Government length 9mm vs Commander length 9mm

[theJanitor]

I remember Commanders and Combat Commanders chambered in .45 ACP with the lightening cuts.

The old National Matches had them too

This is not inspiring confidence in my plan to grab a blem Dan Wesson Vigil when the funds get freed up...😳

You also said that you could go with 45ACP. If your wallet and elbows/hands can afford it, 45 in a 1911 is always the way to go

[gato naranja]

For concealed carry, the Commander ("Lightweight Commander" in Internetspeak).

For competition, home defense, or "range gun" a full size pistol. A searchlight rail is a plus on the house gun.

That would be my thoughts as well, based on the last 4 years of noodling with 9mm 1911s. Mrs. gn can't really take much recoil and I have to limit the punishment as I age, so in a 1911 it is 9mm or nothing for us. I consider a full-size, all steel 9mm 1911 "operator" to be the most "fun" range gun I have ever owned.

[awp_101]

You also said that you could go with 45ACP. If your wallet and elbows/hands can afford it, 45 in a 1911 is always the way to go

I did say that but I was really hoping to go .45 GM and 9mm Commander. It would be a fun gun rather than a defensive pistol so it's not totally off the table, just something else I need to keep in mind.

[Chuck Whitlock]

Next meeting that rolls around, you and I should find a corner and post up photos of our relative hand sizes.

[MK11]

Is converting a 9mm 1911 to .38 Super just a matter of a barrel change (like .40 to .357 Sig) or is it more complicated?

[farscott]

Is converting a 9mm 1911 to .38 Super just a matter of a barrel change (like .40 to .357 Sig) or is it more complicated?

Extractor may also need to be changed. 9x19 is rimless, but factory .38 Super is semi-rimmed (has a vestigial rim). There is also about a 10% difference in the length of the case that the extractor "grabs". If you reload, rimless .38 Super cases are available. Those usually allow the usage of the same extractor.

[MGW]

Just for fun, I typed up my favorite to least favorite currently owned* 1911s. Looking at it, I think that the message to me is there's no reason to screw around with 9mm, and that the steel GM and LWC will always tie for my two favorite guns.

2012 Dan Wesson CCO .45: Gets carried a lot. Wearing it now under a polo in an SME in a moderately NPE. Absolute confidence in its reliability and my ability to place good hits quickly with it.
2005 Colt LWC .38: Moderately customized by Wilson. Delightful to shoot. Doesn't always lock back, I should replace the mag release, but other than that is 100%. Gets carried a lot particularly in winter.
1968 Colt LWC .45: Worked over as a 'retro' by MARS. A little painful to shoot and won't run FGM, runs everything else and is a cool gun. Gets carried a lot.
2016 Wilson Commander .45: Beautiful gun, shoots very well. The steel frame makes it hard to prefer versus the aluminum guns. Should sell.
2014 Springfield Range Officer 9x19: I've shot it a lot and it's pretty fun, but I'm not learning much by playing with it. It hasn't been out to play since 2015. Never carried.
2018 Dan Wesson Pointman Carry 9x19: Seems like a very nice gun. Only 100 rounds through it -- it was silly for me to buy another steel 9x19 and I should sell it.

* Technically owned but off the list for the moment is a 1982 Series 70, at MARS becoming an AXIOM (still). I sincerely hope and expect it to rise to the top and be the winter carry gun.

Previously owned 1911s include a 1998 Springfield MilSpec that I won at an IDPA match and traded for a J frame, which was stupid; a 98 LWC .45 which was customized at Robar and was the nicest gun I've ever owned, given as a groom's gift in 2006; and a 98 Kimber Custom Classic that was given to a friend in need a couple years ago after achieving a high five figure round count and convincing me that carrying a steel GM is a) not that hard and b) worth it.

What’s that CCO like to shoot compared to a full size? My local FFL buddy has had a DW CCO on his shelf for a few years now. I keep talking myself out of it because it’s in 45 and not 9.

[JAD]

What’s that CCO like to shoot compared to a full size? My local FFL buddy has had a DW CCO on his shelf for a few years now. I keep talking myself out of it because it’s in 45 and not 9.

You've got it backwards, it's a much better gun in .45. It works, all the time. It is /vastly/ easier to shoot than a Glock 43; it is maybe 2% harder to shoot than a .45 LWC, which I presume you already own because you seem like a guy who knows what he's doing.

[FrankB]

You've got it backwards, it's a much better gun in .45. It works, all the time. It is /vastly/ easier to shoot than a Glock 43; it is maybe 2% harder to shoot than a .45 LWC, which I presume you already own because you seem like a guy who knows what he's doing.

I bought a Dan Wesson Vigil CCO in 9mm a month or so back, and it’s like shooting a pop gun. Accurate as anything else I own, and it’s been 100%. Having said that, I’ve been considering adding a PMC in .45 as well. I have too many 1911’s, but what the heck....

[JAD]

You've got it backwards, it's a much better gun in .45. It works, all the time. It is /vastly/ easier to shoot than a Glock 43; it is maybe 2% harder to shoot than a .45 LWC, which I presume you already own because you seem like a guy who knows what he's doing.

It appears to be what I'm shooting in my avatar.