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What type of ammo works best in a 3in 1911

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  • tomhall75

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    I have the Kimber ultra carry 2 and currently have hydroshoks in it. I've heard some arguments for carrying ball instead of HP and vice versa. Any suggestions guys?
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    htxred

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    inner loop houston
    i think when it comes to .45acp it doesnt matter, i know a few people who carry ball over JHP.. whatever will feed reliably is wha tyou want to carry.

    i personally carried winchester ranger 230gr JHP +P
     

    Texas1911

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    I'm going to have to rename this forum the Kimber Ultra Carry 2 Pistol Forum, lol.

    My Kimber did not like Corbon JHP's, the nose was a little too blunt. It would feed, but you had to be rough with it. I loaded 2 - 3 JHPs then FMJs for the rest of the mag.
     

    mac79912

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    Yeah my Kimber pro ten was picky about JHP but a ramp polish and getting the barrel throated fixed it fast.No problems now.Can we call this site "Kimber gun talk".
     

    tomhall75

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    Texas1911, they're just so darn nice. What else're you packin'? I've gotten to shoot only a few. I've tried the springfield 1911 a1 5 in barrell, the springfield emp 9,really fun, a S&W 357 with a 6 in barrell, fun, a 460 revolver somebody let me try a couple of rounds out of, ouch, a bersa thunder 380, a ruger .45 not sure what model, and a kel tec .380, tiny little thing. Of all of them, the kimber is my fav. What's yours?
     

    JKTex

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    i hated my pro carry. accurate gun, hurt to shoot. (brass in my face)

    Easy fix with a quick tune. Or, the right recoil spring, the Wolff XP that Kimber recommends but won't put in them from the factory. Mines great now!!

    As far as what ammo, you should carry what ammo fits your need, and what works on the gun. A HP of some kind I'm guessing is what fits your need, assuming it's for defense. From there, shoot what the gun will eat.

    Ultras can be more picky, but if yours isn't, shoot what you like.
     

    FIREDAVIS

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    Mine didnt want to feed HP's either. After I got it back from kimber it feeds anything I put in it. Gold Sabers , Hornady, hydra-shok's, and gold dots. I tested a clip full of every type of hollow point I could find.
     

    PhilR

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    I hope I don't make you guys here in the Kimber Forum :) mad, buttttttttttt, with the prices that Kimbers bring why would it be necessary to replace springs, polish ramps, throat it or send it back to the factory to get them to shoot defense loads (HP's). I would think a gun with the name "Ultra Carry" would be ready to run right out of the box.

    Help me out here guys and easy on the flamethrower. :D
     

    JKTex

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    They produce probably more 1911's than anyone else and so they push some out that aren't right. The ones that are right (the majority) shoot like, and sometimes better than more expensive customs. The spring issue with the pro (4") is simply, someone at Kimber (not a real popular decision there) decided that the extra "pop" as they call it, of the Wolff XP spring will be too much more most/many new buyers (read, "new" to 1911's). And in most cases, they shoot fine. Mine did, but when it was time, I replaced it with the XP and after the 1st 100rds, the slide racked much easier and it shoots great. Kimber had just put a new stock Wolff spring in it.

    And for the Kimber haters that say if Kimbers don't eat HP's Kimber will fall back on their manual recommending round nose, they ran just as many JHP's as FMJ's through mine testing it. The guy that did the testing said it ate everything. It's never given me a problem.

    The Ultra's do seem more picky, but look at what it is. A 1911, designed to be a 5", and it's a 3". You can't get the say timing/cycle out of a 3" slide. But there are more than a few people with Ultra's that have never failed one time.

    BTW, every time a gun goes back to Kimber, they usually do some "extra" free work. A lot of the things reported that they did when a gun went back, were not necessarily needed, but they did it anyway. They didn't need to do a trigger job on mine; but they did. They didn't need to replace the Novaks night sights added by the first owner; but they did with their Tacticals. They didn't need to replace the springs; but they did. They didn't need to bead-blast the whole frame back to new; but they did when they checkered the front strap. :D
     

    machinisttx

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    I hope I don't make you guys here in the Kimber Forum :) mad, buttttttttttt, with the prices that Kimbers bring why would it be necessary to replace springs, polish ramps, throat it or send it back to the factory to get them to shoot defense loads (HP's). I would think a gun with the name "Ultra Carry" would be ready to run right out of the box.

