[cadillacmike]

Here is one example of a failure to extract:

 

[Chance-dg]

I am going thru a bit of this right now with a new 9mm SA Garrison. The engraved SN on the disco rail is a bit rough and is pulling the top round forward enough to block the slide and live round from locking up, The SA included mag is also not the best on the market. I have had no issues with the Wilson 10 rounder yet. I put a 12# recoil spring in but haven't fired it yet. I had several light primer strikes but when reloaded fired just fine. My SA has a titanium firing pin and I may change to a steel one. I was using Genex SPPs which are very hard anyway, but I want mine to fire everything I put in it.

Overall my pistol was dry as a bone when it came back from refinishing and likely the FP was dry as well.

 

[P1800]

Hi all. Wondered if anybody has input on who might make the most reliable 9mm 1911 these days? Reason I’m asking is cause hubby got a Springfield Range Officer about a year ago, in 9, and it’s been horrible. Don’t want to repeat that experience If I get one for myself. (His worked most of the time at first, with the occasional hiccup, and it’s just gotten worse instead of breaking in like normal, it’s now a failure to go into battery nearly every time). At any rate, we’ll get his fixed, but I wondered if any other brands are having similar issues, or if there is one out there that could be the better choice? We are not new to the 1911 platform, far from it, but not for 9mm, and I’ve heard there are differences in getting them to be reliable vs a 45 caliber 1911. Would like to hear stories, experiences from you please. ( his is full sized, I’d be more interested in a commander length).
thanks!
adding this: been contemplating an older Colt in 9mm, just don‘t know if they had issues either.

I have a Colt Commander LW 9mm. I've had it a couple years and it has never missed a beat. A friend has a Staccato (or something like that) and is the source of much amusement for the rest of us when it chokes.
I've shot NATO, 115, 124, 147, +P and +P+ , and my handloads in my Colt. All work fine.

 

[Nitro.45]

A friend has a Staccato (or something like that)

😆 not a whole lotta “something like that” just floating around. Those are $2-3K without the fancy stuff. One that chokes is extremely rare.

 

[ShotsFired]

I have two high mileage Smith Pro Series in 9mm that have been superb. Also a DW PM-9. Also a SA Compact RO that is a gem. 1911s are fussy. Any one copy of any one brand can be a lemon.

 

[SC shooter]

My Springfield Range Officer Compact in 45 acp has been very reliable. My other 1911s Ruger, Kimber, Colt, and Dan Wesson have been reliable also, but the first thing I always do is buy Wilson Combat magazines for them.

 

[Hokie]

I have a few colts in 9mm and they've been great, the one tisas I tried was a dud and I sent it down the rd, I had an ATI commander in 9mm and its was a great range gun, I've had 2 rock island 9mm ,one was the 2011 and the other the ultra tac and both worked fine

 

[M60 teamleader '65]

🤣Ya have one dontcha???🤣

GOOD QUESTION [ LOL ] ! I AM QUITE BURIED IN OTHER THINGS AT THE MOMENT . # 1- ISSUE JUST INSTALLED A FEW HOUSEHOLD NEEDED THINGS [ LETS SAY 4 K ] OUCH ! GUN GOOD TO COME ASAP *THAT PLUS I'M RUNNING OUT OF ROOM IN THE 'INN' . I JUST NEED A LARGER HOUSE LOL - M60 GUNNER

 

[L84CABO]

Keep in mind that any MFG can turn out a bad unit. Even makers like Wilson Combat (ask me how I know).

In the production market, however, Dan Wesson would be my first choice. If I went Springfield, I would likely do a TRP. But I realize these are more expensive 1911's.

