Was oiling my guns the other day and noticed a glaring omission. I don't have a full size 1911 chambered in 9mm. Tell me which ones y'all like. Rest assured I am not asking you to choose my gun for me. I just want to know what is out there and what you like/dislike about them. Thanks in advance for your knowledgable responses.
Tell me about your 9mm 1911s!!
- Thread starter Eazyeach
- Start date
eddiejoe333
New member
I had a Springfield Range Officer in 9MM, and it was excellent! My only problem was that I was at a gun show and saw a Star P30 for a price I couldn't beat. It turns out I shoot the Star as well as the Springfield for a third of the cost. I traded the Springfield. No FTFs or FTEs, recoil was a breeze, fit and finish were perfect.
Used to have a S&W 1911 Pro Series 9mm, really nice gun, very fast and accurate. Right now I have a custom Colt .38 Super that has 9mm and 9x23 barrels also, it shoots great with the 9mm barrel in it. I also have a Springfield Ultra Compact 9mm, it's Officer ACP size. I think any quality 9mm 1911 will serve you well. They're an absolute blast to shoot, fast and fun.
Earlier this year I decided to finally get a 1911 in 9mm and looked hard at the full sized Springfield Range Officer like mentioned above. Then I looked at the Ranger Officer 9mm in the Compact and Champion versions which both have a shorter 4" barrel. The Champion has a full length grip while the Compact has a shorter Officers frame. I liked the balance of the RO Compact so went with it.
Glad I did. I'm very pleased with the ROC9, it's accurate, reliable and looks great. You do give up one round (8 vs. 9) using a flush fit magazine but standard Colt 9rd mags fit and work. You get a lot of nice extras with the RO and the three versions let you pick the size you want.
ETA:
You might consider a Hi-Power, too. Ya gotta have one of those!
Glad I did. I'm very pleased with the ROC9, it's accurate, reliable and looks great. You do give up one round (8 vs. 9) using a flush fit magazine but standard Colt 9rd mags fit and work. You get a lot of nice extras with the RO and the three versions let you pick the size you want.
ETA:
You might consider a Hi-Power, too. Ya gotta have one of those!
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mine started out as
and after much work massaging,straightening, reshaping,sanding,polishing,hot bluing
i got this
the only parts i replaced were
sear
slide stop
firing pin stop
bushing
plunger tube
grips and screws
the thing shoots like a laser with 147gr conical flatpoints
folks that shoot it are stunned because they thought they were not that good of shooters
the darn thing is like cheating
it ran well out of the box, but i cant leave anything alone
and i dont regret doing the work over for a minute
and after much work massaging,straightening, reshaping,sanding,polishing,hot bluing
i got this
the only parts i replaced were
sear
slide stop
firing pin stop
bushing
plunger tube
grips and screws
the thing shoots like a laser with 147gr conical flatpoints
folks that shoot it are stunned because they thought they were not that good of shooters
the darn thing is like cheating
it ran well out of the box, but i cant leave anything alone
and i dont regret doing the work over for a minute
SauerGrapes
New member
Springfield RO is a fantastic 9mm. Real tack driver.
I came in to a Springfield Loaded Stainless in 9mm. It was part of a group of guns that a buddy of mine had and needed to move to forward money toward a totally different project. I helped him with this task and I was able to get this pistol for a decent price that we were both happy with.
It is an N-prefix and not an NM-prefix and I would say that this does indeed matter. He also had a nearly identical Loaded Stainless in .45 that was an NM-prefix and this was simply a better fit pistol with a better trigger. I sold that one, having little interest in a .45 at the time.
It has been a decent gun, but we had a couple of growing pains. I let a different friend of mine work on the trigger as it desperately needed some help. It has come around and is better now, but it's still not a trigger that thoroughly impresses me, although I am a bit of a snob for a fine trigger. It is a decently accurate pistol and an awful lot of fun to shoot, but try as I might -- I can outshoot it with my Tanfoglio Witness Elite Match.
I really detest the front serrations on multiple levels. I needn't go in to that (no need for a thread drift here) but suffice to say, I have this idea that one day in the future, I will hand it to some craftsman and let him do something to shave them down and create a new look.
