I own my father's WW2 era 1911, made by Ithaca in 1943 — and it cycles hollowpoints just fine, including Corbon's infamous +P 185 grain "flying ashcans" (which I only did after installing an 18 pound recoil spring and buffer pad from King's Gun Works). A properly functioning 1911 ought to be able to digest just about anything, particularly a modern S&W. For what it's worth, I carried and function fired 230 grain Hydro-Shoks in my 3" Kimber and they worked just fine. I've also carried both HST and Gold Dots.Mithras61 wrote:My father is a Korean War-era Marine, and he carries FMJ in everything. He says he wants to be sure that it will function and that a .45" hole is big enough if you shoot them 'til the magazine is empty.
Pretty much any premium quality hollowpoint ammunition should serve you well, but the bottom line is you should test fire at a range if you have any qualms about function. And by the way, I've had FMJs jam in a 1911 before. Poor ammo quality, limp-wristing, a dirty gun, whatever... FMJs are not "jam-proof." The main advantage to an FMJ is if you want to shoot through a car door, or windshield glass, or something like that. And if you do, Gold Dots still perform quite well in that regard.