1911 9mm Question

[BarryinIN]

I switched to a Springfield Loaded in 9mm back in 2004 to save money on ammo, long before the cool kids discovered that 9mm 1911s shoot like .22s and they are awesome. I fired my first few thousand rounds with the factory original 9# spring, but I recall switching to 11# after that for the next 30K rounds or so before I stopped shooting it in matches and training. I don't recall why I went with an increased spring rate, but I never had reliability issues. The only annoying thing was that I never discovered the secret for that particular gun to lock the slide on empty mags.

I remember when you started shooting that gun. Being the kind type, I probably didn't tell you I thought you were nucking futs.
Then ammo prices changed drastically.
I cannot say I was wrong, because I cannot say I was wrong.

[rhino on INGO]

I remember when you started shooting that gun. Being the kind type, I probably didn't tell you I thought you were nucking futs.
Then ammo prices changed drastically.
I cannot say I was wrong, because I cannot say I was wrong.

Hah! I suffered through years of "lady's purse gun" jokes, but then I was paying $5 or less per box of ammo when .45ACP was $10 and up.

[Dave T]

Thanks for all the info and feedback. As a long time 1911 owner and shooter I've know about cocking the hammer to make racking the slide easier in the mid 1970s.. I taught that to the female deputies who elected to shoot 1911s instead of 357 Magnum revolvers starting in 1978. Also, rather than go to the S&W "easy squeezy" models as someone called them I'd stick with the 7 shot 357 Mag (386 NG) I'm carrying now. This whole idea appealed to me as a way to get back to the clean breaking and crisp trigger the 1911 is famous for.

I hadn't thought of the Ruger so appreciate that suggestion. Any other information, recommendations, or suggestions are sincerely appreciate.

Dave

[BarryinIN]

Hah! I suffered through years of "lady's purse gun" jokes, but then I was paying $5 or less per box of ammo when .45ACP was $10 and up.

I still say the best 9mm 1911 came from Belgium in 1935.

[mmc45414]

I hadn't thought of the Ruger so appreciate that suggestion. Any other information, recommendations, or suggestions are sincerely appreciate.

If you can still tolerate just a little more recoil the 9mm Lightweight Commander is really a great shooter and nice to carry, just as easy to rack, and some say the shorter travel and lighter slide is perhaps more suitable to the 9mm cartridge.

[Evil_Ed]

If you can still tolerate just a little more recoil the 9mm Lightweight Commander is really a great shooter and nice to carry, just as easy to rack, and some say the shorter travel and lighter slide is perhaps more suitable to the 9mm cartridge.

In all seriousness - the 9mm 1911 was first bought upon this earth by Colt engineers in the Commander format - it's the whole reason the Commander came into existence in the first place, for a 1949 Army solicitation for a 9mm sidearm of some kind. Colt figured "hey, they got 1911s in 45acp, a slightly shorter one in 9mm would be the ticket!" ...never mind the solicitation required a double action gun (like a P38), hold more than 9 rounds (more than a P38 did), that it weigh a certain amount (which the Commander did not meet), etc etc etc...

A 9mm 1911 Commander is the perfect size, because it was engineered to be Less cycling issues, etc. It's not as super pillowy soft shooting as a full size Gov't model, but it's also paradoxically got a better operating envelope in that size format (while 45acp is the opposite). Springs, mags and extractors are probably the biggest gotchas for a 9mm 1911 Commander. I think Colt got the spring rates correct but the magazine...achilles heel.

[JohnK]

Quite a number of years ago when ToddG was running his springfield torture test, Jason Burton of Heirloom Precision recommended 14# variable rate springs IIRC. I have a 1911 government 9mm that I purchased used. Prior owner ran 14#variable springs and recommended that I did the same when I took ownership. I have run about 2,000 rds through it with that spring and never had a malfunction/stoppage or a failure to lock back on an empty mag. Prior owner had about 4,000 rounds. He did not have any malfunctions either.

[CraigS]

If you decide to give a 9mm 1911 a try and experiment w/ recoil springs you can always install a shock buff from Wilson to reduce the probability of frame damage.
https://wilsoncombat.com/accessories...arts_type=4610

[TCinVA]

After Todd ran his test, I had a bout of the sillys, sold some guns I didn't use and bought a Wilson CQB in 9mm. It ran very, very well.

I installed one of Wilson's flat-wire recoil setups in the gun after they were introduced and it still works well.

[TheNewbie]

Having started my pistol shooting career with a 1911 Government Model as a young Deputy Sheriff I learned the standard (traditional) recoil spring weight for the Government Model 45 ACP is 16#. In a conversation with a guy at my church last Sunday he mentioned that he has a 9mm 1911 and the recoil spring is only 9#.

This caught my interest because I've had to give up semi-auto pistols due to arthritis in my hands and general weakening caused by being 75 years old, preventing me from performing the manual of arms, even with my Glock 19. That said, I would love the chance to take up the 1911 again if I could manage the slide on a 9mm version. Trouble is I can't find any info on what the spring rate is on a 1911 so chambered. Can anyone here inform me or tell me where I might find information on this subject? And yes, my computer search skills are at a minimum. Remember, I said I was 75. LOL

Dave

What are you shouting and carrying now?


An EZ Shield is a real option in my opinion. Has a similar manual of arms to the 1911 and is easy to manipulate.