1911: .45 Automatic vs 9x19mm

I have both and feel very comfortable with using both. Practice and shot placement is what matters, They both will get the job done. From personal experience being restricted to using FMJ "ball" ammo, I would choose the 45 over the 9mm. With SD?HD ammo, the 9 will work just as good. I carry my 9mm 1911 as much as I carry my 45 1911.

I'm a fan of the 1911 regardless of the cartridge. I'd rather have a 38 Super than a 9x19 though.

But, I'm a fan of momentum vs energy. So, if you can shoot the 45 ACP, that's the one I'd have.

I have a Para Ordinance 1911 DAO in 9mm that I really don't care for.
I have a Taurus 1911 stainless in 45 that I like much better.
I figure if I'm going to carry a gun that heavy it should at least make big holes.

The real question is which one you can shoot better.

1KPerDay said:

The real question is which one you can shoot better.

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That can definitely make a big difference. Though I would have to say for me, shooting my full size 45 1911 is the same as shooting my full size 9mm 1911. Everyone is different though.

As it happens LAV just posted this. A few good points to consider.

A relative of mine shoots 3 gun, and was he raving about the double-stack 9mm 1911 that he replaced his Glock with. I had never seriously considered a 9mm 1911 before, because they seemed just plain wrong, but after hearing him pound the table about it for 10 mins I became a little more open-minded.

A Ruger single-stack 9mm 1911 is now on my to-buy list (the thin grip of the pistol is one of its biggest positives to me), but I'm not really that knowledgeable about 1911s in general. I'd be glad to hear any other suggestions from you guys.

Mister Coffee said:

Good video, 1K. Appropriate for this thread. But Larry really needs to back away from the burrito truck.

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He’s actually lost a lot of weight the past couple years.

Have examples of each. Shoot both well. But love the thump of that 45

Make mine a 45. If you have a gun that is designed around a 45, why would you want anything else.

I can’t think of any gun that shoots better than a 1911. A big old clunky gun that shoots a big old bullet. What’s not to love?

I'm with Mr. Coffee above, Hi-Power if I want a SA 9mm. Fits my hand better and gives me more capacity.

Nothing wrong with a 9mm 1911 if that is your preference though. Ammo is cheaper than .45 for practice.

If you're not concerned about the cost of ammo, start with a .45 ACP 1911. If cost is an issue, 9mm.

Have both, carry both, shoot both very well.

For me 1911s in 9mm are range toys not serious use guns. It has nothing to do with 9mm vs 45 as a defensive round but everything to do with 9mm in the 1911 platform. I carry an alloy BHP 80% of the time. The rest of the time it is a pocket LCP or a subcompact Sphinx SDP or Wilson EDCX9.

The window for proper function of the 1911 in 9mm is too narrow for me fir a defensive gun. The spec of the 1911 and the aspects that make it work in 45 ACP had to be severely altered to fit the 9mm into the platform.

John Travis AKA 1911tuner explained it like this on another forum.

“The OAL is too short and the tiny rim and extractor groove require heavy modification to an extractor that was designed to work with the .45 Auto's case dimensions.

Because of the extractor groove, the tip of the extractor claw is used to place tension on the case in the bottom of the extractor groove instead of the tensioning wall bearing against the rim. A little too much tension, and you get feed problems. Back off enough for reliable feed/return to bettery, and you run into extraction and.or ejectionproblems. Take enough off the claw to bring the tensioning wall into contact with the rim, and it's too short to hang onto the case and bring it out of the chamber. One of the tricky things about running a cartridge with the pressure levels of the 9mm is that the extractor has to work harder to pull it clear. Add to that a very short claw, and it gets tricky.

Finally...even with a light recoil spring...the 115 grain ammunition barely generates enough recoil impetus to drive the slide and barrel backward with authority. The 124 grain stuff is better. The 147 grain offering is better still.

That delicate balance, coupled with the too short OAL is, while a 1911 may be okay for a rangetoy...if you get one that runs...I'd never recommend carrying one for serious purpose.They can be made to run...if the wrench understands what he's doing and why...but it tries one's patience, and patience is something that I've run short of in my old age.“

This does not mean they can’t work but the odds of feeding and extraction failures are much higher in 1911s in 9mm vs any other round IMHO. I still own a few and love to shoot them I just don’t use them as defensive guns. There are better platforms for that chambered in 9mm IMHO.

