1911 in 9mm

[Dobe]

I am a 1911 fan and I prefer the .45 acp, but with the cheap ammo out there, it is hard to pass up a 9mm. Now, my next purchase will undoubtably be something that gets me into highpower rifle comp., but if I could find a cheap 1911 in 9mm, I wouldn't hesitate at the new acquisition.

I am just cusious if anyone on the board has any experince with the above. How is the accuracy with 9mm and reliability? Are magazines difficult to find? I'm not really interested in high capacity.

Thanks again.

 

[Sean Smith]

There aren't many 1911s made in 9x19. Colt made a few, and there are probably some others here & there. STI makes the Trojan in 9x19, but it is around $900. In general, 9x19 is a bit trickier to get running right in a 1911 because it has a shorter OAL than .45 ACP.

 

[bountyhunter]

The cheapest 9mm 1911's I know of are from Springfield. Mine is an STI Trojan. It is so accurate it is my bullseye gun. It outshoots any other of my stock guns including wheelguns with a 6" barrel. The better I get, the tighter it shoots.

 

[10-Ring]

A friend of mine bought a SA loaded 1911 in 9mm for the same reasons you mentioned. He even had the same smith do the triggers on both his 45 & the 9 so they'd be identical.
Feel is fine & the accuracy is very good. I wouldn't worry about it at all.

 

[9x19]

1911s in 9mm? I have two...

I have a pair of Springfield's loaded models, one full size and one Light Weight Ultra-Compact.

Both have been reliable and accurate since day one. I've run Sellier & Bellot, CCI Blazer and Wincheter's "white box", all 115 FMJs, through them, and have tested both with 115 JHPs from IMI. For IDPA, I shoot my own reloads, using Rainier 115 FMJs loaded to an OAL of 1.178", also without any problems.

Magazines are available specifically for 9mm, but most users find the .38 Super mags also function fine.

Good luck

 

[Dobe]

9X19,
I have read many of your post. I have yet to read anything about the 1911 9mm's until now. How do you rate them (especially the full sized one) in comparison to other 9's? Do you shoot them often? Is the full size as accurate as your other 9's?

Thanks

 

[9x19]

Dobe,

Mine are 2001 models, a 25th anniversary present from my wife.

I've not been shooting much this past 9 months or so due to working too dang much, but the Full Size runs just fine. It's more accurate than I can eke out of it, as a buddy shoots it better than I do.

Most of my shooting is IDPA style and it does very well in that game. It has very little recoil and manages to make me look better than I am at times.

It's only "flaw", when going to the line I have to keep muttering: "This one has a safety, this one has a safety... " as I also shoot Glocks alot!

I use Pachmayr stainless mags in it without complaint, although when new, they all needed the followers tweaked to activatet he slide stop reliably.

Hope this helps... BTW, I've heard rumors that Springfield may be dropping the loaded model in 9mm, so you may have to move quick.

 

[MoNsTeR]

The Dan Wesson Pointman Major is available in 9mm, but good luck finding one in the retail channel. You could probably special order one. At least I hope so, I'm dying to get one myself, need to scrounge another $600.

 

[9x19]

Too bad the Pointman series use cast frames, from Essex I believe, a company who has about the same rep as Masen among the 1911 community (not a good thing).

If DW ever starts making other calibers on their Razorback platform (all forged steel with orignal design fire control and internal extractor), at a reasonable price ($740 dealer's cost for the Razor is a bit high in a market where Springfields are about $150 lower) I'll be sure a give them a look.

 

[ACP230]

The 1911 pattern 9mm that got my attention was a Combat Commander. It was one of those, "It followed me home," situations.
It had adjustable sights and a beavertail safety installed before I bought it. I'd like to replace the Millets with BoMars or Novaks, but haven't yet. I did have some trigger work done on it because the trigger was too heavy for my taste.
Pach mags give 9 shots, 10 with one chambered and the mag topped up again.
I planned to use the gun in IDPA, but haven't managed to yet. I shot a few steel plates with it and had fun.

I have yet to make a 9mm reload that is a accurate as my .45 ACP reloads. Like my other nines the Comander has indifferent accuracy, but it is usable at standard IDPA distances. Other than that I have no real complaints.

 

[Pendragon]

I too would like a 9mm 1911.

However, if you only want one to shoot cheap ammo, I would say - get a reloading setup and roll your own .45 loads.

I shoot hard cast lead bullets (500 for $24 and this is in CA) and my shooting improved markedly and I have never had a malfunction.

It does take time so that is a drawback, but you can easily reload for under $4 per 50.

 

[Dobe]

Pendragon,
Thanks, and my Dillion 550B cranks 'em out. But when I don't feel like sitting at the bench, I can buy 9's from Walmart for about the same price.

Besides, what real excuses do we need to buy another gun?

 

[Pendragon]

True

Like I said, I want one too

 

[tex_n_cal]

Supposedly, a Colt Commander in 9mm takes the same ejector as a .45, so you can just swap top ends and magazines.

"Supposedly"

I have a .45 LW Commander frame, and a 9mm slide on the way. Hopefully I prove that it can indeed work. I think the LW Commander is a little better scaled for the 9x19 cartridge than the fullsize steel gun.

I do have a SA Mil-Spec in .38 Super, and have shot light .38 ACP loads in it. It ran just fine, and had very mild recoil. I may just order a 9mm barrel for it