40cal 1911

terez

terez

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40cal. 1911

School me
I like 40 and love the 1911 platform so time for one in 40.

Does the 40 run well in the 1911?
Does it need to be loaded long or will I run fine at 40sw spec length and factory ammo?
Will 10mm mags work fine or do you need proprietary 40 mags?

I would ideally set the gun up with a 10mm barrel as well to play with the spicier rds

Ramped barrel the best go I assume?


I put a 40sw barrel in a Delta Elite some 20 yrs ago.
It seemed to work well but I didnt shoot it much and traded it away. :(
 
I've never seen a 40 cal 1911 that ran well, the ones I have seen were both magazine sensitive and load sensitive. I think it has something to do with the bore to length ratio of the cartridge. Others may have different experiences, but when it comes to 40 cal 1911's I've seen lots of guys swearing and trying to clear double feeds. If you're going to go with a 1911, and you like .4x's get one in .45 - they work quite nicely.
 
I've got a Commander-length STI Ranger II in .40 that works well and is quite pleasant to shoot. I've only had it out twice firing maybe 150 rounds or so but it's been trouble-free. I've only shot factory ammo in it (180 gr. Sellier & Bellot).


[youtube]KDU8jzmdBCU[/youtube]
 
I've seen lots of 1911s in 40 that run well. I have an STI Trojan that works well enough for my needs, with 10s of thousands of rounds through it.
It's the preferred caliber in IPSC competition: Classic Division (which only allows 1911s)
It's the preferred caliber in USPSA competition: Single Stack Division (which only allows 1911s)

Are all 40 caliber 1911s flawless out of the box: No
Are all 45 caliber 1911s flawless out of the box: No

re: long vs short: I've seen different 1911s with different preferences. I'm fortunate that all of mine are happy with the normal length rounds (ie: I do not need to load them long). Mine is also happy with both 10mm and 40 mags.
YMMV.

-ivan-
 
A .40 S&W 1911 is still a 1911. There are variances between manufacturers that mean some run better "out-of-the-box" than others. This statement is true regardless of whatever caliber the 1911 is shooting.

That having been said, the .40 S&W seems to face a particular set of challenges that do not seem to apply to the 9mm or 38 Super - owing in part to the fact that the .40 S&W factory spec is shorter than the 9mm, 38 Super, 10mm, or 45. Here is a list of items that I have found will increase reliability with the shorter cartridge:

1) EGW "higher" mag catch/mag release.
2) Loading longer than spec (1.135 OAL factory - I load 1.160 and some go as high as 1.180)
3) Tripp magazines. I use the 10 round 10mm variety.
4) Ramped barrel designed gun
5) EGW undersized sizing die and chamber checked ammo
6) 2000+ rounds through the 1911 in question
7) Adequate lubrication of the 1911

Hope that helps
 
I had a RIA, FS Tactical II in .40 that ran flawless after I changed out the slide stop. It digested factory ammo and light reloads without issue. I used Tripp .40 S&W mags. Many people buy 10mm mags and reload long.
YMMV.
 
Ive been shooting 1911s for 30yrs in mostly 45acp
Im quite familiar with the 1911, its idiosyncracies, tuning etc.

The only 40sw guns I have owned have been a few glocks and the converted Delta elite I had many moons ago

Love my 9mm glocks...not a fan of 40 glocks
The recoil impulse is sharp and snappy....not punishing but enough to make it harder to shoot well and less accurate in my hands.

I like the bore size and less expensive factory ammo of the 40....and think the 40 out of a 5in steel 1911 will be a nicer shooting platform...and the 1911 ergos too

If I go the 40 1911 route it would be in a quality properly tuned and setup gun....all mine are.
Its whether the rd feeds/functions well out of a well set up quality 1911 and or if it requires particular mags.

Keep er coming fellas...specially feedback from current 1911 40sw shooters
 
Been running this for a while now.....it's been flawless....factory only ammo right now.....I guess if they're built for .40..they should function....I shoot this more than my .45.. Love it..

 
SLANTO said:
My Springfield .40 1911 has run great. I use the metalform mags with it.
Click to expand...

That's one of the guns I'm considering.
I like the lines and way they put their guns together and the ramped barrel design will be good for the 10mm application.

Do you shoot factory am or thru or ??


Thanks
 
Some of them can be a real pain to get working, prime example.

I had 2x STI trojans 40 single stack at the same time, the older model (which became my match gun) ran like a champ from day 1. even before mods, would run them factory like long, 40 mags and 10mm mags. Eventually changed barrel for a bull barrel, but ran fine using what 1riot1ranger said (minus the high catch)

The new 2015 model, did not want to feed at all, i had tried everything. Ended up with smith (R.K.) examinating it and saying barrel ramp was out of wack. STI would not warranty it so their distributor didnt follow either. So it was either i purchase a barrel or have a 1500$ paperweight.
I spoke with Aaron at Tripp research as he was knowledgable to try to help me, and confirmed that Tripp regularly refits STI single stack barrels every month.
They have had big batches of unproperly fit barrels.

I have pictures showing the problem somewhere too if there's interest...
 
I have a Colt Delta Elite with a 40 conversion barrel and a SAM Omega 6. I have used both for IPSC. I read about how you need to load long and took it as the rule. Turns out both of these 1911 run best at closer to SAMMI spec. You need to be willing to invest some time and figure out what works. I use 10mm Tripp mags.
 
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