I actually had three problematic Kimber 45's in a row. They were all accurate, but all had reliability problems. I didn't really want the camber 9 mm but it was the only 9 mm 1911 I could find at the time.
The Kimber 45 problems were also what lead me to get the MC operator 45. Maybe I just got lucky with that one but it's been accurate and very reliable straight out-of-the-box.
After having several 9x19 1911 pistols built, discussing the system with a really good smith, and loading/shooting lots of 9x19 ammo, I learned the following:
1) There is very little margin of error for the 9x19 in the 1911. Tolerance changes that are meaningless to the .45 ACP will induce issues with the 9x19. This includes friction from finishes, rough machining, and shooting detritus like unburned powder. 9x19 1911 pistols should be finished with a high lubricity finish. I have had good luck with hard chrome, NP3, and polished bluing and less luck with Parkerizing. Zero luck with my single experience with a shooting buddy's gun finished with Cerakote. This is part of the reason why some guns run with 13# springs and others need 10# springs with the same load.
2) The magazine design for the 9x19 1911 is not optimal because it promotes nose diving, especially from a fully-loaded magazine. Magazines and barrel ramp styles combine to make a gun very sensitive to magazine type. A 9x19 with a Colt barrel will likely need different magazines that one with a Wilson/Nowlin barrel due to how the bullet hits the ramp.
3) The 9x19 in the 1911 needs to be loaded long although Wilson Combat's latest magazine seems to reduce that requirement. I still have better luck loading 9x19 long.
4) The recoil impulse of the 9x19 is marginal for cycling the five-inch 1911 slide. This interacts with the recoil spring, mainspring, hammer, and firing pin stop.
5) The 9x19 1911 can be tuned for bullet mass/shape/velocity within a narrow window. It will be reliable within that range and not very reliable outside of it. For those used to a Glock 17 or HK P30 that runs with just about any 9x19 rounds, this is not that.
6) Special attention needs to be paid to the firing pin stop, hammer, and mainspring as these parts play a huge role in how fast the 1911 unlocks. A flat bottom firing pin stop should not be used as the firing pin stop needs as much leverage as possible on the hammer.
You have to be willing to fiddle with the 9x19 in the 1911 to keep it running. I have three I use, all of which see different loads and use different magazines.
Last edited by farscott; 04-05-2016 at 04:15 AM.
Other than the POI issue and feeling sluggish this sounds like 3 of my last 4 Glocks... The fact that they're $500 pistols instead of $1500 pistols doesn't buy much with me since the time spent correcting and validating is worth more than the initial outlay. To say nothing of the ammo cost... Yes, it's irritating. Irritating is the new normal when buying new guns.
Other people said it, but I think it bears repeating: a 5" 9mm 1911 is going to feel "sluggish" unless you do something extreme with slide lightening. My 5" RO 9mm had a distinct period during recoil where I could almost feel the slide bottom out against the frame, sit there for a second, and then return to battery. My 4" RO compact 9mm feels much, much more normal.
My functional understanding of the 1911 is limited at best. But farscott mentioned some critical things I've heard over and over. The firing pin stop on a 9mm can't be squared off at the bottom. A slick finish helps a lot. And if your gun didn't come with these buy them. My 5" RO did but I have no idea how much / how often they change up the OEM magazines.
People that know more than me have made a big deal about not just the magazines but the front ramped 9 round Metalform 9mm magazines (and now I guess the new CMC 10 rounders) for me to notice. I know ETMs are the golden child and have a great reputation in .45, but I've yet to hear why the solution to 9mm nose dives is to just open up the front of the mag so the bullet can hit the feed ramp too low. To a Neanderthal like me the ramped design seems obvious. I'm keen to hear an alternate explanation, because it does seem more likely that it's me misunderstanding the situation than so many otherwise knowledgeable people keep buying a product that doesn't really fix the underlying issue. But, I digress.
Also, my ROC had a finish reamer put through it and it pulled out a bunch of metal. Several people on 1911forum had the same issue. So you might call and ask them to add that to the checklist too.
“Remember, being healthy is basically just dying as slowly as possible,” Ricky Gervais
“Remember, being healthy is basically just dying as slowly as possible,” Ricky Gervais
That is a good sign. Do remember that 9x19 1911 magazines are essentially consumables. I go through them like crazy. In 2015, I think I "File 13'd" about twenty of them. I used to try and replace springs and followers, but it is not much more costly and less time consuming to just replace magazines.