9mm 1911

[Rockrivr1]

I'm going to throw in a S&W Pro Series 1911 in 9mm. I use mine for pin and plate shoots and it's a tack driver and very reliable. Can't go wrong with it and it comes in several variants including Commander, Officer and Full size models.

 

[bullseye308]

Springfield Range Officer is what I have, both the 4” Champion and 5” target. Both are super accurate, and just a joy to shoot. The 5” replaced my trusty Glock 17 as my edc just because I shoot it so much better and it is more accurate. I’d prefer the capacity of the Glock, but I’ll take the pinpoint accuracy of the Springfield any day and I carry 2 spare 10 round Wilson mags.

Extra mags I got from evilbay from joes1911magmania I believe and he is right down the road from the company that makes the mags that come factory with the guns. I bought 2 5-packs and have had no problems with any of them.

 

[HighRoadRover]

There are a number of good choices out there under $1000, thanks to the impacts of modern CNC machining and marketplace forces. Rock Island is consistently mentioned as a good maker of "entry level" 1911's, and Springfield, Kimber, Ruger, etc., all make guns that have loyal followings.

If you find you like 1911's -- and they sometimes require a bit of attention to keep them running well, although it is hard to find any design with a trigger as good as a 1911 - you can always upgrade to "better" guns later. The semi-custom guns go for $2500 and upwards... Dan Wesson comes in a bit below that price point but gets very good reviews as a quality 1911 company.

The 9mm's of the past had problems with magazines, feeding properly, extracting properly, etc., and also with cycling too fast, etc. But that is now largely solved in the newer versions of 1911s - perhaps since the last 10 years or more ago. A 5" Government Model 1911 is inherently more reliable, and just a touch more accurate, than a Commander sized (4.25 inch barrel) model.

There are some shorter barreled (3-4 inch) guns out there, but they tend to be ammo sensitive and are probably less reliable. Until the advent of the bull barreled 1911-like pistols, few of the high-end companies would make a 1911 with a barrel less than 4.25 inches.

 

[Sergei Mosin]

The only 9mm 1911 I own is a Colt Government Model. It’s just for the range though; if I went back to carrying a 1911 it’d be a Lightweight Commander, probably a Colt Series 70 or a Ruger. I would not carry a Series 80 or a Kimber or S&W; the 1911 does not need a firing pin safety and I particularly dislike the Swartz system found in Kimber and S&W 1911s.

 

[JTQ]

I would not carry a Series 80 or a Kimber or S&W; the 1911 does not need a firing pin safety and I particularly dislike the Swartz system found in Kimber and S&W 1911s.

Most S&W 1911's no longer have a firing pin safety. S&W switched to a lightweight firing pin and extra power firing pin spring in most of their 1911's. Of those models that did have a firing pin safety, S&W never used the Swartz firing pin safety, though their firing pin safety was also activated/deactivated by the grip safety.

S&W's firing pin safety was developed by S&W engineer Richard J. Mochak in the late 1990's, while the Swartz firing pin safety was developed by Colt engineer William Swartz at Colt in the late 1930's.

 

[Sergei Mosin]

Thanks, I had thought S&W used the Swartz system. Learned something today. Looks like a similar concept though, and I still wouldn't want one in a carry gun. The lightweight firing pin & heavy firing pin spring (as in the Springfield I used to carry, or current Colts, or Rugers) is far superior.

 

[wiscoaster]

I have a RIA 9mm 1911 and I think that it shoots as well as guns costing twice the price. That's a lot of 9mm ammo you can shoot.

 

[WestKentucky]

My RIA 10mm basic $400 blaster is an incredible gun for the money. I WILL add a compact 9mm if I don’t buy a baby rock .380.

if they would do a baby rock 9mm I would buy a pair and go mall ninja wild with 2 fists full of fireball and falling shell casings.