One last speed-bump: this pistol gave me a healthy "Reality check" at the load bench. It has the tightest chamber I have yet ever come across in a 9mm pistol, and I have come across many. Factory ammo slips in & out as you would expect but this pistol made me upgrade my 9mm sizing die. I want to say that the chamber reamer was at the bitter range of it's service life when it cut this chamber and I cannot say that it is "out of spec" because factory ammo does fit it cleanly, but it is not tolerant of brass that isn't sized down as absolutely far as I can make it, and I've been making terrific 9mm handloads for 8+ years and other pistol caliber handloads since the late 80's. This pistol re-affirmed what every handloader either knows or gets to know -- that you are always learning.
It is an N-prefix and not an NM-prefix and I would say that this does indeed matter. He also had a nearly identical Loaded Stainless in .45 that was an NM-prefix and this was simply a better fit pistol with a better trigger. I sold that one, having little interest in a .45 at the time.
It has been a decent gun, but we had a couple of growing pains. I let a different friend of mine work on the trigger as it desperately needed some help. It has come around and is better now, but it's still not a trigger that thoroughly impresses me, although I am a bit of a snob for a fine trigger. It is a decently accurate pistol and an awful lot of fun to shoot, but try as I might -- I can outshoot it with my Tanfoglio Witness Elite Match.
I really detest the front serrations on multiple levels. I needn't go in to that (no need for a thread drift here) but suffice to say, I have this idea that one day in the future, I will hand it to some craftsman and let him do something to shave them down and create a new look.
One last speed-bump: this pistol gave me a healthy "Reality check" at the load bench. It has the tightest chamber I have yet ever come across in a 9mm pistol, and I have come across many. Factory ammo slips in & out as you would expect but this pistol made me upgrade my 9mm sizing die. I want to say that the chamber reamer was at the bitter range of it's service life when it cut this chamber and I cannot say that it is "out of spec" because factory ammo does fit it cleanly, but it is not tolerant of brass that isn't sized down as absolutely far as I can make it, and I've been making terrific 9mm handloads for 8+ years and other pistol caliber handloads since the late 80's. This pistol re-affirmed what every handloader either knows or gets to know -- that you are always learning.
Both my current production 1911s made in 9mm are tack drivers -- an STI Spartan (five inch barrel) and a Dan Wesson Guardian (bob tailed aluminum commander size). If you're willing to consider a 1911-ish pistol, look at the Star Model B Super in 9mm Luger (some Stars are 9mm Largo and ammo is harder to get). Good accuracy at a fraction of the cost.
I'm a 1911 junkie.... and I have three 1911's in 9mm....
a. Kimber Tactical Pro II model / 4" alloy frame. Decent gun /alloy frame scratches easily / I use it as a training gun for the grandkids. Stock trigger out of factory was horrible/I replaced trigger & internals with Wilson parts to clean it up. Gun runs very well..and is accurate.
b. Les Baer Monolith, 5", all steel in 9mm. It would be a better gun with Wilson internal parts...but I've left it alone / gave to my adult son / he likes it a lot / runs well now...and very accurate. My beef with Les Baer - is he makes his guns too tight, fit and finish is not great and I like Wilson Combat guns much better...in hindsight / I wish I had not bought it .
c. The best 9mm in my safe ...is a Wilson Combat Protector model, 5", all stainless...I bought it new in mid 2006 / its my primary tactical range training gun. I shoot it a lot... 20 boxes a month or more usually...and to date it has about 85,000 rds thru it / broke an extractor at about 35,000...full warranty / had it back in a week. I do carry it once in a while...but mostly I carry its brother, a Wilson 5" CQB model in .45 acp...( 12 yrs old / about 25,000 thru it - no issues at all).
Both Wilsons ran 100% right out of the box...and continue to do that week in and week out...( I put 3 boxes thru the Protector 9mm model yesterday afternoon...with some reload drills, rapid fire, etc...)...
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A full sized 1911 in 9mm is a great gun...if its well made, well tuned ! I believe, based on my experience, that Wilson Combat does that better than most anyone...and Ed Brown would be my 2nd choice...( 3rd ...is a very distant 3rd - but it would be either Springfield or Kimber.../ but I have buddies that also have 1911's from Springfield and Kimber, full sized guns, and they are happy with them as well...some of them needed some internal cleanup..but a few hundred bucks and they are all running.)
