Buffalo Bore 45 Colt 225gr Soft Cast HP – Impressive Low Flash Defense Load

Description

The Buffalo Bore 45 Colt 225gr Soft Cast HP is built around a problem most ammunition ignores: what happens when the bullet arrives slowly. It is engineered to mushroom at impact speeds as low as 750 fps, which is exactly what a short barrelled lightweight revolver delivers. 225 grains at 1050 fps, roughly 551 ft-lbs, standard pressure, with about 18 inches of penetration. Twenty rounds per box, item 3J/20.

• Buffalo Bore 45 Colt 225gr Soft Cast HP Overview
• 45 Colt Soft Cast Hollow Point Ammo Ballistics
• Why A 225 Grain Low Velocity Expanding Bullet Matters Here
• Specifications
• Why This Is A Heavy Crimp Lightweight Revolver Load

Buffalo Bore 45 Colt 225gr Soft Cast HP Overview

The bullet is cast from a soft alloy with a hollow nose and a copper gas check on the base. Soft lead deforms readily, so the cavity actually opens at handgun speeds, and because the bullet is cast in one piece there is no jacket to separate from a core.

The gas check is what makes soft lead workable at 1050 fps. Without one the hot gas cuts into the soft base and leaves the bore leaded. Buffalo Bore designed this specifically to resist barrel leading while keeping the alloy soft enough to expand.

There is a detail here that most makers do not bother with. The Buffalo Bore 45 Colt 225gr Soft Cast HP uses a heavy crimp to stop bullets jumping forward out of their cases under recoil in lightweight revolvers, which is a real failure that ties up a cylinder mid string.

45 Colt Soft Cast Hollow Point Ammo Ballistics

The published real gun figures cover the right range of guns. A 5.25 inch Freedom Arms Model 97 gives 1071 fps, a pre 2006 5.5 inch Ruger Vaquero gives 1066, a four inch Smith and Wesson Mountain Gun gives 983, and a two inch lightweight Taurus Model 450 gives 847 fps.

Those work out to roughly 573, 568, 483 and 358 ft-lbs. The two inch Taurus is the interesting one, because 847 fps is comfortably above the 750 fps threshold Buffalo Bore designed the bullet to open at. That is the whole point of a 225 grain low velocity expanding bullet.

Penetration is reported at approximately 18 inches in flesh and bone, with expansion first. That sits at the deep end of the twelve to eighteen inch window most people regard as appropriate, so it will reach the vitals from an awkward angle while still opening up rather than simply drilling through.

Why A 225 Grain Low Velocity Expanding Bullet Matters Here

Almost every defensive hollow point is designed around the velocity a full size gun produces, and then people carry it in something smaller. The bullet arrives slower than the designer assumed, fails to open, and behaves like an expensive round nose. That is the single most common quiet failure in handgun ammunition.

Designing for the low end instead is the honest fix. A soft alloy and a generous cavity mean this 225 grain low velocity expanding bullet opens at 750 fps, which is below what any 45 Colt revolver in normal use will deliver. You are not hoping it works in your gun, you are working with margin.

Soft cast also sidesteps the jacket problem. There is no jacket to strip and no core to part company with, so the bullet keeps its weight after expanding, and 45 Colt soft cast hollow point ammo of this design delivers the 18 inch penetration figure rather than stopping short.

The heavy crimp is the detail that shows someone thought about the guns people actually carry. In a light revolver, recoil from the fired chamber can work the remaining bullets forward until one protrudes far enough to bind the cylinder. A heavy crimp lightweight revolver load is built so that does not happen.

Specifications

Why This Is A Heavy Crimp Lightweight Revolver Load

No +P rating is needed. This is standard pressure, so any sound 45 Colt revolver in normal working order can use it, including the lighter and older guns that Buffalo Bore’s heavy loads exclude.

It is the sensible pick for a short barrelled or lightweight revolver specifically. Between the low expansion threshold, the heavy crimp and the flash suppressed powder, every design decision in this heavy crimp lightweight revolver load points at the gun somebody actually carries rather than the one they shoot at the range.

Confirm your point of impact. At 225 grains this is lighter than the 250 and 255 grain bullets fixed sight 45 Colt revolvers were regulated around, so expect it to print somewhat low at twenty five yards.

Test it in low light if you can. Low flash 45 Long Colt defense ammunition is sold on what it does after dark, and a bright indoor range will tell you nothing about whether it delivers.

Low Flash 45 Long Colt Defense Ammunition Availability

This low flash 45 Long Colt defense ammunition is in stock and ready to ship from MAG5 Firearms, a family owned FFL dealer in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. Ammunition orders ship to most states, and local customers are welcome to pick up in the shop. If you need case quantities or a hunting load instead, call us and we will check what our distributors have on hand.

Manufacturer details are on the Buffalo Bore site. For a lead free bullet at the same pressure, see the 45 Colt 225gr Barnes XPB. For a heavier cast bullet, compare the 45 Colt 255gr soft cast, or browse our full ammunition selection.