allaboutshooting
Senior Member
G2 Research Civic Duty .45 ACP
December 28, 2016 • Product Tests
"Consider an already large .45 ACP round which has proven over many years to stop fights quickly and render it 2-3 times more effective. That is a serious stopping power!
Old news: The 230 grain .45 ACP at 850 FPS was designed to stop or wound people quickly on a battlefield. A benefit on the battlefield but not for civilian self-defense due to over penetration of the intended target and becoming a danger to others. Newer and hotter .45 ACP hollow point rounds in the 185 grain 1,000 FPS range are an improvement - they expand up to .65 caliber (16.51 millimeters) yet still produce over penetration harming property or innocent people.
Good new news: The new G2 Research Civic Duty .45 ACP + P round solves several problems. It is designed to penetrate 6 to 8 inches in ballistic gel, depositing all its energy into the target. The design prevents it from passing through the target, instead quickly and fully opening inside the gel or fluid to prevent over penetration. It will expand to nearly 11/2 inches (nearly 38 millimeters). The large copper petals open like airplane propellers causing a large wound channel. It will stop the fight--quickly!
MSRP $59.99 a box of 20. These G2 Research Civic Duty rounds are individual CNC machined bullets. This level of engineering is needed to predict performance and maximum consistency for civilian self-defense.
Specifications:
Caliber: .45ACP +P
Bullet: 164 grain solid copper CNC machined petal pealing hollow point.
Velocity: 1020 fps from 5-inch 1911 pistol
Typical bonded hollow point bullets over penetrate, leading to insufficient energy transfer, damage and trauma inside the intended target. G2 Research has taken its innovative Trocar design of the solid copper R.I.P. fragmenting projectile and adapted it to the G2 Research Civic Duty expanding self-defense round. The G2 Research Civic Duty round defeats barriers as effectively as the R.I.P. and expands 2.5 times its initial diameter after coming into contact with a fluid medium. The Extreme Expansion of the G2 Research Civic Duty round leads to 100% energy transfer and 99.9% weight retention inside the intended target without concern of over penetration in CQB situations."
http://g2rammo.com/
The Civic Duty .45 ACP bullet design is unlike any that I've seen. Peering down into the hollow point bullet to its core is an almost surreal experience. It has an exceptionally deep cavity. Looking at the intricacy of its design, It is easy to see that each of these bullets would have to be "...individually CNC machined."
I have handed one of these cartridges to several friends who shoot on a regular basis and to several law enforcement friends of mine. The reaction has been the same each time. There is a time of silence as they examine the cartridge, it lasts for a few moments and then they'll say, "I've never seen anything like this." I even had a couple of folks comment that if an adversary saw these shells, it might end any conflict before it began. Good point!
When I evaluate a pistol round, I want to first know that it functions and feeds reliably and secondly that it is accurate at ranges normally encountered in self-defense situations. I also like to try it in both a full size "duty" pistol and in a compact "concealed carry" pistol.
I have learned over the years that terminal performance means very little if the round is not accurate or if the recoil is so great that the shooter is not able to control the gun or worse yet, becomes afraid of the recoil of the gun.
There are those who say that the .45 ACP round is suitable only in large frame pistols that can absorb the recoil from the shooter's hand. They will say that it is not a reasonable round to be fired in any compact pistol. However, there are several compact .45 ACP pistols that have been introduced in the last several years would seem to argue that point.
To determine the feasibility of shooting the .45 ACP Civic Duty in compact pistols as well as full-sized pistols, I used both a Ruger P90, one of my favorite full-sized duty guns and a Kahr PM45 my very favorite compact .45 ACP pistol, to evaluate these shells. Both guns are rated for +P loads.
All of my shots were taken at 21', the distance at which most self-defense shots are taken. I shot both individual rounds and multiple, rapid shots, to determine how well each pistol could be controlled. I wanted to duplicate a real world shooting situation as closely as possible.
Ruger P90
When loading these rounds into the magazine, it's a good idea to avoid the sharp ends of the bullets with your fingers. If you have a speed loader, I'd recommend using it with the Civic Duty shells.
I found that the shells fed very easily from all my magazines and chambered without fail throughout the evaluation period.The big Ruger "ate" these shells smoothly and was ready for another magazine as each of them emptied.
These are hot rounds at 1020 fps but the combination of the 164 grain bullet and the recoil absorbing P90 made it a very comfortable .45 ACP round to shoot. Frankly, I'd have been happy to have shot several more magazines of them.
