It's time to buy some new carry ammo for my G36. I have been using Remington Golden Sabers (185 gr +p) for my carry ammo.
When I first bought the G36, I had tried several types of ammo and settled on the Golden Sabers because they fed reliably due to the round nose. Cone-shaped / wide mouth hollow points just would not feed reliably for me (one failure to feed every 10 to 20 rounds).
Any suggestions? Obviously if I switch I'll run quite a few through the 36 at the range to make sure that they feed reliably, but just wondering what people here use and recommend.
Have you had any reliability issues? I have *really* wanted to try Gold Dots because that's what I use in 9mm, but given my G36's history of not liking ammo with more open cavities, I have been wary of switching from something that I know works. The Gold Dots in .45 seem to have a much larger mouth than the Golden Sabers do.
I don't have a compact 45 Auto Glock, so I can't opine beyond knowing many really experienced guys struggle trying to load 200gr LSWC's for them. It would not surprise me if they did in fact have issues with very open "flying ashtrays" JHP's.
I may try some Gold Dots. I wasted $100+ on Cor-bons trying to get them to feed reliably before I gave up. I just don't want to go through that again with Gold Dots.
If I try the Gold Dots out, any preference between 185 and 230 grain, and standard vs +p?
Standard pressure HST's have proven themselves in testing. No need for +P. At the end of the day, run what works and what you feel good about. Confidence in your system means more than ballistics.
There is nothing wrong with Golden Sabers. I use them in my 78 Colt Combat Commander, as they are the only hollow point that feeds 100% in that pistol.
I do like the Golden Sabers. My concern is all of the negative comments regarding Remington ammo (not necessarily Golden Sabers specifically) that I'm seeing online (squibs, loose bullets that aren't properly held in the brass, etc). My Golden Sabers are nearly 15 years old now and though I have never had a problem with them, my reading has made me a bit nervous about buying current production.
Most complaints about Rem is their cheap factoy fmj. I like the RGS, esoecially good on a finicky gun. I prefer the 230gr std pressure, non bonded. Gold Dot should do ok, my buddy was running the 230gr sb stuff in his.
The Golden Sabres do well in every caliber in every test that I have observed except the .380acp. The Golden Sabres in 230 gr are actually used by all the Feds that have 45acp's. The HST is probably the most widely used 45acp hollow point in law enforcement though.
I never had any problems using Speer standard pressue 230 grain Gold Dots in mine for the relatively brief time that I had a G36. I also have not had any issues with the same round from a G30SF.
Not sure I would trust a gun that is picky about ammo. I would try any of the common rounds such as Winchester PDX1, Federal HST, Gold Dots etc. If those don't work, Hydra-Shok has a narrower nose if wide nosed hollowpoints are really an issue.
I keep Golden Sabers in my nightstand G-21 and have always used them (185 and 230-gr) in the .45s I've CCW'd in the past, namely a LW Commander when I carried one. I've CCW'd either a G-19 or 26 in the past few years and usually carry Rem GS 124-gr+P and have never had any feeding issues.
All ammo posted should be GTG in a 36. As long as it feeds reliably and YOU shoot proficiently with it, I wouldn't get too hung up on the different loads, etc. Current mfg Rem, Winchester, Speer, Cor-Bon, Federal etc should be completely sufficient.
After the Lucky Gunner testing, I decided to change out a lot of my defense ammo. For .45 ACP, the top for expansion was the Winchester 230-gr Ranger-T (RA45T) with 1.00" expansion and it stayed within the 12-18" penetration range. A funny thing was that the +P version, RA45TP, had essentially the same results but only 4 fps higher. Check out the ammo test that Lucky Gunner did. There are some surprises with this test.
This is "Law Enforcement" ammo, so availability will depend on your credentials and where you buy it. Retired Military worked for me.
I'd consider the CorBon 185gr JHP +p ammo. You'll likely get 1100 FPS out of your G36.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Glock Talk
21M posts
185.2K members
Since 1999
A forum community dedicated to Glock firearm owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about optics, gunsmithing, styles, reviews, troubleshooting, accessories, classifieds, and more!