I've tried a number of different 1911 9mm mags....and I'm now 100% using Wilson's ETM 10 rd mags in all of my 1911's in 9mm...
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Good luck in your search ! Don't let anyone talk you out of it Wilson Combat is about 18 months backlog on new orders now ....but there are 4 or 5 9mm's made by Wilson Combat on gunbroker for around $3,000....they are at least worth a look.
http://thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=90272&d=1372200117
This is my Wilson Combat, Protector, 5" in 9mm...
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http://thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=88877&d=1366065657
Another photo..... Les Baer monolith in 9mm at upper left...
From bottom....Wilson CQB .45 acp, Wilson 9mm Protector, Kimber Gold Combat .45 acp, Kimber Tactical Pro II 9mm...
a. Kimber Tactical Pro II model / 4" alloy frame. Decent gun /alloy frame scratches easily / I use it as a training gun for the grandkids. Stock trigger out of factory was horrible/I replaced trigger & internals with Wilson parts to clean it up. Gun runs very well..and is accurate.
b. Les Baer Monolith, 5", all steel in 9mm. It would be a better gun with Wilson internal parts...but I've left it alone / gave to my adult son / he likes it a lot / runs well now...and very accurate. My beef with Les Baer - is he makes his guns too tight, fit and finish is not great and I like Wilson Combat guns much better...in hindsight / I wish I had not bought it .
c. The best 9mm in my safe ...is a Wilson Combat Protector model, 5", all stainless...I bought it new in mid 2006 / its my primary tactical range training gun. I shoot it a lot... 20 boxes a month or more usually...and to date it has about 85,000 rds thru it / broke an extractor at about 35,000...full warranty / had it back in a week. I do carry it once in a while...but mostly I carry its brother, a Wilson 5" CQB model in .45 acp...( 12 yrs old / about 25,000 thru it - no issues at all).
Both Wilsons ran 100% right out of the box...and continue to do that week in and week out...( I put 3 boxes thru the Protector 9mm model yesterday afternoon...with some reload drills, rapid fire, etc...)...
------------
A full sized 1911 in 9mm is a great gun...if its well made, well tuned ! I believe, based on my experience, that Wilson Combat does that better than most anyone...and Ed Brown would be my 2nd choice...( 3rd ...is a very distant 3rd - but it would be either Springfield or Kimber.../ but I have buddies that also have 1911's from Springfield and Kimber, full sized guns, and they are happy with them as well...some of them needed some internal cleanup..but a few hundred bucks and they are all running.)
I've tried a number of different 1911 9mm mags....and I'm now 100% using Wilson's ETM 10 rd mags in all of my 1911's in 9mm...
-----------
Good luck in your search ! Don't let anyone talk you out of it
Wilson Combat is about 18 months backlog on new orders now ....but there are 4 or 5 9mm's made by Wilson Combat on gunbroker for around $3,000....they are at least worth a look.http://thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=90272&d=1372200117
This is my Wilson Combat, Protector, 5" in 9mm...
----------
http://thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=88877&d=1366065657
Another photo..... Les Baer monolith in 9mm at upper left...
From bottom....Wilson CQB .45 acp, Wilson 9mm Protector, Kimber Gold Combat .45 acp, Kimber Tactical Pro II 9mm...
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joe-lumber
New member
Kimber Pro Carry II
I have a Kimber Pro Carry II - 4.25" barrel that is one of my favorite guns. It is very accurate and with large sights and a good trigger is great. I bought it used and called Kimber for a new recoil spring. They asked me for the serial # and sent me two springs free. It is one of my favorite pistols and I got it at a very good price. Ordered 3 little wires to take it down that must be inserted in the guide rod to break down.
I have a Kimber Pro Carry II - 4.25" barrel that is one of my favorite guns. It is very accurate and with large sights and a good trigger is great. I bought it used and called Kimber for a new recoil spring. They asked me for the serial # and sent me two springs free. It is one of my favorite pistols and I got it at a very good price. Ordered 3 little wires to take it down that must be inserted in the guide rod to break down.