    Help me out here guys and easy on the flamethrower. :D

    probably for the same reason people just absolutely love Colt 1911's, even though Colt's production has been such crap at times that the gun needed to be completely rebuilt(by a custom pistolsmith) before it was actually functional.

    Oh, and they cost more, so that makes them better.
     

    NotPC

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    3" 45 ammo

    So far, my Kimber CDP has fed everything I have thown at it. Ball, HP, Specialty.. Nothing has fased it. I keep it clean and oiled and it is just about time to put a new set of springs in it, but that is per Kimber and not from a failure of the pistol to feed or go BANG. I keep Silvertip HPs in both pistols, but not until I was sure they fed, were very accurate, and went BANG every time!

    That said, I have heard much about 3" pistols not generating enough velocity to expand a HP round. I don't know personally but do know that what you keep in a defensive pistol MUST feed reliably first and foremost. Ball ammo is the golden standard for feeding. If your pistol feeds HPs reliably, then look at the stats and make up your own mind about expansion and penetration.

    Just my .02 worth...

    NotPC

    "But why CAN'T the Politicians to just go play in street??"
     

    JDKRIEK

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    I carry Federal 230gr hydrashok JHP, and to my great pleasure, have never had personal experience with its stopping power.

    Hope this helps,

    If you're using a 4-inch or longer .45 ACP pistol, our recommendation is to use a 230gr JHP projectile. Good performers would be Speer Gold-Dot, Remington Golden Saber and Federal Hydrashok. For barrel lengths under 4-inches, consider a 200gr JHP such as the Speer 200gr Gold-Dot. The slightly lighter weight boosts velocity slightly from the shorter barrel.

    both light and heavy bullets have good points and bad. Its tough to
    say which perform better. A lighter bullet has more velocity, thereby
    developing more energy, and thereby attaining greater penetration.
    Whereas a heavy bullet has a greater mass and cross-sectional
    diameter, developing a larger crush cavity and tissue damage. Is it
    better to have a deeper wound, or a larger one?

    My personal preference is a middleweight bullet, a 200 grain JHP such
    as the Speer "flying ashtray." When loaded with 10 grains of blue
    dot, the bullet is pushed at 954 feet per second developing more than
    400 Ft.Lbs. of energy from a 4" barrel. More than enough to tackle
    any problem. A max load of 10.6 grains would push the 200 grain
    bullet at 1000 feet per second developing just under 450 Ft.Lbs.

    I feel that the middle ground has the best to offer from both worlds.
    Enough velocity to exceed the FBI 12" penetration minimum, and still
    enough mass to create a devastating crush channel and tissue damage,
    and blood loss... Which is the name of the game.

    If you don't handload, there are a number of excellent factory
    offerings I would not hesitiate to use. Such as thee 230 Grain
    Remington Golden Saber, the 200 Grain Federal Hydra-shock, or the
    200 grain Speer Gold Dot. All offer excellent penetration, velocity,
    and controlability. I would not recommend Cor-Bon. I have found
    their loads, while being very fast, to also be extremely difficult to
    control. The amount of muzzle flip and recoil make that follow-up
    shot nearly impossible in a short amount of time. This is especially
    noticeable in a smaller carry gun.

    Stay away from the +P and rely on shot placement and follow up shots
    rather than trying to get a "one stop shot."
     

    Army 1911

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    For SD use what ever HP feeds for you
    FMJ will penetrate a lot farther and through multiple things too easily
    But if FMJ is what you have that that is better than nothing.

    My carry guns are as follows
    Colt Commander (steel)
    Kimber Pro II
    Baer Concept X
    Springfield Ultra Compact
    Colt 380 Govt
    Colt Govt (1916 born date)
    IMI Jericho 9mm
    And a 105 Recoiless rifle --though hard to conceal (prints through bad)
     
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