Best full-sized 1911 9mm?

[Lobotomy Boy]

I'm thinking about picking up a full-sized 1911 in 9mm, now that Wilson is making quality magazines for that platform. What experiences have folks in this forum had with various makes and models?

 

[Black Majik]

I bought a Kimber Stainless Target II 9mm about a month ago, currently around 1K rounds.

It's been a so-so experience.

The gun is very accurate out of the box, and very easy to shoot. But I've ran into a few quirks along the way. The overtravel screw had a tendency to unscrew in the trigger, upon recoil I received doubling. Adjusting the overtravel screw fixed it.

I bought Tripp's Cobramags for the gun so I had 10 rounders. They work fine, except one magazine would lockback with a round in the mag. A call to Tripp Research fixed that, they had drop leg followers to fix the problem. Problem solved.

The gun went fine without a hitch for 600 rounds, then I got a double feed. And 2 stovepipes around the 660 rd. mark. Since the gun ran fine previously I checked the extractor. The extractor claw was really gunked up including the extractor channel. Cleaned the extractor and extractor channel and went back to the range. 100 rds no failures.

Shot an informal match amongst friends this past weekend, a little over 200 rounds, then got another double feed on the last stage of the match. I broke it down and the extractor claw was gunked up again.

A few things I've noticed. The .40 cal breechface requires a lot of extractor tension on these guns to perform correctly. Going by the "jiggle test" of slipping a loaded round under the extractor, the round wont move at all, but it does stay under the extractor. As long as the extractor is clean, it'll run. But the extractor and channel gets dirty very, very fast.

I don't want to have to clean the extractor after ever range trip, so this is a peeve of mine currently.

When the gun runs without a hitch, it's a real pleasure to shoot.

A rocky road indeed. It's resorted to a strictly range gun.

 

[shepherddogs]

So you have had no weapon related malfunctions other than cleanliness? I am also interested in a target grade 9mm.

 

[Black Majik]

So you have had no weapon related malfunctions other than cleanliness? I am also interested in a target grade 9mm.

The high maintenance of this pistol is excessive. In my opinion, the FTE/Double feed caused by a dirty extractor is a weapons related malfunction. Extractors should be able to handle much more than 300 - 600 rounds. My .45 1911s are almost maintenance free, except oil and wipedown.

 

[shepherddogs]

I agree it might not be the best combat sidearm, but for casual shooting how would you rate the accuracy? I had a CZ that was very accurate but was hard to shoot due to a gritty trigger. It shot well but it was a struggle. I've had good luck with Kimbers just never had a 9mm.

 

[Black Majik]

It's pretty accurate. The trigger was heavy around 5.5 lbs, but swapping the mainspring helped quite a bit. I haven't really shot much for groups, but I can punch out the X at 10 yards. Steel sillhouettes at 50 yards spanning a couple inches in diameter are hit pretty regularly. 100 yard steel plates spanning about a foot across gets hit regularly too.

Of all my 9mm pistols, it's certainly the easiest to shoot. It's a fun range gun indeed.

 

[tradja]

Of all my 9mm pistols, it's certainly the easiest to shoot. It's a fun range gun indeed.

Easiest in what respect? Recoil? Ergos? Results on paper?

I've sure been curious about a 9mm 1911 (mostly for a fun range gun, but malfs are no fun). Thanks for the frank history of yours.

 

[Black Majik]

Easiest in what respect? Recoil? Ergos? Results on paper?

I've sure been curious about a 9mm 1911 (mostly for a fun range gun, but malfs are no fun). Thanks for the frank history of yours.

My primary choice in platform is the 1911 type. It fits me the best in all respects: pointability, ergonomics, trigger, shootability etc...

In comparison to some of my other 9mms such as the USP, P2000, Glocks, P226 etc... , I find it easiest to shoot since the 1911 is what I'm most comfortable with. The one that comes closest would be my Glocks, due to the trigger. I've lightened them, so it's similar in feel. Short slack, crisp break, and short reset. It's what I've come to love in a trigger.

