Anyone shooting 9mm 1911’s ??

[DaveTN]

I know it’s sacrilegious to even speak about in public, but here is what I’m faced with…

I’m trying to decide on a new gun and I was thinking about something that I could punch holes in paper with cheaply (ammo wise).

I’m trying to decide between a Smith & Wesson 617 and something along the lines of a 1911.

IMO the Smith & Wesson is the perfect .22. It’s the size and weight of a 686, so it would allow me cheap practice for my other revolvers.

I don’t want a .22 conversion kit for a 1911 because I wouldn’t want to mess with changing it out all the time. I’m not aware of any quality (size, weight, etc) 1911’s in .22 cal so that leaves me with the 9mm. I have never owned a 9mm 1911 but hear the stories of failure’s to fire and failure’s to eject. Have you guys that have them experienced this?

Any other ideas from the rest of you? Keep in mind these won’t be carry or defensive handguns, they are for practice only.

[Guest 270win]

Wilson Combat and Para Ordnance both make 9mm 1911's. I like my Glock 19 for the fact that i can shoot cheap 9mm practice ammo that costs half of what 45ACP.

[Im Neero]

If I wanted a 1911 styel gun in 9mm I'd get a Browning High Power.

[DaveTN]

If I wanted a 1911 styel gun in 9mm I'd get a Browning High Power.

I owned a Belgium browning HP in 9mm. It was a beautiful gun and one I wish I had not sold, but I want to stick to the 1911 platform.

[deerslayer]

I shot a friend's STI 9mm 1911 last weekend and I though it was SUUWWEEEEETTTTT! until the extractor broke.

[Guest Mugster]

You could just load down some .45acp ammo and stick a light recoil spring in a 1911. It'll feel more like a 9mm recoil wise if thats what you are after.

They have these surplus hi-powers out. I believe that might be your best economical bet in terms of a good shooting gun. The browning's have gotten overly pricey, imo.

[jaysouth]

I have a full house custom BHP done up by Mark Graham at Arizona Response Systems. It is top notch with a trigger unheard of on a BP. However I have an STI Trojan in 9mm that runs rings around the trigger on the BP.

If I live long enough to shoot the STI better than it can be shot, I will get an STI Rangemaster or have Jerry keiffer build me a target gun on a Les Baer frame and slide.

Also, the Smith 952 in the 1,500-1,800 range might just be the most accurate 9mm out there.

[Guest Boomhower]

I'm trying to. Although I don't think what I bought is what you are looking for.

I also shot an STI 9mm the other day. Ran very smooth, and was a really nice gun, but if I'm not mistaken it was built from the ground up. Maybe the owner can chime in and give a little more experience with it.

[musicman]

I'd go with the 10 round 4" or 6" 617! If I could find a pre-lock, that would be ideal! I can't think of a better plinker anywhere. I also like loading cylinders instead of magazines, and with 10 rounds of capacity, you aren't giving anything up to a Mark series or P22.

GO Smith!

[Guest price g]

Springfield PI 9134LP

[DaveTN]

I'd go with the 10 round 4" or 6" 617! If I could find a pre-lock, that would be ideal! !

Springfield PI 9134LP

The S&W 617 pre lock and the Springfield PI9134L are the two I'm looking at.

[FlyboyLDB]

I have a Llama 1911 9mm. Had it for years and still works great. Great for having fun at the range without taking a hard hit on the wallet.

[musicman]

One other reason to go 617 is ammo price. You mentioned that being a factor in the first post. Of course, 9mm is one of the cheapest centerfires, but you can still get 550 rounds of .22 for the price of 50 rounds of 9mm!

Even if the 617 carries a $100-$150 premium over the Springfield, you'll make that up quickly depending on how much you shoot.

Best of luck and let us know!

[molonlabetn]

For the price of another gun, you could set up to reload and make cheaper ammo for the one you already have (not that an excuse to buy another gun isn't welcome).

I'd go with a .22 semi-auto... (or revolver, your preference)... if you're going to go for cheap ammo, make it worthwhile. Feeding a 9mm wouldn't really make a noticeable difference in the long haul... you'll just shoot a bit more.

[et45]

You do know that a 1911 chambered in 9mm is considered sacralige in the Tacti-Krishna cult.

[DaveTN]

For the price of another gun, you could set up to reload and make cheaper ammo for the one you already have (not that an excuse to buy another gun isn't welcome).

I'd go with a .22 semi-auto... (or revolver, your preference)... if you're going to go for cheap ammo, make it worthwhile. Feeding a 9mm wouldn't really make a noticeable difference in the long haul... you'll just shoot a bit more.

I really don’t have a problem with flopping down the money for a reloading set-up if it would save me money. But I really don’t have any interest in reloading as a hobby and from everything I have read it really doesn’t save you much, if any.

I would like a nice full size, full weight .22, but the S&W 617 is about the only one I know of. I saw some posts about a Kimber 1911 Rimfire but supposedly it was real light and cost as much as a real Kimber. (I don’t have a problem with the price; but not if it feels like a toy in your hand)

I would guess that a .22 would have problems working the slide of a full weight .45. But maybe there is one out there; I don’t know?

I haven’t owned a 9mm since the 80’s but I thought 9mm was about half the price of .45ACP; is that not right?

[DaveTN]

You do know that a 1911 chambered in 9mm is considered sacralige in the Tacti-Krishna cult.

As in my original post; I do. However… I own and shoot 1911’s that were born without birth defects, so I think they will go easy on me.

[deerslayer]

A couple companies are beginning to produce 10 round 9mm mags for single stack 1911s--Tripp Research and Metalform (most 9mm 1911 mags are 9 rounders, I think). I have have two friends who recently purchased each. One more round is not a big deal, unless you are using a 9mm 1911 in IDPA's ESP division. Then, you are evenly matched with the Glocks, STIs, XDs, etc.

[molonlabetn]

I haven’t owned a 9mm since the 80’s but I thought 9mm was about half the price of .45ACP; is that not right?

Depending on where you're buying it from, it can be... but most of the comparable bulk prices are around $165 per thousand for 9mm (Georgia Arms Canned Heat) and $235 per thousand for .45acp (Georgia Arms Canned Heat).

That's about 40% more expensive... so, you can shoot 700rd of .45acp for the same price as 1000rd of 9mm... or over 4000rd of .22lr.

[Guest bkelm18]

But I really don’t have any interest in reloading as a hobby and from everything I have read it really doesn’t save you much, if any.

If you don't reload much as you stated, then no, there really isn't much to be saved, however once you start reloading hundreds and thousands of rounds, that's where you'll see the big savings.