1911 - 9mm vs 45 ACP

[Amp]

Larry breaks down his thoughts on 9mm versus 45 ACP. He also gives some tips on buying and customizing your own 1911.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTJlyGxcoJo

[Borderland]

Larry's broken down alright.:D

Just kidding. I like Larry. He's an old 1911 guy and he had a big part in the design of the HK45. I have one and it seems like HK brought the 1911 into the 21st century.

My feeling is 9 mm is better suited to something other than a 1911, like maybe a G19 or P30. He talks about feed ramps, special magazines and extractors having problems with the small 9 mm rim . Big question in my mind... why would anyone sign up for that?

[M2CattleCo]

9mms can work but a 45 or 38 Super are just a lot more forgiving.

[Robinson]

Big question in my mind... why would anyone sign up for that?

Because a 9mm 1911 that runs and shoots accurately is a terrific handgun to shoot and carry, especially in the Lightweight Commander configuration.

I've gone down the 9mm 1911 road a few times and finally determined it's just not for me. I shoot the 45s better and they just work. And for a smaller cartridge, the 38 Super tends to run without much drama. I currently own eight Colts in 45 and 38 Super and none of them have ever malfunctioned. Of course a couple of them see a lot higher volume of rounds than the others, but even so they just run.

With the 9mm guns, even though I generally had good luck with them I always felt like I was one round away from a malfunction of some kind. The extractor and ejector have to be fussed over, and it takes time, money, and effort to determine which magazines and ammo work best in a particular gun. No thanks.

[SecondsCount]

I didn't watch the video but may in the near future.

9mm 1911s can be built to run very reliably. ToddG's example and my experience with four of them prove that it can be done. Like all 1911s, no matter the caliber, they aren't all created equal, so only buy something with a good reputation.

[19852+]

Because a 9mm 1911 that runs and shoots accurately is a terrific handgun to shoot and carry, especially in the Lightweight Commander configuration.

I've gone down the 9mm 1911 road a few times and finally determined it's just not for me. I shoot the 45s better and they just work. And for a smaller cartridge, the 38 Super tends to run without much drama. I currently own eight Colts in 45 and 38 Super and none of them have ever malfunctioned. Of course a couple of them see a lot higher volume of rounds than the others, but even so they just run.

With the 9mm guns, even though I generally had good luck with them I always felt like I was one round away from a malfunction of some kind. The extractor and ejector have to be fussed over, and it takes time, money, and effort to determine which magazines and ammo work best in a particular gun. No thanks.

I love my Colt super and I've treated it like a Glock that gets treated like a lawn mower. I have a conversion barrel to 9mm coming soon [I hope.. Brownells grrr..]. We'll see how it turns out.

[EVP]

9mms can work but a 45 or 38 Super are just a lot more forgiving.

This



A little while back I inquired about getting a 1911 in 9mm built by one of the most highly regarded custom smiths around. Yes a 9mm 1911 can work but the envelope for them to correctly function is a lot narrower then the 45acp.

[Paul D]

A .45acp is like a 9mm but for men.So you indentify as a.380 gender then.

When I bought my Colt 1911 9mm competition model, I had to change the ejector, tune the extractor a little, play with the recoil spring weight and made sure the mag springs were robust. Definitely a lot more work but it my fasting shooting gun. Too much maintenance for more than a fun gun for me.

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[LittleLebowski]

A .45acp is like a 9mm but for men.

This is a tech forum. Keep it technical.

[awp_101]

When I bought my Colt 1911 9mm competition model, I had to change the ejector, tune the extractor a little
Was it bad/wrong from the factory or was it an ammo preference issue?

[Paul D]

Was it bad/wrong from the factory or was it an ammo preference issue?The ejector was bad Too long and actually bent! I reload 9mm so I had to fit the extractor to allow for various case heads. That's easy. The recoil spring was for my load. The mag spring: personal preference. I always felt that a mag that moves the cartridge up quickly tends to have less feedway jams. I'm probably wrong about this.

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[awp_101]

The ejector was bad Too long and actually bent! I reload 9mm so I had to fit the extractor to allow for various case heads. That's easy. The recoil spring was for my load. The mag spring: personal preference. I always felt that a mag that moves the cartridge up quickly tends to have less feedway jams. I'm probably wrong about this.

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At least the ejector was an easy fix. You might bring up the mag speed theory in the 1911 Art and Science thread, might make for a good discussion.

