1911 and Hollow Points

[map]

I'm a Glock person and have not had any problems with hollow points. I just picked up a Sprinfield 1911 Operator Champion (4 inch barrel) and have been having trouble chambering a hollow point round. It appears the point gets stuck on the ramp and the slide jams. When I use a full metal jacket, I do not have the same problem. Has this happened to anyone else? What did you do to resolve it? Thanks in advance to everyone.

[faterikcartman]

Here's a few ideas:

Get a different 1911.

Get your 1911 worked on by a competent gunsmith (may turn out it was more economical to start out with a better 1911 to begin with).

Get a Dremmel, look online or in a book or magazine for instructions and take your chances.

Try Speer Gold Dot HP ammo. Bullets are sort of rounded and can feed better than some other options.

[Ed_Hazard]

Well first off which HP are you useing. As with any gun ammo selection is key. Some designs have to aggressive a design and will cause the lip of the HP to hang up. I run Remington Golden Sabres in all my 1911's and have had no problems. My TRP will reliably chsmber all HP's I've fed it, my Charles Daly compact will choke on ones w/too aggressive an opening. Try different ammo's untill you find one that works.

Also are you useing good quality mags? The use of weak or poorly made mags can also cause jams. Is the gun new or didi you buy it used? Even if it is new you might want to look into getting some Wolf replacement springs that have a higher power rating. Dont give up on HP's yet. You could also try some of the newer designs like the Power Ball ammo and that shoul help eliminate the FTF.

EDIT: +1 on the Speer Gold Dots, very good HP ammo, Like I said buy some different brands and use the time tested method of Trial and Error.

[ojisan]

Often HPs are shorter than FMJ 230s.
This may require a bit of magazine lip tweaking to allow the nose of the HP round to sit a little higher.
I'm not sure what mags you are using, the Wilson 47D seems to feed everything.
You may also just need a little more break-in time.

[JTROKS]

Usually a magazine of a better design will solve the problem. The SA Champion should have a generous throat, may just need a feed ramp polish. Try a different mag first, some mags will position and angle the round's nose a little higher, which is conducive to better feeding. If you were closer I'd let you try a couple of different mags.

[Sam]

Pick up a couple of Wilson mags and see what happens.

[map]

Well first off which HP are you useing. As with any gun ammo selection is key. Some designs have to aggressive a design and will cause the lip of the HP to hang up. I run Remington Golden Sabres in all my 1911's and have had no problems. My TRP will reliably chsmber all HP's I've fed it, my Charles Daly compact will choke on ones w/too aggressive an opening. Try different ammo's untill you find one that works.

Also are you useing good quality mags? The use of weak or poorly made mags can also cause jams. Is the gun new or didi you buy it used? Even if it is new you might want to look into getting some Wolf replacement springs that have a higher power rating. Dont give up on HP's yet. You could also try some of the newer designs like the Power Ball ammo and that shoul help eliminate the FTF.

EDIT: +1 on the Speer Gold Dots, very good HP ammo, Like I said buy some different brands and use the time tested method of Trial and Error.

Thanks for the post. It's a new firearm and I'm using the magazines that came with them.

[map]

Usually a magazine of a better design will solve the problem. The SA Champion should have a generous throat, may just need a feed ramp polish. Try a different mag first, some mags will position and angle the round's nose a little higher, which is conducive to better feeding. If you were closer I'd let you try a couple of different mags.

Thanks for the tip and thanks for the offer. Very nice of you do to that.

[map]

Thanks everyone. I'll try new mags first. This is a brand new firearm and I was using the factory mags that came with it. Thanks again.

[dadoody]

1.) Polish the ramp
2.) Stronger recoil spring(?)
3.) Different Hollowpoint ammo. I like Winchester Ranger 45acp and Winchester PDX Bonded. No feed problems with them in my Kimber.

[Bullwinkle]

If you don't feel like modifying your gun or tweaking around, and other brands of hollow points won't work either, you can also try Federal's EFMJ ammo (expanding full metal jacket). It has the same profile as a normal FMJ, but with a plastic tip. When the bullet strikes the target, the tip is pushed into the cavity and helps expand the bullet.

I think Hornady's flex-tip rounds (e.g. Hornady Critical Defense) are designed around the same idea, but with the emphasis more on reliable expansion than proper feeding.

[phamkl]

One last thing - I'd stay away from the Dremel...

[Colt]

First - Do NOT mess with the ramp. Brand new pistol, worst case you send back to factory, but not if you've bubba'd up the ramp.


Try different ammo - +1 to Speer Gold Dots - 230 grain. If that doesn't work...
Try extra power mag springs - Wolff sells them www.gunsprings.com. If that doesn't work, try other mags, preferbly with extra power mag springs (I prefer the Tripp Cobramags over the Wilson 47D).

You could also try calling Springfield - ask them which, if any hollow points they recommend in that pistol.

Oh, and before you do anything - is the extractor tension OK?

Good luck

[mrlightning559]

Try the Corbon I believe it's called hard ball or something it has a polymer ball so it feed like ball ammo but has good expansion

[sholling]

You're gotten some very good advice and yes some pretty seriously bad advice. Stop and sort it before acting on any of it. You have a nice 1911 so set's start with the basics and work from there.

1. Is it clean and well lubed? The shipping lube is purely anti-rust and needs to come off. 1911s like to run "wet" - plenty of oil on the rails.
2. If it's a new weapon it may need a couple of hundred rounds to get everything broken in. If you have 200-300 rounds of FMJ through it then it's time to go to step 3.
3. The #1 weakeness of any 1911 is poor magazines. Manufacturers sell to a price point and mag quality can suffer. I'd try a Wilson mag. If that doesn't do the job then it's time for step 4.
4. Try a different round. Every autoloader has one it likes better than others. If that doesn't solve your problem then go to step 5.
5. Gunsmithing: This is not a DIY job. Do NOT mess with the ramp yourself!!! It's not even a job for your average professional gunsmith. 1911 tuning is a specialty. If you bought it new then have Springfield Armory fix it free under warranty. You might even have them do a trigger job (small extra cost) while they have it since they are already paying for the shipping in both directions. They have world class customer service and this will keep your warranty in force. If you bought it used then research local gun smiths until you find one that knows 1911s inside and out.

That's a decent pistol. Go through the steps and get it reliable and you'll have a fine lifetime investment.