The E-Series and SWC's/JHP's/FMJ's

[John Eastwood]

I've only shot my E-Series with SWC's because I reloaded a ton of them and have had roughly 10 FTF's in 200 rounds. I have some Hornady JHP's that I am anxious to try to find out if it it is duty-worthy. I have only fired about 100 FMJ's through the weapon with zero malfunctions so I believe FMJ's are good to go.

I understand that SWC's are very prone to FTF's in 1911's so I am not too surprised. The SWC's are range-only so I deal with it. They are Rainier SWC's (soft copper/not lead) and prone to deform easily when chambering.

From my research, I understand that the E-Series has a fairly deep (.400?) throat cut into the frame to allow chambering of many different types of ammo. I am not sure about that but I think I got that info from 10-8 performance.

Question: How many rounds/brands of JHP's/FMJ's/SWC's/LWSC's have you fired through your E-Series and how reliable has it been for you? Have you noticed any differences in reliability from one type to another? Thanks.

[rbert0005]

Get yourself a Lee Factory Crip die and your troubles will be over.

Bob

[John Eastwood]

Thanks, but that doesn't answer my question.

[BruceM]

Actually, SWC bullets such as the H&G #68 and it's clones are specifically designed to feed reliably in 1911's so I don't know where you got the notion that they are troublesome. The days of the pistols only feeding 230 grain round nose hardball are long gone. I don't have a clue what you're referring to regarding the .400 inch "throat cut" in the frame cut but I'm sure that if it's an issue, somebody here will jump in with accurate information. Could you possibly be referring to the machining of the feed ramp? If you are having feeding issues, I'd look at the magazines first along with the COAL which may have to be tweaked when going from one gun to another. From what I have seen here and on other boards, the vast majority of E-series feeding issues are magazine related and do not reside within the gun.

As for the Lee FCD, I was actually waiting for somebody who thinks these are the solution for all manner of ills, real or perceived, to jump in with that. I, for one, am not in that camp.

Bruce

[John Eastwood]

''The feed ramp is cut wide and deep, past .400", which is a good thing and also rarely seen on production 1911s. It is far more common to see shallow, narrow feed ramps which will feed ok with ball, but may be a bit hit or miss with different hollow points. This feed ramp geometry should handle all types of ammunition quite well. The barrel is throated well, with good geometry and surface finish at the mouth of the chamber. he feed ramp does exhibit some minor but noticeable machining marks. I will be interested to see how these fare once they get dirty or are fed hollow points.''


That quote is taken from Hilton Yam as seen here:

http://10-8performance.blogspot.com/...ed-review.html

I have read all over this site and many others in my searches that SWC's are hit and miss as to whether they will work in your 1911 or not. Such is not the case for JHP's and FMJ's generally speaking.

I have factory Checkmate mags. I haven't went into them yet because I have not fired enough FMJ's and JHP's to determine if an issue exists with those bullet types. Just looking to here from others who've put a lot of rounds downrange with different bullet types in their E-Series. Thanks again.

[Redhat]

Originally Posted by John Eastwood

''The feed ramp is cut wide and deep, past .400", which is a good thing and also rarely seen on production 1911s. It is far more common to see shallow, narrow feed ramps which will feed ok with ball, but may be a bit hit or miss with different hollow points. This feed ramp geometry should handle all types of ammunition quite well. The barrel is throated well, with good geometry and surface finish at the mouth of the chamber. he feed ramp does exhibit some minor but noticeable machining marks. I will be interested to see how these fare once they get dirty or are fed hollow points.''


That quote is taken from Hilton Yam as seen here:

http://10-8performance.blogspot.com/...ed-review.html

I have read all over this site and many others in my searches that SWC's are hit and miss as to whether they will work in your 1911 or not. Such is not the case for JHP's and FMJ's generally speaking.

I have factory Checkmate mags. I haven't went into them yet because I have not fired enough FMJ's and JHP's to determine if an issue exists with those bullet types. Just looking to here from others who've put a lot of rounds downrange with different bullet types in their E-Series. Thanks again.

My experience was that initially I had some feed problems with my SWCs. Based on info I received in the reloading forum here, I adjusted the COL and it helped a lot. I also tried other magazines with different feed lip designs (hybrid) and have had no issues since. Sometimes it has to do with the release point during feeding.

[clearshot7]

I have put through my SW1911Sc more than 800+ FMJs and much less (perhaps, 100 or so) JHPs. I have had 2 FTFs, but I believe both were the result of a too relaxed grip. The 1911 requires a proper, strong grip, maybe more than other semiautomatics. Just my opinion - not sure what others think about that. I do love this gun!

[John Eastwood]

Thanks guys. Keep 'em coming. I have thousands and thousands of rounds downrange with all types of polymer pistols, namely Glocks of all sizes, and they eat anything. This is my first 1911 and it's a tad touchy with the SWC range loads. I appreciate the help. I'll upload my load data as soon as time permits.

[BruceM]

The feed ramp is cut wide and deep, past .400", which is a good thing and also rarely seen on production 1911s.

From my research, I understand that the E-Series has a fairly deep (.400?) throat cut into the frame to allow chambering of many different types of ammo.

Incorrect terminology I guess. Also, I believe that the .400" dimension is the width of the feed ramp, not the depth. Mr. Yam's description is not real definitive.

I have read all over this site and many others in my searches that SWC's are hit and miss

I think that if you look a little more closely at these threads, most of which are in the reloading forum I would guess, you'll find that the OAL just needed to be adjusted. In actuality, it's not the OAL but rather the dimension from the case mouth to the top of the highest driving band (shoulder) on the bullet.

Anyway, other than the COAL, the loading data for for your ammo would seem inconsequential unless it produces extremely low velocities. I suspect that you may need to fire a couple of hundred more rounds in order to smooth everything out and possibly tweak the OAL and maybe, the magazines.



Bruce

[Bigmant]

In FMJs I have shot close to 1000+ rounds through my 1911SC E series and have not had a single fail to eject or feed. Maybe its luck, but I call it superior craftmanship. As for hollow points I've shot about 50 and have likewise experienced no problems. I would trust this gun with my life.

[John Eastwood]

Thanks for that. I'll fire down with my 1,000 rounds +/- of various JHP's on hand and see what happens.

[Mbaer]

Flawless in the past 500 rounds with Golden Saber BJHP. One FTF in the first 50 rounds with Speer Gold Dot ammo. Sc e series 4.25"