[Amp]

The ejector on my Colt 9mm Competition broke also. I was using Wilson ETM mags and they lock in higher in the gun. When doing slide lock reloads that allowed the top round in the mag to contact the bottom of the ejector, bending it and eventually breaking it.

I contacted Colt customer service to purchase a replacement ejector but was told they would fix it under warranty. They issued a pickup ticket and repaired the gun at no cost to me. Turn around time was less than 30 days.

When I got the gun back, I took a file and relieved the bottom of the ejector enough so the top round doesn't hit it. The gun feeds everything I've shot through it from 115 Federal Champion aluminum case to Winchester 9mm 127gr +p+ Ranger Talon.

A shooting buddy bought a new Colt Combat Elite in 9mm and some Wilson ETM mags. We relieved the bottom of his ejector for clearance before he ever shot it. At last check, that gun is approaching 1000rds fired with no malfunctions and no cleaning. He keeps it wet with lube.

[farscott]

9x19 in the 1911 has to be the handgun equivalent of Shangri-la, and much like that mythical place many have tried to get there and failed. When the pistol runs, it is a flat shooter with minimal muzzle lift and recoil. But the path there is fraught with failure and disappointment. Speaking as someone who has failed multiple times (I still have four in the safe), 9x19 is fundamentally incompatible with the 1911 for the following reasons.

1) The round is too short to reliably feed in the 1911. The same pistol that will feed 9x23 without fail will fail to do so on 9x19, especially with a fully loaded magazine. The tapered case tends to have the round point down, jamming it into the feed ramp instead of feeding it into the barrel. The magazines also have short service lives, usually measured in hundreds, not thousands, of rounds. Every 9x19 magazine design will fail; not "if" but "when". Usually with no warning. Look at other 9x19 pistols, especially the Beretta 92, and the round goes straight into the chamber. The 1911 aims the round at the feed ramp, not the chamber. The narrower 9x19 round, unlike the .45, struggles with the feed ramp.

2) The recoil impulse is right on the ragged edge of running the pistol, especially with ammo like WWB. The usual fix is to use a lighter recoil spring, making the slide run slowly and making a dirty gun more likely to suffer a stoppage.

3) The ejector has to be moved inward to deal with the thinner case, putting it above the magazine lip. Forceful mag insertion can cause the magazine to strike the ejector, either loosening it or breaking it.

4) That thinner case also moves the extractor hook inward, increasing the necessary bend on the extractor on the internal extractor design. This can lead to the extractor slipping from the rim.

9x19 1911 pistols are fun, but there are better platforms for the round. Heck, even Wilson developed the EDC X9 platform to get the benefits of a 9x19 1911 with a reliable feeding system. That says it better than my words.

[Trooper224]

When I was still living in 1911land I bought a Springfield Range Officer in 9mm with the idea of using it as a training gun. That didn't work out for me as there was just too much difference in the recoil impulse for a seamless transition between my carry .45 and a 9mm trainer. When I decided to switch to a 9mm for carry, I never even considered the 1911 in 9mm, it was time to move onto other things. However, my wife wound up liking the RO in 9mm and adopted it as her gun. I have to admit, that's the one gun in my safe you might say I neglect. I've yet to clean it in thousands of rounds. My wife's a recreational shooter and doesn't carry, so the gun gets lubed up when she wants to go shooting and that's about it. I have yet to see a malfunction with either the factory supplied mags or Wilson ETM's. Still, if I was looking for a 1911 for serious purposes, that sample of one isn't enough to convince me the 1911 in 9mm concept is good for prime time.

[fatdog]

I have had 9mm Springfields that were a chore to get running and keep running, I have had STI single stack and a pair of 2011's in 9 that ran mostly, a joy to shoot, but were very high maintenance (springs and extractors) and the wide body mags were a chore, tuning, springs, replacing springs, etc.

My Dan Wesson's (commander and officer) all seemed to mostly run out of the box but would never make it to 3K rounds without new flat wire springs and the extractors needed tweaking some time after 5K rounds.

Each brand of 9mm gun I owned had its own very specific preference for magazine types, rear spacer, front spacer, type of lips, follower, cut at the top, angle of the top cartridge, etc. and would choke with the other types, especially when running 147gr JHP stuff.

Never owned a Wilson or Nighthawk or any of the high end guns in 9mm so maybe that is the path to happiness and confidence.

