Atomic 45 ACP +P 185gr Bonded HP – Great Defense Ammo

Description

The 45 ACP has spent a century as a big slow bullet, and the Atomic 45 ACP +P 185gr Bonded HP takes a different approach entirely. A lighter 185 grain projectile loaded to plus P pressure reaches 1225 feet per second, which is fast for the cartridge, and the bonded construction is what makes that speed survivable on impact.

• Light and fast in a cartridge built slow and heavy
• Full specifications
• Fifty rounds, which is the point
• Honest notes before you buy
• Plus P, and whether your pistol wants it
• The bottom line

Light and fast in a cartridge built slow and heavy

Standard 45 ACP is a 230 grain bullet at about 850 feet per second. Dropping to 185 grains and adding plus P pressure moves the Atomic 45 ACP +P 185gr Bonded HP to 1225 fps, which raises muzzle energy from roughly 370 foot pounds to over 600. That is a real change in what the cartridge is doing.

The tradeoff is that light fast hollow points historically came apart on impact or over expanded and stopped short. Bonding the core to the jacket is what prevents that, and it is the reason the Atomic 45 ACP +P 185gr Bonded HP can run at these velocities and still hold together to reach useful depth.

Full specifications

• Caliber: 45 ACP +P
• Bullet weight: 185 grain
• Bullet: bonded match hollow point
• Muzzle velocity: 1225 fps
• Muzzle energy: approximately 616, calculated from the published velocity ft-lbs
• Ballistic coefficient (G1): not published for handgun ammunition
• Case: reloadable boxer primed brass
• Quantity: 20 rounds per box
• Part number: 00412, nickel plated brass, 50 rounds per box

The nickel plated cases are a practical touch rather than a cosmetic one. Nickel resists corrosion from handling and from sitting in a magazine against a sweaty body, and it is easier to spot in a dim chamber during a press check. On carry ammunition like the Atomic 45 ACP +P 185gr Bonded HP that is worth having.

Fifty rounds, which is the point

Premium defensive ammunition almost always comes twenty to a box, which means most people buy one box, load the gun and never shoot the rest. That is backwards. Getting the Atomic 45 ACP +P 185gr Bonded HP fifty at a time means you can put a proper function test through the pistol and still have a full magazine load left over.

Carry ammunition also needs rotating. Rounds that get chambered repeatedly can suffer bullet setback, which raises pressure. Having fifty rounds of the Atomic 45 ACP +P 185gr Bonded HP on the shelf means you can replace your carry load whenever it needs it rather than nursing the same twenty for years.

Honest notes before you buy

Function test it properly. Hollow point profiles feed differently from round nose ball, and 1911s in particular can be particular about feed ramp geometry. Fifty rounds of the Atomic 45 ACP +P 185gr Bonded HP through your gun, from your magazines, including rounds chambered from slide lock, will tell you everything you need to know.

One honest note. Atomic is a smaller manufacturer and has not published the independent gel testing that the major defensive lines have. The bonded construction and the velocity are sound engineering, but if documented terminal performance data is part of how you choose carry ammunition, that data does not exist publicly for the Atomic 45 ACP +P 185gr Bonded HP the way it does for a Gold Dot or an HST.

Plus P, and whether your pistol wants it

Plus P is a higher pressure specification and not every 45 is rated for a diet of it. Modern service pistols handle the Atomic 45 ACP +P 185gr Bonded HP without concern. Older 1911s, particularly guns with original springs and decades of use, will take it but the increased slide velocity accelerates wear. A heavier recoil spring is cheap insurance if you shoot much of it.

Recoil is different rather than simply worse. A light fast bullet gives a sharper, quicker impulse than the long push of a 230 grain load, and some shooters prefer it while others do not. Shoot a box of the Atomic 45 ACP +P 185gr Bonded HP before deciding, because the felt difference is larger than the numbers suggest.

The bottom line

For a 45 that you actually practice with, the Atomic 45 ACP +P 185gr Bonded HP offers bonded construction and nickel cases in a box size that makes training realistic. You can read more about the bullet design at swiftbullets.com, or browse the rest of our stock on the MAG5 Firearms ammunition page.

MAG5 Firearms keeps the Atomic 45 ACP +P 185gr Bonded HP in stock and moving, and we are glad to talk through bullet choice before you order. If you are working up a load for a new rifle, a single box of the Atomic 45 ACP +P 185gr Bonded HP is a sensible place to start.