Horse'nround,

Thank you for your kind offer, sir. But my OP was not the result of a reliability issue with this pistol. It has functioned perfectly through about 600 rounds, including approximately 200 rounds of various JHP rounds. A little more background/clarification on my inquiry:

The pistol involved is a Springfield Champion Loaded Stainless (not made anymore). I purchased it about 6 years ago, and carry it from time to time. When I purchased it, I did a bit or research and selected 3 or 4 JHP rounds to try (Sabers, Gold Dot, PDX1, another I can't recall). I also ran the rounds through another 1911 I owned at the time. The Champion worked perfectly with all range ammo and all the JHPs I tried. The other 1911, not an expensive model, but with all the bells and whistles, would not feed the Gold Dots reliably.

Somehow at the time I came to the conclusion (totally unscientific) that the Champion seemed to feed smoother with the Golden Sabers. In addition to firing about 125 rounds of JHP through each pistol I also hand-cycled the rounds a number of times. Comparing the Golden Sabers with the Gold Dots, the Dots were shorter. The Golden Sabers most closely resembled ball ammo. Hence my totally unscientific choice of carry ammo.

Since the original testing, I have a total of about 600 rounds through the Champion with not a single issue. This includes about another 100 rounds of Golden Sabers (I fire off the carry rounds about once a year, and replace them with "fresh" rounds).

When I recently tried to replenish my carry load inventory (the Golden Sabers), I had trouble finding it on line. Fortunately, another member here (and elsewhere) saw my post and pointed me in the direction of a vendor who had plenty of it available. I just ordered a case at a very good price and with no shipping charges. I think I am all set for carry .45 for the next decade.

In any event, it isn't a reliability issue with the pistol. It has functioned out-of-the-box and without modification without a single issue (albeit not a high round count). It was more of a "I'm stuck on the Golden Sabers because I really like how they feed" thing. So, I was looking for something similar when I thought it was no longer available.

But, again, thank you for your kind offer.

Regards,

LittleGator,
Glad to hear that you have found a good supply of carry ammo. Sorry for missing your point in the OP. Your methodology for round selection is spot on and is about as scientific as it gets. As 1911’s are as individual as their owners what works for you may not work for the next guy.

As a point of interest, if you have a set of calipers measure the average OAL of your golden sabers and the other rounds in your selection pool to see if there is a difference.
Round length plays a big part in where the round impacts the feed ramp and thus the feel of the round going into battery. As a general rule the shorter the round the lower the impact on the feed ramp.

The angle of incidence and the round contour are the two biggest factors in the amount of energy required from the slide in the return to battery. Hence, the “feel” of the feed, don’t discount it. The feel is culmination of all the functions of gun and operator, if it doesn’t feel right. It probably isn’t, and needs to be addressed. Sounds to me like you have this well in hand.

I've been carrying Sig Arms new V Crown in both 9 and 45. Feeds very well through my 1911's. IF IF IF you are a reloader, try using a vernier caliper to get the overall length, and then reproduce the round using less expensive JHP's like Montana Gold (which is truly a target JHP, although I do believe it will make a mess of any flesh it hits. All I shoot out of my pistols are JHP, since I buy in bulk and load my own. Gosh I LOVE this hobby!

DaFadda