I finally tired of the 9mm 1911 tribe and sold them off. I have far fewer problems with the 45ACP tribe on that platform.

[Joe in PNG]

A 9mm 1911, in my experience, is a bit like owning an Italian Supercar.

Super awesome and amazing when they work- but you're going to be doing a lot of tweaking and maintenance.

[SecondsCount]

So you indentify as a.380 gender then.

When I bought my Colt 1911 9mm competition model, I had to change the ejector, tune the extractor a little, play with the recoil spring weight and made sure the mag springs were robust. Definitely a lot more work but it my fasting shooting gun. Too much maintenance for more than a fun gun for me.

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That's because you bought a Colt :rolleyes:

It's not your fault when most of the gun world thinks that little pony on the slide buys you something special. Buyer beware.

[rca90gsx]

I agree, but i find myself talking with a gunsmith to build the 9mm i've always wanted... commander length sight tracker double stack



A 9mm 1911, in my experience, is a bit like owning an Italian Supercar.

Super awesome and amazing when they work- but you're going to be doing a lot of tweaking and maintenance.

[HCM]

Wilson offers 9mm and 38 Super buyers the option of a spare barrel in the other caliber.

I had Alex Hamilton convert my Colt Combat Commander from .38 Super to 9mm. AFAIK it was simply a matter of him fitting a Kart 9mm barrel.

So is it feasible to carry .38 super for increased reliability and swap out to a 9mm barrel or top end for training ? They seem to track and recoil similarly.

[farscott]

Wilson offers 9mm and 38 Super buyers the option of a spare barrel in the other caliber.

I had Alex Hamilton convert my Colt Combat Commander from .38 Super to 9mm. AFAIK it was simply a matter of him fitting a Kart 9mm barrel.

So is it feasible to carry .38 super for increased reliability and swap out to a 9mm barrel or top end for training ? They seem to track and recoil similarly.

I have a 9x23/9x19 switch barrel pistol that John Harrison built for me on a Series '80 9x23. Just swap the barrel and FLGR (makes it easy to remember which spring is which and makes dealing with the 9x23 recoil spring much easier). The pistol uses a flat bottom firing pin stop to delay 9x23 unlocking, so the 9x19 recoil spring is pretty weak. Now that I have other 9x19 pistols, I leave the 9x23 barrel and FLGR in the pistol. If switching between .38 Super and 9x19, the extractor may need to be adjusted.

[gato naranja]

I have only fooled with 9mm 1911s in any semi-serious way since 2016, but of the three in my immediate circle (all SAs), only one was genuinely problematic, having a fair number of return to battery failures. I sought advice, consulted the available books and in a nutshell found that deburring

1. the disconnector where it slides on the sear spring
2. the sear spring's edges
3. the bottom of the rail (on the slide) that strips the cartridges

essentially took care of the problem without fooling with the recoil spring weight. Some ammo objected to the extremely tight and "crisp" chamber until the pistol got some more rounds through it. The other two have run like tops out of the box. So they aren't all alike, and while I agree that they could require a bit more "parental guidance" than the average .45 1911, they can also run very, very well. If I had to kick down doors in and generally be one of Orwell's "rough men," I'd probably use a Beretta 92 variant or a Glock, but man, are they ever a joy for Joe and Jane Average to use as "fun guns" once they are vetted!

This is coming from a guy who used to make crap out of 9mm 1911s since about the time the Beatles broke up. The ramped barrels and better magazines of today make a big difference.

[JonInWA]

If I wanted a reliable single-action 9mm, I'd be more inclined to go with a FN/Browning High Power, which is noted for their reliability out of the box. Yes, there are other vicissitudes to consider, and the High Powers are out of production, but for what I'd likely pay for a reliable 9mm 1911 (possibly inclusive of the after purchase gunsmithing necessary to get it to the "reliable" part of the equation), and the likely acquisition of aftermarket magazines for the same, a quality used High Power is in the same financial realm. And with a High Power, you only have to stay with OEM FN/Browning magazines, or Mec-Gars (which in some cases WERE OEM magazines) to avoid the magazine follies often inherent to the 1911 magazine selection process.

My understanding is along the lines that Vickers mentions-in 9mm, a 1911 Commander is probably the best bet. In .45 ACP, 5" Government.

Regardless, it would take me a LOT of vetting to self-convince that a 9mm 1911 was truly carry-worthy for defensive use.

