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Posted: 11/30/2016 9:28:22 AM EDT
Tell me about effectiveness of 223 REM 55GR Speer Duty Rifle Gold Dot Soft Point as a self defense round.
Link Posted: 11/30/2016 9:43:46 AM EDT
[#1]
Very effective..

Good expansion, weight retention and penetration. Doesn't fall below threshold til way out there.

Youd be hard pressed to find anything Gold Dot that doesn't work, honestly.
Link Posted: 11/30/2016 9:52:15 AM EDT
[#2]
Works great, nice immediate expansion and great penetration.

The 64gr shoots tighter in my SBR but its really preference.
Link Posted: 11/30/2016 9:55:55 AM EDT
[#3]
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Quoted:
Youd be hard pressed to find anything Gold Dot that doesn't work, honestly.
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Pretty much this. Their quality control is excellent.
Link Posted: 11/30/2016 10:36:19 AM EDT
[#4]
Great stuff.   I've killed deer and pigs with ease.     If you can't find it handy, Federal fusion is the same.   Granted it's 62 gr. But my 1/9 gun shoots it great as well.
Link Posted: 11/30/2016 12:55:10 PM EDT
[#5]
Gold dots are my primary SD ammunition in any caliber, although I have not had to use them for such yet.  They are also very accurate.  For .223 I have them in 55 and 75.  You can go to the Speer LE web site for bullet performance in gel, etc.
Link Posted: 11/30/2016 2:00:03 PM EDT
[#6]
Both the 55gr Gold Dot and the 64gr Gold Dot are excellent. Federal Fusion 62gr is the same bullet construction. Bonded hollow points are the most effective rifle rounds for 223/5.56, they are barrier blind and they expand down to very low velocities. They are perfect for SBRs in 223/5.56. Even with the velocity loss of a short barrel, these babies will still expand out to 300 yards. They are all excellent. PSA was selling all 3 recently for $9.99 per box of 20. I stocked up!!!

Link Posted: 11/30/2016 9:55:36 PM EDT
[#7]
Topic Moved
Link Posted: 12/1/2016 1:12:32 AM EDT
[#8]
I'm using the 75 grain version. Effective expansion out to 450 yards from my 20" rifle. Accuracy is only slightly worse than BTHP match ammo, and MUCH better than most defensive/ hunting ammo. I bought the ever livin' heck out of it.
Link Posted: 12/1/2016 2:02:39 AM EDT
[#9]
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Quoted:
I'm using the 75 grain version. Effective expansion out to 450 yards from my 20" rifle. Accuracy is only slightly worse than BTHP match ammo, and MUCH better than most defensive/ hunting ammo. I bought the ever livin' heck out of it.
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I'm getting around 1 MOA out of them. The best I ever got with SMK was around 1.5 MOA. They are about as accurate as it gets without going to handloads, IMO
Link Posted: 12/1/2016 10:17:18 AM EDT
[#10]
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Quoted:


I'm getting around 1 MOA out of them. The best I ever got with SMK was around 1.5 MOA. They are about as accurate as it gets without going to handloads, IMO
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I'm averaging about the same on MOA with the GD. With match ammo, I can pull 1/2 to 3/4 MOA.
Link Posted: 12/1/2016 7:06:05 PM EDT
[#11]
I've shot 2 deer and a hog so far with the 75gr version.  Accuracy is excellent out of my custom m700 with a 16" bbl.  Velocity is 2570 fps at the muzzle.  All 3 shots have been from 142 yds to 246 yds.  2 bullets passed through, including the 246, and all appeared to have fully expanded.  The one recoved bullet hit the neck bone going in , retain 96% weight and penetrated 20+" into the chest cavity.  They seem to be a really well constructed bullet.  I'm a die hard TSX fan, these bullets are the real deal.

P
Link Posted: 12/5/2016 6:51:39 PM EDT
[#12]
I'm thinking about switching to the 55 grain from the 64 because I'm having a bear of a time finding the 64. When I do find it, it's $21/box. PSA ruined me with their long running $12.99 deal on it. My only hang up was whether it would perform on whitetails. 
Link Posted: 12/5/2016 7:36:03 PM EDT
[#13]
I talked to a SWAT friend who indicates they use the 55 Gold Dots and have for years.  City budgets would, by necessity, require the best balance between adequate performance and price.  Personally I have not used it in self defense  or done extensive testing.
Link Posted: 12/5/2016 9:50:15 PM EDT
[#14]
kinda off topic but related since we are talking gold dots and fusion...

i have 64gr GD's and fusion msr. the GD's group fantastically at 100yds, about 1-2 MOA depending in the barrel.   the fusion kinda sucks, more like 3 MOAish.  Dots are older, about 5 yrs and says CS24450 on the box end. not the same as the new stuff i see at psa.

anyone else get this?

