1911 in 9mm

Are 1911 pistols in 9mm less reliable than in 45acp?


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fieldgrade

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I bent the long dangly ejector on a Colt Competition 9mm with Wilson mags. I had a DW Valor that wouldn't lock back on empty reliably with factory mags, or Tripps, or Metalforms (which is what DW ships), and sometimes wouldn't go fully into battery, after 600 rounds. Maybe I just needed to shoot it more. I have a Fusion that runs like a sewing machine after replacing the extractor. So I'm one for three in 9mm. Anecdotal evidence. YMMV
 

Monadh

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My Colt had to go back right after purchase because it was ejecting rounds behind my glasses and into my right eye with great precision. Five weeks later, it came back perfect. SA could not get my 9mm Range Officers right so I sold them. The slide stop on my Hellcat needed tweaking, so GI tweaked it. Perfect performance since.

A 1911 in 9mm is the way to go for me.
 

gun_fan111

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Went through six so far, no issues yet:
- Springfield RO
- Citadel
- Les Baer Mono & P2
- Dan Wesson Specialist & Valkyrie

Still have four of them and regret selling the other two
 

Mike Galway

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Stole this from Zoid
 

fieldgrade

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So wait a minute. Am I the only one who has 9mm rounds walk out of the mags in a mag pouch, can't download mags because the rounds don't want to come out, in addition to what I listed above?

The 1911 was designed for 45acp, and runs best that way.

I love running 9mm in a 1911, but the science ain't settled for that round in that platform. Just line up a half dozen 1911 manufacturers offerings, and look at the ejectors. None quite the same. ESPECIALLY Colt.

**Dons flame suit**

Now I'm going to bed. I look forward to your comments in the morning! :)
 

Mike Galway

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So wait a minute. Am I the only one who has 9mm rounds walk out of the mags in a mag pouch, can't download mags because the rounds don't want to come out, in addition to what I listed above?

The 1911 was designed for 45acp, and runs best that way.

I love running 9mm in a 1911, but the science ain't settled for that round in that platform. Just line up a half dozen 1911 manufacturers offerings, and look at the ejectors. None quite the same. ESPECIALLY Colt.

**Dons flame suit**

Now I'm going to bed. I look forward to your comments in the morning! :)
Never experienced any of those problems . Colt's also been making 9mm 1911s for a long time .
 

fieldgrade

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Never experienced any of those problems . Colt's also been making 9mm 1911s for a long time .
A Wilson ETM mag will touch the ejector in a Colt Competition 9mm if you just press up on the inserted mag. If you run it hard, like reloading "with gusto" in a match, it will bend the ejector. Colt replaced the ejector with a 38 super ejector under warranty as a known issue.

Their ejector is much longer than any other 1911 in 9mm I've seen, but they were just other 1911's at that price point. I can't speak to higher end 1911's in 9mm.
 
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fieldgrade

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I think something that bears mentioning is knowing what the intended use of the firearm is. I run guns pretty hard on the clock. Not as hard as some, but harder than folks who might take them out of the safe once in a while and run a couple of mags through them. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

I clean them *before* a match and run them wet in hopes of getting the best performance, but I think running them like this (hard) you tend to see all sorts of quirks of your guns, ammo, mags, and gear that many don't often see, which I think is a good thing, especially for a defense weapon.
 

Dwe

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.38 Superb is a 9mm cartridge, correct?

9x23mm, 9mm Largo, all good.
Loaded question.

All share the same bullet .355/.356

You can shoot the 9mm Largo in a 9x23 but due to the higher pressure of the
9x23 is not a good idea to shoot a 9x23 out of a Barrel marked 9mm Largo.

38 super is a straight walled case, the 9x23 has a similar taper as a 9x19.
Therefore the 9x23 would be sloppy at the case head and tight at the base.
All this being said it is doubtful that a Gunsmith would recommend shooting the
9x23 out of a 38 Superb Barrel, however the round was originally developed to be shot out of a non ramped 38 super barrel as a solution to help the IPSC shooters make Major Classification. Those shooters will tell you if the 9x23 will drop into the
38 Super barrel via the plunk test, it is safe to shoot it. My 38SUPER Wilson X-Tac,
38Super Les Baer Mono HW, and DW Blue Valor I converted to 38 Superb using a Dan Wesson PM38 barrel all passed the plunk test and feed and fire the 9x23 without any high pressure indications.