 

[HuggyBearUno]

Hi all. Wondered if anybody has input on who might make the most reliable 9mm 1911 these days? Reason I’m asking is cause hubby got a Springfield Range Officer about a year ago, in 9, and it’s been horrible. Don’t want to repeat that experience If I get one for myself. (His worked most of the time at first, with the occasional hiccup, and it’s just gotten worse instead of breaking in like normal, it’s now a failure to go into battery nearly every time). At any rate, we’ll get his fixed, but I wondered if any other brands are having similar issues, or if there is one out there that could be the better choice? We are not new to the 1911 platform, far from it, but not for 9mm, and I’ve heard there are differences in getting them to be reliable vs a 45 caliber 1911. Would like to hear stories, experiences from you please. ( his is full sized, I’d be more interested in a commander length).
thanks!
adding this: been contemplating an older Colt in 9mm, just don‘t know if they had issues either.
[/QUOTE

I'm curious as to what kind/brand of ammo(s) you tried through the gun. Also, was the gun giving you fits during the "break in" period and what kind of ammo did you use (i.e., ball, 115 grain FMJ, HP, heavier projectiles and so on) and how many rounds did you put through the gun while this was happening?
There are a LOT of variables to consider that others may have already addressed and I admit to not having read all the comments, so I won't list a ton of things to check, but, I'd borrow several new magazines to try, marking all that give you grief.
WRT ammo, as I already asked, was one bullet weight or brand/projectile style more inclined to give problems?
What did the problems consist of? Stovepipes? Failure to feed? Failure to extract? Failure to eject?
Double stuffing? And so on.
If you experienced failures to extract/eject, did you try a different weight recoil spring?
If extraction was an issue, did you try to replace the extractor with a New part (examine the new/old against each other making sure to identify which is which, and see if the curvature was different. This isn't the forum or place to go into a detailed list of all the measurements of what could be wrong with the extractor or the ejector for that matter, so I'd suggest you buy an ARMORERS Manual that gives specific details of parts and measurements if you are the DIY type and want to try your hand. Otherwise I'd suggest you bite the bullet (no pun intended) and pay a QUALITY and KNOWN Gunsmith to go through the gun for you.
He or she will know all the parts, pieces and measurements and can advise you accordingly. They can also test fire the gun with the type of ammo you intend to carry for self defense (if that is your plan) but YOU still need to shoot approximately 200 rounds (!!) of whatever ammo you intend to carry to ensure 100% functionality BEFORE you trust your life on either.
Sorry this has gone on so long but as an individual who has carried an M1911A1 for work in the US Army for a number of years then as a Deputy Sheriff for a lot of years and as my EDC for longer yet and I still, to this day, trust it with my life. But I've fired MANY THOUSANDS of rounds through it and lubed it as required and taken care of my personal gun since I bought it in 1979 and I LOVE IT!
Do your due diligence and you'll be a happy camper, but don't skimp or you'll be asking for trouble. Good luck.

 

[cadillacmike]

I have two high mileage Smith Pro Series in 9mm that have been superb. Also a DW PM-9. Also a SA Compact RO that is a gem. 1911s are fussy. Any one copy of any one brand can be a lemon.

You want to trade SA RO Compacts? 😜

 

[riposte191145]

Is there a gauge for the extractor tension?

Yes. I forget who makes it but at one time Brownells sold them - one end was for 9mm and the other for .45 - you used a trigger pull gauge to measure the tension.

I just use an empty case and judge by the feel, myself.

Riposte

 

[oldjarhead56]

I have a Colt Commander LW 9mm. I've had it a couple years and it has never missed a beat. A friend has a Staccato (or something like that) and is the source of much amusement for the rest of us when it chokes.
I've shot NATO, 115, 124, 147, +P and +P+ , and my handloads in my Colt. All work fine.

Dan Wesson 1911s

 

[slimwilson]

My Taurus 1911 full-size in 9 mm had issues with cheap mags utilizing WC mags fixed it until I used Winchester steel case ammo I bought unknowingly it was steel case it bent the ejector. I replaced it with a midway Swenson and didn’t shape it at all just pinned it in and so far it’s ran perfectly. Now it’ll sometimes eject a case on top of my head but I’m just using it for a range gun if I ever need to carry it I’ll my my local gunsmith fix it right. I definitely think the full size work best with larger diameter cases but have several buddies who prefer commander sized in 9 mm. Good luck Semper Fi and Can Do

 

[jharpe1999]

Hi all. Wondered if anybody has input on who might make the most reliable 9mm 1911 these days? Reason I’m asking is cause hubby got a Springfield Range Officer about a year ago, in 9, and it’s been horrible. Don’t want to repeat that experience If I get one for myself. (His worked most of the time at first, with the occasional hiccup, and it’s just gotten worse instead of breaking in like normal, it’s now a failure to go into battery nearly every time). At any rate, we’ll get his fixed, but I wondered if any other brands are having similar issues, or if there is one out there that could be the better choice? We are not new to the 1911 platform, far from it, but not for 9mm, and I’ve heard there are differences in getting them to be reliable vs a 45 caliber 1911. Would like to hear stories, experiences from you please. ( his is full sized, I’d be more interested in a commander length). thanks! adding this: been contemplating an older Colt in 9mm, just don‘t know if they had issues either.

