Personal Defense 45 Colt Loads: Some Are Sedate, Others Sizzle

When we speak of big-bore handguns and the calibers that begin with a '4,' the 45 Colt cartridge is among the most respected. (Sometimes the 45 Colt is called the 45 Long Colt, we won't rehash that one here.) The 45 Colt in its original loading was introduced in 1873. This hoary old cartridge is the oldest centerfire handgun cartridge still in common use. The 45 Colt was designed as a martial cartridge. While we usually

From left to right are the Winchester 225-grain Silvertip X45CSHP2, the Cor-Bon SD45C200, a 200-grain jacketed hollowpoint, the all-copper 225-grain Cor-Bon DPX DPX45C225, and Speer’s 250-grain Gold Dot 23984. The Winchester and Speer rounds were standard pressure. The two Cor-Bons were +P. Performance figures favor the pricey DPX load, and this is clearly the load with the best terminal performance and also the best accuracy. Be prepared for about 20% more recoil than a 45 ACP +P loading and 50% more recoil than the standard-pressure Silvertip loading. The 200-grain JHP is accurate and offers less recoil, with good performance. The standard pressure loads’ main virtue is controllability and adequate, if not outstanding, accuracy.