9mm or 45 for wife's target pistol?

[Meta]

After much deliberation, I've decided to buy my wife her own target pistol to really see what her potential is. She is a fantastic shot with her carry gun, a Sig 239 in 9mm and really would like to stick to the 9mm platform if possible. For no reason other than she is totally comfortable with the recoil of the 9mm. However, since all of my 45's are too `big' for her in that the grip size/weight are too large, after asking for advice on another thread we've settled in a 1911 platform but are now wondering if getting an STI Trojan in 9mm would be a less than ideal for informal bullseye competition and casual club level shooting. I KNOW there is tons of loads out there for the 45 because I've experimented a LOT with loads for my 45's (Sig 220 Sport, Glock 21, Sig245 (short, snappy) over the last several years and have found several that work very well across the different platforms. I would prefer not to start over and have to work with a cartridge that isn't as flexible or accurate as the 45.
Do I really have something to be concerned about for her with additional recoil in a 5" 1911 with soft shooting 185 grain loads or 200 grain SWC in 45 vs what she shoots now in a short, relatively small Sig239 with factory ammo? I really wish I had a 5" 1911 in 45acp to put in her hands before making the purchase!

 

[NG VI]

Go with whatever she wants. Get a 9mm and reloading supplies for it, it isn't a less accurate round at all.

 

[gearjammer711]

If your wife likes the grip on a sig she might not like the 1911, I think my wife is crazy but she loves the grip on HER sig 220 and hates my 1911. take your wife to the store with you and let her find the gun she wants, then you don't have to listen to her gripe about the gun you picked out . get a set of dies and get to loading.

 

[bluetopper]

As stated, the 9mm is not a less accurate round, "IF" you can find through trial and error, the right bullet/powder/amount combination. Sometimes that can be a chore however.

A well built 45acp 1911 will shoot good with anything you put in the tube.
Get some good hard cast 185 or 200gr bullets and some moderate charges of fast burning powder and you're good to go. Recoil will probably be more to her liking anyway. I like the firm push of a 45 more than I do the quick snappy recoil of a 9mm anyway.

 

[Meta]

Exactly what I am worried about! It's far easier to find a load that will shoot well in a 45 and, as you out it so well, it can be a chore to find one for the 9mm. I guess the 45 is a more forgiving cartridge. Anyhow, I totally agree with you on the powder/bullet choice should I go in the direction of a 45 for her. My best all around target load for all of my 45's and a handful of others it's been tried in has been either 4.0 grains of Hodgdon Clays under a 200gr LSWC or Vihtavouri N310 under a Nosler 185 HP. Both are exceptionally accurate and quite a pleasure to shoot. If neither of those loads will shoot well in a 45 then there's something wrong with it!

 

[robctwo]

Get her a Les Baer PII in 9mm. Grips go from slim (my favorite), to palm swell.

I did not get the 1.5" guarantee with the 9mm, did with the .45.

 

[muzikmanwi]

My girlfriend absolutely loves her 1911 and we both shoot 230 grain

 

[atlanticfire]

When first getting my then girlfriend now wife into shooting I got her a FN BHP in 9mm. On our first range session together I took my 1911. And guess what happened. I now have a BHP and she has a 1911 ……Seriously though, its all she wants to shoot tiny hands and all.

 

[AirForceShooter]

You get out your check book
She goes shopping.

AFS

 

[nulfisin]

There are plenty of good 9 mm rounds, and some are inexpensive. .45 is quite expensive, unless you reload.

With the capabilities of modern ammo, handloaded or not, accuracy really depends on how well the shooter handles his or her gun. So, if price isn't an issue, why not go with whichever round she likes better?

 

[searcher451]

Why ask us? The only person who should be deciding this issue is your wife. In fact, it you were really smart, you'd stay as far away from it as possible.

 

[LiveLife]

If you really love your wife, buy her both!

You can play with whichever one she is not shooting.

 

[loop]

I've never actually heard of or seen a 9mm target gun. The cartridge just is not inherently accurate. I've seen some guys shoot quite well with 9s, but I've never seen anyone whose primary interest was accuracy choose a 9.

That is not to say they cannot be target-grade accurate. I've had a couple that were very accurate. OTOH, I've had quite a few that shot patterns, not groups.

One of my favorite target 1911s is a .45 that I let the gun choose the load. It ended up being incredibly accurate with a very soft load of a 230-grain LRN over 3.5 grains of Bullseye. The recoil is really mild and it is amazingly accurate.

Then it turned out that a bunch of my other 1911s like that load as well. I can't recall how many I shoot with that load off hand, but I think it is about six of them.

I know the recoil with that load is definitely softer than any 9mm I've ever shot.

You cannot beat the versatility of the .45 cartridge.