Packing for the Rally.

[Davidk]

I can goldarned guarantee you that almost anything hit by .45 ACP ball is going to go down and be stopped in it's tracks.

There are lots of studies from the FBI and from others that dispute that conclusion which is why every federal, state and local law enforcement agency in the country uses hollow point ammunition.

Military goals and personal goals are often not the same. Private citizen shootings happen most often in very close distances—most within 5 feet. At such distances, fractions of a second matter in regards to stopping the fight.
We are not looking to incapacitate the assailant so we can force multiply, we are seeking as stop the attack as close to instantly as possible. The faster a gunfight ends, the less chance there is of you getting shot, stabbed, etc.

Military personnel are not held legally responsible in war when bystanders are shot by over penetrating ammunition. Private citizens ARE, which is another reason why ball ammo is a dangerous choice for personal defense. Your explanation of why you carry ball ammunition is a recipe for conviction. My teaching, and those of other professionals, is not just for winning the gun fight, but for also winning the court fight—with a strong preference for not going getting into a shooting, and not going to court if involved in a shooting.

My preference, and the preference of every LE an Mil instructor (teaching private citizens) that I know—which is many, given my profession—is that ammo should do as much damage to the body, as soon as possible, in order to stop the ability of the attacker to continue. By definition, that is hollow points.

Ball ammunition will greatly reduce your ability to stop the attacker and will greatly increase the possibility of injuring bystanders.

Thank you for correcting my error on the Geneva Convention.

In terms of the dum-dum ammo, that has been told to me directly by several soldiers. They were older so that practice may have been before your time

[Davidk]

Wife & I use 185 gr wad cutter rounds for practice.
Punches a nice hole in paper.

In her Caspian 1911, the spring is specifically tuned for 185 grain ammo.

David - when you carry the DPX 160 gr - or other lower weight ammo - do you use a different spring?
Just curious.

Steve

Steve,

I carry Corbon's 185gn +P. While I still own 1911's, I switched my carry gun to a SpringField Armory XD45 which eats every thing and every weight bullet I have tried without needing to change springs. Your 1911's spring is tuned not just for the bullet weight, but the powder charge as well. Wadcutters tend to use lighter loads. You will just have to experiment. If you use that gun as a target gun with light loads, you might be better served with a second gun for self-defense ammo so you don't need to worry about cycling changes with different ammo. The most important feature in a carry gun is that it goes bang every time.

[53driver]

Steve,

I carry Corbon's 185gn +P. While I still own 1911's, I switched my carry gun to a SpringField Armory XD45 which eats every thing and every weight bullet I have tried without needing to change springs. Your 1911's spring is tuned not just for the bullet weight, but the powder charge as well. Wadcutters tend to use lighter loads. You will just have to experiment. If you use that gun as a target gun with light loads, you might be better served with a second gun for self-defense ammo so you don't need to worry about cycling changes with different ammo. The most important feature in a carry gun is that it goes bang every time.

I've got the XDM in .45. Love it. My match toy.
The Caspian is tuned completely to wad cutter loads by the USMC Pistol Team pistol-smith. I've never carried it and never will. The 1" extended Bomar front site doesn't do well in a holster.
I was just wondering if a weapon tuned for 230gr ball ammo is truly happy with lighter loads. Both wt and powder.

For EDC, I use a Glock 30SF. Like the Springfield, it eats everything I've put in it. Currently got a Black Hills product in the magazines.
Cheers,
Steve

[Davidk]

I was just wondering if a weapon tuned for 230gr ball ammo is truly happy with lighter loads. Both wt and powder.

For EDC, I use a Glock 30SF. Like the Springfield, it eats everything I've put in it. Currently got a Black Hills product in the magazines.
Cheers,
Steve

The Caspian is tuned completely to wad cutter loads by the USMC Pistol Team pistol-smith. -- that was my guess as most 1911's won't feed wadcutters without modification.



Glocks are great. I would carry them if they fit my hand. 1911's are picky beasts, especially highly tuned ones. They may or may not function with different loads depending on the particular gun.

Black Hills makes good stuff. I use them in most of my magazine articles. I just tested a Nighthawk 1911 two weeks ago for an article with three different ammo options. The BH produced the lowest speed deviation, by far, of the three.

[willtill]

My RIA M1911A1 will only feed ball reliably. Was going to send it back to them... but the literature had stated that it's only guaranteed to feed ball, not hollow points. Not sure if Armscor would still look at it and tune it for that. The are fabled for good customer service though...

[Davidk]

My RIA M1911A1 will only feed ball reliably. Was going to send it back to them... but the literature had stated that it's only guaranteed to feed ball, not hollow points. Not sure if Armscor would still look at it and tune it for that. The are fabled for good customer service though...

Commercial 1911s tend to be ammo sensitive. 1911s were designed in an age of hand-fitting. The military ones were very loose fit on purpose to increase reliability, but the fit also reduced accuracy. The process does not work as well when translated to modern machining. The most reliable 1911s are still all hand-fit, but are very expensive. The Nighthawk that I just wrote the article on is $3800. On the other hand, modern pistols such as the XD, S&W, Glocks, Sig, HK etc, don't seem to be ammo sensitive and are more reliable than most 1911s.

[stroguy]

My RIA M1911A1 will only feed ball reliably. Was going to send it back to them... but the literature had stated that it's only guaranteed to feed ball, not hollow points. Not sure if Armscor would still look at it and tune it for that. The are fabled for good customer service though...

Try Federal Guard Dog ammo in .45 or 9MM. It's a hollow point with a cover to feed into a 1911 short feed ramp. I personall would not carry a RIA1911, I have one, love it for a plinker but not as an EDC. A good G19 Gen 3 costs about the same. Good luck.

[Davidk]

Try Federal Guard Dog ammo in .45 or 9MM. It's a hollow point with a cover to feed into a 1911 short feed ramp. I personall would not carry a RIA1911, I have one, love it for a plinker but not as an EDC. A good G19 Gen 3 costs about the same. Good luck.

Another option is Corbon's Powerball. It is an expanding, round nose. I agree, I prefer higher capacity handguns that are not ammo sensitive. S&W M&P, HK VP9, Springfield XDs, Sig P320, Glocks are all great choices.

[stroguy]

Agreed, striker fire with no external safeties or a Sig.

[willtill]

Try Federal Guard Dog ammo in .45 or 9MM. It's a hollow point with a cover to feed into a 1911 short feed ramp. I personall would not carry a RIA1911, I have one, love it for a plinker but not as an EDC. A good G19 Gen 3 costs about the same. Good luck.

Another option is Corbon's Powerball. It is an expanding, round nose. I agree, I prefer higher capacity handguns that are not ammo sensitive. S&W M&P, HK VP9, Springfield XDs, Sig P320, Glocks are all great choices.

Yes, I have seen the above ammo before, but have not tried it. For the record, I don't carry because it's damned near impossible to get a CCP in Maryland. I've been wanting to get a non-resident Utah permit but really haven't had the need to carry outside of Maryland. When I do eventually move to a state with Freedom, I will most likely apply for a CCP.

My RIA is for recreational shooting... I wouldn't to CC with it due to the size of it.. would want something smaller and less printable.