The secret to the 9x23 .357 magnum type ballistics is derived from the thicker case web. The case was designed to be safe when fired from a Colt 38 Super non ramped (non supported) barrel without blowing out or bulging at the base. Nolan 9x23 and 38 Super barrel chambers are notorious for being tight and will more than likely need to be reamed with a 9x23 chamber reamer to reliably chamber the 9x23.

If the round will chamber without resistance in a modern supported
38 Super barrel, then you should be good to go. The slide velocity and recoil from firing the 9x23 will require a heavier recoil spring and heavy duty FP spring like a 1911 in 10mm. It may also benefit from the use of a flat FP stop to delay rearward slide movement just long enough for the pressure to peak and start to decrease.

Before you go out and buy a bunch of 9x23 and start blasting away, please
do your home work. The SD capability of 9x23 is impressive. Winchester whitebox 124 gr JFP has a muzzle velocity of in excess of 1550 fps. However commercial ammo is no longer produced and if you find it prepare to pay $30/box of 50 rounds.
Starline does however make brass for the 9x23 so if you reload....:cool:


Hope this was too long a post!;)
 
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The Collector

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Loaded question.

All share the same bullet .355/.356

You can shoot the 9mm Largo in a 9x23 but due to the higher pressure of the
9x23 is not a good idea to shoot a 9x23 out of a Barrel marked 9mm Largo.

38 super is a straight walled case, the 9x23 has a similar taper as a 9x19.
Therefore the 9x23 would be sloppy at the case head and tight at the base.
All this being said it is doubtful that a Gunsmith would recommend shooting the
9x23 out of a 38 Superb Barrel, however the round was originally developed to be shot out of a non ramped 38 super barrel as a solution to help the IPSC shooters make Major Classification. Those shooters will tell you if the 9x23 will drop into the
38 Super barrel via the plunk test, it is safe to shoot it. My 38SUPER Wilson X-Tac,
38Super Les Baer Mono HW, and DW Blue Valor I converted to 38 Superb using a Dan Wesson PM38 barrel all passed the plunk test and feed and fire the 9x23 without any high pressure indications.

The secret to the 9x23 .357 magnum type ballistics is derived from the thicker case web. The case was designed to be safe when fired from a Colt 38 Super non ramped (non supported) barrel without blowing out or bulging at the base. Nolan 9x23 and 38 Super barrel chambers are notorious for being tight and will more than likely need to be reamed with a 9x23 chamber reamer to reliably chamber the 9x23.

If the round will chamber without resistance in a modern supported
38 Super barrel, then you should be good to go. The slide velocity and recoil from firing the 9x23 will require a heavier recoil spring and heavy duty FP spring like a 1911 in 10mm. It may also benefit from the use of a flat FP stop to delay rearward slide movement just long enough for the pressure to peak and start to decrease.

Before you go out and buy a bunch of 9x23 and start blasting away, please
do your home work. The SD capability of 9x23 is impressive. Winchester whitebox 124 gr JFP has a muzzle velocity of in excess of 1550 fps. However commercial ammo is no longer produced and if you find it prepare to pay $30/box of 50 rounds.
Starline does however make brass for the 9x23 so if you reload....:cool:


One more thing.
Don't be tempted to shoot the 9x23 out of a barrel shorter than 5".
I believe @Joe C recommended that the 9x23 creates significant issues if fired
from a Commander length gun.

Hope this was too long a post!;)

Could you please repeat all that.... only talk slooooower?
 

Bender

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Meh.........
The only issues I have had with 9mm isusing the Wilson mags. Seems as if the polymer spacers at the rear of the mag were causing feeding issues. Switched to Tripp mags and that pistol shor flawlessly
 
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fieldgrade

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I think I may be in the market for another full size 1911 in 9mm. My old wrist is getting unhappy just shooting 250-300 rds of 45acp a week.

Which means the WC CQB I just picked up will be going on the block.
 
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