45 vs 9MM 1911

9mm works fine in 1911s. It's like shooting a regular 1911, but in 9mm.

The advantage of 9mm is ammo price. The disadvantage is capacity compared to most 9mm pistols.

Recoil is fine for both 9mm and 45 acp is a 40+ ounce gun.

When ammo availability comes back I’ll be buying a 9mm 1911, probably the rock island.
Their are a lot of possibilities out there but for the price it’s for me to look past the rock.

I will say I would also kind of like a long slide, but I haven’t seen one in 9mm.

And then you have the hybrid version from Wilson in their EDC9 or EDC X9; basic 1911 features without the grip safety

Axis II said:

Any advantage of a 45 over a 9 ...

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The .45 Auto advantage is the gun is designed and sized around the .45 Auto round. The 9mm Parabellum is shorter than the .45 Auto, so magazines need a spacer to function with the shorter round. For you Glock guys, it's like trying to get a 9mm to function in a G21. The G21 is designed around the .45 Auto while the smaller gun, the G17 is sized around the 9mm. The 1911 is sized the same whether it is shooting .45 Auto or 9mm.

The 1911 further complicates matters since most have the feed ramp on the frame and not attached to the barrel like a Glock does, though many 9mm 1911's come with a ramped barrel. A gun will typically have a different feed angle between 9mm and .45 Auto. Swapping out a barrel with the correct feed ramp is a little easier than modifying the ramp on the frame.

Another issue is a longer ejector is usually needed for this shorter round. One way to help 1911 function is to get magazines to ride higher in the gun to improve feed geometry, but often this causes conflict (contact) with the longer ejector.

If you're just punching paper then then 9mm is even better, very little recoil, accurate and if you have a few hangups (a criticism of 9mms my experience does not confirm) it doesn't matter with a range gun.

I've found the few I had every bit as accurate as the .45s.

And even today 9mm is still cheaper to shoot, so there is that.

I've had a 9mm RIA for many years. Its a Officer model. Compact i think, itx a great gun and very accurate and fun to shoot for both me and my wife.
I have bought slide, barrel and ejector and set it up 45 for when I want the bigger fun...wife likes the 9mm, lol, RIA is a nice gun and interchanges 1911 parts well, you should like it

I've owned a couple of 9mm 1911's over the years and never saw anything wrong with them. One was a Rock Island, and I forget what the other one was, but it was another of the ones from the Philippines. They were both good guns, no problems I remember with them. They got sold when some other bright shiny thing caught my eye.

Today I have a Kimber Micro 9. While it's not a pure 1911, it's sort of a 1911 style pistol I suppose. Everything is scaled down for the smaller cartridge. It seems to function well in my early shooting and is as accurate as I would expect to shoot something like it. Unlike a full size 9mm, 1911 it does have a pretty snappy recoil though, which considering it's small size and light weight shouldn't be surprising.

I have one Commander in 9mm and one Commander in 45. The 45 is a little lighter because 45ACP ammo is heavier than the 9mm ammo. Recoil between the two is negligible to me. Both fit the same holsters. I carry the 9mm.

I feel like a hypocrite but since I have bought a couple of ( actually several) 9mm 1911’s I don’t shoot my 45’s near as much.
Go ahead and splurge, you will use it.

Your OP confirmed that you are cheap but....

The Springfield EMP is an interesting 9mm 1911...ish....type handgun. It is a 1911 design that has been re-engineered for the 9mm cartridge. To put it simply, it feels very nice in the hand.

The same 9mm 1911 disadvantages still apply though. Mainly, lower capacity and higher dry weight compared to other 9mm options.

My 2 cents: 1911 pistol in calibers besides 45 or possibly 38 super are "unseemly". But at the end of the day, to each his own.

my experience only:
9mm are more reliable
9mm run cleaner
9mm have less recoil, but still enough to feel like a centerfire
9mm is flatter shooting and longer range (not an opinion)
9mm is cheaper, even in 2021
45acp will give you joint damage in the quantities I shoot
45acp ball ammo does not perform as well as 9mm defense ammo. Relevant here because most 1911's I have seen don't like 45acp defense ammo. 9mm 1911 don't seem to mind.

9mm is louder
9mm pistols can be slightly heavier.

With the excellent bullets that are available in 9mm these days the 9mm will get the job done. Not saying the 9mm is better than 45 because I load, like, and shoot both. A 9mm Commander with an alloy frame isn't that far off in weight from a similar sized polymer 9mm. 45 does have more power than a 9mm. I would trust my life to both calibers and could never present an argument that one is better than the other. When one gets into carry guns the priorities change a little bit. Size of gun kind of takes priority over size of bore.

FL-NC said:

My 2 cents: 1911 pistol in calibers besides 45 or possibly 38 super are "unseemly". But at the end of the day, to each his own.

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I gravitate towards this line of thought though not intentionally. I guess for me it's akin to dropping in a 1.6L motor from a Kia Soul into a Mustang because it's easier on gas.
Not that it wouldn't work and it may indeed be a viable solution for short commutes. I would also figure they could have just kept the engine in the Kia and drove the Soul around town.

I do have to include the 10mm with the .45acp and .38 Super as being "appropriate" for the 1911.

All that said, I wouldn't mind having a 1911 in 9mm.

I have read good reviews on ROC 1911's. A friend has one and loves it. The ROC's are an excellent place to start, and maybe stay, with 1911's.

I have a Springfield Range Officer in 9x19. It shoots fine.

I prefer a 38 Super over the 9mm in a 1911 but I do reload.

I have several Rock Island 1911's to include a full size in 9mm. They all function very well and are accurate. I have no complaints.

Spats McGee said:

I've never owned one, but I think a 9mm seems like a fine idea, obvious blasphemy aside.

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This.
Shooting a 9mm 1911s is like riding a moped sure is kinda fun until your buddies see you.

Handle a 9mm 1911 and see what you think. The Commander size 1911's in 9mm remind me of Hi Powers. It's just that the 1911's have far better triggers. And I do love Hi Powers.

Axis II said:

What does everyone think about Rock Island TAC models?

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The number one question you need to answer is where are you sourcing magazines from?

If you have that figured out, you're probably OK.

Jesus man. That’s like buying a muscle car with a V6 or decaffeinated coffee or wearing a skirt and calling it a kilt. .

In all seriousness I just like 1911’s in .45. There are plenty of awesome 9mm choices and I am sure a 9mm 1911 would be great but there is just something about that platform and .45 that just needs to be for me. This isn’t a caliber/ballistic thing just a gun nerd thing.

Axis II said:

What does everyone think about Rock Island TAC models?

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I have a 10mm TAC and it's fine, accurate and reliable if a bit rough in the fit and finish department. As noted, good mags are a plus. In 9mm I've had good luck with metalform and, of course, Wilson Combat.

cslinger said:

Jesus man. That’s like buying a muscle car with a V6 or decaffeinated coffee or wearing a skirt and calling it a kilt. .

In all seriousness I just like 1911’s in .45. There are plenty of awesome 9mm choices and I am sure a 9mm 1911 would be great but there is just something about that platform and .45 that just needs to be for me. This isn’t a caliber/ballistic thing just a gun nerd thing.

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I dunno, 9mm Colt 1911s have been around since the early 1950s and the .38 Super since the 20's I think. Plus a number of his earlier designs were in .38 auto.

So it's not like .38 caliber 1911s are a new phenomenon.