I have a nice USGI .45 rebuild (WWI frame / WWII slide). I was thinking about carrying it now and than.

What ammo do you guys carry in yours? Any feeding problem with hollow points?
Thanks.

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Watch & Pray

I do. Sometimes, not often. It's a big pistol, and I'm a little guy, but whenever I do carry it, it feels right...hard to put into words. 1911 people know what I'm talking about.

I keep it loaded with Take-No-Prisoners hardball...230gr FMJ. Simply because I know it'll feed and eject every time all day long. And it'll stop a charging SUV in the grocery store parking lot.

I realize this won't answer your hollow point question, but I've never tried hollow points in it, simply because I don't want to get into all that testing and decision making on what ammo works and doesn't work. I like to keep things simple.

Like the previous poster,sometimes. Also 230 gr FMJ hardball ammo only. That's what the gun was designed to shoot. Don't try to fix what ain't broke! If you feel the need to use hollow point ammo in .45 caliber,buy a revolver. A 3" 625 would be approximately the same weight and you would have no FTF's to worry about.
f.t.

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South Carolina-God's country

Welcome to the world of big old dependable guns! Watchdog is correct, Hardball will cure whatever ails you! I'm down to 7, 1911 series handguns (one of the Commanders is in 38 Super) 3 Sigs in 45 and 2 S&W wheel guns. For my SD ammo I use Federal 230 grain Hydro-shok. This ammo is not on the approved FBI list because it won't go through the distance of penetration they require. However in the 1980's the Columbus, Ohio PD transitioned from S&W model 10's to a S&W 45 acp auto (4506 I Think). My F-I-L and his best friend were in charge of the ordnance department. They did extensive testing and came to the conclusion that the Hydro-shok was the best round that was affordable, available, and effective. It was and is very bad medicine for bad guys! They went over coroner's reports after several fatal shootings as well as spent bullets from the emergency room. The next team in the department after they retired went with a Speer 200 grain BIG HP. (Remember it is hard to not do damage with a 45!) The Speer didn't perform in/on people near as well as the Federal! I had a few hundred rounds of the Speer that was ammo carried for 6 month then rotated out of service. The Speer was not at all accurate in 7 different model in 4 brands of 45 autos. I don't think this was bad from the factory, I believe the vibration of carrying broke the powder down! I have Federal that was carried 6 month and removed from service that shoots just like brand new! The PD went back to the Federal Hydro-Shok until they went to M&P in 40 s&w.

Every factory sighted Government Model I've played with (Between 80 and 100 guns) has shot 230 grain Ball and 230 grain Hydro-shok to the sights. I had a Officers sized Springfield and a Springfield ported Commander sized pin gun that didn't, they both shot 185 grain Winchester Silver Tip Hollow Points to the sights. This is something I check on any gun I or my family carry; Do the ammo and sight work with each other? ( I suggest you make sure that ammo that won't shoot to sights , stays away from from your ready ammo).

The other problem in carrying any steel full sized hand gun is keeping your pants up! A good belt is the Number one cure for "butt crack disease". Once you have a good belt, there are a number of great holsters! Have fun experiencing the world of 1911's. Ivan

Not to throw cold water on carrying your historic 1911, but if you had to use it, wouldn't it wind up in an evidence locker?

It's a $600 shooter. I've got nicer/more expensive guns I carry. Risk involved with anything you carry.

My nice original Remington Rand will stay in the safe.

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Watch & Pray

That's what made me quit carrying my old GI 1911: the thought of some pot-bellied detective scratching his initials into it while they try to determine if some scumbag deserved the shooting he got.

I searched for years for a nice US Property WW2 1911, Found mine at the Allentown PA Gunshow in 1996, brought home to Long Island cleaned and fired one magazine of 230 FMJ been in safe ever since, only removed for fondling and show and tell. Got plenty carry guns, but not this one...

Id buy a box of hollow points and head to the range and see how it does with them.

Exactly! that's what plastic guns are for

Yup your treasure, the one and only 1911 you like will be taken away as evidence. Here we loose them for ever if we use them. I ccw a cz82. For its $189 cost it no loss. I do not ccw expensive handguns.

For ball carry, Winchester white box, or 1950's USGI?

I think that's all I have on hand right now.

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Watch & Pray

I've had no issue with WWB at all in full and officer sized 1911s.

My 1943 Ithaca handles 230 grain ball flawlessly and can't recall even trying anything else through it.

I've carried mine a few times, mainly for nostalgia. I have other handguns that I find a better fit for concealed carry.

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- Change it back -

I carried one on duty in the military for several years. Dead reliable. Never carried anything but ball ammo. That was all that was available. Geneva Convention and all that. I didn't feel under armed.

If that was everyone's carry gun criteria Hi-Point would be a much larger company. We all know the possible ramifications if we have to defend ourselves with our carry guns, we make our choices and take our chances. Personally, I refuse to allow the possibility of confiscation after a shooting to dictate what I carry.

Besides, even if you win, chances are very good you'll have much bigger things to worry about than your pistol.

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Don't kiss smiling dogs!

Where is "here"?

"North America" covers a lot of territory.

That's a nice looking old pistol. Did you put it together yourself, or was it that way when you got it? Wouldn't mind seeing some more photos of it and hearing more about it. Those look like Keyes grips on it.

Here's the full story.

Back in Sept., I bought this WWI/WWII parts gun at a local shop for $900 OTD. It had a Colt WWI frame with scallop cuts near trigger, a Remington UMC slide, and a mix of WWII parts. The frame has pitting under the grips. Sometime in its life it was reblued.