Of course, everyone different. What works for me may not work for others well. I'm just going based on my experiences so far.

 

[BamBam-31]

Soooo....what you're sayin' is, if Glock made a 9mm 1911, you'd be on it like white on rice?

 

[Black Majik]

Soooo....what you're sayin' is, if Glock made a 9mm 1911, you'd be on it like white on rice?

Like..... asian on rice.

 

[rkamp]

I started getting into 1911 9mm's a few years ago. My only experience is with the ramped barreled models by S.A. and Kimber. I am partial to S.A., but now own two Kimber 9mm's, a Stainless II and a Pro Carry. Previous to the two Kimbers I owned a newer S.A. Target. It ran great with the Metalform 9rd mags it came with. I sold it because accuracy was only so-so and I wanted a matte pistol with fixed sights. Until the Stainless II came out I was looking to convert a S.A. .38 Super.

I have had the Kimber Pro Carry for over a year and have put close to 1,200 rounds through it with out any problems (immediately discarded the Kimber mag). I have only had the Stainless II for a month, but it has proven to be very accurate. No problems after 250 rounds of 115 fmj.

Both pistols are my primary defensive pistols. I like the fact that the sight picture on both is the same, and that magazines and ammo are interchangeable.

I shoot the 1911 platform better than all the other types I have tried. My brace of pistols is now complete. A custom 10mm Delta Elite for walking the woods, A Colt/Marvel Unit 1 for practice/pest control, and the two Kimber 9mm's for defense. With all the various types of 9mm ammo available the 1911 in 9mm is very practical. I feel well protected with the magazines stoked with Gold Dot +P 124 gr JHP's.

 

[Prince Yamato]

Norinco also makes a 9mm 1911 that's a copy of the GI service pistol. They're no longer imported into the US, but they were available. Norinco also has a reputation of making fantastic 1911s. Check out Marstar.ca to see what it looks like.

 

[bluetopper]

I just ordered a Dan Wesson PM9 1911.

A very small limited batch of them are supposed to be available in about a month.

They will be gorgeous.

Contact CZ for more details.

 

[robctwo]

OK, I'll chime in on the Les Baer PII 9mm I bought a while ago. I'm still having the double feed issue. I'm sure it is extractor caused. Sometimes even with a clean extractor, but definitely increasing as round count goes over a couple hundred. I have a very competent gun smith real close and a brilliant gun smith within an hour. I've ordered a new extractor from Baer and a new Wilson 9mm extractor and will have the smiths tune them. Haven't decided which one to use first. I also ordered the Baer fiber optic front sight.

I was not real pleased with the accuracy out of the box, but it has settled in nicely with a few thousand rounds through it. It's performing well with a variety of ammo.

Today I decided to run my three top 9s at the same time, same ammo and roughly same round count. I was shooting the Baer, my S&W952-2 and my old CZ75BD with the factory installed 5" BarSto barrel, fiber optic front and adjustable rear sight. I was shooting 3" targets at 15 yards and 6" targets at 25 yards. I had around 600 rounds of 125 gr Precision RNFP loaded over 3.9 to 4.1 gr Universal at about 1.1 OAL. All the guns liked the ammo. The 3.9 gr loads were just enough to run the 952. It seems to have the heaviest slide/recoil spring.

I've shot tens of thousands of rounds through the CZ so it is the most familiar. I like the 1911 better, and I just put the slim line Esmeraldas on it. Very nice. The 952 is very accurate and great to shoot. I'm still trying to get used to the safety. Pushing it up feels awkward. The Baer and the 952 both have the target sights for now.

In 200 ish rounds through the Baer I had three or four double feed incidents. One right off the bat with a pristine clean gun/extractor. Then the rest at the end of the session with the gun getting dirty. The 952 and the CZ ran pretty much flawlessly. There was one bobble, fte, on the 952 with a light load.

All three guns shot about equal for accuracy. I like the Baer best, and will get the extractor issue resolved.

That Dan Wesson PM9 1911 sounds interesting. I just don't need/can't justify/afford another gun for a while. Daughter's wedding in August.