USGI .45 & hollow points

[Gator Monroe]

Anyone with WW2 .45 autos have trouble with Hollow point ammo (Winchester white box) causing FTF's or other issues that do not happen with non hollowpoint rounds ?(Are these pistols inherantly touchy about various hollowpoint rounds ??)

[Josh]

Those guns are designed to fire ball ammo.

[Gator Monroe]

Those guns are designed to fire ball ammo.

Anyone else care to chime in (I still have 1500 rds. of Winchester White box hollowpoint)

[Hopi]

Anyone else care to chime in (I still have 1500 rds. of Winchester White box hollowpoint)

I recently heard that those guns are designed to fire ball ammo....

[bwiese]

Hmm, my factory Colt Series 70 and Series 80 1911s fire HPs fine (though not exhaustive testing).

They also fire the 180 TMJ flat noses just fine too.

[gregshin]

the original 1911 design is almost 100 years old and hollowpoints were not invented then. 1911's need a ramped barrel for HPs and flatnoses to feed reliablely. If you want a 1911 to feed HP's get a ramped barrel or get a newer 1911 with ramped barrel.

[Gator Monroe]

So my original USGI 1945 RR framed / Colt slide 1911A1 will shoot HP's but just not reliably ?

[Blwnbwtie]

You probably need to take it to a smith and get the throat, and ramp polished. That should help feeding those HPs

[Josh]

To elaborate.

The 1911 in its USGI configuration is designed to run best with ball ammo as that is what is issued and what was to be used with it.

They can and will feed other types of ammo reliably but most times they require modification to do so.

If you do infact have a genuine USGI 1911 from WWII, I would recommend leaving it alone. Or doing as little as possible.

A ramped barrel is not needed and i would not cut up a USGI 1911 to install one.

Recommended modifications are having the barrel throated and feed ramps polished along with ensuring that the barrel feed ramp and frame feed ramp match up correctly.

Also ensure that your magazines work well. I try to find the magazines that hold the bullet at the highest angle possible to prevent it from nose diving into the ramp instead of the chamber. I have had excellent results with 8rd CMC mags and wilson combat. Though sometimes the wilsons dont seat high enough in certain guns. This can be solved by changing the mag catch or welding up the shelf on the original.

Also ensure that the springs are not worn out as this will cause issues with FTF.

[DrjonesUSA]

Hmm, my factory Colt Series 70 and Series 80 1911s fire HPs fine (though not exhaustive testing).

They also fire the 180 TMJ flat noses just fine too.

Apples and oranges.

Most any 1911 produced within the last 30 years or so will feed hollowpoints just fine, but the OP is asking about a genuine WW2-era pistol.

Those certainly were NOT designed to feed hollowpoints - the internal geometry of the feed ramp, barrel throat, etc. is not optimal for anything but ball ammo.

That's not to say that they will not feed JHP, just that they certainly were not designed for it, as I believe that hollowpoints were not invented until pretty well after JMB designed the 1911 pistol.