Best, Jon

[HCM]

I have a 9x23/9x19 switch barrel pistol that John Harrison built for me on a Series '80 9x23. Just swap the barrel and FLGR (makes it easy to remember which spring is which and makes dealing with the 9x23 recoil spring much easier). The pistol uses a flat bottom firing pin stop to delay 9x23 unlocking, so the 9x19 recoil spring is pretty weak. Now that I have other 9x19 pistols, I leave the 9x23 barrel and FLGR in the pistol. If switching between .38 Super and 9x19, the extractor may need to be adjusted.

So you may need two complete slides vs two barrels.

[Joe in PNG]

If I wanted a reliable single-action 9mm, I'd be more inclined to go with a FN/Browning High Power, which is noted for their reliability out of the box. Yes, there are other vicissitudes to consider, and the High Powers are out of production, but for what I'd likely pay for a reliable 9mm 1911 (possibly inclusive of the after purchase gunsmithing necessary to get it to the "reliable" part of the equation), and the likely acquisition of aftermarket magazines for the same, a quality used High Power is in the same financial realm. And with a High Power, you only have to stay with OEM FN/Browning magazines, or Mec-Gars (which in some cases WERE OEM magazines) to avoid the magazine follies often inherent to the 1911 magazine selection process.


I'm strongly tempted to get a CZ-75 SA, which is kind of similar to the BHP, at least to my eyes.
Or, convert a compact to SA. Just because.

[farscott]

So you may need two complete slides vs two barrels.

Yes, a spare extractor or a spare upper may be needed. Or load with rimless .38 Super Comp brass.

[HCM]

I'm strongly tempted to get a CZ-75 SA, which is kind of similar to the BHP, at least to my eyes.
Or, convert a compact to SA. Just because.

To me a CZ with a Shadow extended safety is an improved BHP. A shadow is not cheap but it's cheaper than 3-4k for a custom BHP and it's still in production.

Plus there is an optics ready varisnt....

[RevolverRob]

If someone wants a single-stack, single action, 9mm - The Sig P210 Carry and P210 Standard are out now for less than the cost of a Dan Wesson.

The Commander and shorter slide lengths of 9mm seem to resolve some of the issues of needing to underspring and too much slide mass. A Clark/Para/Nowlin whatever integral ramped barrel is superior for the 9mm 1911. Quality mags and ammo that is on the long side for loaded length works better too.

Things I really do not like about 9mm 1911s, the longer than standard ejector that can result in out of battery ignition if ejecting a live round and it gets caught between the edge of the ejection port and turned sideways. I’ve seen it happen in real life and on the gunternet, it is an issue. A medium-length ejector can work and prevent this, but most factory 9mm guns are setup with a LONG ejector.

[45dotACP]

1911s in Government model should be .45 or .38 super. In Commander or smaller models, they should be 9mm.

Going smaller than 5" in a .45 causes problems. Going larger than 4.25" in a 9 does the same. There are exceptions to both of these rules and if you set the guns up correctly they're mostly just academic. I've seen many excellent .45 commanders, many excellent 9mm Government models and many excellent officer frame paperweights.

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[JonInWA]

Having zero personal experience with 9mm 1911's, I thought the general idea was that the faster slide reciprocation of the Commander slide worked better in 9mm for achieving (or perhaps better positioning yourself and the gun for) optimal 9mm 1911 performance.

Yeah, there's a question in there someplace...

Best, Jon

[TOTS]

The lighter slide allows for a proper recoil spring to keep the timing; heavier slide requires a lighter spring to allow enough rearward travel. However the cycle time on the return trip slows down due to the lower spring rate. Too slow and then the timing is thrown off enough to jam things up. Or that’s the way I see the physics.

That said, I just checked my notes. Almost 3900 rnds on my Dan Wesson Valor 5in in 9mm. (3) malfunctions. No adjustments to anything; ejectors, extractors, magazines, springs. It will eat HSTs, Gold Dots, 115 and 124 ball. It would be very shocked to know how finicky and maintaining intensive it was supposed to be. I think I’ve cleaned it two times and a wipe down. All I do is feed it ammo and give it oil to drink. It’s by far reliable enough for me to bet my life on it.

My experience has me firmly in the camp that you CAN have a reliable 9mm 1911.

