Opinions 9mm 1911s

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Oldjarhead

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I am considering a 1911 in 9mm for concealed carry. I know there are really small 1911 patterned pistols, but I am considering the officer and commander size, or thereabouts. I like to hear from any 1911 9mm pistol owners, their experiences with them, and why you may have used them for concealed carry. Thanks.:confused:
 
I got a surplus Star BM for under $300 OTD. It was originally a police service pistol in Spain, IIRC. It's all steel and seems well-made. It's basically a 9mm 1911 with no grip safety and with a 4" barrel.

It balances and points well for me. It's probably more accurate than I am, easily good enough for SD. Since it's steel, the recoil from 9mm isn't much to speak of. I've never carried it concealed, but it would be easy enough to do with a good holster and sturdy belt.

I'm not necessarily advocating for that particular pistol (though there's certainly nothing wrong with it), but just saying that I've found that size, style, and caliber of pistol to be easy to shoot well.
 
How much do you want to spend. There is a large scale of 9 mm’s and a wide range of prices.


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I own a commander size Kimber Pro Tactical II in 9mm. I carry this the majority of the time. A pure joy and pleasure to shoot. Very accurate, and very reliable. And I have a Sig 938 in the small frame 1911. Another gun that is a joy to shoot. I would not hesitate to buy a 9mm in a 1911 frame. I own 1911s in 45 acp, 10 mm, 38 Super, and 9mm. All are great pistols, and it is truly to each his own. I tell everyone that bullet placement is the most critical must have when using your carry weapon. Sure your holster, comfort, correct defensive load, etc etc etc etc is important but if you aren't comfortable shooting your weapon, and you are not accurate it is all for nothing. I have had guys tell me I can't carry enough ammo with a 1911. Maybe they need 45 rounds, but I feel pretty comfortable in my abilities and shot placement to carry a 1911. If I lived in Chicago or Syria I might reconsider. :)
 
I own a Sig Ultra 1911 in 9mm. Very accurate, never a failure - it is my favorite of all my 12 handguns. For my EDC I prefer my Sig p938 because it will fit in my pocket
 
I have a couple 9mm 1911s, and like them for CCW duty (Ruger LWT CMD/SA 1911 EMP).

Both of mine are LWT Commander patterns (aluminum frames, 4.25 inch barrels). IMO, they are nearly perfect CCW platforms, being very slim for comfort, great ergonomics, excellent triggers, and more than acceptably accurate. Also, the single stack mags are more comfortable to carry than typical double stacks.

Of course, the one area that most plastic fans have issue with is capacity. I have a pair of ten-round mags that I carry with my 9mm 1911s, with a 9-rounder in the magwell. Most of the time I carry only one extra mag, so I have 20 rounds on board, which statistically speaking, is several times the needed number should I ever have to draw for real.

Finally, though I'm a lifelong 45 ACP fan, I have to admit that my 1911s in 9mm are unquestionably becoming my favorite range guns. They are just a pure joy to shoot. For that alone, knowing what I know now, I'd buy a couple 1911s in 9mm if I hadn't already. In fact, I'm looking at getting a couple more, not necessarily for carry, but just because they're so much danged fun.
 
The Colt Lightweight Commander in 9mm is crazy fun to shoot. It's light enough to carry, but most people would probably think it or any true Commander-sized 1911 (4 1/4-inch barrel, full-size grip) is a little big for concealment.

This year I may pick up a Springfield Range Officer Compact (Glock 19-sized).
 
No CCW here, and if I had one I would honor my Neanderthal heritage and carry a steel frame. Firing 9MMs out of a stel fram is like firing 38 Specials out of a N-frame S&W.
A spare barrel and magazines, you can fire 9MMs out of a 38 Super.
 
I'd never consider carrying a gun that large as a CC piece. There are so many great choices in 9mm that are lighter, smaller and hold more ammo than a 1911 I can't imagine why it would make a good CC choice.

If you want a larger carry gun, pick one of the compacts or sub compacts from S&W, Ruger, Glock, et.al.
Where your choices really open up is the new breed of micro guns. The Shield or Sig 365 are both fantastic and are really concealable guns. There are other manufacturers as well. I think Glock has one too. Ruger and Kaltek do to but they have that long DA pull. You have a lot of options that aren't a big hunk of steel strapped to your belt.
 
I'm a Dan Wesson fan. I have a Guardian in 9mm and a Valkyrie in 9mm. Both have aluminum alloy frames and 4.25 inch barrels. The Guardian has a full length (but bobbed) grip frame while the Valkyrie has an Officer length grip frame (reduced by one round). Both are beautiful and are great shooters. DW also makes the Vigil in 9mm with aluminum frame. These pistols are a bit spendy, but I think they are worth it.
 
If you want a larger carry gun, pick one of the compacts or sub compacts from S&W, Ruger, Glock, et.al.
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I think the OP was looking for 1911 suggestions, not micro poly guns. Some folks like a big guns!

No harm in liking both styles!
 
I have owned several 1911s over the years. My absolute favorite is a Colt 9mm Commander. If that's too big, as far as I know Colt still offers the Defender in a 9mm version.
 
I can't really conceal a 1911 but I have the 5" bbl Springfield RO in 9mm and absolutely love it. Excellent quality , and flawless functioning. A dream to shoot from a light recoil standpoint.
 
All steel from Wilson with a Wilson price tag to match. Similar to a 1911, it does not have the grip safety, has the capacity of a G19 (15 rounds), but otherwise performs like a 1911.
 
I have 2 lightweight Commanders, a 45 Colt and a 9mm DW. I also have a Glock 19. Guys there ain't a lot of difference in size between them. If you can carry the G19 you can carry the Commander. AND the Commander has a safety. I still haven't talked myself into carrying the Glock. Just compare them. There is also the Valkyrie with the Officer's handle , it's prolly smaller than the G19.
 
Originally Posted by FITASC
All steel from Wilson with a Wilson price tag to match. Similar to a 1911, it does not have the grip safety, has the capacity of a G19 (15 rounds), but otherwise performs like a 1911.
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Ed Brown has recently announced their new Evolution (EVO) Series. It's an all-steel single stack 9mm 1911 that has been slimmed down and comes with a four-inch bull barrel and external extractor. It is priced at $1895, substantially less than the rest of their pistols.

The "rub" is that they won't customize it in order to keep the price down. I assume you can send it back in for them to do some basic changes they list, like different sights. They will have different configurations later but they will be built in batches to save costs. An aluminum alloy frame version would likely be $200+ more than the all-steel version.

I'm still working on a justification for getting this pistol.
 
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