Looking for 1911 in 9mm

[njluger 5]

Hey guys and gals, I'm looking for some good recommendations on 1911 style pistols chambered in 9mm. This will be my first 1911 purchase Primary use will be range/target gun and budget is to keep it under $1000. I know purists will ask why 9mm. Well, for now I don't reload, as getting into reloading is a considerable investment and 9mm is much cheaper (and more available) for me to shoot than the "pure" .45 ACP. Some quick searches have helped me come up with the following pistols:

 

• STI Spartan ~$650
  
• STI Trojan 5.0 ~$999
  
• Springfield Loaded ~$900
  
• S&W 1911 Pro Series ~$1200 (out of budget, though is it's really that much better I would stretch)
  
• Dan Wesson PM9 ~$1100 (same logic as for the SW1911)
  

 

Does anyone on the forums here own any of the above and would you care to share opinions on any of these pistols?

 

From what I read online, I really like the STIs and it seems that the Trojan is worth the extra $$ you pay for it (nicer trigger (i.e. not plastic), good sights (not a fan of the fiber optic front on the Spartan), ramped match grade barrel and bushings, and a better finish. Anything else stand out for you one vs the other? Is the Trojan still built on a Armscor made frame and slide like the Spartan is?

 

Also, I did state that I currently do not reload...but I am thinking of getting into it down the road so my cost for .45 would probably drop considerably. Would it be possible to retrofit any of the above in .45 ACP down the road? Would it just be a barrel/extractor/mag swap or is it more involved than that?

 

Thanks in advanced for any replies and wishing everyone on this board a Happy Holiday and Happy New Year!

[matt6669 71]

I own a DW CBOB and absolutely love it. I have also shot a 9mm Smith Pro and it was an extremely nice gun. I would go for either of those two guns IMHO.

 

I'm not aware of any way to convert these guns down the road and it wouldn't be worth it money wise, just buy another 1911 can never have too many.

[lunker 274]

Sorry, no chance on the retrofit, no matter which one you buy. The slide, frame, barrel, etc are all different.

I owned the Sprigfield Loaded in 9mm. It was a well made gun and an absolute tack driver, but it was VERY finicky about the ammo it would digest. It became a jam-o-matic with 115grain ammo. I sent it back to Springfield twice and they polished the feed ramp, etc. All the nice little touches, but without fixing the feeding problem. Once I went to 147grain, everything was fine. I ended up selling it because I have no use for a gun that won't shoot the most common pistol ammo in the world. I have owned two Dan Wesson pistols, and I can saw that they are top notch. Dan Wesson used to have a niche where it was lower priced than true customs like Ed Brown and Les Baer, but at better quality than the lower tier guns. Now they are priced much closer to the full custom guns and no longer represent the bargain they once did. It's not a knock on their quality, just their pricing.

If you can live with front cocking serration (I can't stand those ugly things, and your hand doesn't belong anywhere near the friggin muzzle anyway), I would pick up an STI. Alternatively you could pick up another one of John Moses Browning's other pistols, one he created specifically for 9mm and whose design he considered an improvement over the 1911, the Browning Hi Power.

[Downr@nge 22]

I have the Kimber brochure around here somewhere and I think I do remember seeing like two or three choices available in 9mm. You might wanna check their site.

 

Edit:

 

Yes, the Kimber Pro Carry II can be had in 9mm. This might actually be my first 1911 too.

[bry@n 195]

My wife has a Kimber ultra carry ii in 9mm. Your welcome to try it out. It's a 3 inch model and is actually a pleasure to shoot.

[aguilar64 9]

I own both full size 1911 in 9mm, the S&W Pro and the SA and they are sweet. I have been able to shoot UMC 115 grains with no issues whatsoever. They are both tack drivers.

 

BTW, George Carell in PA built me a Caspian in 9mm and let me tell you is better than both Springfield and my S&W put together.

[tony357 386]

Out of the 9mm 1911's the S&W has had the best track record out of the box..

 

Just double check the mags before bringing it home..

[Maksim 1,504]

Out of the 9mm 1911's the S&W has had the best track record out of the box..

 

Just double check the mags before bringing it home..

 

 

haha. yes...

 

the smith is a great gun, and if you want stainless... that is the gun to get.

 

The spartan is a great gun though, if blued is what you want. The kimbers are hit or miss.

 

If you go to BA tomorrow, you are welcome to try my smith 1911.

[Pizza Bob 1,488]

I'm anxious to see Sig's new 1911 Target (SS) in 9mm. Supposed to be available this spring (I won't hold my breath)

[aguilar64 9]

The one thing I forgot to mention is that Metal Form Magazines (Springfield Armory) aren't good at all, I replaced them with Wilson Combat and no issues at all. Smith came with two Wilson Combat Magazines.

[Maksim 1,504]

Wilsons are good, so are Dawson mags...

[njluger 5]

I'm not aware of any way to convert these guns down the road and it wouldn't be worth it money wise, just buy another 1911 can never have too many.

 

True, if the platform is anywhere as addicting as the CZ platform has been to me, I'm sure I'll be getting more than one

 

 

If you can live with front cocking serration (I can't stand those ugly things, and your hand doesn't belong anywhere near the friggin muzzle anyway), I would pick up an STI. Alternatively you could pick up another one of John Moses Browning's other pistols, one he created specifically for 9mm and whose design he considered an improvement over the 1911, the Browning Hi Power.

