1911 in 9mm questions/ advice needed

[Detritus]

After a small amount of shopping and gun foundling brought on by the thread i posted a few weeks ago, my wife has decided that while the most likely next purchase for her will be a full size or mid-size DA/SA 9mm double stack, with FNP-9, Ruger P-95, CZ-75, and Barretta 92FS topping the list, (various reasons, availablity and price amoung them) the pistol she REALLY wants is a 1911 chambered in 9mm.

So given the requirements listed below what would you guys suggest in relation to getting my loving wife the 1911 she wants?

1. Full-size or commander config (current leaning is toward full size)

2. blued, parkerized, or other "not Stainless or chrome looking" finish. silver guns remind her of the cap guns of her youth and do not look "real" to her have not had a chance to show her a bead blasted stainless gun yet, but i wouldn't bet on that being a hit either.

3. highly visable 3-dot type sights, preferably night sights

4. possibly the option to swap barrels & springs etc to shoot 38Super. don't know enough about this myself, I know that some if not all 38Sup 1911s can be converted to 9x19 with a barrel and spring change, but beyound that i'm in the dark. what about options for a 9x23? can a gun for that chambeirng be converted between the various other 9mm/38 variations?

5. bevertail grip safety pretty much a must

6. Highly prefer a price tag below $1k but due to other factors this is not a concrete limit if there are proven benefits to going a little higher.


Any and all further info or advice, etc is highly appreciated. thank you for your time and patience with my wierd self.

 

[BullfrogKen]

1. A full size is a bit heavier, and the recoil while dampened, will have a slight bit more torque = flip than a Commander length. Of equal concern for her ought to be the choice between a steel or aluminum frame. Trade off weight for recoil. Since women typically do not have the arm strength men have to hold a few pounds outstretched, away from their bodies, this can be more important than the benefit added weight brings. Its especially dimished in a light recoiling 9mm.

4. For the fee to a good gunsmith, any 38 Super can become a 9mm, can become a 9x23. All are in the same family of rim diameter, close enough to do it with simply a barrel and spring change using the same slide. Don't do it cheap. The 9x23 ain't a cartridge for novice pistolsmiths to tinker with.


I posted my 9x23 / 9mm Commander here.

This might help you flesh out some ideas. If I had to do it again, on a limited budget, I'd just go buy a new Colt LW Commander in 38 Super (they are in production right now) and have a good pistolsmith fit a replacement barrel. When I had mine built, Colt wasn't making a 38 Super LW Commander. I wanted just what I had built, so that's why I went the route I did.

And, most although factory 38 Supers are more expensive than cheap Winchester Value Pack 9mm, but they won't recoil all that much more.


Hey, from the earlier thread, how much was that Kimber Pro Carry in 9mm?

But then again the USP is also outside the hoped for price range, second only to the Kimber 9mm Pro Carry she found and liked at the first shop. and if we go above $700 I think it would take a REALLY good fit to keep from going, "to heck with it let's pony up the extra and get the kimber"

Check to see if its a Pro Carry, or Pro Carry II (slight redesign of internal safety on II's). That might truly be your best option. Used? Pre-Series II? That's likely gonna be a pretty good value if they priced it competitive. Certainly moreso than buying a new Colt and paying to fit a 9mm barrel to it.

 

[Detritus]

how much was that Kimber Pro Carry in 9mm?

$850 and a NIB Pro Carry II, but in thinking about it the current leaning by both of us is slightly away from the commander length adn worad a full 5" slide, for reliability. the tactical custom II looks good on that count.

plus i'm still hesitant about kimber, since to me they are an unknown entity with me (have owned both colt [old as in 40's era colt] and SA 1911s) and i have heard mixed reveiws.

thus why i am asking since i literally don't know my tail from a hole in the ground on much of this.

 

[D-Man]

I'm looking for pretty much the same thing, and here is what I found:

1) Springfield Loaded 9MM Model - stainless steel, which I know you rule out. Both a target and combat sights version. Full beavertail, ambi safety. Priced about $850 in my area.

2) Kimber Target 9MM Model - also stainless steel, with target sights. Full beavertail. Single side safety. Priced about $950. Only come with one mag.

3) STI Ranger / Trojan 9MM Models - the Ranger is the Commander length, the Trojan full sized. These run about $950 online. Sights can be either preference. Standard is blued model, and at least the Trojan can be done in stainless for more money. I think both are single side safety, but not 100% sure.

I'm not really sure what the differences are between the SA and Kimber for the Kimber to be priced $100 higher. (In fact, from Buds Gundshop they have the SA for $740 and Kimber for $950, so $200 difference there).

The STI is basically a low-end custom gun, and have read very good things about them.

 

[JoeHatley]

the pistol she REALLY wants is a 1911 chambered in 9mm

It's gonna blow your budget all to heck, but keeping the wife happy is worth it.

www.rockriverarms.com/item-detail.cfm?ID=PS2615&storeid=1&image=plpc.gif

Joe

 

[Detritus]

It's gonna blow your budget all to heck, but keeping the wife happy is worth it.

http://www.rockriverarms.com/item-de...image=plpc.gif

actually the Basic and Pro carry models from RRA are more in line with what she wants (fixed instead of target sights, since it would be used as a CCW). and if Rock River listed either or both of those models in 9mm/38Sup/9x23 i would be VERY interested in them.

might have to e-mail them about possibilites.

 

[TonyT]

The Springfield 1911 in 9mm is an excellent value and a very reliable shooter. It eats up everything I feed it without deference to velocity or OAL.

 

[Detritus]

The Springfield 1911 in 9mm is an excellent value and a very reliable shooter. It eats up everything I feed it without deference to velocity or OAL.

very true and if this gun was for just about any body else in my family that shoots, that's probably where my search would have stopped.

But unfortunately Springfield does not at this time see fit to produce any of it's 9mm or 38Super chambered guns in dark finishes (ie blued, parked, armorycoat, etc). they're all in Stainless or in the case of the lone 38super in "pimp pistol" = chrome+faux pearl grips (who made THAT marketing discision??). thus making them a no go for my lovely wife, who puts up with too much of my BS for me to tell her to settle for less than she really wants.

currently thinking about contacting RRA and see if they offer the option of getting a 9mm without the target sights. along with generally browsing around to see what i can find in "slightly used".
frankly since a more conventional "vunder-nine" will be the next purchase for her this isn't exactly a gotta know and decide everythign now. simply gathering as much info as possible to better make an informed decision.

 

[Phil DeGraves]

Mine started with a 70 Series Commander with an aftermarket beavertail. She then opted for a Govt. Model because the recoil spring makes the slide easier to pull back. She preferred the steel frame to the alloy frame because of reduced recoil. The weight didn't bother her as much as the recoil did. She is a very petite lady. She liked the 1911 for it's single action capability and thin grip. She has other guns, but doesn't like heavy DA trigger pulls or stiff recoil springs.

 

[Phil DeGraves]

Both are Colts by the way.