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Best 1911 style 9mm?

18K views 32 replies 31 participants last post by  dakota1911 
#1 ·
I am looking for a 1911 type gun in 9mm for fun at the range and training with cheaper ammo.

What is the most reliable 9mm out there for me to go with with the most avaialble magazines, etc?

STI doublestack is how i was leaning, but I figured i may be missing some other great options. I have always seen the 1911 as only really viable/reliable in 45, but maybe i am wrong on that.
 
#2 ·
If you are looking for a 9 mm that's inexpensive, STI makes a Spartan in 9 mm, so does RIA. I was looking real hard at a Spartan but went a different direction for as a replacement for my .45 in shooting single stack in competition. If you are looking for something further up in the food chain, Dan Wesson, Ed Brown, Wilson, NightHawk make very fine 9mm 1911's.
 
#8 ·
No range really. Are the single stack 9's generally as good as the doublestack in terms of reliability and availability of nice mags? or maybe they are even better.
 
#10 ·
Main thing about reliablity is having a ramped barrel... helps a lot.


My friend has an STI spartan.. for $600-650 its cost new you get a lot of gun... the thing is tighter than my kimber was when it was almost new(even with a bushing wrench its a pain to take apart), accurate, well tuned... If you have a larger budget then I'm sure thers better stuff out there.. but thats the one I'd buy personally if I just wanted "another 1911 in 9mm"

Mike.
 
#12 ·
I have one of the 50 9mm Ed Brown Executive Target 1911s. It's such a fantastic gun that I find myself shooting 9mm even more than my .45ACP 1911s...and I have a box full of non-1911 9mm guns that I formerly thought were great but which now essentially collect dust. This thread is of interest because I'm starting to look for another full-size 9mm 1911 but haven't decided whether to go to a Wilson or Nighthawk, wait for the likely issue of a new Ed Brown pistol, or get something like STI, S&W Pro, or Dan Wesson.
 
#13 ·
wilson cqb, flawless, clean it every 500 to 1000 rounds and you'll never have to worry about it going bang when you need it to.

I tried a springfield 9mm the other night, didnt like the frontstrap and I had 3 FTE's in 75 rounds.

I sold my 2 .45 1911's as all I shoot now is 9mm 1911's. Ive read that the doublestack mags can be a bit finickier but i'm not sure if thats in general or only for competition shooting where theyre trying to squeeze extra rounds in.
 
#20 ·
Some of the double stack 1911's can get finniky with mags/tuning but something like an STI Edge is no doubt a sweet gun. If you plan on competition when mag capacity will be important keep that in mind for your future.

I have a Trojan in 9mm and it is the most accurate 1911 I own. 100% reliable since day one, 3,500 rounds and counting. Best 1K gun I own.
 
#27 · (Edited)
I don't discriminate when it comes to 1911's. I have owned and tried many variations and I hope to try many more. I currently own single and doublestack 9mm's and have sold off a few of each when thinning the heard.

The following pertains to 9mm 1911's:
With the light recoil, all have been very easy to shoot quickly and accurately. This translates into empty magazines very quickly. When shooting the single stacks I feel like I am spending more time loading mags than shooting and this is one of the reasons I slightly prefer the double stack in the 1911 format. Even with the larger grip, the softer recoil makes one handed shooting easy. Of the doublestacks I have owned, my STI Eagle with a bushing is my favorite. I haven't had any issues with STI magazines and the gun is more accurate than me. The only issue I have had is the gun getting too hot and I have had to let it cool down. There is even a warning that came with the gun to not let it get too hot as it can be damaged. That is how easy they are to shoot alot of rounds accurately and very quickly. I opted for the eagle over the edge as I thought the added weight of the full length dust cover was overkill for a 9 (i do have an edge in 40). I chose STI because they seem to be the doublestack king with their 2011 frame. Many of the other custom shops start with an STI frame so I figured why not go with them and cut out the middle man. They have been doing quality doublestacks for awhile now and I would think all the kinks including early issues with magazines have been fine tuned over the years.

I haven't sold off all of my single stack 9's and I don't plan to either. I had an STI Trojan that was buttery smooth and really very accurate with standard factory 115gr fmj ammo. The only reason I sold it was I prefer a more aggressive front strap treatment than the STIppling offers.

Hope this helps with your decision or you can do what I did and just get one of each :)
 
#28 ·
First pistol I ever owned was a Colt 9mm Commander. It was always reliable, if a bit unrefined and not awfully accurate.

With the advent of good 10-round 9mm mags for the singlestack, the platform makes a little more sense. They are a joy to shoot and recoil is almost unfelt compared to the .45 1911s.

They can be finicky when it comes to cartridge overall length and spring weights. It can be a challenge to get them running correctly sometimes.

I actually prefer the STI/SV doublestacks. In these, the 9mm really shines. There's still enough weight to be very controllable but the gun isn't overly heavy for what it is. They'll hold 17 rounds in the flush-fit mags, which is right up there with the modern polymer service autos. And the 9mm seems to run better out of doublestack mags than the singlestack mags, in my experience.

My 9mm SV runs well enough that I use it for CCW duty from time to time.

 
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