stick fast in the chamber and snap extractor hooks.

My every day carry ammo is +P but, the most important thing is that it feeds and functions flawlessly. I actually run +P with a slightly LIGHTER than factory recoil spring but, it is necessary to install a new recoil spring more often & I use a variable Chrome Silicon recoil spring.
I have my reasons for doing that which I will not get into here.

Anyway...long story short. If you own a high quality 1911 shoot all of the +P that you want to in it. But, firstly I would go with any ammo brand that feeds and functions perfectly.

[Bigpoppa48]

I load 13 rds. of Federal HST 230 grain +P in my Springfield XDM 45 ACP as one of my bedside home defense weapons.

[CanuckQue]

Is there a significant difference in the type or number of failures that can occur when using +P?

[palmcoaster]

Ive always been wary of +p ammo due to warnings of frames cracking, etc. Standard rounds would be enough I should think

[QKShooter]

Actually it would be more of an issue with the front of the frame rails taking a beating than frame rails splitting or frames cracking.
Some 1911 frames that were shot extensively for decades with MIL Hardball cracked in the rail area directly above the slide stop cut-out.
A totally non-critical area that was often just milled out with a slot in that location ahead of time.
I have not heard of that happening for years though. I think more modern steel has completely eliminated that issue which was RARE anyway.
I have 2 1911s that I have run a ton of ammo through - quite a large number of very stiff reloads that were reloaded for me locally and have never seen any rail deformation at all. Not even the slightest hint.

Personally I think most of the sporadically occurring damage to a 1911 front frame rails that looked like battering was probably due more to the way the slide rails were milled and ended at their very front which sometimes left a knife-like edge in that area.

[Rcher]

Anyway...long story short. If you own a high quality 1911 shoot all of the +P that you want to in it. But, firstly I would go with any ammo brand that feeds and functions perfectly.

I concur. Reliability should be your first concern. You can work on accuracy.

[RKM]

The +P's in my opinion only exist to aid in expansion of the slow moving .45 bullets, especially from a shorter barrel. That's about it. Otherwise, standard pressure from a longer barrel will do just fine.

As long as you're not shooting +P ALL of the time for range use, it will not stress your gun. The only +P ammo should be defensive ammo.

[glockman10mm]

I agree with the crotchety OldVet here. Dont really need +p in the 45, but then again, there nothing wrong with using it if it makes you feel better.

[gunslingergirl]

If a 230 gr .45 bullet isn't sufficient, you don't need +p, you need a .454 Casull or a .50 Desert Eagle. If that's not enough, call in an airstrike!

[Knightrider]

Both of the .45s that I owned pushed out +p ammo with no problems.