I'm pretty new to the 1911 having purchased my first one about two years ago . A Colt 01911C 70 series in .45acp.
I am interested in purchasing another only in 9mm . I am leaning towards a Springfield Armory ...probably the Garrison model . I have read at different times that the 1911 having been built around and specifically for the .45 acp caliber can have reliability issues when chambered in 9mm.
I have a friend with a Kimber 1911 in 9mm and he has had it returned to the factory because of reliability issues and is still having problems.
What has been your experience with 9mm 1911's ?

I have a Springfield 1911 "Stainless Loaded Target" (dumb name) in 9mm and it has never, ever, failed to feed. Not once in 4,327 rounds.

I've shot everything from 115 steel case to 147gr lead bullet reloads. Mine has a ramped barrel, which may help. Not sure if all the Springfield 9mm's do or not.

Edit: Looks like the Garrison does...

"5" Forged Stainless Steel, Match Grade, Fully Supported Ramp, 1:16"

The only thing I didn't like about it: Since there is no firing pin safety, they use a lightweight titanium firing pin and a rather heavy firing pin spring to help prevent the "drop fire" that the original 1911 was prone too...if you dropped it...and it hit the ground muzzle first.

This gave me "light strikes" sometimes with reloads. Factory ammo always fired but did not have a prominent firing pin indentation. I swapped the firing pin spring out for an "extra power" one and it works fine on everything. Not a huge deal.

I’ve got a couple 9mm 1911’s (a Colt O1992 & a NHC Talon), no problems with either. I use Tripp Cobra Mags, they’re “shimmed” in the rear of the mag so the rounds (which are shorter than .45 ACP) are closer to the front (which I assume aids in reliability).

I have Colt mags with the spacer, and Springfield mags without. Both work fine for me.

I have a Springfield Armory "Range Officer" in 9MM caliber that I am quite pleased with. Had it about two years now, shoot it often and has been 100% reliable, cast lead hand loads, factory FMJ and defensive ammo. Soft shooting and very accurate, probably the most accurate hand gun I own.



I have been using it lately to introduce new shooters to shooting center fire hand guns. They almost always get good results, then go out and buy some other 9MM pistol, like a Glock. No accounting for taste....

Absolutely only good things to say about my Ruger SR1911 9mm
Lightweight Commander.

I have a Springfield Range Officer in 9mm and it is extremely reliable, The key is to use good quality magazines.

I've got a Springfield EMP4 in 9mm, it is a very nice Commander-sized pistol. SA "downsized" the EMP, reducing the grip size a little, basically, resizing the proportions of the entire gun to fit 9mm. I believe the current iteration is the EMP Ronin. I'm not a huge fan of 9mm in any chassis, but it does have its place, I suppose. Holds 10 in the magazine, single stack.

Shown with the full-size:

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Funny this should come up since just today I shot for the second time a Springfield Range Officer I recently traded into. It shot without flaw again today and grouped nicely despite the black on black sights it is wearing.

My aging eyes struggle some with black on black and a white dot front might be in the future. So far, it has been totally reliable with the S&B 115 gr. FMJ I've fed it. I have a number of 1911's in .45acp and a Combat Commander in .38 super but this is my first one in 9mm.

So far, it's a winner as far as I'm concerned.

There is no reason why a 1911 in a chambering other then 45 ACP would not work properly. While most of my 1911s are 45 ACP pistols, I do have others chambered for 9MM Parabellum, 36 Super, 9x23 Winchester and 10MM Auto.

I have had my Colt Gold Cup Elite IX for probably 30 years now.

I have not yet had any issues with it and this pistol had a traditional 1911 barrel, not a ramped up one. It shoots tight groups

My 9MM Colt Combat Commander is about 45 years old, but I have only owned it for around 25 years. It too has been a fantastic performer. Right now it is off getting bobtailed and having a few other custom touches performed on it. I will post about it when I get it back. I am contemplating having a 38 Super barrel fitted to it, thus turning it into a 2 cartridge pistol

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"Acta non verba"

My only 9mm 1911 is this ATI commander. It has been a lot of fun with few problems for many years of solid use. It cost less than $350.

