What's in your defensive 1911... FMJ or JHP?

[MrJT]

I'd be curious to know which brands of 1911.

I have two friends who like their 1911s. One has a Colt which he says is still a work in progress, the other has a Kimber. Both failed to feed hollow points properly. Not constantly, but more than I've ever had with any other auto loader, which got me thinking.

 

[wheelyfun66]

Nothing but JHP 230 gr ammo in my Colt

 

[ABNRGR]

JHP in !911

Winchester PDX1 Defender 230 grain JHP in Sig-Sauer Compact C3 with Crimson Trace Laser Grips, Night Sights and Magazine Well. Powerful, reliable, tack-driver.

 

[F75gunslinger]

Hornady critical defense JHP in my Sig 1911...feeds with no issue.

 

[gmiller0737]

In My Stainless Officers ACP I carry Remington 230 grain BJHP's

 

[cmort666]

I carry 200gr. JHPs in my .45s.

I started with Hornady TAP, but they stopped making the 200gr. .45s.

I switched to 200gr. Speer Gold Dots, since I haven't found anybody local with any quantity of Hornady 200gr. XTP.

 

[TeaDub]

I voted "other".

I only carry my Springfield Champion Operator in the cooler months. When carried, it is loaded with Federal HST. Many times, one of my backup magazines is loaded with FMJ. My Champion is still pretty new (w/ around 500 rounds). In a SD situation it is highly unlikely that I'd need those extra magazines. If I have to go to it, Mr Murphy may have reared his head with a malfunction. The second mag filled with FMJ would lessen the chances of another. Also, if I actually need that many rounds for SD, a little extra penetration may be a good thing. Perhaps I will shift to all HST at some point. My Springfield hasn't bobbled once.

While I am very particular about ammo choice with my 642 or my 9mm's. The 45 has a long track record and I shoot the 1911 better than my striker guns.

YMMV

 

[Rangerpat]

My Colt Government Model Series 70 is stoked with Remington HD Ultimate Home Defense 45 AUTO 230 gr. "brass jacketed hollow point bullets for maximum stopping power" (that's what the box says ).

 

[CH4]

Dan Wesson CCO with Hornady 185 grain FTX Critical Defense. FYI: by definition these are not JHPs, that's why I posted other. They are also legal in jurisdictions where hollow point ammo is illegal, e.g., New Jersey.

 

[ladder13]

230 gr Golden Sabers

 

[Rick_A]

This stuff.
20150720_095433 by Slick_Rick77, on Flickr

I believe it's some old Winchester 230gr of some kind.

The gun will feed empty casings between live rounds, but I like to stick to 230gr hollowpoints.

Anything with a modern ramp and barrel throat should work just fine with JHP. The ONLY reason to go FMJ is an older gun not "cut" for it. If your modern 1911 does not feed hollowpoints get the manufacturer to make it right or find someone reputable that will.

 

[LimaCharlie]

All of my Colt and Dan Wesson government model 1911s feed any ammo I feed them. I carry a 1911 from the time I get dressed until it goes on the nightstand when I go to bed. They are loaded with Winchester PDX1 Defender 230 grain JHP ammo. I will not own a gun that is ammo sensitive.

 

[Protected One]

Dan Wesson CCO with Hornady 185 grain FTX Critical Defense. FYI: by definition these are not JHPs, that's why I posted other. They are also legal in jurisdictions where hollow point ammo is illegal, e.g., New Jersey.

Really? I had not heard that they were not considered hollow points. Did you get that definition from Hornady's website?

 

[Xfuzz]

230gr "Hardball"...Been lyin down
bad guys purt neat 104 years.

 

[SC_Mike]

Full size 1911- 230 grain JHP

Commander or compact 1911- 185 grain JHP

I have carried ball ammo as back up before.

 

[Damn Yankee]

If I had one I would go 460 Rowland.

 

[TucsonMTB]

This stuff runs well in all our 1911's, is soft shooting, and surprisingly accurate.

 

[REM 3200]

My 1943 1911A1 Remington-Rand gets Speer 230 Gold-Dot JHP, non +P.
The 3 inch Kimber Eclipse gets Speer 230 Short Bbl. JHP, non +P.

The above have been tested over the years for reliability and not found wanting.

The Kimber is now being tested with Barnes 185 +P all copper HP.
I'm at 550 rounds of the Barnes with-out a bobble now.
Yes, it does get expensive, but the peace of mind is worth it.
I was gonna' shoot it anyway so it's not too bad.

 

[Rastoff]

Rastoff, that's not quite correct - I think it's 230 grain FMJ hardball...

This is correct if you're referring to the round that was accepted along with the gun back in 1911. However, the 200 grain round has been around just as long. Probably not as popular, but still effective.

...but you don't need to be sending that kind of ammo at your perpetrating opponent who has who knows what behind him in terms of innocent bystanders. Or has a drywall behind him and a baby's room is next. You want expanding ammunition.

If we ignore rule 4, then you might be correct. However, concern of over penetration is not high on my list. I've done some penetration testing with the hardball stuff and it's very unlikely that it will go through a bad guy, through a wall and into someone else.

I've also seen a lot of penetration testing with JHP rounds. In ballistics gel and liquids they have good expansion properties. Every other material, not so much. I even know of one guy who shot himself through his right thigh and into his left calf with a .357Mag JHP and it never expanded (lucky for him).

I'm not minimizing anything here. I have as much concern for my fellow man as anyone. It's just unlikely that I, or anyone else, will be firing into a crowd. Again, rule 4; be aware of your target and what's in line with it.

The most important consideration of a defensive firearm is functional reliability. If it don't work, it's useless. I've tested my 1911 with thousands of hardball rounds (both 200 and 230). I have fired a few JHP rounds through it, and they worked, but haven't fully vetted the gun with them. So, I see no reason to change.

Just out of curiosity, does anyone here have an article, or case law, where an innocent was injured/killed by a round that passed through the bad guy?

 

[old tanker]

GI issue hardball is what I have carried the most as that is what the Army issued. When I needed it to work, it did, although, given the hits, a lesser cartridge might have as well. About thirty years ago a buddy a introduced me to IPSC and the 225 grain truncated cone cast lead bullet that he favored. Since then I have shot a ton of them in club matches and in general use. They came from Bull-X then, now I use Lasar Cast. (Lots of folks make them; those are just the ones I have personally used.) They feed and function flawlessly in my hardball guns.

Six grains of Unique pushes them out a of a Combat Commander at 925 fps. When they checked that ammo at a match, they had no doubt it made major. That load has accounted for two whitetail deer and a half dozen feral hogs over the years. It penetrates well and I am confident it will do what I need if I do my part.

I load and shoot a lot of this ammo and, by default, it is what is most likely to be in the gun.

Firmly in the camp of those who believe that where you shoot them is more important than what you shoot them with, I think practicing so I can reliably hit what I need to hit is what matters most.