[FrankB]

I have 1911 Commanders and 5”, both in .45 and 9mm in each size, and full steel only in full size. I have Colts, Rugers, a Springfield, and one Smith and Wesson. I honestly have NEVER had a problem with any of these pistols. They shoot fine for both me, and my wife. We plow rounds through these pistols without a bobble, so I really don’t see the big complication that others have reported. I have had 9mm magazines that sometimes don’t lock the slide back, but a well known gunsmith/competitive shooter/forum member told me that some brands are better than others in 9mm. I clean them every time I shoot, even if it’s just a single magazine.

[BigT]

I ran a Colt Competition in 9mm pretty hard to prepare for match at the end of last year and on the beginning of this Year (back when we we allowed outside) While it worked pretty well out the box I found a couple things made it work like I expect my guns to work.

Aftec Extractors, never tried one in a 45, but in 9mm and 40 guns they changed would not work for shit to runs like a raped ape.

Wiilson Metalform and Tripp mags all worked fantastically.

I need to run the same springs in 9mm 1911's as I do in 40's or close to. So 13-14lb springs. Lighter springs make the gun very soft shooting, but with my hands and my grip the slide won't close reliably with a lighter spring. Also progressive springs were a no go for me.

And of course , all the lube

[Bucky]

I’ve had 4 9mm 1911s, still have 2. (STI, S&W, Les Baer, and Cabot). They all ran 100% at the range or practice, but all have seen the occasional blip when run hard on the clock, a blip rarely seen on a specific built 9mm.

Putting a 9mm in a 1911 is like putting an STI engine in a 1970 Chevelle. Sure, it may have performance numbers better than the original engine, but it will take a whole lot of engineering to get it to work, and it still won’t work as it does when in a chassis designed for it.

[mmc45414]

I have Colts, Rugers, a Springfield, and one Smith and Wesson. I honestly have NEVER had a problem with any of these pistols.
My 9mm 1911 experience is limited to my two Rugers, a 4.25" LW and a 5" Target, and have just shot them with ETMs and not any screwing around. I have not tried to run them into the ground, but shot one or the other weekly for about 2-3 years. In that time frame I think each one of them failed to eject once, one with a factory bulk Winchester, the other with one of my reloads that I do in bulk without much vetting. I did change the recoil springs to what Wolff said was standard weight for 9mm, not because I had problems but just because they were so light it just seemed goofy.

I wonder a bit if maybe the cast slide might weigh a little less and might be better suited to 9mm use? Also I think Ruger can be trusted to maintain decent production process controls, and we never seem to read about them being a dumpster fire out of the box. If they would offer a CCO LW 9mm I would own a third one pretty quick.

[JAH 3rd]

So as 1911 enthusiasts, we read much online about that platform. It seems like you see postings of "I have a problem" a lot more than my 1911 runs great. And when solutions to a problem are offered we see it's the extractor, ejector, recoil spring, mag spring, a specific mag type (feed lips), as well as other problem areas. And it is great when others with a similar problem offer their solution for a particular problem.....and problem solved! My point is that geez.........why would anyone want to purchase a 1911, regardless of caliber when we read of these issues?

And we see where 1911s run great out of the box.......or not. My point is the say "thank you" to all who offer their life experience, good and bad, with the 1911. Thanks for the solutions offered. My latest 1911 is a DW A2 parkerized full-size is a year old. So far it has been 100% out of the box. But I know that you guys have my back if I start a thread, "I have a problem". Thanks to all for input in this thread!

[timotab]

My 9mm 1911 experience is limited to my two Rugers, a 4.25" LW and a 5" Target, and have just shot them with ETMs and not any screwing around.....

My experience with Ruger 1911's mirrors yours. Mine was in 45 and a Commander, but it had some nice features for the price and was very reliable. Like you, If they had a 9mm CCO model I'd jump on it. I'm even tempted by the Officer version they make (the recoil spring assembly looks intriguing).

[Rick R]

Put me in the satisfied Ruger owner category. My 9mm LW Commander size and 10mm 5” guns both got front night sights from Novak’s, heavier recoil springs, and different grips. They’re both reliable and accurate.
The 9mm is my EDC and the 10mm is my woods walking semiauto.

[mmc45414]

In a world overflowing with CZ 75s in a myriad of variations who needs a 1911 in 9 mm?
Well, way back when I started my love affair with the 1911 the CZs were still a forbidden commie thing. More than forty years later I still like em, and more and more I like the simplicity of primarily shooting and reloading 9mm. So for me it is more of a peanut butter and jelly thing than best 9mm platform kinda thing.


