Hollow point ammo for 1911

[boomstik45]

What's a good hollowpoint bullet to use in a 1911? I just bought a Springfield Armory Loaded 1911a1. It has the usual Loaded Model stuff: ambidextrous safety, extended beavertail, tritium night sights, nicer trigger and hammer, etc. I want a good load that won't jam up the action. Some hollowpoint rounds have a wide mouth and may cause a problem. Any ideas, besides Corbon Pow'rball? I don't like that load's performance data. Low penetration in bare gelatin...And generally, I don't like anything lighter than 185 gr. when it comes to .45 ACP.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

I have had good feeding reliability in my own from the Winchester 185 Silvertips, Federal "Classic" 230 and Speer Gold Dot 230.

 

[Geno]

Flying ashtrays? Here ya go...

Winchester Personal Defense 230 JHPs

Doc2005

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Here are some alternates that do not work as effectively:

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Oh yeah, and they are effective! If they can stop a pig...they can stop a bad guy breaking into your home.

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[HM2PAC]

I do like the Speer 230gr JHP's, but some of my guns don't. The original 200grJHP "Flying Ashtray" will only feed in my RIA. The HK and the SA won't eat the stuff.

Personally I have had the best results from hp's that have a truncated cone profile. HP's such as Nosler, Hornady, Rainier,etc....

Nice pig Doc....

 

[SHOOT1SAM]

boomstik45,

The best HP to use in your 1911 is the one that feeds reliably in your 1911.

IOW, you need to test different loads with different bullet weights and configurations in order to know which your pistol will feed and which it might not. Not all 1911's are the same-what shoots well in mine, may not shoot at all, in yours.

Sam

 

[texjack]

My 1911 shoots Rem. Golden Sabre very well. They seem to be accurate and have a round profile for smooth feeding.

 

[boomstik45]

Doc2005, that's impressive. As for the .45 being a good dose of bad-man medicine, I have never had doubts there. In spite of my love for the .40, the .45 is still my favorite round.

 

[boomstik45]

That's good advice, Sam. I'm just trying to get a bit of feedback from other people because I don't want to buy 200-500 rds of each kind of HP ammo for testing. Know what I mean? Will probably pick 3 kinds and do it anyway, though. It's just going to suck having to pay that kind of money. But hey, gotta know if the weapon is realiable or not....

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

The best HP to use in your 1911 is the one that feeds reliably in your 1911.

Agreed. The best bullet in the world can't do its job sitting there hung up on the feed ramp.

 

[Walkalong]

Remington Golden Sabers feed very well and are a good bullet.

Hornady XTP's feed very well and are a good bullet.

 

[MICHAEL T]

Corbon DPX 185gr +P Feeds in all of my 45's and has the penteraton and expansion needed for SD.

 

[ravnew]

Another vote for Golden Sabers, they feed fine in my Kimber TLE

 

[steelyblue]

Federal Hydra shocks do the job for me without breaking the bank! I've never seen a ballistics test on them, but they feed perfectly in any 1911 I've ever tried them in. They also fed perfect for me in a glock 30.

 

[Pumpkinheaver]

Your gun should feed just about any hollowpoint bullet you feed it. My choices are usually the Federal 230 gr Hydra shok, Cor Bon 200gr +P or the hornady 200gr XTP. I have also been known to carry good old hardball in my Kimber.

 

[Soybomb]

http://www.tacticalforums.com/cgi-bin/tacticalubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=78;t=000964

Keeping in mind that handguns generally offer poor incapacitation potential, bullets with effective terminal performance are available in all of the most commonly used duty pistol calibers—pick the one that you shoot most accurately, that is most reliable in the type of pistol you choose, and best suits you likely engagement scenarios.

.45 ACP:
Barnes XPB 185 gr JHP (copper bullet)
Federal HST 230 gr +P JHP (P45HST1)
Federal Tactical 230 gr JHP (LE45T1)
Speer Gold Dot 230 gr JHP
Winchester Ranger-T 230 gr JHP (RA45T)
Winchester Ranger-T 230 gr +P JHP (RA45TP)

Notes:
-- Obviously, clone loads using the same bullet at the same velocity work equally well (ie. Black Hills ammo using Gold Dot bullets, Corbon loads using Barnes XPB bullets, etc…)

-- Bullet designs like the Silver Tip, Hydra-Shok, and Black Talon were state of the art 10 or 15 years ago. Modern ammunition which has been designed for robust expansion against clothing and intermediate barriers is significantly superior to the older designs. The bullets in the Federal Classic and Hydrashok line are outperformed by other ATK products such as the Federal Tactical and HST, as well as the Speer Gold Dot; likewise Winchester Ranger Talons are far superior to the old Black Talons or civilian SXT's.

 

[eldon519]

Here is a good site from Brass Fetcher that has alot of ballistic gelatin test results:
http://www.brassfetcher.com/

 

[DogBonz]

I like

The Remi 185's (+P or standard) for my 1911's and USP45.

The TAP 200's are quickly becoming my go-to SD load in my USP45.

THe Fed Hydra Shock's are standard 45 fodder

 

[boomstik45]

Thanks for the info guys. Good thing I shot the Springer Loaded model before committing to the purchase. Got my hands on one and shot it a few mags. Hangs up on those 230 grain golden sabers. Wonder if it's just the gun? Don't have this problem with my M&P....

 

[eldon519]

When feeding hollowpoints, the magazines make alot more of a difference than with ball. I believe both Metalform and Wilson magazines position the ground higher and more angled upwards which helps launch them more directly into the chamber and less into the feed ramp.

 

[10-Ring]

I have stuck w/ Federal Hydra Shoks for my 45's...I've also had good luck w/ Winchester SXTs & Remington's Ranger ammo -- all in the 230 grn variety

 

[polekitty]

For starters, my P-14 eats just about anything I put into it, except “power balls”---for some reason that plastic tip seems to get stuck on the ramp. But I like Hornady 200gr XTP. I’ve used a lot of Winchester “Personal Protection”. But I have to admit that with .45ACP I wonder if it really makes any difference whether I feed it FMJ or JHP. “Geneva Convention” stuff took us through four major wars and stopped just about anything that came along. And I do like to practice with the same thing I carry---FMJ makes that more affordable!