Federal Hydra Shok and 8 round 1911 Mags

G

Gregory Gauvin

New member
I have always carried 7+1 of Federal Hydra Shok in my 1911, using a 7 round SA GI mil-spec mag. 100% reliable. I really like the flush fit mag for carry as opposed to my factory mags (which are 8 rounders) and have the bumpers.

So, ideally, I like the idea of having that extra round and wanted to get myself a flush fitting 8 round mag and carry 8+1. Behold, I dug out a Kimber I never shoot, and in the case I have a 7 round factory mag it came with, and I had purchased a flush fit 8 round kimber mag.

The brand new 8 round kimber mag fits and functions fine in my carry gun. It is dimensionally identical to my SA 7 round mag, aside from the follower. No problems feeding ball ammunition. The (notorious) problem I am having is the first or second round on a fully loaded magazine nose dive, impact the feed ramp, and fail to chamber.

The culprit I suspect is the ogive and shape of the federal hydra shok round. I know there are threads and threads on this issue with various suggestions and modifications and just forgetting the whole 8 round mag idea all together and stick with 7 rounders like JMB designed it.

Does anybody know of a premium quality HP round with an ogive that mimics that of ball to induce reliable first round feeding? I need to replace my carry ammo anyhow and looking for a round that is known to work well without nose diving in flush fit 8 rounders. The Federals I currently carry have a rather flat point shape to them not well suited to glide up the feed ramp but rather smack head on into it. A HP seated to a long OAL would probably also help in reliable feeding.

The hydra shoks were/still do have good reports. Instead of spending lots of money of various brands of expensive carry ammo, can anyone recommend me a different round? I was thinking of the PDX1 stuff, winchester rangers, or the like....I'm just not familiar as to which particular HP has an ogive closely similar to ball. If I can't find a HP that reliably chambers the first round, I'll be forced to go back to my 7 round mag and put the 8 rounder in the closet never to see the light of day.... :(
 
Hornady personal defence helped for me, but then the lip of the brass catches next. I filed and polished the mag a bit. I also loaded the rounds after polishing them with wd40. Still had probs. I went back to 7. My p250 does it sometimes too with 10... 9 and no probs
 
I may be biased but before I looked at the ammo I would look at the mag. I have run federal HST and Hydro shock in colt / ruger / brown/GI and other 1911's with zero issue. One common factor; I run wilson 8 round mags; Either 47d or the ETM.

I would try that first
 
I have always run Wilson 8 rounders with Speer gold dot 230gn. Zero function problems in either my fullsize or commander

FWIW...
 
My carry load is Winchester Ranger T 230gr JHP +P, I've never had any feeding issues in any of my 1911s with them regardless of magazine. For an 8rd flush fit mag I use CMC Shooting Stars and they work great. I also like Wolff's 8rd mag but they have a thicker plastic base plate.
 
My full sized Springfield Armory 1911 and Shooting Star 8 rounders get along just fine with 230 grain Hydra-Shok, both the older truncated cone style and the newer rounded ogive version. Run a web search on "magazine tuning" and visit http://forums.1911forum.com/ and do the same. You should find that a little work with a file and/or stone will solve your problem.
 
Cor Bon Pow'rball is the best at mimicking the shape of FMJ ammo. It has a plastic bead tip in front and is practically seemless. I had problems feeding JHP with a para I had and the Pow'rball fixed that issue. Just hard to find.
 
As you are finding out many types of HP Ammo. has problems feeding in many 1911s. The 1911 was designed to shoot ball "round nose" Ammo. This is why the PowerBall was made to be used in picky 1911s. Problems most happen in the 3"&4" 1911s,but can also happen in the 5" ones.
Also some HP Ammo. might not feed right in some Mags. I advise to start testing both Mags and Ammo. Just try different HP Ammo. in different Mags.
 
I'm not a 1911 guru,but I have successfully fixed this once.Not all feed ramps are created equal.
No,I am not suggesting you get the Dremel out!

I have observed many 1911 style handguns appear to be "finished" from the casting or forging by some production worker with a Foredom who comes to work and grinds a tub of 1911 feed ramps all day for $2 over minimum wage...and may not own a gun."Make it look like this" for training.

On some 1911 frames,if you took avertical cross section through the feed ramp,the profile,instead of being a straight ramp,has been "blend/rounded"so it looks like the profile of a beer belly or a pear.
The "roll down" of the lower part of the ramp results in the bullet nose contacting a steeper incline low.

I fixed exactly one 1911 SA milspec by setting it up in a Bridgeport at 31 deg and using an end mill to true the ramp to a straight angle.Note!I did not have to move the ramp forward up toward the chamber at all.The .030(approx.) stepoff from feed ramp to chamber throat was not touched or changed.

It solved the problem.

There are also followers more resistant to rolling forward and down.
I'll see if I can find the link.
OK,here is the link.You might look into Tripp Cobra mags
http://youtu.be/xMZRssZcgBg
 
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I used nothing but a combination of 1911/8rd mag/230 HS for maybe twenty years? I still have an 8-rounder stoked with HS in my safe, and would trust it right now.
The majority of JHP rounds today mimic the 230 hardball ogive.
Hydra-shok has changed considerably over the years, the early ones being a shoulderless truncated cone, followed by a TC with distinct shoulder, followed by a round, hardball-shaped profile.
I switched to Winchester 230 some years ago, and it looks little different in profile from the latest version of HS.
 
I carry an early Kimber Pro Carry and have always used Wilson 7 or 8 round mags. I think the 8 rounders are 47D Models. My ammo of choice right now is Hornady 185 grain Critical Defense.
 
I agree with Aguila Blanca -- Remington Golden Saber. I use them with good results in any 1911 that seems picky with hollow points. Of course, you might also consider an extended length 8-round mag but I understand if you don't want to do so for concealed carry.
 
May be the magazine, not the ammo

I've found 7 round Tripp / Cobra magazines to be reliable.
Others, not so much.
 
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