It likely isn’t the gun, but the magazines. I purchased the same SA RO in 9mm in early 2017. First range trip had several FTF and some FTE issues. Purchased a couple of Tripp Research and Wilson Combat mags which solved all but a very few issues over the first 1K rounds. At that time, I spent a couple hundred dollars on a reliability service from a known gunsmith and haven’t had a failure since - that was several thousand rounds and 6 years ago. I am consistent with clean/lube efforts. Do not discount Springfield Armory 1911 models - barrels, slides and frames are top tier. Regardless of manufacturer, production assembly units can vary on a given run. Happy shooting!

 

[Chance-dg]

My SA Garrison 9mm is experiencing teething problems and I am addressing them 1 at a time. The included magazine is faulty and the titanium FP and spring have to be replaced. The extractor is clocking so that will be replaced also.

 

[texaseitz]

I have a Tisas "Service Model" 9mm and it's been a great shooter. Added a couple of Hooper mags at $14 each and it's a blast to shoot.

 

[Reloader]

Here are the Weigand gaues

WEIGAND COMBAT EXTRACTOR TENSION GAUGE SET | Brownells

 

[m1009]

It likely isn’t the gun, but the magazines. I purchased the same SA RO in 9mm in early 2017. First range trip had several FTF and some FTE issues. Purchased a couple of Tripp Research and Wilson Combat mags which solved all but a very few issues over the first 1K rounds. At that time, I spent a couple hundred dollars on a reliability service from a known gunsmith and haven’t had a failure since - that was several thousand rounds and 6 years ago. I am consistent with clean/lube efforts. Do not discount Springfield Armory 1911 models - barrels, slides and frames are top tier. Regardless of manufacturer, production assembly units can vary on a given run. Happy shooting!

Not the magazines, we did try Wilson mags too, after the first few times, since we bring extra mags when we go out with a new pistol, just in case actually. And really, it should not have been getting worse on function. We will finally have time to go through it completely again this week to see if something broke or what. But thanks for the tip!

 

[Billy1911]

Answers:
1, always clean and lube before taking out to range. Inspected to make sure hand cycling felt good, and nothing dirty. And we clean after every range time, never leave them dirty.
2. used factory supplied magazine with the pistol
3. Winchester box ammo/nato spec
4. no, it never fully worked from day one. Had the same problems, not going fully into battery, more for me than him, but instead of ‘wearing in’, even after taking it back home, and re cleaning it again, making sure nothing left dirty, etc, then taking it out next time, we managed to get at least 500 rds thru it, but it has gotten worse, now it does it each time, instead of once or twice per mag. Took it out today, and it did that on the first round.

I’ve been hearing the extractor could be the issue, not fitted properly, for example, when doing some online research.
Like I said, we will figure it out, even if we have to send it back to Springfield. Just wanted to know if others had input on other makes for the 9mm and if better, same, worse. Have had many thru the years, and this is a first that performed so badly as a new pistol. Usually they might require a little break in period, getting enough rounds through them to smooth functionality.

Just call Springfield tell them what is happening , they will send you A free shipping label . Send it back to them and they will fix it .
Call 1 800.680.6866

I own three 9mm 1911's from Springfield and have had 1 extractor issue after 3 years of shooting about 4000 rds . Springfield fixed it under
warranty . Had a front sight come loose on another with 3000 rds they fixed it under warranty

Good luck with your hunt for another 1911 in 9mm . All brands have had issues over the years with 1911's and 9mm must of it has to do
with dwell timing issues with the slide . If you have the Money I would recommend ACW - Alchemy Custom Weaponry

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Also I recommend never using 115 gr ammo always use 124 gr or better with 1911's