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.45 acp Speer Gold Dot JHP

jimmyj

jimmyj

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Found a 50 round box of Speer Gold Dot .45acp 200 grain JHP ammo
Tried running them though my .45 Commander and discovered that the cartridges will not feed.
Measured the Gold Dots and discovered that they are shorted in length than Remington .45 acp 230 grain cartridges.
Appears that the Gold Dots butts up against the feed ramp.

Opinions ?
 
jimmyj said:
Found a 50 round box of Speer Gold Dot .45acp 200 grain JHP ammo
Tried running them though my .45 Commander and discovered that the cartridges will not feed.
Measured the Gold Dots and discovered that they are shorted in length than Remington .45 acp 230 grain cartridges.
Appears that the Gold Dots butts up against the feed ramp.

Opinions ?
Click to expand...

Jimmy,
JHP ammo sometimes will not feed well through Colts - after all their design is 111 years old. The good news is that the 45 acp is already almost a half inch in diameter and the 230 grain hardball bullets are excellent SD rounds just as they are and expansion is not nearly as important as it is in smaller lighter calibers such as .380acp and 38 spl.

For the short time I actually carried a 1911 Gov't model (just too big and heavy for EDC IMHO) I did use 230 grain FMJ and did not feel I was at any disadvantage. I have never had a failure to feed with one and I have shot tens of thousands of them through many different Colt's. That is a great option.
 
Commanders can be weird. I once had a guy drop off a Commander to get fitted with a longer (full size) barrel with a compensator. When I took the thing apart, I was amazed. I'd seen the guy shoot the gun in competition and it ran like a clock. With no feed ramp on the barrel.

The Flying Ashtray did present feed issues with some guns. Not knowing what year your Commander is, it may have the old GI hardball feed ramp on the barrel. Getting the feed ramp angle changed from the factory itty bitty divot at 73 degrees to a wider 60 degree angle should take care of the problem. Or maybe pick up a new production barrel which should have the modern feed ramp.

I corrected the factory feed ramp oversight at no charge.
 
Last edited:
chief38 said:
Jimmy,
JHP ammo sometimes will not feed well through Colts - after all their design is 111 years old. The good news is that the 45 acp is already almost a half inch in diameter and the 230 grain hardball bullets are excellent SD rounds just as they are and expansion is not nearly as important as it is in smaller lighter calibers such as .380acp and 38 spl.

For the short time I actually carried a 1911 Gov't model (just too big and heavy for EDC IMHO) I did use 230 grain FMJ and did not feel I was at any disadvantage. I have never had a failure to feed with one and I have shot tens of thousands of them through many different Colt's. That is a great option.
Click to expand...

I totally agree on the 230 grain FMJ .45acp round. However the new rules in my Private Security Firm is Hollow Points for duty.
 
I used that ammo all the time in two governments, 2 commanders and 3 Defenders, one of which is a plus. I haven't had the first malfunction of any kind. We also use reloads based on the Gold Dot 185 grn JHP. For carry and home defense in my Defenders I prefer Rem Brass JHP/bonded and never had any problem with that either.
 
Did you try different magazines? What mag were you using? A GI mag could be problematic. A Colt mag might work or not. A high quality aftermarket mag probably work. I use Chip McCormick and colt mags in a Gov't model that will feed empty brass and in a Ruger light weight Commander. ymmv
 
Federal 230 gr HST, Hydra Shok or Speer Gold Dots in the same weight ought to feed like oats through a goose. Close to a GI ball profile. I'd do a function check, but SFAIK, I don't have any .45 barrels with the old feed ramp.
 
Last edited:
Mike said:
In it's day I loved the Speer "flying Ash tray" JHP.......Every 1911 or Smith 45 auto I owned fed it like poop through a goose....Wish I could still get that bullet.
Click to expand...
I bought a lot of that, mostly in aluminum for practice, some in brass for carry. After a while, it became clear that the aluminum-cased ammo was carry quality. Still have a little, I think.
 
WR Moore said:
Federal 230 gr HST, Hydra Shok or Speer Gold Dots in the same weight ought to feed like oats through a goose. Close to a GI ball profile. I'd do a function check, but SFAIK, I don't have any .45 barrels with the old feed ramp.
Click to expand...

My 4506 will hand cycle EMPTY 45acp brass from the magazine. With no hiccups......I bet it would shoot/feed/cycle full wadcutters....I;m gonna try that after deer season......Load some 200/230 flat based cast bullets backwards and see what happens....Bet it'll work.
 
For a 1911 I would suggest the performance HP RN 230gr over the 185-200 gr HP/performance ammo.

I would strongly suggest that anyone unfamiliar with proper 1911 barrel feed ramp procedures to quickly put away that Dremel tool you just picked up. Especially keep that Dremel away from your frame ramp. Once buggered up, the only fix for the frame is to bridge cut it and install a ramped barrel. Read as $$$.
 
Besides trying aftermarket "swc" mags you might want to play around with the oal of your reload. I cast these 200gr hp's that have a pretty big hp and a short nose.
1UEnqR4.jpg


Took 5 or 6 tries to find an oal that ran consistently in a 1911.
zCqi45M.jpg


Not as good as the old flying ashtrays but when cast with 8/9bhn alloy they have no issues expanding with any load that's over 800fps. These recovered bullets are pretty much typical for expansion.
bdzFESQ.jpg
 
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