just curious because many say the bullet is already "pre-expanded"

I carry 230gr ball in my "tractor" 1911.

I never know what I'll encounter on remote ranches that I do brush control on. In S. Texas, it could be anything from a wetback to a coyote, or rattler.

Seems to work for me. But, I try and hit stuff where it ought to be hit...

Got a deal on Herter's .45acp from Cabela's picked up 1200 rounds of it. Good ammo.





Same pistola, just changed the grips out.

No... I don't use a mil spec 1945 era 1911.

I try not to. Sometimes some clips with ball might get taken along though. I generally try to use hot hollowpoints.

For my personal carry Colt 1911, I have 8 rounds +1 of Hydroshoks waiting for the "go button".

like Barry, on the ranch it is stoked with ball. extra mags are filled with golddots......

I usually load ball in my 1911s because I still have a ton of it around.
Bob

Gold Dots, but there are usually a couple mags of ball around for goofing off.

I have found the even 200 grain lead semi wadcutters do substantially better at killing stuff than ball ammo.

Sure, but due to bullet shape, it doesn't do .45 caliber worth of damage. Those bullets tend to slip on through, unlike an expanding round, or even a flat nose, large meplat, round. I wouldn't carry that unless it was all I had. Adequate, but far from ideal.

That is great. I've found the 1911 to be a decent critter-getter myself over the years... sort of a 45 LC Lite. I carried ball exclusively in the sticks and I never swapped mags when going to town. It's pretty well established as a hash-settler.

I personally think the FMJ round that was designed in 1904 has been improved upon over the past 112 years.

I carry ball....on the farm, in a Governor. Most of the time it's the shot shells that get the call but so far ball has worked well on a groundhog and possum.

This, this, and this.^

Never carried ball, but am a big fan of 200 gr swc's. I've got a couple mags with Rem golden sabers in them, but everything else is 200 gr swc.

I do still wish I had some of the WWII surplus ball ammo my father had that we shot through his fathers WWI 1911. Well, I really wish I had the gun, but am glad my brother is enjoying it.

Here on the ranch I carry ball and 2 mags of gold dot.ball will do the job on the stuff I run into most of the time.Rio7

200 grain H&G 68 and copies make a great small game load too, but you gotta have a saber-tooth rat dog backing you up.

7+1 of Hydroshoks in the Commander, 2 back up mags of plain old G.I. Ball..

I only use ball for shooting paper and pop-ups. I shot a few magazines full at bowling pins at Quemado this year, and the results reminded me why I don't carry it for personal protection.

I don't load the 45ACP(yet) but I see magtech loads the 200 grain LSWC!!!

Mostly shoot 200 SWC but, when too lazy to do the casting routine, revert back to FMJ.

My carry ammo is 165 grn Corbon Pow'R Ball. It gives great expansion and velocity about equal to a 9mm with all the feeding characteristics of ball ammo.

This.


Okie John

I don't, but wouldn't lose much sleep over it if that was all I had available to use.

MM

While I would like a sharper shoulder on the nose, in a six cavity mold the Lee 200 gr tl swc is tough to be too lazy to cast as it doesn't take long to drain a 10# furnace neither does giving them a quick tumble lube and overnight dry.

I carry three spare 10 shot mags of 230 gr fmj flat point bullets for my 1911 45, thought is, if you have to exhaust your 1st mag of hp's a man may need the added barrier penetration the fmj-fp's can provide.

Mine run around 950 fps.

I wouldn't stress out if that's all I had.

"pre-expanded", huh? I cast my own and am certainly not offended if my bullet gets a little "further expansion".

Don

THIS.

The biggest factor in a gunfight is going to be where you place the bullets, no which bullets you used.

I would rather have target LSWCs instead of ball. Ball is just about the worst terminal performance for the cartridge.

I understand using ball in the POC pistols that couldn't chamber anything else. But I don't carry one of those.

My favorite bullet is the Hornady XTP - I prefer 185gr going at least 1000fps.

Yep, I am going to order a couple boxes of that magtech 200 grain LSWC, and if they work will carry those. I get the Fed HST etc, but the LSWC is not a bad bullet for the money.

I use ball when roaming around in the field just rock and stump shooting. Hunting and Self Defense HP's only

Now tell us which direction the sun will rise tomorrow.

Those are quite impressive looking. You make those for own use or is this from a business?

I carry Hydroshoks, but have just picked up 500 of Berry's 200gr plated SWC. We'll see how they shoot ~1,000fps.

Ed

Yeah, I cast them for myself during the winter months. With the bullet being the most expensive component, I find I can reload my handgun cartridges for cheaper than I can buy .22 rimfire ammo.

Don

Actually, any 1911 should be able to feed 230 grain hollow points, so long as the bullet's ogive is the same as a FMJ ball round. My 1961 Colt Government model, for example, feeds any popular 230 grain hollow point.

I've found the same thing. Even at a measly 650 fps (not that I'm recommending that) they're still more effective than ball.

There are several bullet styles besides hollow points I'll rely on in pistols, but ball isn't one of them. I guess I don't understand why anyone would intentionally choose the worst performance they could get, other than just being really cheap.

Try the regular lube groove version instead of the TL design. There are no disadvantages, and it shoots better and has a sharper shoulder. Lee ought to drop that 200gr TL SWC from their line, IMO, as there's no reason to choose it over the other 200 SWC.

Ball for practice and fun, HydraShock 230 grain for serious work. Almost all of my carry time with a 1911, is with my Series 70 Combat Commander.

I have only used .230 gr. FMJ in my 1911 and Glock 21, it is cheaper to buy, and proven in combat. I don't hand load for the caliber and have never shot anyone with it.

It is nice the caliber has more options now for shooters, if I was going into a firefight I would do the research and see what all those fancy hollow point bullets would do for me, but 1-2 rds. of the ol' 230 FMJ seems to have worked for the US Military.

Winchester original 230 grain Black Talon hollow points.

Not me. Anybody that's ever seen the wound channel left from a hardball 230 gr. bullet will tell you they weren't impressed. Even small game like tree squirrels aren't impressed.
Wadcutter bullets do much better. And the jacketed HP's are a whole new world. What's really good about the factory jacketed HP's is that they are as reliable in expanding as they are in feeding, even in old 1911's. E