I have 3 rounds I'm considering for SD in my Kimber Ultra Carry II. First is Remington UMC HP 230gr, Hornady TAP 230gr +P and Remington UMC Ball 230gr.

Both UMC rounds feed and function fine out of my Kimber. The TAP I have not tried as its 230gr +P and I'm wondering if anyone has tried it and does it kick.I'm not really interested in the lighter loads as I would like to keep it the good ol' 230gr.

My dilema is this for the 3" barrel:

1.Use standard velocity 230gr hollow point and hope it expands. If it expands though will it penetrate enough?

2.Use the standard velocity 230gr Ball round and get great penetration and be happy with the .45 hole it would make.

3.Use the 230gr. +P HP ammo and put up with the recoil.

Lets say all 3 feed and function fine, as I know 2 do and will test the 3rd soon. I'm not sure what exactly the best is for these little 1911s. I don't want to try a light load so I can make sure of proper slide function and that I can use the 230gr. that 1911s were built for, + I have lots of it. I'm not looking for you to tell me what I should do but more opinions especially about any of the rounds mentioned or similar specs.

The shortest barrel I've seen the TAP or UMC Ball/HP ammo ballistics in was a 3.8in. barrel.

1. Yes.
2. Better choices out there
3. It won't a terribly large increase in recoil.

Out of that short a barrel, I'd check out the Barnes XPB, the Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel, or the HST +p.