1911 - 9mm vs 45 ACP

[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.

Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk

[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