The Smith & Wesson M&P45 Meets Dynamic Research Technology’s Terminal Shock 45ACP
As a long time user and carrier of the Smith & Wesson M&P 45 (at first I carried a 45C, now I carry the full size 4.5”) I’ve never missed a chance to rave about and recommend the model. My fascination with Smith & Wesson probably started as kid, seeing my father’s (retired Police Officer of 27 years) duty pistol. Back in the day they started out with 38SPL+P revolvers, that was before my time. The first pistol I remember seeing him carry off to work was a Smith & Wesson model 4506. This beauty sported a 5” barrel, 8+1 capacity and a DA/SA trigger mechanism. I remember today the smooth action and limited recoil while I pulled the trigger on my first .45ACP pistol. After some time, the department switched over to a new model of massive power. They outfitted the department with Smith & Wesson M&P 45s. Again, it wasn’t long before my father took me to the family firing range to test out this new pistol. I’m thinking I was between 11 and 13 years old the first time I fired the M&P (not young when you consider I received my first gun, a .22LR single shot bolt action rifle, at 5 years old). Even at that age I recognized the well-designed pistol fitting nicely in my hand and handling the recoil like a champ. Now, as an adult who carries this firearm for his day job, as well as concealed off duty, I appreciate Smith & Wesson’s design even more. I’ve trained both leisurely and, more often than not, tactically with this firearm. I never miss. I’d like to take all of the credit for my consistently excellent scores on the range, however it wouldn’t be fair to the folks that designed the S&W M&P. This pistol sits in my hand better than any other pistol I’ve ever held (and I’ve handled more guns than the average American). I’ve taken shots with this handgun and watched the projectile through the sights tear into the target, not something I could say about any other pistol I’ve fired.
Smith & Wesson 4506
Now down to business. Let’s be honest here, most people don’t own a .45 pistol for range work or show and tell. Those who’ve decided to invest in the raw power that only a .45 (or .50AE for those with something to compensate for) can provide, have done so for its unbeatable stopping power and deadliness. I don’t want to get into politics here, but I’ve never understood why any law enforcement agency would provide their men and women with anything less than a .45. It’s unbeatable when it comes to stopping power. So, knowing that you’ve purchased a firearm with the ability to take down anything from a man to a blue whale, the next question is, what ammo do I use with it? Now, as I tell everybody inquiring about ammunition, there isn’t a single ammunition (just like there isn’t a single handgun) that will suit all your needs. Everyone that owns a handgun should know that you need at least two different kinds of ammunition. You need cheap but dependable range ammo, and you need deadly, dependable (and unfortunately most times costly) self-defense ammo. You don’t want to blow the better part of a buck-seventy ($1.70) per round at the range just as much as you wouldn’t want to carry 250gr LRN ammo in your handgun if the need arises to use it in defense. Don’t get me wrong, the old cowboys of the west used good ole’ lead bullets for years, and they worked, however most gunshot victims back then succumbed to infection and illness secondary to the inflicted hole in their gut. With today’s technology and ballistic research, there’s no reason not to invest in good quality self defense ammunition. Personally, I carry Dynamic Research Technology’s (DRT) 45ACP 150gr Terminal Shock in my duty (which is also my everyday carry) S&W M&P 45. I trust this round with my life every day. This round was basically reverse-engineered from the anticipated damage to the target, back to the projectile and powder load. These bullets are designed to “…transfer 100% of the 150 grain bullets energy into the target…” Now that’s a concept I can get behind. Let’s be honest here, just about every pistol shooter knows (and for those that don’t, you should learn how your weapon works) that we’re losing some projectile propulsion energy to the “automatic” functions of our pistols, so for an ammunition manufacturer to design a bullet with the most propulsion energy efficiency in mind is fantastic.
Smith & Wesson M&P45
Now I’m sure some of you are wondering if that was a typo back in the beginning of this section or if I’m just making stuff up, but no, DRT’s Terminal Shock 45ACPs are in fact 150gr. They brought the bullet weight down to 150gr for a fantastic reason. MINIMAL RECOIL, and for those of you that have fired any handgun, you know that lower recoil means faster and more precise follow up shots. Now, there are several reasons why accurate follow up shots are important. The obvious first choice is to have a better “holes in target, to rounds fired” ratio (I’m going to trademark that term, I prefer a 1:1). But what some people probably don’t think about much, but hopefully all of you carriers of firearms do, is that we are responsible for each and every round fired from our weapon no matter what. Wether you’re at the range and a round goes astray and hits a nearby house, or you’re in the worst possible scenario all of us carriers hope never comes, and you’re firing at a live target threatening your life, one stray round could mean the end to your life as you know it. So, DRTs engineered design to allow for cleaner, more accurate secondary and tertiary, etc. (don’t stop firing until the threat is eliminated) shots is a blessing to us all. Along with lower felt recoil of the 150gr bullet, this low weight projectile also means less wear and tear on your weapon (however at just over a dollar per round you might not want to fire enough of these bad boys to worry about that anyways).
DRT Terminal Shock 45ACP
So now that we know all about DRT’s fantastically engineered low recoil projectiles designed for better follow up shots, let me tell you why you won’t even need to fire a second round. These bullets are designed to penetrate between 9” and 11” into ballistic gelatin and to create a wound cavity of up to 3” in diameter. Now, as a former EMT whose seen his share of gun shot wounds let me tell you, if the gang bangers here were using these bullets, I would have been calling DOA at the scene a lot more often than I did. With a bullet like this you can be certain that after one shot your previously life- threatening target will be nothing but a crying, screaming mess at best after being hit just once. No matter where you place your shot with this round, you’re guaranteed to stop your threat. Understandably, I’m sure some of you think this article might be a bit gruesome, but let’s be honest here readers, if you aren’t prepared to pull the trigger on a threat to your life, don’t carry a gun. You’re just a liability. I hate to be that blunt, but that’s the plain truth for you right there in black and white.
So, let’s wrap up this article on a positive note. The Smith & Wesson M&P 45 is a fantastic weapon. In four years, I have never had a jam that wasn’t due to ammo failure (damn sloppy reloads), the firearm is designed to fit hands of any size (with three separate back straps and the fourth option to utilize the weapon without a back strap at all), and a smooth 6lb trigger pull, you can’t beat this pistol for everyday carry, duty carry or range work (trust me I’ve done all three). S&W has been in the game for many years and they seem to only get better with age.
Dynamic Research Technology, what appears to be a group of mad scientists with guns and smokeless powder, are the ballistic geniuses behind a bullet designed to give you the absolute best “bang for your buck”. All joking aside, the rounds that DRT produces are rounds that I’ve carried for four years with my life in their hands. I suggest you trust the data and separate yourself from the rest of the herd and use these unbeatable projectiles.