9x23

9x23 used to be a big IPSC caliber in the early '90's. I remember one of the "I'm gawds gift to shooters" using one in Saskatchewan at that time, you needed ear plugs, and ear defenders and your ears still hurt if you were less than 20 feet from the shooter.
 
Would be a simple mod for the beretta cx4 9mm? No? Yes? Might not fit in the 92 mags and could be harder on the action but the same action is used for the 40 s&w also.
 
I am looking for any information about this caliber size.How does it shoot? What kind of recipe for reloading do you use?any info would be helpful.

Very fast, very flat. IPSC comped loadings:

11gn H110 makes for a very flat shooting load (analogous ballistic similar in sizing to 357SIG)
9.6gn 3N38 Vihtavouri as well.

Loud as a thunderclap, and should shoot close to 177PF for either load. CCI Small Rifle Primers recommended so as not to damage the firing pin.

Not as ignorant as a 9x25 (10mm necked to 9mm) that one is in a whole new league of stoopid loud (the gun actuall noses down with 12gn H110)

When open 'Major' Power Factor was 170 for the open guns (vs 165 today) people were looking for more velocity, and stable loads that wouldn't blow up barrels, split comps, that shot well.

with todays 165 power factor the 'old fringe' cartridges are not as popular as they once were. You still find the odd 9x25 being shot, as well as 357SIG.

9x23 went the way of the dodo, and brass is a little bit too spendy. Especially in big matches where you are not allowed to pick brass until after :(
 
I have the chance to buy a 1911 chambered in 9x23. Is ammo or brass hard to find?

One of our CGN members sold me some 9X23 brass a couple years ago.
I can't recall his name, but he did have a batch of new unfired Winchester brass at that time.
Maybe someone who might know him will chime in.
 
The problem with 1911's is that very little is a "drop in" fit. Barrels need to be matched to the barrel bushing for good accuracy and barrel links need to be sized to suit the barrel to frame fit.

Couple all this with the need for all new mags to use it with 9mm Luger and I'd pass on it. I doubt that he will want to part with his STI for a price which is low enough that by the time you swap the stuff that you are ONLY up to a fair market value.
 
The problem with 1911's is that very little is a "drop in" fit. Barrels need to be matched to the barrel bushing for good accuracy and barrel links need to be sized to suit the barrel to frame fit.

Couple all this with the need for all new mags to use it with 9mm Luger and I'd pass on it. I doubt that he will want to part with his STI for a price which is low enough that by the time you swap the stuff that you are ONLY up to a fair market value.

Agreed.^^^

If i was the op i would go buy a nice STI in 9mm and be done with it.
 
How much do you want to shoot the gun? Fairly frequently like a couple of times a month? Or more? And how many boxes would you go through per session? For me it is often 2 to 3 and sometimes more.

Factory 9x23 is going to cost a LOT compared to even .45acp simply because there is not much demand for it. And that equates to adding a lot of cost onto your per range session budget.

It will not take long at all for the ammo cost to shoot this gun being FAR, FAR more than the cost difference between this gun at even a give away price over a new gun chambered in on of the "normal" calibers.


When I bought my first 9mm handgun it was only about 3 to 4 months before I had shot the cost of the gun in ammo. If I'd picked some oddball caliber such as what you're considering my ammo cost would have been easily double the cost of 9mm Luger and likely even more.

If you stop and consider this simple fact then the cost of this gun, even if he's selling it for a pittance, is totally irrelevant since the ammo cost you shoot through it will be a far bigger consideration very soon after you were to get the gun.

Have you phoned around your local gun shops and asked for this ammo? What was their answer?

In looking at a couple of reloading supply sites I don't see any mention of 9x23. So it sort of indicates that it will be tough to find. Hell, it'a far easier to find reloading cases and bullets for 7.62x25 Tokarev than this rare 9x23 ammo.

Unless you find such stuff easier then it's a good indicator that this guy has a parts gun since shooting it in the presently configured 9x23 is going to be tough any way you look at it.
 
Have you phoned around your local gun shops and asked for this ammo? What was their answer?

That's it, right there. I can't imagine most Canadian gunshop staff will ever even have heard of it, let alone stocked it. It was a niche market IPSC cartridge. I wonder if a hundred factory 9x23 pistols made it into Canada when they were being produced. The majority of users of this caliber would have been owners of handbuilt IPSC pistols who reloaded in bulk. Thus, very limited demand for factory ammo.
 
I'm not even sure there is factory ammo from a major manufacturer in this calibre - I've never seen it (I know where to get 9mm Flobert and 455 Webley, even 7.92 Kurz so I'm not really new to odd calibres either)To really shoot a gun in this calibre, you'll need to reload and you'll need an understanding supplier to bring in the brass (new and won't be cheap). Starline sells this brass as 9x23 Super Comp @152.50/1000.
 
In looking at a couple of reloading supply sites I don't see any mention of 9x23.

Starline makes the brass ( https://www.starlinebrass.com/products/index.cfm/cid/69/9MM-Super-Comp-Brass/ ) so Double Tap Sports should be able to bring it in for you if they don't already stock it. Starline list it at $152.50/1000 but by comparison regular 9mm brass at $118.50.
 
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