9mm 1911's
- Thread starter Airborn_69
- Start date
I think the 1911 platform and 9MM were made for each other, as long as you have good magazines...Wilson Combat, Springfield Armory, STI, etc.
I have a 'decked out' Colt Combat Commander which is perfect for IDPA, a stainless Para LTD with LDA trigger that is the 'berries' for IPSC Production, and an STI Targetmaster which easily outshoots my friend's SIG P210, as well as his S&W 5906 Custom Shop unit.
I find the reduced recoil, and cost, of shooting 9MM makes it preferable to 45ACP.
I have a 'decked out' Colt Combat Commander which is perfect for IDPA, a stainless Para LTD with LDA trigger that is the 'berries' for IPSC Production, and an STI Targetmaster which easily outshoots my friend's SIG P210, as well as his S&W 5906 Custom Shop unit.
I find the reduced recoil, and cost, of shooting 9MM makes it preferable to 45ACP.
Star 9mm's...
Another 1911'ish single stack 9mm to consider would be the Star Model "B". Here's a pic of one I used to have [got it off Armco back in the day]. It came without grips. So I had to order a set of plain unfinished ones from Numrich. A few coats of 'tung oil' and voila:
They don't take standard 1911 9mm mags, though so it might be a challenge getting a couple extra mags to go with it. The pistols themselves are usually very reliable and quite accurate.
Currently, have a Star Model "BM" which is a compact single stack 9mm. It is even smaller than the Colt Combat Commander. But it is all steel, too. Spare mags are a challenge, though.
NAA.
Another 1911'ish single stack 9mm to consider would be the Star Model "B". Here's a pic of one I used to have [got it off Armco back in the day]. It came without grips. So I had to order a set of plain unfinished ones from Numrich. A few coats of 'tung oil' and voila:
They don't take standard 1911 9mm mags, though so it might be a challenge getting a couple extra mags to go with it. The pistols themselves are usually very reliable and quite accurate.
Currently, have a Star Model "BM" which is a compact single stack 9mm. It is even smaller than the Colt Combat Commander. But it is all steel, too. Spare mags are a challenge, though.
NAA.
Look into the STI Trojan in 9mm. It's a fantastic gun. It's one of the rentals at the local Rent-A-Gun range so you know it sees a lot of ammo between cleaning sessions. Not only is it reliable but it consistently groups tightly as long as the shooter doesn't screw things up. It's an easy gun to shoot well.
Another option, if you prefer the commander length, would be the Ranger II. I've shot a Ranger II in .40 and it balances superbly. I thought the regular 1911 balance nicely in the hand but the commander version ups the anty that little bit extra. I'm seriously considering one in 9mm as my Christmas present to myself because I've been such a good boy all year.
Another option, if you prefer the commander length, would be the Ranger II. I've shot a Ranger II in .40 and it balances superbly. I thought the regular 1911 balance nicely in the hand but the commander version ups the anty that little bit extra. I'm seriously considering one in 9mm as my Christmas present to myself because I've been such a good boy all year.
PaveHammer
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Ottawa, ON
More pictures, Dannyair?
- Location
- Edmonton Alberta
STI tactical is the way to go.
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I had this one built on a Colt Series 70 frame about 14-15 years ago:
Nearly a full-house build; Bar-Sto barrel in a Caspian barstock slide, old school Videcki trigger, Chip McCormick fire control parts, Ed Brown beavertail, springs, and innards, S&A funnel, Bo-Mars. Everything but gas pedals. (I hate gas pedals.) Pistolsmith thought I was nuts when I handed him the frame and the parcel of parts I'd imported- everybody was into .38 Super, 9x23, and even 9x25, back then. He seriously offered to build me a .45 with my pile of parts instead, and take my 9mm Bar-Sto barrel in straight trade. But, I wanted a 1911 that would eat cheap ammo out of a third-world wooden crate, in a caliber not so intimidating that I couldn't hand it to newbie shooters. Plates, casual IPSC and PPC, even NRA and ISSF bullseye... it's done them all, and well enough for my tastes.
Reliability has been superb. The pistolsmith knew his trade. Probably doesn't hurt that I started with a 9mm frame, though. However, as others have hinted, magazines can be a problem. With Colt factory mags? Flawless. With Mec-Gars? It becomes a stuttering horror.
If I was gonna buy more magazines for it tomorrow, I'd buy more Colt. Or I'd try STI's stuff.
Nearly a full-house build; Bar-Sto barrel in a Caspian barstock slide, old school Videcki trigger, Chip McCormick fire control parts, Ed Brown beavertail, springs, and innards, S&A funnel, Bo-Mars. Everything but gas pedals. (I hate gas pedals.) Pistolsmith thought I was nuts when I handed him the frame and the parcel of parts I'd imported- everybody was into .38 Super, 9x23, and even 9x25, back then. He seriously offered to build me a .45 with my pile of parts instead, and take my 9mm Bar-Sto barrel in straight trade. But, I wanted a 1911 that would eat cheap ammo out of a third-world wooden crate, in a caliber not so intimidating that I couldn't hand it to newbie shooters. Plates, casual IPSC and PPC, even NRA and ISSF bullseye... it's done them all, and well enough for my tastes.
Reliability has been superb. The pistolsmith knew his trade. Probably doesn't hurt that I started with a 9mm frame, though. However, as others have hinted, magazines can be a problem. With Colt factory mags? Flawless. With Mec-Gars? It becomes a stuttering horror.
If I was gonna buy more magazines for it tomorrow, I'd buy more Colt. Or I'd try STI's stuff.
