9mm 1911 Options

J

Jacket67

New member
Hey TFL,

I've been looking into 9mm 1911 options with roughly a 4" barrel. Thus far, I really like the Springfield Armory EMP lightweight champion and the Colt commander in 9mm. If I had a spare $3000, I would absolutely get the Wilson Combat edc x9, but that's not an option...

What are the options you all would recommend in the $1000 and below range? I would prefer single stack, but if there are really good double stack options you know of please pass them my way.

Thanks in advance!
 
Ruger LW Commander 9mm SS. Bought one last year, had 5 FTFs/FTEs total in the first 250 rds or so; none since then with over 1,500 rds fired. That includes over 700 rds of my reloads. Trigger breaks at around 4 lbs. or so, a little pre-travel, but not more than most other mass-produced 1911s. Reset is short and crisp. Pretty accurate out of the box. Very soft-recoiling (probably due to the weight of the all-metal frame). Mine shoots a couple inches high, so I have to bury the front sight a little. If I make the front sight dot touch the bottom of the rear sight slot, it hits right on the top of the front sight out to 25 yards.

About $700-$800 I think.


P.S. I believe nearly all the FTFs/FTEs were due to magazine issues. The problems mostly occurred with the factory-issued mags. Which eventually worked itself out; haven't had a problem in the last few hundred rounds with the factory mags.
 
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Kimber makes a Tactical Pro II model, alloy frame, 4" in 9mm.../ I have one that I use for training young shooters in my family, its a decent gun .../ never had any issues with it, mine is probably 15 yrs old, and I have about 30,000 rds thru it probably.

Lots of options out there if you want a 5" gun ( springfield, Colt, etc )...personally I carry a 5" Wilson in 9mm ( Protector model, all stainless )...its not any harder to carry a 5" over a 4" in my opinion / I use a Kramer horsehide IWB holster, with a forward FBI tilt...and an extra mag on my belt ( 10 rd, Wilson ETM mags are what I use ). Its a few ounces heavier than a 4"...but its not a big deal.

EMP is not a true 1911...there are some proprietary parts in that model. A couple of buddy's have them, they like them ok...but they've all invested in 5" 1911's in 9mm now as well.

I test fired the Wilson EDC's, I didn't care for them. I'm a traditionalist - in terms of size, feel, grip etc...and a double stack in a 1911, is just not my cup of tea..

Good mags will eliminate any feed issues on 1911's in 9mm ( My Wilson Protector model is 10 yrs old now, its my primary carry gun, primary competition range gun and I have a little over 200,000 rds thru it ..broke an extractor at about 70,000 rds / broke shaft on thumb safety at about 160,000 rds..but its been a solid gun - never a feed issue !
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Best single stack I'm familiar with that is not a 1911 - is the Sig 239 DA/SA ...and I have them in 9mm & .40 S&W, very good guns, again I use them for training young shooters in my family - but I have holsters for them, and I could carry them.
 
I like my Star BM very much. It is basically a 4" 9mm 1911 with no grip safety. Police turn-ins are costing around $250-$300 lately. Mine was barely used and is an excellent shooter.
 
If something breaks on your Star, or if you need another extractor for example where are you going to find parts?
 
If I had a spare $3000, I would absolutely get the Wilson Combat edc x9
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Not a 1911.
Feels more like a Beretta 92 than a 1911 in the hand, and not a lot of 1911 parts interchangeability.
 
My experience with 1911's is VERY limited. A 9mm Ruger SR1911 lives with us now. It has over 400 rounds and had 1 FTE, which was my hand load. Probably too mild and have increased the charge and no more issues. Everything else runs through it perfectly. Accurate, nice trigger. It is a bit of work to strip and reassemble but that is the only fault I can point out.
 
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tallball said:
I like my Star BM very much. It is basically a 4" 9mm 1911 with no grip safety. Police turn-ins are costing around $250-$300 lately. Mine was barely used and is an excellent shooter.
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Actually, that's not a bad idea at all. If you're concerned about spare parts, at the current market pricing, just buy two of 'em.

As an alternate, although it's not a true 1911, the SIG P938 is certainly worth a look. Amazingly accurate out of the box.
 
For under a grand I'd go with a Ruger lightweight commander myself, fill in the rest with ammo purchases.
 
I have a full size Springfield 1911 9mm and it is a fine gun, if I were to get a new one today it would be a Ruger Commander size in 9mm, they are a lot of gun for the money.
 
Wilsons guns are not ungodly expensive...sometimes you get what you pay for..../ ...so it depends on your perspective of "expensive" and where you draw the line on value.

Wilson Combat uses superior internal parts, has better fit and finish, better reliability, better accuracy, more options for customization if you want it ( flush cut barrels, recessed slide lock pins, more sight options, mag wells, etc..and better lifetime service if you need it.

Its my opinion, that Wilsons guns are worth every penny ....and I shoot my Wilsons a lot - 10 yrs on my 9mm wilson, a little over 150,000 rds thru it now...at least.

