Anyone *like* 1911 in 9mm?
- Thread starter Mark-II
- Start date
When the Norinco 1911s came out in 9mm about 18 months ago, I bought 3. None of them would group with any ammo. The Norc 45s shot very well, right out of the box.
I bought 3 cheap barrels. 2 in 9mm and 1 in 7.62x25. All 3 now shoot very well. The 7.62 and one of the 9s are exceptionally accurate.
I watched the gunsmith fit the barrels. They came slightly long and he had to take a few licks off the hood to make the slide close all the way. The Norc barrels were not tight at all.
Blame the gun. I always do.....
I bought 3 cheap barrels. 2 in 9mm and 1 in 7.62x25. All 3 now shoot very well. The 7.62 and one of the 9s are exceptionally accurate.
I watched the gunsmith fit the barrels. They came slightly long and he had to take a few licks off the hood to make the slide close all the way. The Norc barrels were not tight at all.
Blame the gun. I always do.....
Now there's the answer
from a rested position it'll still group a few inches. Still, I'm not impressed for a pistol that is firmly in the middle-of-the-road for off the shelf 1911 pistols. My remington and ruger are tack drivers without being near as 'well fit' as this one is.
Older gentleman at the range had opined, as another above, that the 45 is a much more accurate cartridge, or at least much easier to load for.
Well, this thread was mostly a frustrated shout into the wilderness. I'm going to cut my losses and sell the gun, and perhaps look at an STI in the new year, or whenever a sale coincides with my having money again. Range time should not be angry time.
Greenhorse six
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
What weight 9mm are you using , I always have trouble getting good groups with 115gr ammo , don't know why.
I have a SAM 9mm SS commander and it shoots really well, functions great, only thing I noticed out of place on the SAM pistols are the recoil springs are way too light compared to OEM. The one that came in my commander felt like it should be for a .22. I put in a proper rated Wolff spring before I ever put a round through it.
Same with my SAM .40s&w....replaced the recoil spring and it's been accurate and reliable from day 1.
I'm not sure if that could be the reason it doesn't shoot great for you.... But a new spring is like $7, probably worth a try before selling it.
I found both my guns had really good fitting from the barrel/bushing/slide, barrels on mine were very well machined and lapped.
Same with my SAM .40s&w....replaced the recoil spring and it's been accurate and reliable from day 1.
I'm not sure if that could be the reason it doesn't shoot great for you.... But a new spring is like $7, probably worth a try before selling it.
I found both my guns had really good fitting from the barrel/bushing/slide, barrels on mine were very well machined and lapped.
That's the thing. They do seem to be very well fit. I think I actually did buy a new spring set for 9mm, just never put it in (had to make up a $25 order for Wolfe). Failing that I could try the one from the R1 because that one IS too light. Hey anything is worth fiddling with. I might use it for learning how to clean up and tune a trigger. I'd like a 9mm commander, as I've said again and again. Don't much want to pay a grand for one, though, so I thought I'd go SAM again.
I've tried, I really have. I just cannot make my 9mm SAM Omega work for me
I've been practicing constantly with my 1911 pistols. I've just shot a toonie sized group with my Remington R1, and that isn't a one in a hundred rounds grouping.
At that same distance the SAM covers a quarter of the paper and the best I can do with it is maybe a 3.5" group. We are talking 10 yards here.
I can shoot my glock 34 better and more consistently than I can this pistol.
Anyone else shoot multi calibres in the 1911 and do you notice a marked difference in how well you do with one vs another?
First one to rant on about fundamentals gets on the ignore list.
What grain ammo are you using? What brand are you using? It all makes a difference!
124gr
I've used commercial cast, my own cast, and now I use Cam Pro in deference to the Glock. I've tried Winchester white box when it was new (because someone left a box of it at the outdoor range once). as I recall I'm using 4gr of titegroup under it. Glock likes this load.
Have you checked the timing, the lower lug fitment, and the barrel link length?
I purchased a link kit from brownells (contains I think 5 different size links) quite a few years back and have noticed that quite a few 1911's I have were slightly out of spec.
A cheap Norinco NP-28 I got used last year was grouping horribly when I first got it and after some slight adjustment to the upper lugs, slightly re-cutting the lower lug with a lug cutter and polishing it, and fitting a slightly longer barrel link it now groups reasonably well - about 2 1/2 inches at 20 yards two handed.
When I first got it it grouped about 5 - 6 inches at 20 yards.
I personally think the barrel timing, lower lug and link have more to do with accuracy than the barrel bushing.
I purchased a link kit from brownells (contains I think 5 different size links) quite a few years back and have noticed that quite a few 1911's I have were slightly out of spec.
A cheap Norinco NP-28 I got used last year was grouping horribly when I first got it and after some slight adjustment to the upper lugs, slightly re-cutting the lower lug with a lug cutter and polishing it, and fitting a slightly longer barrel link it now groups reasonably well - about 2 1/2 inches at 20 yards two handed.
When I first got it it grouped about 5 - 6 inches at 20 yards.
I personally think the barrel timing, lower lug and link have more to do with accuracy than the barrel bushing.
juancarlos
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- The Island
Have a STI Sentry in 9mm. It's a laser but finicky about ammo, works best with RN and hates FN bullets. I usually run 147gr with it but I have had decent results with 124gr.
Here's a picture of me trying to find a decent load with my 9mm. The group on the left is with my Valtro .45 (and was shooting to the right). The group from the .45 isn't great but it's better than my 9mm groups. To be fair to the 9mm when I shoot factory ammo the groups are much tighter, I just haven't had much luck finding a decent load.
Here's another set of groups this one all 9mm. The group on the left this time is still 9mm but it's from custom reloading supply. Just for reference one of these was shot at 15m and the other at 20mm, but I forget which is which, I'm guessin the one above was 20m and this one here is 15m.
If you have the the money and inclination there are two books about the 1911, albiet in 45 calibre, written by a fellow named Jerry Kuhnhausen. If you want to leave the web based speculation and nonsense behind when it comes to the 1911 platform these incredibly detailed books have every last bit of information that you will ever need. I'm not suggesting that all web info is nonsense...
The 1911 was developed to shoot ball ammo. This being said, my Kimber which is a junk gun according to most CGNrs around here works flawlessly with all ammo. I've never had a failure using lead cast semi wad cutters in it even.
My STI Trojan in 9 likes 1.15" COAL and feeds like a champ with it for what it's worth.
I picked up a SA Range Officer in 9mm. It's a fun shooter but only had it out to the range once so far. I had issues chambering my ammo. Go figure, all my other guns have no issues. Turns out my Factory Crimp die wasn't bottoming out on the shellplate. Should be ready for a good run next range session.
I have a pair of CCO's (commander slide/officer's frame) in 9mm built by Don Williams. Superbly accurate, if I do my part. Stainless steel frame so it soaks up the recoil. Took 800 rounds to break in to the point that the odd FTE disappeared. (This was expected and Don warned me about the break in period as they're custom built)
