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Auto-Ordnance M1911A1 and ammo choice

BlairweescotBlairweescot Member Posts: 2,014 ✭✭✭✭✭
edited August 2009 in Ask the Experts
Last year I picked up a military-spec type A-O M1911A1 with the wood grips, made in Worcester MA, not West Hurley NY. It was used but was in near-new condition. Here in MA, there's a law about this type of pistol, and its of a type that has a law associated with it that makes 1911 prices quite high, having to do with state compliance, or else being in the state and registered prior to a certain date. So for now, this is the only 1911 I can afford. Although, I quite like it and it has been a good pistol for me. I have about 700 rounds through it so far. The only issue I've had is the occasional stovepipe. I've had that three times. I've since put a USGI trigger in it and the black rubberized grips, which are cheap and feel great in my opinion

I went looking for 230 gr .45 ACP hardball ammo today, and all I can find is personal protection rounds, which my pistol won't like to feed, or +P rounds, which I'm not interested in. The personal protection rounds were 230 gr, and they were not very expensive (to today's standards at least)

Does anyone have experience with taking an A-O .45 to a 'smith and having him work it to take a wider variety of ammo? They are designed to only accept hardball according to A-O
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Comments

  • rufe-snowrufe-snow Member Posts: 18,650 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    If you have a Dremal you might try polishing the portion of the frame just in front of barrel, called the ramp. And the bottom inclined portion of the barrel chamber called the throat. Polishing these two surfaces to a mirror finish usually has a very beneficial affect on feeding blunt nose bullets.

    There are also different types of hollow point bullets. Some have much more difficult in feeding reliably then others. My personal favorites are Remington Golden Sabers. They have a radius on the nose that feeds much more reliably then other types of hollow points.
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  • perry shooterperry shooter Member Posts: 17,105 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Get some good quality magazines with an arched follower. Wilson for one but look in the brownell's catalog and you will see many quality magazines. If you do go the DREMEL route Polish is the key word don't remove more metal then is needed to polish . You might want to check with the CMP civilian marksmanship program and see if they have any 230 grain BALL ammo or places like Midway USA.
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  • BlairweescotBlairweescot Member Posts: 2,014 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Understood on the feed ramp; I have done this job to my 1944 cyq P.38

    Thanks. Will look at some mags
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  • 11b6r11b6r Member Posts: 16,584 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    FWIW- I used to shoot some matches that required a "rack issue" quality 45- just as close to a military issue 45 as you could get- and I picked up an AO 1911A1.

    Tried several different cartridges, including my hardball handloads, miltary match ammo, etc etc. To my absolute disgust, what I found that it LOVED, fed flawlessly, shot to point of aim, and won matches for me- was cheapo aluminum cased Blazer. dang pistol just ate the stuff up. Go figure.
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  • beantownshootahbeantownshootah Member Posts: 12,776 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I am well aware of your MA compliance issues, and you have my sympathies.

    FWIW, I believe the Smith 1911s are MA-compliant; I think they are the only new-manufacture 1911-type guns that are.

    I picked up my own MA-compliant 1911 used at Tombstone Trading in Brookfield (actually bought it on gunbroker, I think). If you've never checked it out, they have a very nice collection of older MA-compliant guns. Lucked into a beat-up series 70 Colt. These *can* be found if you look around enough. . .unfortunately, as you know the prices are really high.

    Your Auto-Ordnance should really be no different than most any other plain 1911, so any competent gunsmith ought to be able to customize it a million different ways. Unfortunately the gun was designed for ball ammo; that's always going to be the best choice.

    In terms of ammo, ball ammo in .45 ACP probably isn't the best choice for defense in that caliber, but I don't think its a bad choice overall.

    In terms of personal protection ammo, the Corbon "Pow-R-ball" ammo is designed specifically to mimic the shape of ordinary ball ammo, and may feed well in your Auto-ordnance.

    Unfortunately, its not cheap, but it is really good ammo for its intended purpose.

    Carl at Four Seasons in Woburn can probably hook you up with some. I used to buy Corbon ammo there, and I'm pretty sure he stocks it. If he doesn't have any in stock, he can probably back-order you some.
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  • Colonel PlinkColonel Plink Member Posts: 16,460
    edited November -1
    I just sold my A-O 1911A1 to fund a CCW revolver.

    That thing ate everything I ever fed it and hit right at point of aim. It was one of my best shooting guns.
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  • john wjohn w Member Posts: 4,104
    edited November -1
    This may sound funny but i have a colt and a charles daly and the daly outshoots the colt!
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  • BlairweescotBlairweescot Member Posts: 2,014 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Thanks guys. I'm not worried about using the pistol for 'personal protection' using dedicated 'personal protection' rounds. I just want to be able to go shoot it once in a while. I have other stuff for personal protection if that ever came up; the .45 would shoot through this house I'm in!

    Beantown- coincidentally, four seasons is where I purchased the pistol. You're right about the S&Ws- I was looking at S&W 1911s and bemoaning how I couldn't afford them when I saw it. So far that plain jane ugly thing has been pretty good to me

    Four seasons website is wacky, but they have a good list of what you can't buy in MA. I was going to go there yesterday actually but they have a second gen Colt model of 1851 that I would be too tempted to buy!



    Thanks for all the help everyone. I guess I should buy a box of some of this stuff and see how it goes before I worry too much. From what A-O says, its ball only so I didn't even try
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  • Colonel PlinkColonel Plink Member Posts: 16,460
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by Blairweescot



    Thanks for all the help everyone. I guess I should buy a box of some of this stuff and see how it goes before I worry too much. From what A-O says, its ball only so I didn't even try


    I fed a bunch of handloads, 185-gr Golden Sabers, Winchester White Box and assorted other ammo through mine before I even read the "230-gr roundball ONLY" warning on the label. Luckily, my Auto Ord didn't read it either[:D]
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  • babunbabun Member Posts: 11,038 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Like the Colonel's, My AOD 1911 government eats just about anything
    I put thru it. I believe an important item missed on using different
    ammo in a "hardball" gun is NOT to "limp wrist " it. Let the recoil
    do what it has to do.....work the slide and feed a new round in. Bob
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