The P90 is a "double action/single action" pistol, with the first round double action and subsequent rounds single action. Some practice is required to be able to place the first double action round and the remaining single action rounds in close proximity, on this type of pistol. I like to approximate a real world shooting situation as closely as possible and the double action/single action scenario is the one most likely to occur, since I leave a round in the chamber at all times.
I also wanted to evaluate the pure accuracy of the Civic Duty round and for that part of the evaluation, I fired single action only.
Firing the first round double action and then the second, third and fourth rounds single action, I was able to keep all rounds within 3" and when I took out the first double action round, they were within just over 2". That's excellent accuracy and a lot of stopping power!
I fired several double/single action 2-shot combinations just to make sure I could repeat those results and I could each time.
Firing the P90 single action, it was easy to group 3 shots at just over 2" every time. That speaks the accuracy of the Civic Duty round.
I would feel very confident with a magazine filled with these shells in this pistol.
Kahr PM45
The PM45 is a very small pistol chambered for the .45 ACP round and that may be an understatement. I had some concerns about the recoil of a +P round through this small gun. You can read my previously published "Product Test" article on this pistol here http://allaboutshooting.com/blogs/blog/168494407-kahr-pm45-black
While the little Kahr had not been at all uncomfortable to shoot with a variety of pretty much standard loads of .45 ACP, this would be my first time putting any +P loads through it. I know the accuracy potential of this this little gun but I did not know if it would "like" the Civic Duty rounds or how my hands would like them.
Getting a firm two hand grip, I touched off my first round and was pleasantly surprised that the recoil was not at all unpleasant. I could certainly tell that I'd fired the gun but it was controllable and I was ready to put more rounds down range with it. It was a round that I'd feel comfortable with in the PM45.
True to its nature, the Kahr printed 2 and 3 shot groups at 2" or just over consistently. Very careful slow-fired, 3 shot groups stayed just under 2" with this very small gun. I consider this much more than acceptable for such a small pistol that's intended for self-defense.
Any number of these bullets should do the job for which they are intended. I suspect even one well placed bullet would do that job!
If you have either a full-sized or compact .45 ACP pistol that is rated for +P loads, I would recommend that you give these new Civic Duty shells from G2 Research a try.
To learn more about the Civic Duty .45 ACP and other G2 Research products, please visit http://g2rammo.com/
December 28, 2016 • Product Tests
"Consider an already large .45 ACP round which has proven over many years to stop fights quickly and render it 2-3 times more effective. That is a serious stopping power!
Old news: The 230 grain .45 ACP at 850 FPS was designed to stop or wound people quickly on a battlefield. A benefit on the battlefield but not for civilian self-defense due to over penetration of the intended target and becoming a danger to others. Newer and hotter .45 ACP hollow point rounds in the 185 grain 1,000 FPS range are an improvement - they expand up to .65 caliber (16.51 millimeters) yet still produce over penetration harming property or innocent people.
Good new news: The new G2 Research Civic Duty .45 ACP + P round solves several problems. It is designed to penetrate 6 to 8 inches in ballistic gel, depositing all its energy into the target. The design prevents it from passing through the target, instead quickly and fully opening inside the gel or fluid to prevent over penetration. It will expand to nearly 11/2 inches (nearly 38 millimeters). The large copper petals open like airplane propellers causing a large wound channel. It will stop the fight--quickly!
MSRP $59.99 a box of 20. These G2 Research Civic Duty rounds are individual CNC machined bullets. This level of engineering is needed to predict performance and maximum consistency for civilian self-defense.
Specifications:
Caliber: .45ACP +P
Bullet: 164 grain solid copper CNC machined petal pealing hollow point.
Velocity: 1020 fps from 5-inch 1911 pistol
Typical bonded hollow point bullets over penetrate, leading to insufficient energy transfer, damage and trauma inside the intended target. G2 Research has taken its innovative Trocar design of the solid copper R.I.P. fragmenting projectile and adapted it to the G2 Research Civic Duty expanding self-defense round. The G2 Research Civic Duty round defeats barriers as effectively as the R.I.P. and expands 2.5 times its initial diameter after coming into contact with a fluid medium. The Extreme Expansion of the G2 Research Civic Duty round leads to 100% energy transfer and 99.9% weight retention inside the intended target without concern of over penetration in CQB situations."
http://g2rammo.com/
The Civic Duty .45 ACP bullet design is unlike any that I've seen. Peering down into the hollow point bullet to its core is an almost surreal experience. It has an exceptionally deep cavity. Looking at the intricacy of its design, It is easy to see that each of these bullets would have to be "...individually CNC machined."
