Federal hydra Shock ammo

[martkin64]

Anybody out there shooting Federal hydra Shock Personal defense .45 ACP out of their CW 45?
If so can you give me some feedback on how it shoots? It is kind of spendy but if it shoots well it would be worth it. I had bad luck with the Hornady critical defense loads and I want a round that doesn't get stuck in the chamber. no offence to Hornady! I still shoot it out of my FNP 45 and it shoots great.

[martkin64]

All righty then! Any other self defense round someone can recommend?

[TheTman]

I shoot the 230gr Hydra Shok. It feeds well and is accurate, and is said to mushroom at the lower velocities one might expect from the 3 2/3" barrell. I have also tried the 160 gr reduced recoil H Shoks but found no reason not to use the 230 gr.
I've not shot them into any ballistic material to see how they perform, but from the work of others i have confidence in them.
As far as other ammo, I see the following mentioned a lot:
Gold Dot Short Barrel and Normal 230gr, Winchester T series Ranger and PDX1, Remington Golden Sabre.

[rb288]

Primarily, I use Winchester 230gr. PDX1 and Gold Dot 230 gr.
Both are accurate, easy to shoot, and work flawlessly in my CW45.

I used to have problems with the Golden Sabre in 9mm so I haven't bothered to try them in .45. When you have something that works, why change.

[martkin64]

I have herd a bit about the Gold Dot But I have never tried them. I will give them a try too. Thank you guys.

[otium]

Have not tried the HSTs yet. Did the obligatory break in period with various FMJs. Then went through most of a box of Winchester rangers in 230gr I had previously gotten for the 1911. Those cycled fine and dandy in the cw45.

Have fun

[nmkahrshooter]

Wichester 230 jhp works great in mine. Remington and others not so good.

[SSL]

I keep trying to decide between Speer Gold Dot and Corbon Self Defense. Both are +P 200-grain HPs and both shoot and function very well in my CW45 and both shoot quite close to the sights at "anti-social" distances.

[martkin64]

I went out this morning and fired 40 rounds of Federal hydra shock 165 grn, from my cw 45. They fired flawlessly. I also fired 50 rnds of 230 grn FMJ reloads, they too fired flawlessly... I have just over 450 rnds out of this gun and it fires better each time I go out.
I think I'm going to keep the Federal hydra shock 165 grn as my choice defense rnd.

[veevans01]

I went out this morning and fired 40 rounds of Federal hydra shock 165 grn, from my cw 45. They fired flawlessly. I also fired 50 rnds of 230 grn FMJ reloads, they too fired flawlessly... I have just over 450 rnds out of this gun and it fires better each time I go out.
I think I'm going to keep the Federal hydra shock 165 grn as my choice defense rnd.

Which round were you able to get better shot groups from and how was the recoil for both rounds?

[martkin64]

Which round were you able to get better shot groups from and how was the recoil for both rounds?

I was able to group the Federal ammo real well at ten yards and not to bad of groups at 25 yards. Not bad meaning a person would have a real bad day if they broke into my house, lol... The FMJ reloads were more for fun and continuous break in for my CW 45. But I was hitting a 3 foot X 4 foot chunk of steel at 75 yards with them. ( for fun not for practice lol! )...
I didn't notice a big difference in recoil and for me I don't think the recoil is that bad with this pistol. I have quick and controlled double taps on targets ten yards and closer.

[martkin64]

I have now put 240 rnds of the hydra shock 165 grn through my cw 45 ad I am 100% confident in this gun and my choice for self defense ammo. I have had no problems with the function while shooting. IMO...

[veevans01]

I have now put 240 rnds of the hydra shock 165 grn through my cw 45 ad I am 100% confident in this gun and my choice for self defense ammo. I have had no problems with the function while shooting. IMO...

+1. I have been running the 165gr hydra shocks in my CW45. It runs flawlessly for me as well.

[pacman225]

I've fired the following self defense ammo through my cw45 without any issues:
Federal HST 230 gr JHP
Winchester 230 gr JHP
Winchester PDX1 230 gr JHP
Remington Golden Saber 230 gr JHP
Hornady Critical Defense 185 gr FTX
The ballsitic gel testing and overall reviews of the Federal HST's are really impressive. The expansion is awesome. Ultimately any one of those would probably be alright. Comes down to what's readily available in your area, reliability, accuracy, cost, etc. I have to order the Federal HST's online, everything else I can get locally.

[Barth]

Anybody out there shooting Federal hydra Shock Personal defense .45 ACP out of their CW 45?
If so can you give me some feedback on how it shoots? It is kind of spendy but if it shoots well it would be worth it. I had bad luck with the Hornady critical defense loads and I want a round that doesn't get stuck in the chamber. no offence to Hornady! I still shoot it out of my FNP 45 and it shoots great.

If you like Hydra-Shok I would recommend upgrading to Federal HST.
Hydra Shok is effective for sure, but really old technology.
Particularly out of short barrels the HST should expand more reliably.

Speer GDHP Duty 230 gr, and Winchester Ranger T-Series, 230 gr .45 are
also latest technology LE SD ammo worth a look.