9mm 1911 ,who would want one ?

probably worth stating: lube your 1911s correctly if you want them to run. I bought a big brand 1911 from my buddy cheap after he couldn’t get it to feed reliably.

A cleaning and proper lube and it’s been perfect. A drop or two of oil every few hundred rounds goes a long way regardless of caliber.
 
Derek Zeanah said:
probably worth stating: lube your 1911s correctly if you want them to run. I bought a big brand 1911 from my buddy cheap after he couldn’t get it to feed reliably.

A cleaning and proper lube and it’s been perfect. A drop or two of oil every few hundred rounds goes a long way regardless of caliber.
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Wilson Combat has a youtube video about lubing a 1911 and I was surprised how much oil they recommend using.
 
I've owned, shot and reloaded for probably more than my share of 1911s in .45ACP, 10MM, .38 Super, etc. for many years. I've also enjoyed 9mm 1911s since the '70s. That being said, in recent years I have shot a lot more 9mm in 1911s than .45ACP. Yes, the steel 1911s are heavy, don't hold 20 or more rounds, and OMG!, most don't even have optic cuts, rails or even threaded barrels, etc. But there are some positives, but mostly I just like them. I admit my past 9mm Colts weren't, and my current Colt Gold Cup isn't, as reliable as my 1911s in .45 and .38 Super. But other manufacturer's 9mm 1911s that utilize the integrally ramped barrels are just as reliable as my 1911s in the "proper" .45 ACP...YMMV
Colt, Kimber,DW, SA 9s (1) - Copy.JPG
 
I started out with a 1911 Government in 45ACP. For me it was a good place to start. Later on I bought a 9mm Commander. When I have to pick between the two for a carry gun the Commander always gets chosen. When I am shooting at at the range to show what little shooting skills I have the Government always is the first choice. It's nice to have both.

LiImkSbl.jpg


8RgKz84l.jpg
 
I’ve never not been able to get 1911 to function well with FMJ/RN bullets.

Designer hollow points, not so much.

There are several good articles on tuning the 1911 to function reliably with FMJ/RN bullets. But you have to make changes with finesse. Ham fisted medications can end in disasters.

Designer hollow points or SWC bullets may require more careful modifications. The Colt Gold Cups I have bought in the last few years function fine with SWC bullets. Standard Govt or Commander models, not so much. The feed ramp on the Gold Cup is different than the standard models.

I have a variety of 1911 manufactures, Colt, Springfield, Kimber, Thompson, SIG, Olympic frames and others. They all perform well with FMJ/RN ammunition.

Designer hollow points or SWC not do much.

I have a couple Gold Cup versions and they feed SWC ullets fine but their feed ramps are cut differently from the standard Colt models.
 
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Gary H said:
It seems that there are many better platforms when purchasing a cost effective 9mm. That said, there are reliable 9mm 19/2011s out there. The rub is that it will cost you some money and this usually is not a great way to convince someone to buy something when there are other options that are reliable for much less money. So, in the end, I don’t think we are able to convince the Op to purchase a 9mm 1911.
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Then why don’t we all just own High-Points? Simple reliable and cheap. Or perhaps it’s because there are people out there that prefer a Ribeye to Spam?

I didn’t see $$ mentioned at all in the OPs post.
 
I love my 1911's, and actually won one, in 9mm, in a raffle. Shot it a few times, and promptly sold it. There is no comparison to shooting my Browning HiPower. The BHP shot more accurately and had a higher capacity.
BHPNEWPARTS-2.jpg
BHPTUCKER3.jpg
 
My experience with 9mm 1911's has amounted to only two. The first had 2 problems right out of the box. Magaizines fell on the ground with each shot and it wouldn't reliably feed certain brands of ammo. No one would answer my phone calls and the mail box was full and I couldn't leace a message. Same with e-mail. I got disgusted after a few days and fixed both problems myself. It cost me a new mag release and a little work polishing a very rough feed ramp to make it work like it should. I have already posted that my PT 1911 worked right out of the box.

I use just enough oil to make moving parts move easily. I used to use synthetic wheel bearing grease on 1911 slides at it lasted longer than the oil I previously used. No difference in performance except length of time between applying lube. I switched to a super slick grease a couple of years ago to see what was what." What" is that it does like the wheel bearing grease at a higher cost. I bought the little jar of grease because it was advertised as a trigger job in a jar and I was curious. I will say that it does lower trigger pull a little testing with a trigger pull guage. I don't do shooting except recreationally so I don't know how any of my lube methods would hold up in extended matches.
 
