What load do you carry?

[FOTIS]

I have a 45 ACP Kimber Team Match II which I adore and thinking on carrying it for CCW. What suggestions do you have? Also is shooting +P safe in this gun?

 

[TScottW99]

Beautiful 1911 there Pop!

For any defensive situation involving two legged vermin I think (IMO) any of the major manafactures products will work well in .45acp as long as your gun likes them. I am partial to gold dots in .45acp and .40S&W. My duty load is a gold dot load and when I had a 1911 I carried them after the black talons went off the shelves.

For 1911s I am partial to either the 200 grain or 230 grain bullets. I have heard good things about Double Tap ammo and I really like the looks of their 230 grain gold dot load. Just short of a +P loading according to their store...

http://www.doubletapammo.com/php/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21_34&products_id=95

As to +P in the Kimber. I have no clue. You might want to call them. Maybe a bit stronger recoil spring would be helpful, though I have no doubt the Kimber can handle +P pressures.

 

[FOTIS]

They are a most impressive company! I can not believe the velocities they get with no excess pressures.

 

[Guy Miner]

Here's my beat-up daily carry Kimber. I bought the first one I saw ten years ago in 1997 and have put it through some tough love. :grin: What a great gun. All that's been done to it was to install some Heinie Straight-Eight night sights (Kimber didn't make or sell night sights then) and replace the grips every couple of years and replace the recoil spring every thousand rounds or so. It's been through a LOT of recoil springs. :grin:

Daily carry load these days is Winchester Ranger SXT, 230 gr of course. Am also fond of Federal's good old Hydra-Shock round and carried it for a number of years. Most of the major manufacturers make some kind of premium self-defense load, and I think they're all pretty good: Hornady, Speer/CCI, Remington, Winchester and Federal... Every one of them makes a round or two I'd feel comfortable with.

Be sure to run a few of your expensive self-defense rounds through your .45 ACP. Kimbers have a reputation for feeding doggone near anything, but it's nice to know the stuff in your magazine will feed glitch-free into the chamber and cycle properly.

Practice, Practice, Practice. The 1911 is a wonderful gun for concealed carry, and self-defense, but a little instruction from a pro might not be a bad thing either. There are ways to really enhance your handgun skills.

Regards, Guy

 

[FOTIS]

Guy:

It is a sin not to re-blue this Kimber!

 

[Guy Miner]

Naw - It's a working gun and it looks like it...

Maybe Black T though... :grin:

 

[Bruce Mc]

Pop, I've carried 230 Speer Gold dot on duty for a number of years. It shoots pretty darn good for an "off" brand. I use the 185 Nosler Match for PPC stuff with W231 at around 900 fps. Excellent accuracy and very comfortable to shoot all afternoon. If you pumped it up to around 1000 fps it should be an excellent show stopper.

Hey Guy, I had my Rock River done in the bake on polymer stuff and I hate it. With blue you get wear but it ain't ugly. That polymer stuff gets scratched and peels and its just plain ugly after some holster wear. I'm countin the days till I get enough extra to get it taken off and then reblued.

 

[Guy Miner]

Thanks Bruce - that's good info.

I still have a couple of "purty" .45 1911's that don't get carried much... :grin:

 

[FOTIS]

This is interesting and NOT +P

http://www.doubletapammo.com/php/catalo ... 346e53937e

 

[tapehoser]

I believe most, if not ALL, modern firearms are OK to shoot +P ammo.

I shoot a Springfield XD45 Compact with Hornady TAP ammo with 230 grain XTP's and are rated at about 950 fps (which is +P) and it swallows it just fine.

 

[FOTIS]

I think I will go with Speer gold dots......