dabbling in single stack

[Yoseppy]

Decided this winter would be the perfect time to start shooting single stack with my Kimber .45. Only problem is I don't reload for .45 and factory .45 is not the most fun to shoot when all I can find is 190+ power factor. How difficult would it be to either barrel swap to a .40? Do I need a whole new top end?

[sfinney]

.45 breach face width is to big for .40 barrel to work….. 40 to 9 can be done not 45 to 40.

you’ll need a whole top end.

 

Just buy a gun. I bought a Kimber 9mm for this purpose last year and it runs great. It didn’t need a mortgage and a years wait to get it.

[shred]

New 1911s in .40 are thin on the ground these days although nearly everyone makes a 10mm 1911 so the parts are available.  

[RJH]

There are a bunch of rock island 40s for sale on GunBroker for <$600. If you really want a 40 that would be a cheap way to do it. I've had several Rock islands and they all work fine. Mine were in 45 or 9 mm though.

 

The other thing would be just buy the stuff to reload 45. But depending on what press you have it might cost more to do that than to buy a Rock Island in 40. 

 

But if I was going to buy a new single stack, I would probably get one in 9 mm. Especially if I was just dabbling

[Yoseppy]

Yeah Im thinking ill just grab a 9mm 1911 and call it a day 

 

[625]

I believe Fed Ammo makes action shooting ammunition, which shoots a little softer than regular loads.

[JoeMKY]

9 hours ago, RJH said:

There are a bunch of rock island 40s for sale on GunBroker for <$600. If you really want a 40 that would be a cheap way to do it. I've had several Rock islands and they all work fine. Mine were in 45 or 9 mm though.

 

The other thing would be just buy the stuff to reload 45. But depending on what press you have it might cost more to do that than to buy a Rock Island in 40. 

 

But if I was going to buy a new single stack, I would probably get one in 9 mm. Especially if I was just dabbling

the single stack rock islands in 40 are nice but it you wanted to use it in uspsa single stack it won’t be allowed for major match.  One of the rules for single stack is that it has to have a bushing barrel and the ria ss 40 does not have a barrel.  I made that mistake and not it’s a practice gun but I had to get another ss for major matches.

[RJH]

8 minutes ago, JoeMKY said:

the single stack rock islands in 40 are nice but it you wanted to use it in uspsa single stack it won’t be allowed for major match.  One of the rules for single stack is that it has to have a bushing barrel and the ria ss 40 does not have a barrel.  I made that mistake and not it’s a practice gun but I had to get another ss for major matches.

 

 

Good catch. I did not realize those were Bull barrels

[tomjerry1]

Get a slide for 40 and fit to your existing lower. I did the RI route; it was shot out in 2 seasons, literally.

[Runswithwood1]

I'm pretty sure you'll need a whole new top end, idk that 45 cam be converted to a 40. Considering the cost it may be easier just to buy a whole separate gun for the new endeavor. I cant recommend Springfield or dan wesson enough

[tomjerry1]

If you really want to shoot 40, it's tough to find one, be easier to get a used 10mm and re-barrel to 40. 

[Kilrb]

CZ Customs has Dan Wesson .40 Single Stack in stock. 

Edited December 11, 2023 by Kilrb

[zzt]

On 12/10/2023 at 5:54 PM, Yoseppy said:

Yeah Im thinking ill just grab a 9mm 1911 and call it a day 

 

If you are really dying to shoot SS, that may be the optimal choice.  You get 10 round mags but have to shoot minor.

 

Moving to 40 may not get you what you want.  For example, Winchester White box 165gr only made 164 PF in my Limited gun.  Same as you are shooting, except double stack.  Everything else (at the time) was a lot hotter.

 

Even if you reload, your options are limited.  45 brass is becoming harder and harder to find for free.  Same thing with 40sw.  So, you'll be doing the brass chicken dance after every match to recover your brass.  You can buy once fired, but it will cost you 3 to 5 cents each for 40 and more for 45.

 

Basically, if you shoot 45 or 40, you have to reload.  It may not be worth the trouble for you.

[perttime]

If you don't feel like using your .45, getting a 9mm gun is the way to go.

Not just cheaper ammo. Most seem to feel that having two more rounds in the magazine is a bigger advantage than Major PF. More flexibility for planning your reloads.

[GunBugBit]

Even if the extra two rounds isn’t an advantage, it’s more fun.  And shooting 130 PF loads out of an all-steel 1911 is a fine shooting experience.

[shred]

Eh, at the top level, Major 8 rounds beats Minor 10 more often than not.

 

At the club match level with a lot less movers and partial targets minor is more competitive.

[RJH]

1 hour ago, shred said:

Eh, at the top level, Major 8 rounds beats Minor 10 more often than not.

 

At the club match level with a lot less movers and partial targets minor is more competitive.

 

I just looked and the area matches are split 50/50 with four being one by a minor gun and four being won by Major gun. The better shooter was the winner in each of those

 

Nationals was won by a major gun but second place was a minor gun 3rd 4th 5th and 6th I think were all major guns.

 

So yeah, technically more often, but not really at the same time

 

I think the belief that you have to run major to win single stack has become outdated. Nationals isn't at pasa anymore LOL

Edited December 18, 2023 by RJH

[shred]

Well.. I competed pretty seriously in SS Minor and won an Area match and was 2nd OA at the IPSC Pan American Lvl4 with it a few years back.  Unless things have changed radically since (which I've seen no evidence of at major matches), I maintain that Major is a slight advantage most of the time based on my experiences and analyses from those days.  So few people shoot it these days that whoever shows up likely matters far more.

 

Used to be there was no point showing up to SS nats with a Minor gun (the joke was if those guys could have figured out how to disadvantage the .40s they would), but when targets are far and partial, the scoring difference adds up, especially if you are decently good at reloads and the match isn't half-assing the 8-rounds per view rule.