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One of my 1911 is a Taurus SS PT 1911 in 38 Super that I had a 9mm barrel fitted to. It shoots the 38 Super & 9mm with no problems in the last 10 years.

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Only difference Fool/Mule-ears

+1. I also have a standard SA EMP 9mm and it is an accurate, reliable, and well-made pistol.

The manufacturers have been at this for a long time now and have for the most part worked out the quirks associated with the .9mm in a 1911 platform. You just don't often hear of problems with them anymore. I think Wilson Combat was the first to really tackle the problem. Bill Wilson has said that his 1911's work every bit as well as a .45 in their pistols. The EMP was great because the entire pistol was built around the .9mm cartridge. I have shot several and know lots of folks who own them in a variety of brands and almost never hear of issues.

I've had several 9mm 1911s since the '70s, Colts, Springfields, Kimbers, Dan Wessons, and one STI. I admit that back in the day, getting my Colt 9mms to function reliably was sometimes a challenge. But now days, I believe gun and magazine manufacturers, along with ammo manufacturers have this 9mm 1911 reliability thing figured out. My current 9mm 1911s, a Kimber 38 Super to 9mm conversion, and Dan Wesson PM9 just work with any ammo I've used.

In short, I wouldn't hesitate to purchase a 9mm 1911 from a trusted manufacturer now days.

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NRA Life, COTEP 640

I’ve had two Springfields in 9mm. One was an EMP Champion and now I have an Operator Champion. I don’t recall a single malfunction in about 1500 rounds. The only thing, you will often loose a round out of a magazine when removing a partial magazine to do a tactical reload. Not a huge deal because why would you take apart a working gun in a gunfight anyway?

I bought a Colt Series 70 9mm Government Model about 25 years ago. It had a fair amount of customization done. From what I remember it has been a good shooter and very reliable.

Dan Wesson....the very best gov size 9mm 1911.

I have a few and shot 10s thousand round through my main competitor Wraith with a comp. I load major.

You need to tune mags, I clip 1 to 1.5 coils off the springs and after that not a malfunction in 1000s rounds.

I go for Metalform, NOT Wilson. I load to 10 rounds full mag and they run and run and run...

My Dan Wesson PM-9 has been totally reliable in it's original 9x19 form as well as with the aftermarket fitted 38 Super barrel.

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Waiting for the break of day

A few years ago I bought a used RIA FS 9mm because it was inexpensive and I wanted to try the 9mm in a 1911. I have been amazed at the accuracy and performance.

I had one problem with some reloads I did, but I figured out the problem and it has been flawless since. It was always flawless with factory.

I highly recommend the combination. I usually shoot both a 45 and a 9 when I go to the range and the recoil difference is noticeable. I now shoot the 45 first.

I have 4 1911's. Sig, full size .45, S&W full size .45, RIA Tactical II Commander in .40, and RIA full size Tactical 9MM. Never had issues on any of them. Sent my Rock 9 back to have fully adjustable fiber optic sights installed front and rear. Have not sighted it in yet, or taken a new pic. Bob

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You could split the difference and get one chambered in 38 Super !

That would be my choice ...but I cast my own bullets and reload so I can fine tune a round to feed properly .
By now most makers have worked the kinks out of feeding 9mm Luger in the 1911 , so I wouldn't be too overly concerned .

Gary

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Certified Cajun
NRA Member

Many, many years ago when I had first contracted the 1911 bug, I wanted to add a Commander sized gun to the stable. At that time 'all' the 'experts' who wrote for the gun rags dismissed the Colt Commander and Combat Commander in the 9mm model as "inaccurate" and not worth the trouble.


So I succumbed to "those in the know" and bought mine in 45acp.


