Currently, I am using ball ammo in my 1911 for personal defense. I know most people use some kind of hollow point. I have read and seen problems with hollow points in 1911. I have a RIA 1911 match grade. Any opinion on the matter would be appreciated.
I would recommend buying a small box of 3-4 different "self defense rounds", trying them all. Once you've found one you like, buy as much of it as you can afford, and run as many rounds as you can through the gun. Personally I will not be 100% with any gun/ammo combo until i have 200 rounds through it.
I am a huge fan of 230 grain HST. I bought one box to see how I liked it performance Than bought 500 rounds and ran 250 through my gun to assure that it is reliable and accurate out of my XD.45. I was so I loaded up my mags and bought enough for my cache.
Currently, I am using ball ammo in my 1911 for personal defense. I know most people use some kind of hollow point. I have read and seen problems with hollow points in 1911. I have a RIA 1911 match grade. Any opinion on the matter would be appreciated.
25 years ago I would have agreed with you but there have been major advances in ammo design since. Like another poster already said, experiment with some of the more popular brands (HST,Golden Sabre etc..) You may be pleasantly suprised.
Look at it this way... If the hollow point bullet expands (which it is very likely to, given modern JHP ammo), you have better stopping power. If the bullet doesn't expand, you have hard ball equivalent.
In other words, you lose nothing by using JHP ammo, and most likely gain a lot.
If you are having problems with feeding JHPs, I'd suggest giving the Remington Gold Saber a try. It's a good bullet with a hard, round-nose jacket that should feed just like ball. Same with the Federal EFMJ, although the EFMJ has a bit more of a flat point than the GS. In any case, a gunsmith should be able to make a 1911 like that feed JHP pretty easy. Should run you less than $30 for the work.
As everyone has said your info is basically decades old. Sure not all ammo runs 100% in all guns that is why we test our carry ammo. That said it is most likely that HST will feed fire and eject 100% as it should out of your gun IF you can still get it. HST will not most likely expand. It WILL expand each and every single time to the size of a quarter with six distinct vicious looking petals. That you know shred their way through what ever you shot it into. no matter what you shoot it into or through. There is no shortage of threads on DC confirming that, better yet prove it to yourself.
If in the unlikely event that HST does not run perfectly in your or in the more likely event you can no longer get any. Go with Superhouse 15 suggestion and try Remington Golden Sabers they are second only to HST in my opinion. It is what I ran in my .45 for years excellent round. I would guess it is one of the most used JHP rounds in 1911 that there is. Reliable accurate and very effective with consistent expansion.
The RIA Govt Model I have will feed anything and I mean anything, even empty cases. I have yet to find a mag, including the $5.00 out of a cardboard box , setting in the bargin section of the gun store top of the counter section that it can't/won't use 100%.
When I first got the gun it would only work with the mag that came with it, a Novak. I tried it with another Novak and it wouldn't work.
I returned it to RIA in Pahrump NV, 5 days later got it back and have been very pleased with it since.
Accuracy is combat good. 2 - 2- 1/2 inches at 20 yards with every ammo I have tried.
It is now a boring gun No FTF, no FTE nothing :danceban: :danceban: :danceban:
While I don't have a problem with carrying hardball I do carry one of several hollow point options these days. I have a Commander that seems happiest with EFMJ from Federal but I've been testing the non +P 230 gr HST and it looks to be working well for me so may wsitch to that.
My Micro likes pretty much everything so it's either 230 gr Gold Dot Short Barrels or HST.
Any of the above will work just fine as long as I do my part!
I use Golden Saber 230, Winchester Ranger T 230 and Hydra Shock 230 in my 1911 commander. It does not like HST:frown:
Hydra Shock is very accurate from my 1911.
Vodek:danceban:
Golden Saber 230, Hydra Shok 230, Hornady TAP 230, CorBon 230 (see a pattern here?), or PowerBall 165 +P (really like this one also) all work well in my Kimber Tactical Ultra II. My Glock G36 will digest almost anything but that is typical of Glocks. I never shoot ball ammo except at the practice range. I wouldn't trust it to knock down a decent sized pissed off dog much less a BG trying to harm me or mine.
My choice is the 185gr DPX offering from Tarus. WICKED!!!!!
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