Remington Golden Saber 230 gr. discontinued?
 

I went looking to replenish my supply of carry ammo and it seems Remington's Golden Saber .45 in 230 gr. is nowhere to be found on line. I saw one post stating it is discontinued. A few years ago I tested several different JHP's and found the Golden Saber to feed most reliably (no issues whatsoever). Now, it seems it has gone away.

My thought and cursory observation is that the shape of the bullet, the reduced size of the "hollow" on the point (compared to others), and the OAL result in a profile which most closely mimics ball ammo and optimizes reliability.

So, any suggestions on which JHP in 230 has a profile most closely matching ball ammo?

Alternatively, which carry ammo have you guys found to feed most reliably in your 1911s?

I never had a problem with Federal Hydra-Shoks. Of course it helps that they are free to me.

This is my favorite defensive round in 9mm, but I leave this video here for the 45 ACP. The YouTube tester is well known for his dedication and fairness of his testings.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWW2Y-IZpyE

Speer Gold Dot has a similar parabolic profile as ball. I've been loading and running these as my carry ammo because they seem to feed so smoothly. I have a lot of Hornady XTP in 200gr, but they are a lot more conical which makes them very length sensitive.

This is what I use (45) and have had zero issues.

Based on advise here and elsewhere and a little Internet research, I think I will order a box each of WWB Personal Protection, the Federal HST (replaced the Hydra-Shok?), and Hornady XTP in 200gr. I also have a left-over box of Gold Dots from when I tested different rounds a few years ago.

I'll try a few magazines of each, and see which works best to replace the Golden Sabers.

Thanks all for the input.

This!^^^^^ Best hp ammo I've tried and my current go to.

Mine too!

I viewed the video Pitor posted, looks very impressive. May be mine too (shortly) if it cycles perfectly through the Springfield Champion. I've ordered two boxes from Palmetto State Armory. Should be here soon -- along with the Hornady. I'll check Wally World tomorrow for the WWB JHP.

If you can post a pict of your pistols ramp and breech I might be able to give you some tips on feed issues and fixes. Surprisingly even good large scale manufacturers may overlook basic fit and finish points that can cause feeding problems. The photo below shows an optimal finish for performance and reliability and some basic operating dimensions. Most everything pictured can be done by hand with a little study and elbow grease. On the off chance, what type of magazine are you using?
http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/...BOBrampgap.jpg

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