Later practical experience taught me that was not really true and unless you were buying a gun for 50 yard Bullseye matches (which is where I suspect the experience of most of the gun writers of the day came from) the 9mm was as accurate as the loose nut behind the grip for most practical considerations. The reliability knock may have had some merit as they basically re-barrelled the 45 and maybe tweaked the recoil spring but did little else to 'tune' one for 9mm. Back at that time (early-mid 1970's) hollow point development for 9mm was not that far advanced and ramped barrels were not widely used for such at the time - most casual shooters weren't likely to have a Bar-sto barrel installed and there weren't a lot of easily accessible gunsmiths promoting such services (magazine articles and advertising then, no internet). So a lot of production guns for the 1911 had feeding problems with anything other than ball ammo.


The upshot is it's my personal opinion that sketchy reliability from 9mm 1911 platforms is a bug-a-boo ghost remnant from those days and all the buzz about it from that time. Semi-autos are (for the most part) much more reliable now than they were at that time using other than standard weight ball ammo. I finally procured a few 1911's in 9mm in various configurations and all of them ran flawlessly with any reasonable rounds I fed them.

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Qui plantavit curabit

I also have the RIA 9mm 1911. I've had it for almost 10Yrs now. I've shot other brands (most mentioned here) and they were all very accurate and reliable.

The only problem I ever had with my RIA was the factory Mags not dropping free. I picked up a couple mags from Checkmate and they've been great.

Search the grass all day to find our own brass...

38 Super is a boutique thing unless in Mexico.

My first M1911 9mm was a used Colt Combat Commander. My idea was that it was be a nice companion/understudy for my .45 Combat Commander.
It was an earlier model Colt and I had no functioning problems. Previous owner had put a Bar-Sto barrel in it - but my findings showed it would only offer so-so accuracy and could never achieve the accuracy of my .45.

So - the Colt in 9mm went away in a trade (traded even for a S&W M39 I really wanted).
Scan ahead a few years and I picked up an RIA 5" GI model in .38 Super.
Did some work to it, got better sights (I can't do GI sights) and was very impressed with it.
Recently got a RIA 9mm barrel for it, which dropped in perfectly, but have yet to see how it does.

My range is all grass-covered. I don't mind losing some 9mm brass, but really get concerned when I lose a large percentage of Super brass - it does not grow on trees, nor is it cheap!

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Ret'd LEO
SWCA #2275

I have 2 Dan Wesson 1911s in 9 MM...The 5 inch barrel had some FTFs in the first 50 rounds... Pretty much flawless since... The 4.25 inch barrel has been flawless since day one...

I have a Rock Island with 3.5 barrel that has been flawless from day one...

My 9mm M1911 performs flawlessly and always has. Note that any .45 can easily be converted to 9mm and/or .38 Super by obtaining a 9mm slide, barrels, ejector and magazines.

I have a Springfield Range Officer Elite Compact 9mm which shoots very well - bought used with the added mag well. Aluminum frame, ambi safety, G10 thin grips, etc. Nicely set up except for the front sight - I don’t like fiber optic. Planning on sending to Novak to change out to a big dot night sight. Wish the front strap was checkered. It has the ramped barrel so the frame has nothing to do with feeding. Only thing I don’t like about Springfield are their model names emblazoned on the side of the slide - what the heck is a “Ronin”. But other manufactures like Wilson and Dan Wesson do this also. I bought Wilson Combat mags no problems with feeding.

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The 1911 chambered in 9x19mm can be a reliable pistol, and I think most are reliable. I would say that one that features a barrel with an integral feed ramp (often called a "ramped barrel") may offer a little more of a guarantee of reliable feeding. As to 9x19mm and 38 Super, a number of manufacturers now make their slides with a 38 Super width breech face, so conversion between the two calibers may be as simple as the swapping of magazines, barrel, and recoil spring.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

+1 on the Dan Wesson line. Been flawless out of the box with either factory mags or the Wilson Combat mags. The figure 8 sights were different but they just work once I got used to them. I feel it was worth the extra dough. Specialist stainless commander.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I love 9mm 1911s! They are absolutely a joy to shoot with little felt recoil.
I've had a Rock Island 1911-FS Tactical in 9mm for years and it is utterly reliable. I mean shockingly so.
A Ruger Lightweight Commander in 9mm has become my carry gun and it too has been totally reliable with every load I've tried, and quite accurate as well.
I think a Springfield will suit you well and prove to be a reliable and durable choice.
I say proceed, sir!