12Bravo20 said:

Practice and shot placement is what matters

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1KPerDay said:

The real question is which one you can shoot better.

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The never ending debate... It's a personal decision because both will get the job done if you are able to shoot them well. I shoot both at every range trip. I enjoy both.

I carry a P938 because I've reached the age I want a smaller, lighter gun always in my pocket.

Both he commander and full-size 1911s shoot extremely well in either caliber. What do YOU like?

drband said:

The never ending debate... It's a personal decision because both will get the job done if you are able to shoot them well. I shoot both at every range trip. I enjoy both.

I carry a P938 because I've reached the age I want a smaller, lighter gun always in my pocket.

Both he commander and full-size 1911s shoot extremely well in either caliber. What do YOU like?

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I see that I am not the only one that does that. Sometimes I carry one of my 1911s (usually the 45 compact) and sometimes I grab the Kel-Tec P3AT but most of the time it is the Sig P938 that is on my hip.

I've got Ruger 9mm CMD lightweight - has ramped barrel, like it fine.
Also have Ruger 45 CMD lightweight, titanium insert to protect feed ramp, like it fine.
Between those two, assume two spare mags either way, I'd carry the 45 - I don't find 45 recoil objectionable, and prefer larger bullets.

And... there is no such thing as "caliber war" that term is cried out by people carrying minimal calibers in hope of ceasing caliber discussion.

CDW4ME said:

And... there is no such thing as "caliber war" that term is cried out by people carrying minimal calibers in hope of ceasing caliber discussion.

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This statement gets my vote for the weakest statement in the entire thread so far. Pretty much all handgun calibers with the exception of a few which are not really suitable for carry in the US are minimal calibers. The idea that the 45 ACP vs 40 vs 9mm etc... is comparing minimal vs maximal is absurd.

I'll take the 45. As a matter of fact I just traded off my 1911 9mm. As much fun as the 9mm can be in the 1911 format I shoot the 45 much better.

CDW4ME said:

And... there is no such thing as "caliber war"

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Because there is no such thing as minimal calibers.
Just poor shots!

Mr. Mosin said:

Please attempt to remove the bias and put forth good points of thought.

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Absolutely not! That is @WVsig ’s job!
Mine is to espouse the compatibly of the M1911 and the 45Auto.
I, too, am a fan of momentum. Having two more cartridges doesn’t make up for half the projectile weight.

I no longer own a 1911 but have owned a few.
My 1911s were all .45 ACP.
If I were considering “9mm vs .45 ACP” in a 1911 I know it would end up as .45 ACP. The 1911 was designed around the .45 ACP not the 9mm. If I were looking at a 9mm gun I would look at guns designed around the 9mm, not the .45 ACP.

I am certain that 1911s made for the 9mm cartridge work just fine but I am one of those people that Murphy’s Law was written for. My 1911 9mm would have problems just because the gun wasn’t designed around the 9mm round.

To me it’s like taking a powerful off road truck and trying to make it fuel efficient (1911 shooting 9mm) or taking a sports car and mounting a pick up truck bed on it (gun designed for 9mm and setting it up for .45 ACP).

drband said:

Both he commander and full-size 1911s shoot extremely well in either caliber. What do YOU like?

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In the 1911 platform I will take 45 ACP but in pretty much every other platform I choose 9mm. The bullet if you shoot the gun “extremely” well will not matter. When you talk to trainers like LAV & Ken Hackathorn they talk about 9mm being the dominant caliber being shot and carried today.

Both basically talk about it being a Glock world now. Outside the US it’s 19s and 17s because most countries don’t have legal concealed carry for civilians. They see more 19s and 17s than any other platform and in capable hands even with ball they are as capable as any other handgun.

We all have our preferences and that is fine but we shouldn’t present our subjective opinions and preferences as if they were universal truths.

Mr. Mosin said:

Would one be better off trading the +2 additional capacity of 9x19 for the lesser capacity (but possibly more effective) .45 Automatic ? FMJ or HP is irrelevant, the 9mm is still a small hole, .45 is still a big hole.
.

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To what end?
Economy of practice?
Self defense?
Cool factor?

For self defense a lot would depend on the shooter and the circumstances.
In a gunfight, it's not a "given" that you'll live long enough to launch those last two parabellum

A 1911 in any caliber other than 45 or 38 super is unseemly to me. Always will be.