Arkieron Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 I have a Colt .38 Super 1911 that I am wanting to convert to 9mm. The almost new Colt has been modified so I have no qualms about converting it. I shoot enough that .38 super would get expensive, wvwn with reloading. I am already setup to load 9mm ammo and it is sure cheap, easy, and comfortable for an old guy to shoot. I have been advised to get a ramped barrel for reliability. I don't believe that losing the use of the stock .38 colt barrel is a big deal. I am sure interested in learning as much as I can before taking this step, so I have several questions: 1) is ramped the way to go in a 9mm 1911? 2) Stainless vs. ordinance steel? 3) I am looking at Schumann, Kart, Nowlin, and Wilson in the ramped barrels. I am in Arkansas so I would probably let Wilson do the conversion, if I went with their ramped Match Barrel. Does anyone have experience with their barrels? I wonder who makes them? 4) Nowlin is about the same distance but I am not sure they are presently doing smith work? Any info or suggestions are welcome. Ron Hall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-ManBart Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 I have a Colt .38 Super 1911 that I am wanting to convert to 9mm. The almost new Colt has been modified so I have no qualms about converting it. I shoot enough that .38 super would get expensive, wvwn with reloading. I am already setup to load 9mm ammo and it is sure cheap, easy, and comfortable for an old guy to shoot. I have been advised to get a ramped barrel for reliability. I don't believe that losing the use of the stock .38 colt barrel is a big deal. I am sure interested in learning as much as I can before taking this step, so I have several questions:1) is ramped the way to go in a 9mm 1911? 2) Stainless vs. ordinance steel? 3) I am looking at Schumann, Kart, Nowlin, and Wilson in the ramped barrels. I am in Arkansas so I would probably let Wilson do the conversion, if I went with their ramped Match Barrel. Does anyone have experience with their barrels? I wonder who makes them? 4) Nowlin is about the same distance but I am not sure they are presently doing smith work? Any info or suggestions are welcome. Ron Hall A ramped barrel is probably an easier setup to make reliable, but it's not impossible to get a 9 to work fine with a traditional barrel. With quality barrels like you're suggesting the amount of case support is nearly identical between ramped and traditional, so that's not a concern either. In general, I think it's a good idea to let the gunsmith pick the barrel they like to work with, or at least check with them that the barrel you want to use is one that they are comfortable with. Granted, any of the four brands of barrel you mentioned is likely to be fine with most smiths. If you can deliver it to Wilson and let them put one of their barrels in it, the $340 price they list is fair, but know it may go up because they'll have to cut the frame for the ramp The quality of barrel fit is almost always more important than the quality of barrel....i.e. a decent barrel fit perfectly is going to shoot better than the best barrel fit poorly or just okay. Still, I wonder about the economics of the whole deal....figure it's going to be $400+ after it's all said and done to get a new barrel fit. For that you can buy a set of dies/conversion kit, and have money left over for Super brass (I guess that will vary if you buy a conversion for certain machines). Other than the cost of the brass, loading Super and 9mm costs roughly the same...maybe a tiny bit more powder or something like that for Super, but that's about it. The one thing would be if you shoot somewhere that you can't pick up your brass....then Super would be more expensive than 9 if you're buying new Super and used 9. If you're buying both new the cost is roughly identical. Mild loads in Super are just as easy and comfortable to shoot as 9, so there's no big difference there. In the end it probably comes down to whether you want to spend the time to switch the machine over now and then to run off ammo in a second cartridge. R, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carmoney Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 Ron, if you're halfway handy, you might want to think about giving it a shot yourself with a Kart EZ-fit unramped barrel. The barrel and installation kit will cost significantly less than having Wilson do the job, and if you pay attention and follow the instructions, the results will be excellent. Just another option to consider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Sierpina Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 Having played with 9MM in a 1911 for more than a couple decades, I'd recommend a ramped barrel. Then, you need to get good magazines for a 9MM. The combination of the 2 will give you an accurate and reliable gun. Going halfway in the job, will give you half of what you need, usually, only halfway reliable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godzilla Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 We (Schuemann Barrels) only manufacture un-ramped barrels in 45 ACP since it is a lower pressure round by SAAMI Specifications. Using a Un-ramped barrel in 9mm, 38 Super and/or 40 S&W could pose dangerous if the wrong power factor load gets into the chamber. One of the reasons that the 1911 is a safe pistol is that Browning designed it with safety margins in case of failures. Using a un-supported (unramped) barrel in anything other that a 45 ACP operates without margin. I vote for a Schuemann Barrel with a Clark/Para/Lissner Ramp:) It would be aGC35CNM0. Having played with 9MM in a 1911 for more than a couple decades, I'd recommend a ramped barrel. Then, you need to get good magazines for a 9MM. The combination of the 2 will give you an accurate and reliable gun. Going halfway in the job, will give you half of what you need, usually, only halfway reliable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunut Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 Why not sell the colt and buy a kimber ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goneracin Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 I just put a ramped Kart EZ fit into my springfield 1911. I cant say enough good about the people at KArt. The barrel is great, and the customer service is outstanding. I would think ramped would be ultimately the best solution as far as reliable feeding etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkieron Posted January 30, 2010 Author Share Posted January 30, 2010 Thanks for all the input. I went for a ramped Wilson barrel and should have the pistol ready in a couple of weeks. As for trading the Colt for a Kimber, it won't happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waldog Posted January 31, 2010 Share Posted January 31, 2010 Now for your 9mm to feed properly I have outstanding luck with Wilson's 10 round ETM mags and MetalForm 9 round mags Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdo Posted January 31, 2010 Share Posted January 31, 2010 The 10 round Tripp magazines are worth mentioning as well. They have been flawless for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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