Considering a Taurus 1911 in 9mm

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Seems like a lot of gun for the money?? Your opinions will be appreciated - especially if you own or have shot one. Trigger is very important to me. Please if you just hate all taurus guns and if you've never owned one and hate them anyway, don't comment. Looking for real information to help me with my decision - if you can compare a Taurus to another 1911 you like better or not as much - and why - that would be great. Also, if you hate all 9mm 1911's - fine but that will not help me. This will be a range gun for fun - just looking for reliable, accurate and good trigger etc... Would love a 45 but can't justify the ammo cost for what I will use this for - rather shoot it more!
Thanks for your help!
 
I have a Taurus 1911 in .45.Mine has been amazing.The triggers been great,its loaded with all the extras right out of the box.Lifetime warranty and its a forged metal gun!My next gun will be a Taurus 1911 9mm.The cost vs features cant be beat!
 
Anyone own a Taurus and another more expensive brand they can compare? Thanks
 
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I recently got a Taurus PT1911 in 38 Super. I've owned a couple Springfield Armory 1911s in .45 ACP for a while, including the midgrade mil-spec model.

My SA mil-spec has a slightly better, definitely crisper trigger than the Taurus. On almost everything else the Taurus is equal or better. The Taurus feature list is absolutely unbeatable for the price. I should caution that I don't own or have experience with any truly high-end 1911.

The Taurus 1911 has a "series 80" type trigger with a trigger-activated firing pin safety. This always makes trigger pull worse. It's not too bad on my Taurus, but it does add some creep and mushiness when compared to the SA. SA uses a "series 70" type setup without any firing pin safety, but has a titanium firing pin that provides good drop safety, and still manages to ignite primers thanks to a heavier than standard mainspring.

Having said that, the trigger pull on my Taurus 1911, with its mushiness by 1911 standards, is still almost as good up to equal to the best DA/SA pistols I have in their SA mode (Beretta 92, CZ, Jericho) and better than many DA/SA pistols in SA mode (most Rugers, for instance). I also expect the Taurus 1911 to get a little better with use, and probably a lot better when I take it down and detail clean one of these days. The 38 Super I got seems to have been in storage for several years, with the original oil gunked up on everything.

If you reload, you should forget the 9mm 1911 and get one of the 38 Super Taurus 1911s that CDNN is clearing out, $400 for blued and $450 for stainless. You can reload 38 Super for the same price as 9mm and its power level, within SAAMI pressure limits, is roughly between a 9mm +P and a 357 SIG. (IPSC competitors have for years overloaded 38 Super to power levels equating to full-house 10mm, and higher, but you might want to look up "super face" before you do so, and the Taurus 1911 does not have a fully supported barrel). My 38 Super is so far 100% reliable and a joy to shoot. I have read of reliability problems with 9mm 1911s in general, due to the cartridge being much shorter and smaller than the 1911 was designed for. The 38 Super is the same in length as 45 ACP and has a long successful history in the 1911.
 
Thanks Z. I am uneducated on the 38 super and don't currently reload. Are factory loads more powerful that 9mm factory loads? i would assume so - How does cost compare - thanks for the info - will have to consider the 38 now
 
38 Super was THE hot auto cartridge back in the day... as in like 1930. But it hasn't gotten slower. Typical load would be 130gr FMJ at 1200-1300fps. You can also do 147gr at 1150-1200fps or 124 at 1300+. Those are all somewhat warmer than 9mm +P, and at or just below typical 357 SIG loads.

Cost of factory ammo in 38 Super is high, with Aguila 130gr FMJ at about $17/50 and other brands generally $20-28/50. It would be a very expensive caliber if you don't reload (although no worse than 357 SIG or 10mm auto, and no worse than 45 ACP if you're willing to order Aguila ammo by the case). If you want to start reloading, the straight-wall, moderate size cases would be easy to work with. Reloading is an additional proposition though. I really can't recommend 38 Super for anyone relying only on factory ammo, at current prices and availability.
 
Haven' shot the 9mm version, but my .45 PT1911DT has ran 100% flawless.

Great gun, and I've owned several other brands of 1911's.
 
Did you ever consider hand loading?

That would bring ammo cost down to factory 9mm levels or below.

I can't comment on that specific 1911, but I shot a range-mate's modified Springfield 1911 in 9mm, and the recoil was QUITE soft. I almost felt like I was cheating.

I have a Para GI Expert 1911 in 45. One thing I don't like is the sharp serrations on the trigger. After a few mags' worth of shooting, my trigger finger is hurting. I'm going to drum sand them smooth. This probably won't be an issue with a 9 mm 1911 though.
 
I own a stainless Taurus and several other 1911s that are worth about twice as much. You really can't compare them because you get a lot more finer details with the more expensive guns. Compared to others in the same price range, the Taurus is a good option. Even more so if you want a stainless or even a rail.


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The PT1911 has a pretty bad reputation for reliability in the 45ACP model. 1911's in 9mm are finicky. Put those two together and I'd shy away unless you are really, really set on a cheap 9mm 1911 and don't mind if it is < 85% reliable. I'd recommend mags by Metalform ("Springfield" model), Wilson or Tripp Research, all of which have worked well in my STI 9mm 1911.

The 1911 was designed with two calibers in mind: 45ACP and 38 Super. The problem with 1911's in other, shorter calibers is they tend to have terrible feeding problems. This can be alleviated somewhat with mags designed with integrated spacers (like the ones I mentioned above) or by hand loading round to a length the gun likes.
 
1911's and 9mm being called "finicky" is fairly common........Get the gun in .45 and pay someone like MasterCast to do the reloading for you if you aren't a reloader.
 
Your opinions will be appreciated - especially if you own
Click to expand...

I do.

1911 9mm in stainless.

Fantastic gun. This coming from a confirmed CZ snob. Eats everthing I feed it. Nary a problem. Great fit and finish. 500 rounds in less than a month. more than enough accuracy. Highly recommend.
 
You should be able to pick up a new Taurus 1911 for less than $650.

As for being "finicky", that's not been my experience. I've got about 4500 rounds through mine without any problems. I still use the cheap factory mags in my rotation too.


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Great info here - thanks for all the info and links. My 1911 might get side tracked for a few weeks as my family just purchased a French Bulldog pup to aggrevate the heck out of our 10 yr. old boxer. Thats two 1911's I'll never see again.
 
9mm 1911 and finicky hasn't been my experience either. I dint by the "1911 was made for .45 and doesn't work as well in anything else" argument. Complete B.S.

For around the same money I think you would be happier with an STI Spartan 9mm. Better made gun.
 
Anyone own a Taurus and another more expensive brand they can compare? Thanks


I have a Taurus 1911 and 4 Colts. When I carry a 1911 it's usually the Taurus. Hope that helps.
 
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