PART II

'Well two very special boxes of self-defense rounds arrived, recommended to me from ARFCOM due to their FMJ Ball profile, to enhance feeding in standard 1911-type forearms.  

So yes, I finally cleaned the ATI “Commander” thoroughly after it's 150 round workout,  If you were wondering about what the "wear" marks look like, here are some pictures once cleaned up (remember in Part 1 I added copious amounts of oil-but could have potentially ran a little dry over the 150 round /two weeks):







I even took care to check the grip screws (which I always recommend).  And of course, 3 of the 4 were loose, and none had any Loctite on them (this should not necessarily reflect poorly on ATI, as many pistols have shipped like this as I have found it to occur from VERY high end makers):



To my surprise, they are wood-I really thought they were plastic (especially at this price point) as found on some other “lower-end” 1911s.  
Another full point for ATI.  I will keep them now and not swap them (maybe).

So off to the store to procure the non-permanent blue Loctite (which is now in a red tube, which is a bit strange).
After cleaning the screws (grimy) I applied the Loctite.  

PRO TIP:
1. Use the right sized screwdriver to avoid marring;
2. Apply Locktite to the threading, and if you place too much on one screw, "share" it with the other screw threads;
3. Use your finger first to gently begin to screw it into place to avoid stripping the threads mistakenly;
4. Apply torque gently with the screwdriver once snug, again so as not to strip the threads-and let it “settle” for a few minutes, then give it one more gentle turn to snug up the threads fully.   If you use too much pressure, you will strip the threads and potentially the frame (possibly);
5.   Give a day to dry.

OK, the defensive ammo, both “state of the art” premium hollow points.  In order left to ']Federal Premium “Tactical” HST (HST), 230 grains; Remington Golden Saber (GS), 185 Grains; Ball Ammo, 230 grain (reference):



Here they are from the business end:



And further:



From their profiles, I had high expectations from the Golden Sabers, especially since they were lighter grains.  I would assumed they would feed and “come up” quicker on the feed ramp and into the chamber.  
Here it is manually “pushed” into the common jam  you must be completely familiar with the loading/unloading process of your own gun and as described here, as well as safely clearing jams.  Always point the gun in a safe direction, and assume it is always loaded.  Lest we forget, here is what these cartridges must face as they traverse from the magazine, up and over speed bumps and roadblocks, and ultimately into the chamber (sometimes):

Roadblock:



Speedbump:



Combined, this is what the cartridge must overcome:





Blue arrow shows travel out of magazine:




Mark your test round with a Sharpie pen (you will see why in a minute):



I started off by letting the pistol strip from slide lock, with just one hollow point in the factory magazine.

No problem!  Both the HST and GS fed like charms!  Dang fine start!  

Then I ran two sets of fully loaded magazines (8 full rounds), and tried to load each from slide stop...

Neither HP would feed.

Pulling the slide back (fully) from slide stop, and using the "slingshot method" also resulted in a solid jams for both HPs.

Strangely, by pulling the slide from the closed position (on an empty chamber with the full 8 round mag) and vigorously letting it slam forward it *sometimes* worked, but I would never bet my life on this happening when I need it the most.  NEVER.

Just to make sure it was the HPs, I tried a full 8 round mag loaded with 230 ball from slide stop-and it fed flawlessly.

So why mark your testing rounds?  Which one of these looks a little bit shorter than the other?



Compressed bullets can also cause SEVERE pressure spikes, and “kabooms,” even after reuse from XX-amount of chamberings that don’t jam.  
Again, proceed at your own risk.  I would recommend if you have one round jam, dispose of it legally, and not attempt to fire it.

So.  No Joy…well, wait-remember in the last segment, I reported how much better the 8 round factory magazines worked with 7 rounds in them?
Well, guess what?

Loading 7 rounds of either HST or GS into a magazine, and loading from the handicapped slide stop position resulted in the same thing:
Reliable feeding.

Please note, you almost “hear” the slide “chug” just the tiniest bit compared to when you use ball ammo.  It literally appears to load slower-but it does load, and did it every time.  
Again, my guess is the added spring pressure (on 8 rounds) causes not only more bullet “nose dive” downward (addesd drag) but requires more energy drag on the slide to strip the round against the mag lips.

I am guessing, that defensively, the hot setup would be 7 in the mag and 1 in the pipe, for a total of 8 live rounds (as previously mentioned).  
With modern hollow points like the HST and GS, that is still some serious business.

Next installment, I will take these HPs out to the range, to see if they function 100% during live fire (which I am guessing they will).

Further, I ordered some Wilson 47D stainless steel magazines which I will also test to see how they run at full (8 +1) capacity:



Additionally, I will consider a homemade "polish" job, just to slick things up a bit.

Until then, I hope you enjoyed this installment, and let me know what you think

Would it hose things up too much if you removed one coil from the mag spring so there wouldn't be too much pressure on a full mag?

Dennis, that is a good idea, but I am hesitant to do that.

The .45 230 grain slugs are heavy cartridges, and require positive spring pressure to pop into place, which becomes especially important with the shorter "runway" and higher slide speeds of less than 5 inch barreled 1911 style guns.  Of course, through use, the mag spring will weaken, and it *may* solve the problem.

I'd rather have the 7 rounds feed reliably 99% of the time.  

I want potential purchasers to know that from my personal experience (Of course, YMMV) and at that price point, they can potentially buy a .45 1911 for defense that will work, and feed reliably "as is" with that magazine, 7+1 premium defensive rounds.  

I think I am almost there right now (though a 50-100 round HP range test minimum is in order).

If the Wilson's work (8+1) reliably, then I can say to my dear readers, "for $285, plus the cost of one $25-$30 premium magazine, you too can have a 1911 that will run with 9 rounds of premium HP ammo".

Golden Sabers are notorious for bullet set-back even in modern pistols.  I avoid them like the plague.

That is pretty accurate; the HSTs did not show visible set back at all.

Added pictures showing some frame wear.

Good to know that you cleaned it. Carry on.

Nice update!

PART III will be released 8:00 PM CST Tonight

Part III is up:

Part III

Part IV will be released tomorrow, 8:00 AM CST.

Winchester Ranger is another that shows almost no setback. I had a test round I hand cycled 33 times before showing any observable setback.