Wanting a shooter, I didn't want to ruin parts sought after by collectors. Over the course of a few months, I sold the Colt early WWII barrel it came with and the Remington UMC slide on ebay (those two items alone went for over $900- minus auction fees).

I than found a Flannery WWII barrel for $65 and a complete Late WWII Colt slide for $325 (including barrel). I added fake pastic USGI style grips. I currently have about $500 into this gun as shown below and an extra parked HS barrel. (I basically just wanted a USGI shooter).

I steel wooled the parked slide to make it look blued to match the frame. These pics below make it look better than it really is. The slide and frame match really wasn't that good.

Now some may prefer how it looks below over the parked finish, but for me, a blued finish just doesn't look right on a WWII A1 type pistol. If the frame hadn't been scalloped at the trigger area, I might have swapped some parts and gone for a WWI look and left it blued.




After much consideration, I decided to try a spray and bake-on parkerized finish. It looked ok after hitting it with still wool, but it was still a paint job.

I was going for a WWII rebuild look.




I decided to strip the paint and send it to Shuffs' Parkerizing for a real park job. This ran me another $100. I have $600 into this now and the extra barrel. I also added late WWII Colt grips for $15 I ordered from Simpsons LTD.

Here's the final product.

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Watch & Pray

Do carry various M1911's during cool/cold weather when jackets and vests make carrying them a bit easier.
For ammo, the agency I retired from has had excellent results with the Speer .45 ACP 230gr. GDHP. There's a great track record with this round, so that's what I usually carry.
Have never tried it on a stock/unmodified GI 1911. Only trying it would tell.

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Ret'd LEO
SWCA #2275

I carried this Ithaca from 1943 for many years back in the 70s and 80s. It is a Mt. Rainier Arsenal rebuild. Great trigger, great accuracy, and dead nuts reliable with 230 grain ball. If 230 grain ball is good enough for John Moses Browning, God, Chesty Puller, and Alvin York, it suits me just fine. That's all I've ever carried in my 1911s; Colt, Kimber, Norinco, etc.

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Georgia On My Mind

Wow. Thanks so much for all the details and extra photographs. Looks as if your frame is from 1917. You ended up with a great looking shooter. Even though the pistol is a mega-hybrid, the spirit of the old original pistol lives on. Great job.

A friend of mine an old Gunnery sargent in the USMC always had a saying " with a 1911 and 230 grain ball ammo even if you hit them in the hand you still knock em down" , They are great carry guns and he always has his model of 1911 "1918 crowbar" for CCW.

Pete

There's another old saying related to the 1911, but you don't hear it much any more. It relates to a person's level of anger, so if someone's really mad, it was said that "He's hotter 'n a .45 shootin' downhill!"

Took it to the range today to qualify and add it my my list of carry guns. It shot dead on. Best shooter of the day compared to two Remington Rands and a new Colt ANVIII.

Here it is ready for carry. Old school gun with old school holster.




And here's the ammo I'll load it with. I have about 30 misc. rounds I've picked-up over the years. Who can ID the head stamps?



A few more pics I took.

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Watch & Pray

The WCC rounds are Winchester and the RA rounds are Remington. The numbers are the year of manufacture.

Keep in mind that your WW I frame is made of soft steel and should not be fired much. I've occasionally carried an all original WW II 1911A1 with current manufacture 230 grain hardball. While it's fun to carry these old guns, my current 1911 carry gun is a PC 1911 Commander with scandium alloy frame.

Dump1567, that is the coolest thing I've seen in a while. Nice job, that thing is awesome!

WCC 70 = Winchester Cartridge Company 1970
RA = Remington Arms, from 1965 and 1968

That sould be very good ammo. When you get in to "Match" ammo from that time frame, Federal and Winchester shoot to the same point at 25 yards Remington hits about 5" low and a little left. So that lets you know which Match ammo to use. I have seen 5 ammo can banded "cases" of 1970 LC Match (probably WCC headstamp, but not sure) still floating around being used on some for sale.

Modern SD ammo in the 155 to 185/200 range sometimes will shoot to match sights, sometimes not. The important thing is to have fun! Ivan

There's no school like the old school!

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Possum—The other white meat!

As do I. No reason to not stick with the tried and true.

So what? The gun just saved your life. Whatever it cost is worth the price.

This is patently not true. I know of at least three people who have received their guns back after using them to defend themselves. Two of them didn't even have them taken at the scene.

I carry a 1911 for one reason, I shoot it best. When life is on the line, adrenalin will be pumping like a BP oil rig. You will not be at your best. So, it's best to have a gun that will afford you the best opportunity to be effective.

Mine's not a GI model, but it'll do:

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Freedom isn't free.

30+ years ago I carried one for a very limited amount of time (maybe a month or so) and used 230 grain Hardball ammo in it for sheer reliability. I did try some Hollow Points in it at the time but it was not 100% reliable with them, so I used what was - the Hardball.

I quickly realized carrying a 1911 all day was not for me and that's when I went back to a J Frame. Now my 1911's only get carried at the Range or on acres of private property where concealing it is not an issue.

During our Career Fair at school last month, I noticed one of the local PD's detectives had a 1911 in a Galco shoulder holster. I inquired about it. It was a USGI 1911 that the PD had acquired from Uncle Sam.

When I USED to carry a GI 1911, I loaded it with Hornady 230 gr FMJFPs. It fed them with 100% reliability, I didn't have to modify the gun in any way, and the FP rates better terminally than GI FMJ ammo.

That would be The Hague Convention. The Geneva Convention was for POW treatment.