I have handed one of these cartridges to several friends who shoot on a regular basis and to several law enforcement friends of mine. The reaction has been the same each time. There is a time of silence as they examine the cartridge, it lasts for a few moments and then they'll say, "I've never seen anything like this." I even had a couple of folks comment that if an adversary saw these shells, it might end any conflict before it began. Good point!
When I evaluate a pistol round, I want to first know that it functions and feeds reliably and secondly that it is accurate at ranges normally encountered in self-defense situations. I also like to try it in both a full size "duty" pistol and in a compact "concealed carry" pistol.
I have learned over the years that terminal performance means very little if the round is not accurate or if the recoil is so great that the shooter is not able to control the gun or worse yet, becomes afraid of the recoil of the gun.
There are those who say that the .45 ACP round is suitable only in large frame pistols that can absorb the recoil from the shooter's hand. They will say that it is not a reasonable round to be fired in any compact pistol. However, there are several compact .45 ACP pistols that have been introduced in the last several years would seem to argue that point.
To determine the feasibility of shooting the .45 ACP Civic Duty in compact pistols as well as full-sized pistols, I used both a Ruger P90, one of my favorite full-sized duty guns and a Kahr PM45 my very favorite compact .45 ACP pistol, to evaluate these shells. Both guns are rated for +P loads.
All of my shots were taken at 21', the distance at which most self-defense shots are taken. I shot both individual rounds and multiple, rapid shots, to determine how well each pistol could be controlled. I wanted to duplicate a real world shooting situation as closely as possible.
Ruger P90
When loading these rounds into the magazine, it's a good idea to avoid the sharp ends of the bullets with your fingers. If you have a speed loader, I'd recommend using it with the Civic Duty shells.
I found that the shells fed very easily from all my magazines and chambered without fail throughout the evaluation period.The big Ruger "ate" these shells smoothly and was ready for another magazine as each of them emptied.
These are hot rounds at 1020 fps but the combination of the 164 grain bullet and the recoil absorbing P90 made it a very comfortable .45 ACP round to shoot. Frankly, I'd have been happy to have shot several more magazines of them.
The P90 is a "double action/single action" pistol, with the first round double action and subsequent rounds single action. Some practice is required to be able to place the first double action round and the remaining single action rounds in close proximity, on this type of pistol. I like to approximate a real world shooting situation as closely as possible and the double action/single action scenario is the one most likely to occur, since I leave a round in the chamber at all times.
I also wanted to evaluate the pure accuracy of the Civic Duty round and for that part of the evaluation, I fired single action only.
Firing the first round double action and then the second, third and fourth rounds single action, I was able to keep all rounds within 3" and when I took out the first double action round, they were within just over 2". That's excellent accuracy and a lot of stopping power!
I fired several double/single action 2-shot combinations just to make sure I could repeat those results and I could each time.
Firing the P90 single action, it was easy to group 3 shots at just over 2" every time. That speaks the accuracy of the Civic Duty round.
I would feel very confident with a magazine filled with these shells in this pistol.
Kahr PM45
The PM45 is a very small pistol chambered for the .45 ACP round and that may be an understatement. I had some concerns about the recoil of a +P round through this small gun. You can read my previously published "Product Test" article on this pistol here http://allaboutshooting.com/blogs/blog/168494407-kahr-pm45-black
While the little Kahr had not been at all uncomfortable to shoot with a variety of pretty much standard loads of .45 ACP, this would be my first time putting any +P loads through it. I know the accuracy potential of this this little gun but I did not know if it would "like" the Civic Duty rounds or how my hands would like them.
Getting a firm two hand grip, I touched off my first round and was pleasantly surprised that the recoil was not at all unpleasant. I could certainly tell that I'd fired the gun but it was controllable and I was ready to put more rounds down range with it. It was a round that I'd feel comfortable with in the PM45.
True to its nature, the Kahr printed 2 and 3 shot groups at 2" or just over consistently. Very careful slow-fired, 3 shot groups stayed just under 2" with this very small gun. I consider this much more than acceptable for such a small pistol that's intended for self-defense.
Any number of these bullets should do the job for which they are intended. I suspect even one well placed bullet would do that job!
If you have either a full-sized or compact .45 ACP pistol that is rated for +P loads, I would recommend that you give these new Civic Duty shells from G2 Research a try.
To learn more about the Civic Duty .45 ACP and other G2 Research products, please visit http://g2rammo.com/