There are a lot of 1911's in the $2,800 - $5,000 price ranges today....Wilson, Ed Brown, Cabot are some of the finest guns made in my view....and my top 5 might be Nighthawk & Les Baer,....and all of their guns are a cut above most any 1911 put out by Kimber, Springfield, Sig, S&W, etc.../ and I'm not saying a 1911 like the Springfield TRP isn't a lot of gun for the money around $1,500 - I might even put my TRP 3rd in line behind my Wilsons....but I would rather have one of my Wilsons any day...and they prove it in their long term durability, smoothness and accuracy.

Many of the most popular Wilson guns are between $3,000 and $ 4,000 ...CQB and Protector models as examples... depending on the options you want...which is really not that much more than the Kimber custom shop guns ( Gold Combat Stainless II, etc at around $2,800 ....)...

If you get a chance to shoot a Wilson Combat.....maybe owned by an acquaintance at your local range...test it and see, before you make assumptions that every 1911 over $600 is just "fluff"...

( I own a few Kimbers & Springfield 1911's ...and an Ed Brown Kobra carry, a Les Baer Monolith...all decent guns....)..but my primary carry gun is my Wilson Protector 5" in 9mm ...and my old carry ( now retired, a Wilson CQB 5" in .45 acp is still a great gun ...)..none of my other 1911's has ever earned the #1 or #2 spot, to replace either Wilson ...but like I said some are close...and some are not - and are kept around only as training guns for my grandkids, or to pass down in family later...and while I'm only 68 now, not leaving this life anytime soon..that Wilson Protector & Wilson CQB are coming with me when I go !! ..just in case I ever need a gun !!...( family can argue over or my wife can sell the rest of em..)...when I'm gone...:D
 
I just put the Wilson flat wire recoil spring kit in my 9mm STI Trojan. I use the “old” style 9mm Wilson ETM magazines with the polymer follower, but I plan on trying out the “new” style 9mm Wilson ETM mags with the metal follower soon.

You all should read Ted Yost’s 9mm 1911 article in the Nov./Dec. issue of American Handgunner magazine. Ted highly recommends the (13 lb.) Wilson flatwire RS kit for the 9mm 1911 that I have in my Trojan. He also recommends the Wilson #34P extended ejector, stating it “works perfectly”. Ted also recommends Wilson’s new #415-S70 Bulletproof extractor, made from S-7 tool steel. Ted states “this extractor is made to hold up to high-round count shooting much better than a typical factory-spec part”.
 
For under $1000 I'd go with one of the Ruger SR1911 offerings. Darned good 'entry level' 1911 guns. If you want to spend more look at the Dan Wessons, or even a good used DW.
 
Everybody has budgets...so buy what you need, hopefully what you want ...

But when it comes to guns...in general...the cost of the gun is going to be the least expensive thing you buy ....and it doesn't matter if its $ 600 or $5,000 / ...cost of ammo to practice ( even 9mm is about $ 12 a box...and if you shoot 8 boxes a month that is roughly $ 100 a month or $ 1,200 a year.../ and 8 boxes a month is not a lot of practice in my view ) / cost of your solvents, cleaning gear a year is probably another $ 100 - $ 200 / cost of any professional classes you take ..are probably an average of $400 and 10 boxes of ammo another $120 ...and many of us take at least one class a year so call that another $ 520 a year...

So :
Ammo per year ( 9mm ) ... $ 1,200
Cleaning stuff.. $ 100
A Class a year $ 500...
Call it $ 1,800 - $2,000 a year..../ over 10 yrs, $ 18K - $ 20K ...

so compared to a $ 600 or even a $5,000 gun...there is just more to it in the long run .:D
 
As far as the Star BM goes, I was thinking of it more as an interim thing. The OP could buy one for next to nothing and use until a more proper pistol was procured. It could then be sold for very little loss.

I don't worry about the parts. I paid less than that for my full-sized Star Super B a few years ago. Thousands of rounds later it has yet to malfunction. If the Super B or BM break a part a few years from now, I can probably find one. If not, the gun can be "parted out" for almost what I paid for it. When you are paying next to nothing for barely-used military grade pistols, it's hard to go wrong financially.
 
BigJimP said:
Everybody has budgets...so buy what you need, hopefully what you want ...

But when it comes to guns...in general...the cost of the gun is going to be the least expensive thing you buy ....and it doesn't matter if its $ 600 or $5,000 / ...cost of ammo to practice ( even 9mm is about $ 12 a box...and if you shoot 8 boxes a month that is roughly $ 100 a month or $ 1,200 a year.../ and 8 boxes a month is not a lot of practice in my view ) / cost of your solvents, cleaning gear a year is probably another $ 100 - $ 200 / cost of any professional classes you take ..are probably an average of $400 and 10 boxes of ammo another $120 ...and many of us take at least one class a year so call that another $ 520 a year...

So :
Ammo per year ( 9mm ) ... $ 1,200
Cleaning stuff.. $ 100
A Class a year $ 500...
Call it $ 1,800 - $2,000 a year..../ over 10 yrs, $ 18K - $ 20K ...

so compared to a $ 600 or even a $5,000 gun...there is just more to it in the long run .:D
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Okay, I have to ask, is anyone really spending $100/year on cleaning supplies? I think I spend about $25/year. What am I missing?
 
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