EDIT; nevermind..just realized my fusion is 62gr. apples and oranges there.
Link Posted: 12/6/2016 1:21:43 AM EDT
[#15]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
I'm thinking about switching to the 55 grain from the 64 because I'm having a bear of a time finding the 64. When I do find it, it's $21/box. PSA ruined me with their long running $12.99 deal on it. My only hang up was whether it would perform on whitetails. 
View Quote


My son shot  a young buck with 55gr Gold Dot last week, 150ish yards from a 16" tube.  He hit him dead in the guts, bullet did not exit, and I didn't dig through the guts to find it.  I finished him off with the same bullet through a different 16" tube.  The shot was somewhere between 275 and 300 yards.  I didn't have a laser, but he was near a couple of known distances.  

At any rate, even with the short barrel and long range, the bullet performed perfectly.  It entered and exited between the ribs, trashed the liver and back half of his lungs, and he layed down and died right there.  I found the bullet, perfectly mushroomed, in the hide on the off side, after roughly 14" of penetration.  

I was SUPER impressed.  We've always used 64gr Gold Dots, as in my experience they have outperformed TSX, T2 Tap, Remington Premier Ultra Bonded, Fiocchi, Remington, and Hornady SPs, M855 and M193, among others.  I need to see some more results, but so far the 55gr is as good as the 64gr.  I have some pics of the bullet, but photobucket sucks.
Link Posted: 12/7/2016 10:11:26 PM EDT
[#16]
PSA had it for 9.99 again with free shipping if you buy 10+ boxes.

I'm just sayin'...
Link Posted: 12/7/2016 11:40:57 PM EDT
[#17]
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Quoted:
PSA had it for 9.99 again with free shipping if you buy 10+ boxes.

I'm just sayin'...
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Emphasis on "had" - I missed it, even with the email alert.
Link Posted: 12/8/2016 2:41:54 AM EDT
[#18]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
kinda off topic but related since we are talking gold dots and fusion...

i have 64gr GD's and fusion msr. the GD's group fantastically at 100yds, about 1-2 MOA depending in the barrel.   the fusion kinda sucks, more like 3 MOAish.  Dots are older, about 5 yrs and says CS24450 on the box end. not the same as the new stuff i see at psa.

anyone else get this?

EDIT; nevermind..just realized my fusion is 62gr. apples and oranges there.
View Quote

I have shot every gold dot there is, and every fusion there is, in .223 pressure, and none did worse than 2moa for multiple 10 shot groups from a chrome lined gov profile barrel 16".
Link Posted: 12/8/2016 11:28:44 AM EDT
[#19]
I've seen a Gold Dot pulled from a body during autopsy. No mushrooming, but powered through the shoulder blade, the top lobes of both lungs and through the spine before ending up between the opposite rib cage and skin.
Link Posted: 12/8/2016 11:46:22 AM EDT
[#20]
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Quoted:
I've seen a Gold Dot pulled from a body during autopsy. No mushrooming, but powered through the shoulder blade, the top lobes of both lungs and through the spine before ending up between the opposite rib cage and skin.
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A Gold Dot?  Which Gold Dot?
Link Posted: 12/9/2016 12:59:48 PM EDT
[#21]
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Quoted:



A Gold Dot?  Which Gold Dot?
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 Not sure, either a 64gr or a 55gr, but it was a Gold Dot. Humans are like animals and hunters can tell you that sometimes bullets do not perform on meat and bone like they are supposed to. Doesn't mean it doesn't the majority of the time, or the bullet sucks, it just is what it is.....
Link Posted: 12/13/2016 5:50:16 PM EDT
[#22]
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Quoted:
I've seen a Gold Dot pulled from a body during autopsy. No mushrooming, but powered through the shoulder blade, the top lobes of both lungs and through the spine before ending up between the opposite rib cage and skin.
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Hell, I'll take that on a shoot and consider it good performance. No projectile design is 100% every time on performance.
Link Posted: 12/14/2016 10:42:54 PM EDT
[#23]
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Quoted:
I've seen a Gold Dot pulled from a body during autopsy. No mushrooming, but powered through the shoulder blade, the top lobes of both lungs and through the spine before ending up between the opposite rib cage and skin.
View Quote



The part in red.
The bullet did it's job.
Link Posted: 12/16/2016 9:22:31 AM EDT
[#24]
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Quoted:



The part in red.
The bullet did it's job.
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Not saying it didn't, just making the observation. I actually bought 400 rounds of 75gr GD after this because I saw how effective it was on a poorly placed shot. 
Link Posted: 12/17/2016 1:18:55 AM EDT
[#25]
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Quoted:



The part in red.
The bullet did it's job.
View Quote

Lol hell ya it did
Link Posted: 12/17/2016 1:20:14 AM EDT
[#26]
I just saw 64gr GDs on sale for $10.99/20 at PSA.  Way too broke to FO but I then noticed the 75gr GDs in the "sold out" section of the daily deals.  If they were similarly priced, somebody scored big time
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