I put a SA 9mm slide on my 1911 .45 Frame over 25 years ago. It handles both 9mm and .38 Super perfectly.

The responses were pretty much as I had hoped and thought they would be , that is very favorable towards the 1911 in 9mm being a very reliable combination.
I was rather surprised at the amount responses to my question. Thank you to all who took the time .

I have:

- a 4” Kimber Pro Carry in 9mm;
- a 4 1/4” Ruger SR1911 lightweight commander in 9mm;
- a 5” Colt 1991 1911 in 9mm; and
- a 3.5” Citadel 1911 in 9mm.

All of them are very reliable with both FMJ and hollow points.

A few thoughts on reliability:

1) The Kimber 1911s take a couple hundred rounds to break in.

2) 1911s that are shorter than 5” are generally not tolerant of “upgrades” like Shok buffers and non standard recoil spring weighs.

3) Magazines matter. MecGar and Kimber mags work well.

I only have one .38 Super (a Colt O2991), bought it because every 1911 guy ought to have at least one .38 Super. It’s a really nice shooting pistol when you can find ammo for it.

Funny…just read this today.

Ayoob: Is There a 9mm 1911 Problem? - The Armory Life

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

I originally intended to buy my DW 1911 as a 38 Super but couldn't find one when I was ready to buy but the 9x19s were still available.

Bought the PM-9 & found a very reasonable new SIG 38 Super barrel at the gun show. Not wanting to shy away from a challenge, I did the mods myself for it to fit the DW.

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I had read that the DWs are usually pretty tightly fitted right out of the box. I bought some premium lube oil & hand cycled the snoot out of it before I ever took it to the range & then shot only factory white box thru it for a couple hundred rounds to complete the break-in.

Worked great.

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IMO the ramped barrels are the only way to go for feeding & full case support.
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I bought all new brass to handload in the beginning, & went with the Starline's 38 Super Comp (38SC) brass which has the more "rimless" design.

I do have, & occasionally shoot, Starline's 38 Super +P brass with it's wider rim in the 9x19 DW slide, both without issues, but I prefer the 38SC.

Having a 1911 that shoots both cartridges is the cats meow.

But of course, I'd rather lose 9x19 brass instead of the 38SC.

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Waiting for the break of day

I'm very pleased with my SA Ronin EMP 4" (here alongside my SA Hellcat). It's basically a downsized 1911, performs flawlessly and the recoil is minimal. One smooth shooter.

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I've had a handful of Nighthawk 9mm 1911s and 2 Cabots. The 9mm pieces are extremely accurate and reliable, I don't remember having any issues with one

I have only owned one and can only speak to the fact that the pistol is fine, but the magazines are problematic at best.. if the quest for magazines that work is not an issue go for it... my Taurus PT1911 9mm likes factory mags & Wilson so far... have fun

My only experience with a 1911 in 9mm was awful. The problem is the short cartridge, requiring the shimmed magazines. I gave up.

The 1911 works great with .45 ACP and .38 Super, both longer cartridges. Personally, I wouldn't mess with it.

As noted above, I have four of them in full size, commander and officer frame sizes and I have not found a shimmed magazine to be necessary. I shoot both pretty much interchangeably.

If anything the shimmed magazine increases slide over run on the commander and officer framed pistols, but as long as the recoil spring is still the stock weight and also not worn out, they function fine.

Your photo is interesting. I would expect your shimmed magazine (on the right) to have failures to feed, like mine had, because there is so little feed lip compared to the length of the case.

On the other hand, the magazine on the left looks much better, with longer magazine lips to prevent the round from stovepiping when getting stripped from the magazine.