9mm for practice, .45 APC for protection.

ephraimf

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Joined
Aug 20, 2009
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I've tried many handguns over the years, and I've found that i do best with a 1911, and I have been shooting it regularly since 1998.

Unfortunately its appetite for .45 ACP is eating me out of house and home.

In order to save money, I've been considering buying a Kimber 9mm KDSC for practice at the range, since the controls, trigger, and grip angle seem similar to that of the 1911. (I would like to verify this with the manufacturer.)

If everything is indeed similar between the two firearms, would it make sense to use the 9mm for practice at the range, and to carry the .45 when I feel I need protection?

Perhaps I should load the double-stack mags with 8 rounds at the range for consistency to avoid confusion.

What do you guys think?

TIA
 
I've tried many handguns over the years, and I've found that i do best with a 1911, and I have been shooting it regularly since 1998.

Unfortunately its appetite for .45 ACP is eating me out of house and home.

In order to save money, I've been considering buying a Kimber 9mm KDSC for practice at the range, since the controls, trigger, and grip angle seem similar to that of the 1911. (I would like to verify this with the manufacturer.)

If everything is indeed similar between the two firearms, would it make sense to use the 9mm for practice at the range, and to carry the .45 when I feel I need protection?

Perhaps I should load the double-stack mags with 8 rounds at the range for consistency to avoid confusion.

What do you guys think?

TIA

I guess if you think you need a .45ACP that’s okay, but I’d ask why you’re not just carrying a 9MM 1911? Lots of the old school .45 ACP 1911 die hards swapped over and no regrets I know of.
 
Like they said.
...besides, if I was just looking for familiar feel while being able to shoot cheaper, I'd go with a .22 upper or complete new 1911 .22
Yet, if you do buy a 1911 9mm, don't be shocked when it turns out to be a hoot.
Im a big fan of my 1911.22
It's good practice, the controls are the same, grip angle, mag release.....etc.

20201226_163102.jpg IMG_20210627_183049.jpg
 
What I do is similar to what your thinking is. I love training with a 22. When I carried a 1911 for 40 years I used a browning buckmark to train. I would shoot a brick and the last thing I do is shoot a box of 45acp that way muscle memory remembers how my 1911 shot. Now that I carry a 686 I use a Smith And Wesson model 617. I shoot a brick of 22lr in double action and then the last thing I shoot is a box of .357 ammo. For me I find practicing with 22lr allows you to enhance your skills at a minimal cost.
 
Not much to add. Radom thoughts. Love my 45’s. Even reloading can be expensive. You can buy a lot of 45 for the price of a new pistol. You should be just as good with 9mm 1911 as your 45 1911. Never considered a 22 1911. Maybe I should. Need to learn sideways sight alignment like in the movies. If you choose a 9mm, choose wisely. Some don’t feed out the box as well as others.
 
Trigger time is important and I think buying a inexpensive 1911 22lr is a good choice!

I would recommend you finish range trips with your 45acp, just a magazine or two. This is to remind you of the recoil impulse and getting back on target!

Sounds like you have decided on the 1911 platform and I'm certainly not going to argue with the choice 😉. Have fun with your new 1911.
 
There is quite a bit of recoil difference between 9mm and 45 ACP 1911's or there is to me although neither bother me. As an example my oldest great grand daughter shot a mag full in my 9mm but handed me the one in 45 back after 1 shot and said un-uh. I find the 45 comfortable to shoot and the 9mm even more easy so there is a difference to consider when training with a lesser caliber.My fun 1911 is a GSG 22 with a lot of upgrades. It will keep you familar with the 1911 platform but has little recoil to deal with and recoil always makes a difference. I wouldn't want to train with a different caliber than what I was going to use for SD simply because of that.
 
I am with 1KPerDay --- Might want to start reloading. Or get a 9mm 1911 for protection. Nothing wrong with that.
 
I have 1911s in 45, 9mm, and 22lr.
Love them all. I see nothing wrong with training with a smaller caliber, as long as it's in the same platform. I never thought I'd buy a 9mm 1911, because, well.....1911=.45.
I wish I had done it sooner. Softer recoil, higher capacity, what's not to love?
 
I never thought I'd buy a 9mm 1911, because, well.....1911=.45.
I wish I had done it sooner
Yep, when I was young, I loved .45 ACP in the 1911 and 9MM didn't recoil enough to make it fun. (Young, tough, ignorant), but these days, not only do I like 9MM, shooting slightly reduced load 124s at 1050ish FPS is a lot of fun, and what I shoot the most in 9MM. I still shoot my .45 ACPs, and still love them, but I love me
some 9MM as well.

I have also converted to more 9MM carry than .45 ACP carry, so shooting either one is good practice for me, I just make sure I still shoot enough full power loads
in both to stay familiar with the recoil and follow up shots. Once competent, you don't have to shoot a ton to stay ready, unless you are competing at a very high
level.
 
I see no issues with adding a 9mm 1911 to your stable. Whether for somewhat cheaper than .45 ACP SD/HD gun practice sessions, or as a lighter recoil primary protection pistol that you are familiar with, the 9mm 1911 is a great tool.

I have three 9mm 1911’s, in 3.5”, 4.5” and 5” barrel lengths, with both alloy (3.5 & 4.5) and stainless (5) frames. I enjoy shooting them as much as the .45 1911’s in the safe, and I think I am a better .45 1911 shooter because of the extra trigger time the less expensive 9mm allows me to have.

Let us know what you end up buying and how it shoots!

Stay safe.
 
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