My experience with Ruger 1911's mirrors yours. Mine was in 45 and a Commander, but it had some nice features for the price and was very reliable. Like you, If they had a 9mm CCO model I'd jump on it. I'm even tempted by the Officer version.
I got a LW 45 also, and I have not shot it as much but it is also dandy. My temptation on the Officer's Model would be to swap slides with my Commander (at least in the summer) but so far I have held off.

[rkittine]

I have 911 type pistols in 9mm, .45ACP and .38 Super (All are Series 70 Gold Cups). For Defense I have 9mm Glock, .41 magnum,, .44 Magnum and .45 Super. My S&W 4506 in .45 Super is my favorite for size and knock down power.

Bob

[fixer]

I have a 9mm RO Elite Champion Target (SA and their model names...). I don't have any malfunctions to report in about 500-600 rds in about 14 months.

I bought it somewhat on a whim. I was intending to find another pistol for my wife who is a serious recreational shooter.

After years of trying double stack guns, I had her try my DW in 45. Although the recoil was intense the gun fit her hands way better.

We tried Glocks, B 92s, PX4, SR9s, Sig Pro, Hk p30. In all of these the beavertail area would hit her thumb joint and become painful after just 20-50 rds. Different hand positions, etc...nothing worked. The PX4 was the best but she struggled with the DA shot and didn't like the safety levers (even the muted LTT ones).

So I whittled it down to single stack and after the success of shooting the DW I found a 9mm RO. I traded a bunch of safe queens in on it.

It worked well right out of the box with the factory mags, eats hollow points, and with adjustable rear sight could be dialed in perfectly for my wife. She has high confidence in accuracy now.

It is the easiest racking pistol ever and has great serrations that don't hurt the hands.

It is a huge homerun for us.

Thinking about getting a basic RO in 9mm to make it a training gun.

[TC215]

Wilson offers 9mm and 38 Super buyers the option of a spare barrel in the other caliber.

I had Alex Hamilton convert my Colt Combat Commander from .38 Super to 9mm. AFAIK it was simply a matter of him fitting a Kart 9mm barrel.

So is it feasible to carry .38 super for increased reliability and swap out to a 9mm barrel or top end for training ? They seem to track and recoil similarly.

Wilson and Ed Brown both have dropped the .38 Super.

[Gary1911A1]

I have read the 9MM extractor needs to be tuned differently than a 45 extractor on the 1911, but I'm not sure of how to do this.

[rdtompki]

When my wife and I were both shooting SA 9mm 1911s in Steel Challenge I was reloading more than 7000 rounds/month for close to two years. I'm still shooting one of the guns. In all that time we've experienced one cracked firing pin stop and one broken firing pin spring. Yes, I've replaced a few recoil and FP springs. Tripp Cobra magazines have been 100% reliable and my practice mags are so dirty I don't want anyone looking at them too closely. I replaced the sights and we had 3 lb. tool steel trigger jobs performed; the feel of these triggers hasn't changed one ounce in 50K rounds. We have always shot soft loads; it's the nature of the sport and this probably has contributed somewhat to durability. I carry HKs, but if I hadn't started EDC in California I'd probably have a lightweight commander on my hip; we have two full-steel Kimber Pro Carry in 9mm/38 Super and they are a joy to shoot; somewhat better balanced than our government 1911s IMO. YMMV.

[awp_101]

I have read the 9MM extractor needs to be tuned differently than a 45 extractor on the 1911, but I'm not sure of how to do this.

I believe it’s been discussed here (https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?36518-The-Art-and-Science-of-Keeping-Your-1911-Running&p=878992&highlight=Extractor#top) but I don’t remember where in the thread.

[BehindBlueI's]

Thread cleaned up. Let's keep it on topic.

[SW CQB 45]

I have stepped away from 9mm 1911 for duty/defensive.

its the mags that got me. I tried 10s CMC/WC which were difficult to strip rounds by hand as the slug pointed down when you pushed on the round.

CMC fully loaded were difficult to click the mag in on a in battery slide. Had to slam it in which fatigued the plastic base plates and eventually had an over insertion.

Tripps were the exact opposite.... it would spit rounds out in vertical mag holders, and strip the top round out a mag on tac mag changes.

The pistol ran fine with all mags, just the quirkiness of the mags.

9 round Metalform mags worked well but also hard to strip rounds,

so might as well carry .45.

https://i.imgur.com/S6hUrPJh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/8aMar9th.jpg