 

I'm not a huge fan of the front cocking serrations, but I can easily forget about them. I did look at Browning Hi Powers a while back and they seemed nice. Similar in feel to my CZ 75B that I already have. The 2 things that turn me off to that design is, 1) the grip tang doesn't extend enough to protect me from hammer bite and 2) mag disconnect I know you can easily fix the mag disconnect, but I'd rather not do these sort of mods because of the state we all live in!

 

 

My wife has a Kimber ultra carry ii in 9mm. Your welcome to try it out. It's a 3 inch model and is actually a pleasure to shoot.

 

Thanks for the offer! I did shoot a 3" Kimber Ultra Raptor a while back. Not crazy about the mini 1911 designs though. I'm really set on going with a govt length model.

 

BTW, George Carell in PA built me a Caspian in 9mm and let me tell you is better than both Springfield and my S&W put together.

 

Nice! I assume a custom build like this is a more expensive route though?

 

 

Out of the 9mm 1911's the S&W has had the best track record out of the box..

 

Just double check the mags before bringing it home..

 

What should one check for? Is there an issue with some mags that are included with these pistols?

 

What brand of mags do the STI's come with?

 

 

btw, Maks, thanks for the offer to come down to BA to shoot your SW1911. I read here on the forum that you guys meet there a lot. Lakewood isn't exactly close for me but, I'll have to make an effort to come out one of these days for sure!

 

Thanks everyone!

[Old School 611]

I own a DW CBOB and absolutely love it. I have also shot a 9mm Smith Pro and it was an extremely nice gun. I would go for either of those two guns IMHO.

 

I'm not aware of any way to convert these guns down the road and it wouldn't be worth it money wise, just buy another 1911 can never have too many.

 

Don't listen to Matt6669. STI is the way to go. Spartan is the most bang for the buck. You will learn to appreciate the fiber optic front. All the components on the Trojan are US made though the Armscorp stuff is top knotch. BTW the plastic trigger is fine and if it really grinds you you can change it fror about $35.

 

DON'T LISTEN TO MATT...

[Maksim 1,504]

The smith comes with 2 Wilson combat 9mm etm mags. When I bought mine, they shipped it with Smith & Wesson mec-gar made 45ACP mags.... they worked, just not really well.

 

Smith resolved the issue very quickly.

[BullzeyeNJ 104]

I would get the STI spartan from Dawson Precision. They are runnning a year end special on the 9mm version. Also, tell them to do the $200 enhancement package before they ship it out. Its worth the extra $ to have Dave Dawson tear apart the pistol and make sure its perfect, zeroed, and the action is crisp before it leaves his shop. More info on that is pasted below. He is a description of what they do for the $200...

 

Enhancement Package is simply making a great pistol better. Dave Dawson checks each pistol top to bottom for fit, function and appearance . We setup the breech face, extractor, ejector, mag release and feed ramp the same way we would a DP custom built pistol. Next we install a DP sear spring and tune the action. Then the pistol is test fired for flawless function, accuracy and zeroed at 25 yards. Hey if you were buying a Mustang how cool would it be to have Shelby tune it up a little first..

 

http://www.dawsonprecision.com/ProductDetail.jsp?LISTID=3E10001-1146682078

[ronhonda 86]

I would get the STI spartan from Dawson Precision. They are runnning a year end special on the 9mm version. Also, tell them to do the $200 enhancement package before they ship it out. Its worth the extra $ to have Dave Dawson tear apart the pistol and make sure its perfect, zeroed, and the action is crisp before it leaves his shop. More info on that is pasted below. He is a description of what they do for the $200...

 

Enhancement Package is simply making a great pistol better. Dave Dawson checks each pistol top to bottom for fit, function and appearance . We setup the breech face, extractor, ejector, mag release and feed ramp the same way we would a DP custom built pistol. Next we install a DP sear spring and tune the action. Then the pistol is test fired for flawless function, accuracy and zeroed at 25 yards. Hey if you were buying a Mustang how cool would it be to have Shelby tune it up a little first..

 

http://www.dawsonprecision.com/ProductDetail.jsp?LISTID=3E10001-1146682078

Not to sound like a broken record, but this is a good deal. Price would be around $900 with the enhancement package.

[njluger 5]

Thanks guys, the Spartan + Enhancement Package sounds like a really interesting offerring. I'll have to consider that option for sure. In your opinions, would that be a nicer setup than a stock, out of box Trojan?

[njluger 5]

Duplicate post removed.

[BullzeyeNJ 104]

Thanks guys, the Spartan + Enhancement Package sounds like a really interesting offerring. I'll have to consider that option for sure. In your opinions, would that be a nicer setup than a stock, out of box Trojan?

 

The Spartan is all you need to be honest. And getting one that has been taken apart, inspected, tuned, and accurized by an accomplished 1911 gunsmith is a huge bonus and less potential headaches. Personally, I have never had any issues w/ any of my STI's but if I did I know that STI would stand behind their pistol. Another thing, like I said, the Spartan is all you need. If down the road you want to change out parts like different sights, or a magwell, or a trigger group, or a thumb safety then you can do it the way you want to do it. You can truly customize the pistol on how you like it versus getting a higher end model with a couple more bells and whistles on it that you might not personally like.

[njluger 5]

Great advice, thanks so much. Given that this will be my first 1911....it probably wont be my last either Spartan sounds like a good solid step into the land of 1911's.