9mm 1911's???

[Guest CK1]

...looking at possibly picking up a 1911 in 9mm, although seems the selection is pretty thin... leaning towards the springfield armory "loaded" in 9mm, but would rather something in commander size... or more options than the handful i've found...

anyone got any suggestions?

and does anyone know why there are so few out there and isn't much selection?

for me, i find i prefer 9mm since i can practice twice as much for the same $$$, and with the state of modern carry ammo, i feel the performance gap has been narrowed enough where when carrying one, i don't feel under-gunned at all...

P.S. this gun will be shot, A LOT. so 2k+ STI's and the like are not really what i'm after... think utilitarian, not presentation...

[Guest DaG]

Kimber 5" with Tripp Cobra 10 rd mags.

DaG

[Guest JHatmaker]

Traditionally 1911's only came in .45, but manufacturers started making them available in all types of calibers because of demand, preference, I assume. And most people want the traditional full size 1911 because that's just how they've been made.

You may want to try Para? I know they make various caliber/size 1911 style guns. I've got one of their calibers and they have a sub-compact I really want to get, the Hawg 9. As far as trying to find one, your best bet would probably have to have a dealer special order one for you since they aren't the easiest to find. Or just make a day out of it and hit a bunch of shops. Wouldn't be the worst day if you couldn't find one....

Good luck!

[glockster157]

One Achilles heel of the 9mm 1911's has been magazines. They are usually finicky and definitely more expensive. The solution I used years ago was the Browning Hipower....same great designer, very similar design, plentiful mags, more capacity, design from the beginning as a 9mm...

Please don't jump all me for making a non-1911 suggestion in 1911 thread, it is just a suggestion. I love 1911's and every time I get the urge to buy one in 9mm, I make these same arguments to myself.

[Guest jwp]

One Achilles heel of the 9mm 1911's has been magazines. They are usually finicky and definitely more expensive. The solution I used years ago was the Browning Hipower....same great designer, very similar design, plentiful mags, more capacity, design from the beginning as a 9mm...

Yep. 9mm 1911s are generally garbage and it's a combination of the magazines, extractor and barrel orientation.

[Smith]

One Achilles heel of the 9mm 1911's has been magazines. They are usually finicky and definitely more expensive. The solution I used years ago was the Browning Hipower....same great designer, very similar design, plentiful mags, more capacity, design from the beginning as a 9mm...

Please don't jump all me for making a non-1911 suggestion in 1911 thread, it is just a suggestion. I love 1911's and every time I get the urge to buy one in 9mm, I make these same arguments to myself.

While I'd like a 1911 in 9mm due to the trigger, the Hi Power is Mr Browning's perfection of the 1911 and it's designed around the 9mm. Other than that, I've heard great things about the EMP.

[Kano]

double post..

Edited March 3, 2009 by Kano

[Kano]

Depends on the $$$$ you want to spend..there are many Excellent 9mm 1911's. ....Nighthawk .... Wilson Combat....STI...... Fusion Firearms....

There are many STI's that are not $2000.... Fusion Firearms.. are also under $2000...

9mm Pro-Rex, Fusion Firearms 9mm Commander with the Ion Bond DLC Finish and Stainless accent parts.

Edited March 3, 2009 by Kano

[Guest Matchguy]

Don't forget that the CZ 75 is a 9mm and is just about the size and weight of the 1911. Also, it has a sear-blocking 1911-style safety even in the DA/SA version, and can be obtained in SA as well. It's still one of the best buys around and is a darned good gun.

Also, there is now an aftermarket EFK 9mm barrel made specifically for downsizing the .40 caliber version. So you could buy your CZ 75 in .40, pick up the aftermarket 9mm barrel, new recoil spring, and 9mm mag, and have both calibers in the same package, and adding the .22 conversion kit would be icing on the cake. All for a darnsight less than a lot of the Kimber-style 1911's. FWIW.

Here's some testimony from a very authoritative source: http://usrange.org/smf/index.php?topic=3155.new#new

MG

Edited March 3, 2009 by Matchguy

[Guest CK1]

One Achilles heel of the 9mm 1911's has been magazines. They are usually finicky and definitely more expensive. The solution I used years ago was the Browning Hipower....same great designer, very similar design, plentiful mags, more capacity, design from the beginning as a 9mm...

Please don't jump all me for making a non-1911 suggestion in 1911 thread, it is just a suggestion. I love 1911's and every time I get the urge to buy one in 9mm, I make these same arguments to myself.

excellent comment. been thinking of getting a witness match in 9mm (sa cz-clone), because i want an sa gun w/ a nice trigger that i can shoot a lot...

a decision which always leads me towards looking at a 1911 in 9mm...

and if i could get one in commander size i might even carry it from time to time... that'd be great.

but mostly... seems you guys are in agreement, i'm probably better off sticking to a "ground up" 9mm design.

has anyone seen a cz compact (or clone) in sa?

OR would it be possible to convert a da/sa to an sa, and just have a good gunsmith give it some trigger love ala 1911?

nighthawk's, wilson's,sti's, etc. isn't really what i'm looking for. i want to knock it around w/ me without fear of ruining an investment... and in my experience, price or "boutique-ness" has almost nothing to do w/ how a gun shoots (or especially how reliable it proves to be), but, has a hell of lot to do with how much you get on trade (which is good, although you never get a number that matches the "respect/mark-up" near what it cost)... been down that road.

that said, that fusion pro-rex is f**cking sweet!

Edited March 3, 2009 by CK1

[RWF]

we have several 9 mm 1991 they run great. the wife's main stay is the springfield loaded. for a few years she used the 38 super hi cap mags now she uses the wislon combat ETM 10 round mags

mine is a P-18 which runs great also.

[dcloudy777]

9mm 1911's run much better with ramped barrels. Traditional non-ramped barrel 9mm = magazine finicky, gotta be hand-built gun. Ramped barrel 9mm = much easier to make work gun. I know you said no 2k+ STI's, but how about just a hair over 1k STIs? We have an STI Trojan in 9mm that you might want to take a look at. Single-stack, 5" 9mm, ramped barrel, nice gun, we've got $1049 on it. I really need someone to come in and pick it up so I don't. The new 10-rd 9mm 1911 mags from Wilson and Tripp have really got me thinking about a 9mm 1911.

DanO

[Guest eyebedam]

Look at the EMP. It's the only 1911 truly built around the 9 mm platform.

[Guest CK1]

9mm 1911's run much better with ramped barrels. Traditional non-ramped barrel 9mm = magazine finicky, gotta be hand-built gun. Ramped barrel 9mm = much easier to make work gun. I know you said no 2k+ STI's, but how about just a hair over 1k STIs? We have an STI Trojan in 9mm that you might want to take a look at. Single-stack, 5" 9mm, ramped barrel, nice gun, we've got $1049 on it. I really need someone to come in and pick it up so I don't. The new 10-rd 9mm 1911 mags from Wilson and Tripp have really got me thinking about a 9mm 1911.

DanO

Thanx... great info. While i've had plenty of great experiences w/ trojans in the past (and fine young ladies), as far as pistols go, I'll have to look into 'em.

An EMP is too small for me to have a use for one, now if it came in commander size I'd already have one...

The search continues...

[rd97]

STI makes a good 9mm in the Trojan. Had one had no problems. Used it for IDPA with the metalform mags. Not one single issue!