Personal defense .45 loads with 3" barrel

[glockman19]

I shoot Federal Hydra Shok's and Speer Gold Dot's in my Kimber Ultra Raptor.

 

[velobard]

I appreciate the feedback, especially with what other folks say works for them in their small Kimber. Yes, I realize that's not a guarantee it will work for my particular gun.

A new slide stop....is it because it'll sometimes lock open with rounds left in the mag?? Mine did that...had to "dress" the part of the slide stop that engages the magazine follower back a little because it was getting nudged into lock by the ammo...

The 185 ammo "should" work fine, I just decided to go with the regular 230 ball due to availability and since it was coming out of a short barrel with a reduced velocity and a lesser chance of expansion anyway, I figured it would be a win/win situation all the way around

Yes, that was the exact problem I've been having. If the new slide stop isn't beveled a little, I'll do the work on the original one. I have another thread where someone posted some great pictures of exactly what to do.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=386918
I'm frustrated that I've spent so much on ammo to break it in, but I can't say I minded the range time.

A big part of the reason I selected a load with the Barnes XPB bullet is because the tests and reviews i've read show that it's very reliable about expanding. I might have gone with the Corbon DPX +P loads with that same bullet, but I wasn't convinced that +P is really necessary or would make that much difference, plus I found a pretty good deal on the Taurus Hex bullets. 100 of them should be in my hands within a few days.

 

[kcshooter]

I carry 230gr HST, I recently changed over from 230gr Hydrashoks. I'm not really concerned about the barrel lengths. I use the same thing in my 3" 1911 as in my 4.25" ones and my 5" ones.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

A standard pressure, 185-gr. JHP is what I would personally choose. Plus P in little guns is likely to have excessive bark and bite.

 

[Ken Rainey]

velobard, yep, that thread says what to look for...but to see what's happening, just remove your slide assembly, then put and hold the slide stop in the frame and slowly insert a loaded magazine using different types of ammo and you'll see when the nose of the ammo nudges the slide stop...adjust accordingly...

 

[velobard]

Good tip, thanks Ken. Both my new Taurus ammo and my new slide stop came in today. Time for a little quality tear-down time, then off to the range again in the next day or two.