Looking for a 1911 9 mm - Recommendations

[oddjob]

I run a STI Trojan in 9mm for single stack.  STI no longer makes them, but used ones pop up every once in awhile here.

[tcurrin]

Hello,

 

I had a problem resizing 9mm Glock shot brass to fit my Kimber Custom II chamber.  I solved it by running the ammo through the Lee Bulge BUster using a Makarov die.  You can read a discussion of this here:     

 

https://www.ar15.com/forums/armory/Lee_Bulge_Buster_on_9mm/42-437330/

 

I solved my problem so I canuse my reloads in any 9mm I choose without fear of failure.

 

That being said, the PM9 is on my wish list.

 

Tom

[RangerTrace]

Lee U-die is all you need.  ALL of my brass is once fired LE brass from Glocks.  I use a U-die and never even have to case gauge any more.  Best 25 bucks I ever spent......

[tbarker13]

So many good options out there. I do love the PM9. I've had 3. Sold the first two, but then recently replaced one of them so that I could shoot single stack minor.

I don't see how you could do better without spending a heck of a lot more money.

 

[cferree]

I bought two, blue SA RO's used.  One was tri-topped and had front serrations added.  It's my SCSA Limited gun and is still USPSA SS legal.  The other was turned into a SS Open gun for SCSA.  Both got Brazos ignition kits and run great.  The Open gun took a little to find a load it liked.  The Limited gun runs 95 and 115 grain 110 PF loads as well as 130 PF 125 and 147 grain loads.

 

The DW PM9 are great guns.  I went the cheap route ($500-$550 used) knowing I was going to have work done and do some more work myself.

 

 

[1911vm]

it seems that the PM9 is hands down the way to go.  how is Dan Wesson Specialist  compare  to the pointman PM9  it seems the only difference is the rail IE extra few ounces. does it shoot flatter ?

Edited August 10, 2019 by 1911vm

[jcc7x7]

16 hours ago, 1911vm said:

it seems that the PM9 is hands down the way to go.  how is Dan Wesson Specialist  compare  to the pointman PM9  it seems the only difference is the rail IE extra few ounces. does it shoot flatter ?

Based on the weight of the PM-9  I had to use an alum MSH housing and magwell to make weight.

I don't think the specialist will make weight.

Remember this is 9mm 130 PF in a 43 oz gun, flat usually isn't much of an issue, making weight can be!

Edited August 11, 2019 by jcc7x7

[1911vm]

Surprising that you had to do that. I just looked up pm9. On their website 41.3 oz.. and the specialist 42.3. And the specialist would definitely be very close to  weight.  

 

 

[shred]

Depends if the mag is included in the weight specified on the website, which isn't clear... add a magwell and basepads and 10-round mags and the weight creeps up too.

 

[TK66]

I just picked this up new a couple weeks ago.  It's a great gun for the price.

[1911vm]

Very nice 

 

[Jim Watson]

A friend just bought a SA RO Stainless 9mm.  It seems a good solid gun, but it is going to need some work.

Feeding is poor with the supplied magazines, I loaned him some of my name brand clips to try. 

Trigger pull is tough.  My SA Mixmaster A is doing fine at 3 3/4 lbs on the tuned factory MIM, so you don't HAVE to buy new lockwork. 

[lgh]

1 hour ago, TK66 said:

I just picked this up new a couple weeks ago.  It's a great gun for the price.

I also got one a couple of weeks ago, sans your magwell and golf ball grips. Very, very nice gun. Nearly on par with my $3500 custom 45. It requires a long 300-500 round break in, not unexpected given the tight fit.

[Bakerjd]

For sure the PM 9. I have a PM45 and love it. Spencer Race Guns built me a very nice Springfield loaded 9mm and I like it a lot but the fit of the Dan Wesson is far beyond a Springfield. 

[andyivan]

Dan Wesson's website's weight DOES include a factory magazine.  I called months back and asked. 

[mattx]

I have a Specialist Commander I've been shooting USPSA with. It makes weight with the stock magwell and no basepads, but it's a shorter gun, and drops my 135 PF load down to about 128-130 (147gr Blue w/ 3.1 N320 @ 1.10") which is getting a little close to the line for my comfort. One of the Brazos ignition kits dropped right in for  a 2.25 lb crisp pull. Shoots real flat and accurate as well. The ball end mill cuts on the Specialist can make holster selection difficult. I have a Bladetech DOH for a railed commander that fits it just fine. 

 

I also have a Springfield loaded target 5" gun with trigger work that while also is nice, I suspect the chamber is out of spec or on the tighter end of things and I'm going to end up having some work done for reliability. I had to change my OAL to get one load that would run reliably for all my guns and the Springfield was the PITA. The fit and finish isn't as great, and from a satisfaction / time factor, I'd trade it in for a PM9 in a heartbeat. 

[jpm2953]

My PM9 has been flawless. Maybe 3k rounds through it. I’ll never sell it. 

I had a Springfield Loaded that was flawless too. Not quite as accurate as the PM9. 

