advice & review for choosing a ipsc classic minor 1911 in 9mm

[pharoh]

between these 1911's what would you choose (pro & con details welcome)

[taco101]

I recently got a RO and with just a few tweaks it is spot on. I added a Dawson Ice magwell, Wilson oversize mag release, VZ grips, and a Brazos trigger kit. It is 100% so far with factory and my reloads.

[BeerBaron]

I really like my springfield stainless loaded target 9mm but it seems they don't make it any more (no idea why?). It had a great combo of features and price. All it needed was a small magwell (I used an EGW one which also comes with replacement MSH to get rid of the ILS), replace the MSH internals, replace front sight with fibre optic (personal choice) and added a drilled and tapped mag release with button (wilson), and pinned the grip safety. Trigger could use a bit of work but it's not bad at right on 4lb. With a new hammer + sear it'd be very nice.

[motosapiens]

why did you choose those four? do you have limited availability in your country?

I haven't seen an R1 enhanced in 9, but the 45's have a good reputation. Otherwise I'd be looking at springfield, dan wesson or STI trojan.

[BeerBaron]

Yeah sti Trojan is very popular in classic ipsc (and single stack uspsa). The max michel sig 1911s seem to be gaining in popularity too.

[pharoh]

Availability is a bit sparce depending what im looking for, the trojans price went up to almost 2k in cad funds because of the currency exchange so it was a bit to much money for me, the other 4 were between 1050-1300$ so a bit more reasonable.

Yesturday tho a dealer i usually deal with found a sti spartan in 9mm that was hidden in inventory. Well for the price these went for and the features thats on them it was a no brainer so i bought it right away.

If they would not ove found it the springfield would've been my choice.

Now the task to get setup for classic, what mags have you guys been using lately (10rnd 9mm mags)?

Any specific ones u like more? (Mec-gar, dawson, tripp??)

For a magwell im gonna install the dawson classic legal magwell they make

Edited June 5, 2016 by pharoh

[terrydoc]

When I had my Spartan 9mm I used Wison EMT for a couple of years with no issues, I have just replaced the Wilson's with Tripp as on a number of occasions I had catastrophic FTF/ FTE in stages and couldn't finish. Hopefully the Tripps will solve the issues I had. Using a Dawson IPSC or another option is the Techwell they have about 4 models to choose from, if your handy with a dremel tool you can DIY your favorite grips or buy some of theirs as the grips are used to hold the magwell in place.

[Aircooled6racer]

Hello: The Spartan is a great pistol. I had a 9mm and still have a 45. The Tripp or Dawson mags are the way to go. Use the Dawson IPSC magwell and change out the front sight to a Dawson fiber one with a thinner blade than the factory Spartan. I also changed out the mag release to an extended one. Ad some skate tape to the front strap and you are ready. Thanks, Eric

[pdog305]

I have a RO in 9mm stainless

Pros

• Ran flawless the first 200 rounds through the pistol using 115 grain american eagle. I only field stripped and oiled the gun beforehand
• rear sight are nice and big fiber front is bright
• great place to start if you plan on customizing heavily
• lots of great add ons like holster, mag pouch, 2 magazines and a good quality padded case with cutouts for the pistol and accessories
• trigger has a clean break. polishing internals (sear, disconnector, trigger bow and sear spring) make a big difference in lightening and smoothening the trigger pull
• good customer service
• gun is heavy (a plus in my book)
• GI plug (for you purists)
• series 70. woo hoo no firing pin block!

Cons

• rear sight is not centered on mine so i had to adjust sights to compensate. that made my grip weird. probably just needs to be removed to add loctite
• trigger is a little heavy and hammer spring seems a bit heavy too (i like my trigger around 2.5~3 lbs ish)
• no front strap checkering (grip tape can easily fix)
• magazines are pretty crappy. I can't load more than 7 reliably. If I load 8 it won't feed properly. So 9 is pretty far off at this point. Mags don't drop free only when magazine is empty it does. on the bright side Springfield immediately sent me a fedex label so i can send them my gun or magazines for inspection. they were very helpful in trying to solve my issue
• No full length guide rod (yes i like it!)

[TommyK]

I would really like to vote for a Dan Wesson PM9.. It would be worth your time to check one out before buying.

[Edge40]

I have a colt. It ran perfect out of the box and has been running perfect for several thousand rounds. My handholds and otherwise. Great gun. My only complaint is that it isn't fitted quite as tight as I would like but for a $900 1911 that is probably pretty standard. It doesn't seem to affecting the accuracy so in the end I'm really ok with that. Would definitely recommend a colt.