.45 ACP 230gr +P, Federal HST Vs Pork Shoulder

[Buffman]

Got bored yesterday and had some spare time, so we picked up a pork shoulder and tried it on the mighty .45 ACP.

+P 230gr Federal HST. What's interesting to note is that we only got 9" of penetration out of it. Awesome expansion though, a just a tad over 1".




Here's a 4 layer khaki test with water jugs. Penetrated 3 full jugs and into the first side of the 4th.



We tried a barrier test, but were unable to find the bullet

[jgreenberg01]

Great videos, thanks for posting them. Over 1" expansion, wow?!?!? There's just something aesthetically pleasing about those HSTs in the way they expand, and they do it consistently. I wish I could find someplace that stocks them on a regular basis and at a reasonable price.

I think your videos show why it doesn't make sense to rely solely on the FBI penetration standard. The bullet reacts differently when going through flesh, fat, cartilage, etc. as compared to a consistent medium such as ballistic gelatin. Personally I believe that you need a combination of gel and real world barriers/medium to be able to tell how a particular round will truly behave.

All this IMHO of course.

[Buffman]

Yeah the .45 HST is a little harder to come by, and typically is the most costly. I know Kyle's Gun Shop has them in stock most of the time:
http://www.kylesgunshop.com/store.php?s ... pd=2829359" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I would agree. I mean we know it will penetrate the needed min of 12" in gel or more. However in my water test you have 3 full penetrated jugs and stopped in the forth. Even given that it stopped half way through the 4th. That's around 22" of water penetration which using the 2.25 conversion, that's only 9" of equvilant gel penetration.

[blueorison]

Good job.

I checked GT's, still out. Will check this week, again.

[ShockedNKansas]

I bought Fed HST .40 180gr from CheaperthanDirt for 22.69/50. They have .40 BVAC 500 round bulk packed Fed HST 180's for 153.69.

I also picked up some Winchester Ranger .40 155gr for 19.79/50

Now I can tri(?)-combat load the Sig 2022 with Federal HST 180's, Golden Sabre 165's, and Winchester Ranger 155's. All I have left to decide is what particular order... lol :ponder: :facepalm: :laugh:

Federal HST | 180gr | 408 ft-lbs | 1010 fps
Remington Golden Sabre | 165gr | 485 ft-lbs | 1150 fps
Winchester Ranger | 155gr | 504 ft-lbs | 1210 fps

[Buffman]

So you got federal HSTS? or BVAC loaded with HST bullets? From what I've read I wouldn't use BVAC for anything other than target...

[ShockedNKansas]

So you got federal HSTS? or BVAC loaded with HST bullets? From what I've read I wouldn't use BVAC for anything other than target...

No, I got the regular 50 round box of HST. I just mentioned the bulk price of target ammo in case anybody was interested. I actually bought a 500 round box of HVAC JHP for around 115.00 bucks. That is the cheapest .40 ammo you will find in the world that is fairly good for practice.

[Buffman]

ok

[SeaHawkDriver-B]

Interesting report... would have liked to have seen that info before I dropped some cash on 1000 rds of Ranger-T 230 +P. But, probably about the same performance.

[Buffman]

I've shot ranger T before and I'd expect similiar performance from it. Althought I've clogged ranger T up, it was against a bunch of plywood and stuff, whereas the HST didn't.

[ShockedNKansas]

I have since tossed the idea of loading the .40 with Sabers or the Ranger (non-Ts) that I bought. I definitely think the HST and the Ranger T's are the way to go.

The Ranger T's petals are so gnarly.









The weaker expanding round you see in the photos is a Saber. 1 1/16 inch expansion out of the Ranger SXT.

[flyingirish04]

Never been a saber fan. Never. Big fan of the Rangers (black talons before) and HSTs. I carry those two and those two only in 9mm and 45

[Civil]

Another fan for Ranger T's and HST.

[fd57]

Only CorBon DPX, Ranger, HST, and Tactical Bonded in our 9s. The snaps below were taken after the projectiles were shot through a rack of pork ribs enclosed in a t-shirt and then into gallon jugs filled with water-soaked newspaper strips that sat soaking for 48 hours.





And this snap really shows a difference between the Ranger (far right) and the HST (far left):

[panzermk2]

For me in common calibers it has to be the XTP. In 9,40 and 45 in my tests they have performed very well.

I will have to look for the pics I don't have them cataloged for reference like I do for the 5.7.