The springfield required a new FCG to bring it up to par. 

PM9 required only grips and a Magwell. 

[RandyBaker]

We have the Colt competition 9mm and haven’t had any issues reloading.

[11MM]

Another vote for the Dan Wesson. Best factory 1911 these days in my opinion.

[cds43016]

I got a PM-9. Thank you all for your input and recommendation.

 

I don’t have that many rounds through it, but so far it appears to be very accurate with a great trigger and treats the brass kindly – no bulges. This appears to be the gun I was looking for.

 

This is my first 1911 with a full-length guide rod.  It took forever to figure how to take the gun apart.  The instructions that came with the gun were generic and useless. You must remove the spring from the guide rod before the guide rod can be removed.    This is difficult since the spring is tight on the guide rod.  It takes some effort to get it off and I’m afraid of damaging the spring.  What weight is the spring in the event I damage it?  Is this normal to be so hard to take apart and be so tight? Am I missing something? It’s also a joy to put the spring back on the guide rod in reassembly. Also, I think the recoil spring plug was made by Gillette. On my match 1911s the barrel bushing was always the worst part, but otherwise easy to field strip and reassemble with a standard-length guide rod.  I’m not sure I understand the benefits of the full-length guide rod since my match 1911s were tack drivers without one.

 

The only other issue I have is that the gun shoots to the left.  Others have shot the gun and it shoots to the left for them as well, even with the rear sight adjusted as far as it can go. I will have to figure out how to drift the rear sight over a bit. Any suggestions?

 

Otherwise a great gun.  Thank you again for your help.

 

[mattx]

10lb is factory I believe: https://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=209416

 

A lot of people prefer 9lb for minor loads: https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-5t3ceeio/product_images/uploaded_images/wolff-recoil-spring-chart.jpg (from dawson precision website)

[jcc7x7]

Usually there is a hole cross wise in the guide rod you put a paperclip in and then remove slide.

Take gr assy out from bottom.

Lock slide back and look for the cross hole

[FF1063]

Twist the spring as you pull it off. That loosens the grip the spring has on the rod.

You need a bushing wrench to deal with with the Gillette (lol) plug. Or swap the whole shebang for GI recoil parts.

My 9mm 1911 (Kimber) will run factory ammo or full power handloads with either the 12 pound stock or a 13 pound variable spring from Wolff.

My lighter loads need the 12 pounder to function 100%.

I would prolly move the front sight a bit to the left first before moving the rear.

The rear sight might have hidden set screws, remove the  elevation screw and lift the sight body, loosen the set screws, then tap with brass or aluminum.

 

Edited August 22, 2019 by FF1063

[tbarker13]

On 8/21/2019 at 9:17 PM, cds43016 said:

I got a PM-9. Thank you all for your input and recommendation.

 

I don’t have that many rounds through it, but so far it appears to be very accurate with a great trigger and treats the brass kindly – no bulges. This appears to be the gun I was looking for.

 

This is my first 1911 with a full-length guide rod.  It took forever to figure how to take the gun apart.  The instructions that came with the gun were generic and useless. You must remove the spring from the guide rod before the guide rod can be removed.    This is difficult since the spring is tight on the guide rod.  It takes some effort to get it off and I’m afraid of damaging the spring.  What weight is the spring in the event I damage it?  Is this normal to be so hard to take apart and be so tight? Am I missing something? It’s also a joy to put the spring back on the guide rod in reassembly. Also, I think the recoil spring plug was made by Gillette. On my match 1911s the barrel bushing was always the worst part, but otherwise easy to field strip and reassemble with a standard-length guide rod.  I’m not sure I understand the benefits of the full-length guide rod since my match 1911s were tack drivers without one.

 

The only other issue I have is that the gun shoots to the left.  Others have shot the gun and it shoots to the left for them as well, even with the rear sight adjusted as far as it can go. I will have to figure out how to drift the rear sight over a bit. Any suggestions?

 

Otherwise a great gun.  Thank you again for your help.

 

 

You might consider contacting DW's customer service about the gun - if it's shooting so far to the left that you can't adjust the sights enough to compensate. That shouldn't be happening. It's been a few years since I had any dealings with them, but they were easy to work with - and really seemed eager to stand behind the quality of their guns.

 

 

 

[cds43016]

The sight issue with my PM9 has been resolved.

 

The problem was the windage screw was so stiff that it was very difficult to turn, and it seemed to have reached the maximum adjustment limit.  I was using the lightweight tool I carry in my range bag to adjust the sights on my Sig Sauer P210 and Walther PPQ Q5.

 

I switched over to a heavier fitted screwdriver and moved the rear sight back and forth a few times. Now it works smoothly. The gun now shoots where I point it.  The rear sight just needed “breaking in”.

 

User error.

 

This gun is very accurate and pleasant to shoot.  I can’t say it is as good as my hand-fitted bullseye 1911s, but it’s close.

 

I’m still not sold on a full-length guide rod, but given how well the gun shoots, I can live with it.

 

Thanks Again!