9mm 1911 vs Glock 17 Gen4 for IDPA

S

SKS-Stu

Regular
EE Expired
Rating - 100%
29   0   0
Location
Winnipeg
I have never fired a 9mm 1911 but I fired about 5000 rounds of .45acp through 1911s and about 1000 rounds of .22lr through my GSG. And only 500 9mm through my G17. So clearly most of my experience is with the 1911 platform. I don't really have much time right now to reload so I have been using factory Norinco .45 230 grain which has a power factor of over 200,000 and puts me at a disadvantage against people using reduced loads.

I was thinking of getting a SAM 1911 in 9mm. Since I am familiar with the 1911 and the weight of the steel pistol shooting 9mm should equate faster follow up shots plus the advantage of the 5" barrel, and the single action trigger.

But the Glock is dead reliable and there seams to be more people winning with the G17 then 9mm 1911s.

What do you guys think?
 
Run the Glock - the increased recoil between a 9mm Glock and a 9mm 1911 is more than offset by the $600 or so in ammo you can buy if you don't buy a 1911 and mags. In fact it's enough to cover the cost of some good instruction on the Glock, that will really step your game up.
 
What Division do you want to shoot? The 1911 in 9mm can only be shot in ESP while the G17 could compete in either SSP or ESP.

I could be wrong, but I think there are a healthy number of winners using a 1911/2011 platform in ESP.
 
Have you considered Glock 34? Glock price in 9mm longer barrel. Good for SSP in IDPA and Production in USPSA but in IPSC you have to play in Standard divn. (not allowed in production)
 
Last edited:
If you enjoy the 1911 platform then get a 9mm 1911 and wade into the fun. Being a 1911 the holster and mag pouches will work just fine for switching back and forth between 9mm and 45 as you wish. And going from the 9mm in ESP to the .45 in CDP will let you switch between two rather fun categories to shoot.

Then along the way if you wish to go with SSP pick up another gun that fits that class along with the holster and pouches.

A fair number of us in IDPA switch from one to the other. I did my first couple of years in SSP with a CZ. This past year I've been mostly using a K frame S&W revolver for something different. But I still bring out the semi now and then.

The other thing is to go into it for the fun side first and foremost. If you go into it expecting that you'll suddenly be winning then you won't be learning the right things and you'll likely be very dissapointed.
 
If you don't have time to reload I'd have to bet that you don't have so much time to practice that you need to worry about ' winning ' .

Thus you need to optimize having fun. So what's more fun for you to shoot, 1911 or Glock ? If your answer is Glock, then I'd suggest looking into a 22 LR top end for your Glock. That gives you the advantages of

you GSG 1911 for practice. You get more time on the range with better bang for your buck. You have more fun, and your skills improve and boost your chances of winning in the future to.
 
Shoot what you like shooting the most. If you get deep into it then pick a more competitive option.

I love shooting my G34 in SSP. Only change I would consider is going revolver.
 
both are different divisions, so go with whatever you are more comfortable in. Remember that a typical course of fire is gonna require you to plan out how to properly complete the stage without issue, so the less you need to figure out your pistol, the better. Practice with your lesser known pistol now and use it next season.
 
As far as IDPA's rules go, these two guns are essentially in different worlds.

I know this probably isn't a popular sentiment, but instead of buying a new gun I would stick with your current 1911 and shoot CDP. Spend the money you'd use to buy a 9mm 1911 on quality reloading press and components, and start reloading bit by bit. If you are looking at being truly competitive (as your post implies you want to win), you will probably have to handload anyway. I understand that you said time is short, but if you break up the stages of handloading, you can get a lot done in a relatively short amount of time, especially for IDPA where the round counts are low. I spend about twenty minutes a night on different stages of handloading (sorting brass, depriming/resizing, priming, loading, final inspection), with about an hour one day a week actually sitting on the press. Working at a very leisurely pace, you can easily do enough rounds for meaningful weekly practice and matches (using a turret press, anyway; with a progressive it's even less time).

You already understand your 1911 and enjoy shooting it so you might as well stick with what you know and really master it and own the CDP division. If you enjoy shooting your 1911 right now with that spicy Norinco ammo, you will be blown away by how enjoyable it is with well-crafted handloads.

Just a thought.
 
the 1991 platform allows for a better trigger, so it will easier to shoot (if you are a new shooter). I think that the Glock platform will challenge your shooting skills.
Long story short, if you are awesome with the Glock you will be spectacular with the 1911. If you are ok with the 1911, you will need to work on your fundamentals...At least that was my experience.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom