Best 9mm 1911

[Phil DeGraves]

I have a Springfield Loaded 1911 in 9mm. I have two Colt's , one govt and one combat commander. The Springfiield shoots the best but is as reliable as the French Military (still after several trips back to Springfiled). I have been thinking about getting a Kimber Custom 2 Target Stainless, or the Tactical Pro. The Custom is full size and steel frame. The Tactical Pro is alloy frame, and has fixed night sights and is shorter. Anyone shot these? Is Smith ever going to offer their 1911 in 9mm?

 

[Houser52]

I also have a Springfield 9mm 1911. It has been great from the beginning. I have had some custom work done to it but not because it needed it. It was reliable and accurate right out of the box.
Some of my IDPA friends have bought the 9mm STI Trojan. They really like those too. The Trojans are tight, fit and finish is excellent and they're accurate. They're more of a semi custom gun and doesn't cost that much more than a SA or Kimber.
Brazos Custom and Dawson Precision are 2 dealers where you can buy them on the web if you don't have a dealer nearby.
Check them out at www.stiguns.com

 

[Exmasonite]

springfield just came out with their new EMP... Enhanced Micro Pistol (??)

basically, a 1911 chambered in 9mm built from the ground up to take advantage of the smaller size of the round (vs .45). supposedly all previous 9mm 1911s were retrofitted from .45 to 9mm.

it's new and pricey... but worth a look, i guess.

 

[Exmasonite]

here's a link:

http://www.springfield-armory.com/prod-pstl-1911-emp.shtml

 

[Phil DeGraves]

Not interested in another Springfield. Have a bad taste in my mouth from this one.

 

[Phil DeGraves]

I'm mostly interested in an honest evaluation of how these two Kimbers shoot and if anybody owns them.

 

[BullfrogKen]

Exmasonite said: supposedly all previous 9mm 1911s were retrofitted from .45 to 9mm

That's not entirely true. The 1911 was built for a cartridge longer than a 9mm. But, that doesn't mean a 1911 chambered in 9mm was retrofitted.


Frankly Phil, I've been leery of anything Kimber puts out lately. Its just my impressions, but I won't take the chance. And I hate the firing pin safety design. It just completely and utterly sucks.


You know, I'd really consider something in 38 Super, and just fit a 9mm barrel to it. You'll have more to choose from in 38 Super, anyway, and have the option of pretty decent round if you choose to use it in a capacity other than range use.

I'm a 9x23 fan, so, there's nothing that attracts me in that new Springfield gun. All I see when I look at that is the inability to use standard 1911 parts.

 

[Jim Watson]

I know of two Kimber 9mms in regular IDPA competition, and one guy has one of their lightweights for carry besides.

Or you could send that Springfield to a real gunsmith and get it fixed instead of wasting time with the warranty clerk. What else are you going to do with it? Sell it to a sucker?

Me?
I shoot a Colt.
But the 1991A1 9mm was a non (US) cataloged version. Said to be an overrun from a foreign order. Sorry.

 

[10-Ring]

I only have experience w/ one 9mm 1911 production pistol...and it seems to be very reliable and very accurate...and it's a Springer

 

[gc70]

Jim,

A few of the Colt M1991A1 (O1992) 9mm pistols are still around if you look hard enough.
Here are two. (Note that the higher serial number is 1774.)

 

[Jim Watson]

I have gotten to hate the word "collectable."
What is collectable about a standard model gun just because it didn't sell well so they didn't make many?

Mine is about 300 numbers earlier than those ripoffs. It has been heavily breathed upon and is my favorite IDPA ESP. There is another similar in town.

 

[gc70]

"Collectable" is a word that should only apply to something that you can't use. Mine is about 550 numbers earlier than the ones listed.

 

[the pistolero]

"Collectable" is a word that should only apply to something that you can't use.

Yes indeed, friend. I saw that Springfield markets its GI replica 1911 as a potential collector's item -- "If you are looking for an impeccably reliable .45 with strong collector appeal, this is the pistol for you." But when I got mine, I thought, collector appeal? No, sir, that gun was made to shoot. And I have, too. Maybe later on today.

 

[Will Fennell]

STI TROJAN

I also wanted a 1911 in 9mm, but was not impressed with the Springfield in that caliber. I kept my eyes open until I found a used STI Trojan...it took a little tweaking[new slide stop], but has been fantastic since. It is one of my favorites on the range. Good value for the dollar.

 

[Geno]

Re: Kimber 1911 9mm. Do a THR search.

Some bad press posted on THR Re: Kimber 9mm 1911s. I had considered buying one, then I did a search. Some people say their Kimber 1911 9mms shoot well. MANY others call them jam'o'matics! Do a search. Not all problems were due to the magazines, a favorite Kimber redeeming grace. Many problems are alleged to be in the extractor...yet again, Kimber extractors, but in combination with the breech face. I'm not a gunsmith so I don't know how these work improperly. Someone wrote that Kimber used the .40S&W breech face machining for the 9mm. Is it true? I don't know. For my part, I think I'll buy a Colt .38 Super. It was made for the pistol.

Doc2005

 

[Phil DeGraves]

Thank you guys for all your input.

 

[Lloyd Smale]

my sti trojan is the best 9mm 1911s ive shot and is probably one of the best 1911s period i ever shot. It never misses a beat and will shoot into an inch at 25 yards.

 

[boldkharma]

I had a Kimber Pro Carry II 9mm, it was flawless out of the box, ended up selling it, and I miss it! I now have a SS Springer 9mm and it had two malfs out of the box in the 1st 50 rounds( I think it was the mag), since then its been 100% about 450 rounds now. Very accurate and a pleasure to shoot.

 

[XLMiguel]

I have a Kimber TacPro II in 9mm that has been flawless out of the box (I've owned four Kimbers, all have been great -). I only have about 1K rounds thru of mixed factory FMJ & JHP thru this one, but it runs fine - no muss, no fuss, more accurate than I am, good trigger.

As an aside, I just replaced the nightsights on an older Colt Cmdr with Triji's - compared side to side in a dark closet, the Meps on the Kimber were slightly bigger and a bit brighter.

FWIW

 

[hessy]

STI

Get an STI Trojan in 9 mm. Outstanding gun. Much better than Springer or Kimber.

 

[hso]

A buddy of mine has had to have her PCII 9mm back to the gunsmith 2 times. New out of the box it was nothing but a pot of jam.