Gary H said:
that there are many better platforms when purchasing a cost effective 9mm. That said, there are reliable 9mm 19/2011s out there. The rub is that it will cost you some money
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Dunno. If a person does not want all the whiz-bang bells-n-whistles of the "wondernines" they can get an Armscor or TISAS for around US$400.

Ok, it will not be a lightweight polymer frame, nor a 15 round capacity, nor have optics cuts or the like. If those are desired, then 1911 format is probably not the way to start from get-go.

One of the distinct advantages of our modern times is the ability to get just what a person wants. And, typically at whatever price point they care to, too. It's very much passing difficult to make absolute statements about the "gun biz" as a result.
 
Gerd33 said:
Picked up a Star BM, off an estate sale a couple of years ago

View attachment 1194761
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The BM is very close to being a near-ideal bit of work.
Its only real sin is being a touch heavy, but this is not an insurmountable thing.
(Well, and not being very common to find anymore.)

It's not exactly a 1911, though, it's more of a Government Model 380 goosed up to 9x19, when you look at the controls and dimensions.

That profile is something I'm always on the lookout for, as I'd happily add a BM to the stable if I see one for a reasonable price.
 
CapnMac said:
It's not exactly a 1911, though, it's more of a Government Model 380 goosed up to 9x19, when you look at the controls and dimensions.
Click to expand...

I almost didn't add it to the thread because I knew it wasn't quite a 1911. I liked the first one enough that I actually picked up a second last year.

Also part of the reason I picked up the second is that, like my first one it still had the intact Spanish Civil Guard crest, where most of them had the crest drilled off.
Although as far as I can tell they were built 3 yrs apart I think they likely came in on the same shipment because the SN# that was applied by CAI differ by 23.

DSCF0011 (3).JPG
 
CapnMac said:
Yeah, I'd be afraind they would be like chips and a body couldn't only have the one :)
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Now that I know, I'm only really interested in the non-defaced ones and, perhaps fortunately, those are fairly uncommon to come across.
 
Just a comment on shooting a 9mm Hi Power vs. shooting a 9mm 1911. I've been a Hi Power fan, and have shot Hi Powers longer than I've shot 9mm 1911s. I still have a Hi Power or two, but in recent years, I've shot the 9mm 1911s a lot more. Now when I take a Hi Power to the range, I immediately notice the lighter Hi Power's sharper recoil. No way around it, the 1911s heavier weight does soak up recoil. My Hi powers weigh ~32 oz., the 9mm 1911s ~40 oz., one a bit more than that. That extra half pound or so matters. The 9mm 1911's moderate recoil, with even the heaviest loads, is one of the things I enjoy about them. When I was younger and stronger, I didn't notice so much difference, but in my decrepitude, I sure notice now...
Springfield 9s (1).JPG
 
tarosean said:
Then why don’t we all just own High-Points? Simple reliable and cheap. Or perhaps it’s because there are people out there that prefer a Ribeye to Spam?

I didn’t see $$ mentioned at all in the OPs post.
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Didn't want to stifle the incoming conversations and great pictures
 
Riomouse911 said:
I love shooting my 9mm 1911’s. I started with a SA Ronin 4.25” and found it to be a great shooter. I then added a Kimber Stainless Target II 5” and then an Ultra Carry II 3.5”.

View attachment 1194504

With 1911’s I first went the .45 ACP route, buying a few and enjoying those guns. I got a 9mm 1911 bug about 6-7 years ago, and I remember there was a lot of folks really anti-9mm 1911 for some reason. I remember going shopping at one LE oriented gun store and asked if they had any 9mm 1911’s, and the mid-20’s yer old clerk scoffed at me and said, “We only sell 1911’s in the caliber they were intended to be, that’s .45 ACP.” or something to that effect. I said something like “Wow. Since Colt has been making the 1911 in 9mm since about, oh 1950, maybe its time to open the mind and explore the catalog”.

The kid must’ve thought a 9mm 1911 was a new thing because it was pretty clear this was news to him. I ended up buying my Ronin sometime later, somewhere else.

View attachment 1194503

They shoot really well, putting three mags into the good spots on a reduced silhouette at 10 yds is easy. I say give it a try, I think you will be happy when you do.

Stay safe.
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What must that fella think of my 45 colt rifle or my 22LR kit for my AR. Ect ect
 
I'm not a carrying type person. More of a lunch box ,truck gun type. I do know that if a good guy had pulled out his weapon at the Chiefs get together those snipers or ground troops would have done him in. Crowds aren't for me. So a 9mm would be for hitting my 1/3 circle of steel targets at home.
 
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