Which load is easier on my 1911?

[nwellons]

I have a 1916 Colt M1911 that I want to shoot - gently. Before I try it, I will have it checked out by a very good gunsmith who has my full confidence.

Realizing that I need a minimum energy to operate the action reliably, it is better to load:

A large approx. 230 grain boolit with lower velocity.

or

A smaller approx. 165 grain boolit with higher velocity.

I guess pure lead will be fine at these velocities.

[S.R.Custom]

Whichever load offers the least recoil. ;)

[Firebricker]

Even with light loads your probably going to want something a little harder than pure lead. What a classic 1911 don't blame you I would want to get shooting that one too. FB

[missionary5155]

Greetings
I have a 1918 made Colt that I shoot when up north there. What I did was get a lighter weight recoil spring and load just enough to get reliable cycling.
That way I can use the standard 230 RN and happily chunk a chunk along.
Mike

[Dale53]

1911's have rather shallow rifling. They seem to shoot more accurately with something at least as hard as WW's. My alloy is WW's +2% tin air cooled. My guns get more target loads shot in them than heavy loads.

My current favorite is Mihec's H&G #68 ahead of 4.0 grs of Bullseye or equivalent (with Titegroup, Win 231, etc). I shoot anywhere from 5000-7500 rounds per year of this combination.

Dale53

[fecmech]

I have a 1911 made in 1918 and have shot it for about 40 years now. It was shot by a pretty serious bullseye shooter before I got it and has shot way way north of 50K rounds. A lot of target loads, a lot of ball and when I first got it I pushed it pretty hard with bowling pin loads. You will have to work pretty hard to hurt that old war horse!

[MtGun44]

Use about 4.0 Titegroup and a 230 LRN (452374 with WWts is recommended) and get a
softer main spring, if needed, until this cycles it reliably. Add a shock buff, if you want
and the gun will last many 10s of thousands of rounds. This should run about 750 fps,
according to Hornady. Factory loads are 230 JACKETED at 830 fps. Jacketed are FAR
harder on the barrel than lead.

I have 1911s that have just short of 100,000 rounds through them with lead and the
guns are just fine, and they were shot with major caliber IPSC loads in the old 185,000
power factor (200 SWC at 950 fps). This gun is not made of glass or something.

Bill

[Lloyd Smale]

I dont care for buffers but if a guy changes his springs out at least every 2000 rounds, preferably 1000 and doesnt exceed factory pressures and keeps his gun lubricated a decent 1911 will about run forever. Like mtgun ive got a couple that probably have near 100k on them and i dont think i own one that doesnt have at least 50k and clean them up and they still look like new.

[35remington]

Assuming it has the standard firing pin stop, a 1911 with a standard 16 lb. spring will run reliably with a 200 grain bullet down to around 700 fps or so. There's no need for a lighter spring if you can manage this much velocity or more, and a 200 @ 700 feels, and is, quite light and pleasant to shoot.

And easy on the gun with lead bullets.

My standard load for practice is a ~190 grain HG 68 clone @ 775 fps, and I doubt my gun is going to wear out anytime soon using this load. Fired cases have no dents from the ejector at all. This with standard 16 lb. spring.

Load is 4.0 Red Dot.

[9.3X62AL]

The 1911 and 1911A1 are incredibly robust. That isn't a license to hotrod the things, but if fed standard-pressure loads I don't think a shooter could ever wear one out to the point of unreliability. The nutbar cranks who once worked Cal-DOJ firearms forensics were always after my agency to provide "destruction guns", and 1911A1s were their very bestest favorites. They ran HUNDREDS of rounds through these pistols with double-charges of Bullseye behind 230 grain FMJs. All they did was keep right on running. Triple charges of Bullseye (!!!) would pretty reliably swell the chambers and tie up the slide travel, and about half the time the unsupported case head would blow out and take the magazine with it--but the pistols themselves "held".

[KCSO]

My standard light load is 4.2 of Bullseye and a 230 rn bullet cast from wheel weights. No leading and about 750 fps from my WWII Remington Rand and it hits spot on with the GI sights.

[jhrosier]

I shot my WWI vintage 1911 until the barrel bushing cracked due to most of a century of use.
I replaced it with a new Colt MKIVSeries70 and later sold it to a collector.
If I were to shoot a vintage 1911 now, I would install a neoprene recoil buffer (about $1 ).

Jack

[nwellons]

Thanks for the great replies, everyone. I've Googled and found replacement springs and recoil buffers. I will try both.

[Moonie]

I use 3.2gr of Clays with a mihec 200gr HP for plinking with a 12lb progressive spring. about 600fps.

[imashooter2]

Your gun is not going to have a heat treated slide. If it has real collector or sentimental value, you may want to rethink shooting it at all. If shoot it you must, then 200 grain SWC at 700 fps or less would be about right.

[asw1911pc@aol.com]

I have a sw1911PC not an old M 1911 but I use 3.5 of trail boss powder very low recoil and the pistol cycles very light. I also use 5.5 of trail boss and it has a low recoil. Both loads work for my 1911