Latest Loads: Speer Gold Dot Personal Protection 230-grain HP

by
posted on December 4, 2015
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
standard.jpg

An original offering is sometimes difficult to top, and that’s exactly the case with the .45 ACP. For more than a century, 230-gr. bullets fired from the “forty-five” have proven to be the gold standard for personal protection. With its consistent, reliable expansion and high retained weight through “FBI protocol”-prescribed barriers, Speer’s Gold Dot (GD) Personal Protection hollow-point (HP) makes the bullet/cartridge combination even better. Using 6.6 grs. of Alliant’s new clean-burning, low-flash BE-86 propellant, and fired from the 4½" barrel of a Ruger P90DC, the 0.451"-diameter, 230-gr. GDHP attained 887 f.p.s., producing more than 400 ft.-lbs. of energy. With such ballistics and a stellar reputation, it’s little wonder why fervent .45 fans are loathe to deviate from the original.

Latest

SIG Sauer P320 pistol
SIG Sauer P320 pistol

Swiss Armed Forces Select SIG Sauer P320s

Swiss Armed Forces select a domestically sourced SIG Sauer P320 as standard issue.

Preview: Reptilia RECC-E Carbine Stock

Versatile and exceptionally lightweight, the polymer RECC-E SR-15/M4/AR-15 Carbine Stock from Reptilia provides a constant, uniform cheek weld across a generous range of settings for length-of-pull...

The MAT-49: France's Mid-20th Century SMG

After World War II, the French military was left with a hodgepodge of leftover submachine guns. After several years, the army consolidated on a standard service rifle, the MAS-49, and a standard submachine gun: the MAT-49.

New for 2026: Pedersoli 1805 Baker Rifle

Pedersoli now offers an authentically styled 1805 Baker Rifle for collectors, re-enactors and enthusiasts.

Gun of the Week: Benelli M4 EXT Tactical Shotgun

Benelli's semi-automatic workhorse shotgun continues to evolve and improve.

The Armed Citizen® Feb. 6, 2026

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.