Seriously considering going back to the 1911 for carry. Anyone else?

[jeep45238]

Todd G worked his butt off to get 10rd mags to work, and conquered it, at least for his gun. I can’t work that hard, and just use 9s.

The 10 round ETM's have been rock solid, if not expensive.

I'm quite content with the 9 round mags I have that function 100%.

[JHC]

My carry gun is a Colt Lightweight Commander 9mm, so obviously I have faith in the gun. I've put more than enough rounds through it to make sure it is reliable with the mags and ammo I use.

my main practice gun is a steel framed 9mm Commander. Both of these guns work just fine. I use Wilson Combat ETM 10-round magazines for practice and training, and a 9 round mag plus one in the chamber for carry.

All that said, I still believe 9mm 1911s are a little less likely to work right out of the box than 45s. You are more likely to have to experiment with different magazines and possibly ammo with the 9mm guns. But once proven, a 9mm LWC makes for an excellent carry pistol. Heck, so does the 45.

Is your Colt LW stock or have you tuned it? I have a hankerin' for one to send to Dave Sams for some 9mm perfecting. Not to the hard fit 1" 50 yard level but he does a ton of 9mm business in recent years and seems to really know his way around them. My 9mm Operator he tuned has been just great. It runs and runs with the ETM 10 rounders as well, including loaded to capacity.

[Joe in PNG]

My WC LW Colt needs a bit of fine tuning as well. I've tightened up the extractor, and will probably put in a 12# recoil spring to hopefully cure the BTF.

[Robinson]

Is your Colt LW stock or have you tuned it? I have a hankerin' for one to send to Dave Sams for some 9mm perfecting. Not to the hard fit 1" 50 yard level but he does a ton of 9mm business in recent years and seems to really know his way around them. My 9mm Operator he tuned has been just great. It runs and runs with the ETM 10 rounders as well, including loaded to capacity.

I've only done the following:
Stoned the sear interface surface on the thumb safety lug (I always do this with Colts)
Ditched the plastic MSH for a metal one (unnecessary but again I always do this)

I don't get BTF with this gun so I haven't bothered to make any adjustments to the RSA, extractor, or ejector as is sometimes necessary. If I do start getting BTF or other functional issues the RSA will be the first thing to be swapped out. The dual recoil springs make the 9mm guns a bit over-sprung, but so far this gun is working fine. Same for my steel Commander.

I've had a couple 9mm Colts that did need changes to the RSA plus the extractor and/or ejector to get rid of the BTF problems but so far my two Commander size guns are running great with no BTF.

Wilson Combat ETM magazines (10-rounders for practice, 9-rounder+1 for carry)
Federal American Eagle 124gr FMJ for training/practice
Federal HST 124gr for carry

I used 147gr ammo for a few years but have found that Colts prefer the bullet profile of 124gr ammo so I made the switch.

[45dotACP]

My WC LW Colt needs a bit of fine tuning as well. I've tightened up the extractor, and will probably put in a 12# recoil spring to hopefully cure the BTF.

I had the same BTF issue with a 9mm government model, but I thought it was otherwise reliable until I took it to a match and then it just wouldn't stop leaving empty rounds in the chamber and double feeding.

I wound up having to put in a Wilson extractor and had to file the fitting pad because the hook couldn't travel far enough inward. I figured if anybody can get a 9mm 1911 working, it'll be Wilson Combat. The gun works now, and I've taken it to other matches since and it's been excellent.

The 10-8 extractor function test really is one of the best ways to ensure correct extractor function and now I won't even consider carrying or competing with a gun that won't pass it.

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[CDFIII]

I have been out of the 1911 game for a year or so. Sold my Wilson 9mm commander to my father cause he just "had" to have it. Plus... I can't really tell him no. Anyway I am currently looking at a couple of the new 2011 9mm guns. Doe's anyone have any time on the new STI 9mm 2011's?

[Glenn E. Meyer]

My personal two cents won't aid the OP that much. Just a comment. I'm much smaller than the OP at a short 5' 6" (weight - chunk with some workout muscle under that). I love to shoot my SW 1911Sc Commander and I shoot it decently. The recoil doesn't bother me and I'm accurate. I can be 3 points down in a match if the stars are correct. So after a match, I will carry the gun around the rest of the day doing chores - like shopping, picking up stuff, eating lunch with the guys. I carry OWB on the left side as appendix doesn't work that well for me. Two extra mags on the opposite. I just find the gun is a tad too big as compared to my usual G26, extra mag EDC. If that was the only gun I had, I would carry it as it isn't that uncomfortable, but the G26 is better.

I do like shooting it though. Unloading 6 rounds on a swinger in a fast blast (hit it too!), is a rush.

The gun was crank at first but with some thousands of rounds through it, not to many burps. I shoot generic 230 gr - WWB, etc. Carry the Hornady Critical BangBang that was on sale. Wilson mags.

[Trukinjp13]

Wilson etm gen 2. 10 round 9mm mags are 32$ at Brownells.


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[Robinson]

Wilson etm gen 2. 10 round 9mm mags are 32$ at Brownells.

That's a good price, though the ones with aluminum base pads that I typically buy aren't on sale. I think I have 13 of them, and I could use a few more. I'd like a few more of the 9-round 920 Series mags too, which sell for $29.95 on WC's site sans base pad.

[Crash41984]

1911 is twice as heavy, holds half the ammo, requires twice the maintenance, and is 3 to 4 times as expensive as a Glock. Hackathorn or LAV said something to the effect that selecting a 1911 over a striker is braindead...

1911 still mo betta!