Review: Magtech .45 Auto 185 grain Guardian Gold
A common debate among shooters and sportsmen/women alike is about what round provides adequate stats for self defense use. The debate is usually around pistol calibers that are 9mm or smaller. I remember having this conversation with someone and he brought the .380 saying, “….if you shoot some big dude with a .380, you’re more likely to tick him off than put him down.” Well, I’m not debating the validity of various rounds for self defense in this article, but I can say that in all of the conversations I’ve had on the topic of appropriate calibers for self defense, never once when .45 acp was brought into the conversation did anyone ever say that it wasn’t an adequate round for self defense. Actually, many folks I know who shoot .45, also carry a .45. If you use a .45 for self defense, Magtech has some ammunition you’ll want to consider. Here, in particular, we have Magtech’s Guardian Gold .45 acp with 185 grain hollow points , provided to us by our friends at Lucky Gunner.
Magtech’s Guardian Gold line of ammo is billed as an affordable choice for you self protection and target shooting needs. From a price perspective, at about $18 for 20 rounds, it is competitive with other offerings from the other guys. One important note is that this is .45 acp + p ammo, which operates at higher pressures. Make sure your firearm is able to handle +P loads. The ammo is loaded in re-loadable brass cases. The hollow point is completely jacketed, including the hollow point cavity, and the outside of the jacket have grooves to promote petal like bullet expansion. Here are some stats for this round.
Muzzle Velocity: 1148 fps
Velocity 50 yds: 1066 fps
Velocity 100 yds: 1005 fps
Muzzle Energy: 540 ft. lbs.
Energy 50 yds: 467 ft. lbs.
Energy 100 yds: 415 ft. lbs.
*Data provided by Magtech and tested using a 5 inch barrel
For my range session, I had used my Glock model 21. All of my testing was conducted off-hand, without the use of a rest, as I wanted to validate how well the rounds fed and operated in general. I had brought my Lone Wolf ported barrel to test with, as Glock factory barrels are extremely forgiving with different types of ammo, where as the Lone Wolf, which is a match barrel is a little more picky. Additionally, a ported barrel requires higher pressure rounds than the norm to cycle, due to the ports and resulting escaping gas. I figured that if these rounds fed and cycled reliably in my setup, you would be more likely to have success as well. All that being said, the ammo performed flawlessly, without a single hitch. As a bonus, I’ve got an addition 20 cases to use for reloads.
Based on this evaluation, I have no problems recommending the Magtech Guardian Gold ammunition to our readers and my friends. It is solid ammo at a reasonable price. I wouldn’t think twice about putting to use for defending my family.
Category: ammunition, Reviews
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