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

firing a musket rifle
firing a musket rifle

Today’s Makers of Yesterday’s Firearms

Original firearms from the American Revolution era are valuable and best preserved for posterity. For those who want to shoot them, several modern makers offer quality reproductions.

Left Turn (Bolt): Tikka's New Left-Handed T3x Ace Rifles

Lefties of the world unite and rejoice, as Tikka has announced left-hand versions of its award-winning T3x Ace chassis rifles.

The Armed Citizen® Sept. 14, 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.

Skills Check: Rifle Standard Delta 2

Carbine performance is all about maintaining control. The Rifle Standard Delta 2 is a drill that pressures recoil control, visual discipline and cadence as distance decreases and time compresses.

Gun Sales Up for the 7th Month in a Row in 2026

The National Shooting Sports Foundation’s (NSSF) estimate of last month’s gun sales was up 2.2 percent compared to August 2025.

Caring For & Feeding Your Cap-and-Ball Revolvers

Compared to pistoleros of the 19th century, today’s handgunners have it easy. It's not enough just to get an old-school, cap-and-ball revolver. You also need to acquire everything to shoot and clean it.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.