Shootin' Nines
I still consider the 9mm Commander to be a best buy in a 1911. A person's first 1911 really should be in 45 ACP. After all, it's the round the pistol was designed to shoot. 
However, for inexpensive practice, it's hard to beat the 9mm for half the cost. I have not owned a 22 conversion for a 1911 although I have shot a few. None of them had enough recoil to knock a gnat off the front sight. 9mm in a Commander does.
I had a little time after work today to go to the range with my Colt 9mm Commander and my Model 10 snub. The 9mm Commander is the ideal pistol to introduce new shooters to a 1911 with. I purchased my 9mm Commander three years ago for the take home price of $650. At the time, I considered it a novelty. Little did I know that in three short years finding 45 ACP target ammunition would be a difficult process. As long as the shelves are bare in the stores, I am reluctant to shoot up my supply. The 9mm allowed me to not only shoot for less, but to shoot with an alternative ammunition that is easier to purchase.
However, for inexpensive practice, it's hard to beat the 9mm for half the cost. I have not owned a 22 conversion for a 1911 although I have shot a few. None of them had enough recoil to knock a gnat off the front sight. 9mm in a Commander does.I had a little time after work today to go to the range with my Colt 9mm Commander and my Model 10 snub. The 9mm Commander is the ideal pistol to introduce new shooters to a 1911 with. I purchased my 9mm Commander three years ago for the take home price of $650. At the time, I considered it a novelty. Little did I know that in three short years finding 45 ACP target ammunition would be a difficult process. As long as the shelves are bare in the stores, I am reluctant to shoot up my supply. The 9mm allowed me to not only shoot for less, but to shoot with an alternative ammunition that is easier to purchase.
Labels: Range Journal
posted by Xavier at 5:42 PM
11 Comments:
Xavier,
Check your local gun shows for a Georgia Arms table. They make excellent reloads and always have plenty of .45 ACP.
They only sell bulk though. You get a real, honest to God military ammo box with 500 rounds. It's a little pricey but not bad compared to factory ammo.
I managed to get my hands on 2 boxes (1000 rounds) at the last show down here. They had 50 cans of 500 rounds each when the show started last Saturday and were sold out by noon.
I've pulled bullets here and there and weighed the charges and the bullets. They seem to be very meticulous about their reloads. Very little variance in their .45ACP, 9mm and .223.
The brass they use is decent too. I have some that I have reloaded 5 or 6 times with no apparent issues. I hesitate to use brass more than 5 times unless it's from good Lake City or some other military ammo.
I'd rather buy from Georgia Arms than anyone else. You have to get there early though. Everybody likes their ammo and they usually sell out before the first day of the show is done.
Good luck,
Joe
It's an important lesson to learn. NATO calibers are your friend.
Not the case here in Missouri. Shelves are bare of 9mm, but there is plenty of .40 and always at least a couple boxes of .45 on the shelves. Never any .22, but shelves and shelves stacked to the ceiling with 12 gauge birdshot.
It is the opposite here, I can find .45 ACP target stuff but not 9mm, at a price I am willing to pay.
It is a shame no one makes 9mm Commanders anymore, especially not for a decent price.
As someone who I consider an authority on 1911s, it's great to hear that you endorse and approve of 9mm variants. I'm personally a big fan of the 9mm for several reasons, not the least of which is cost. I've wanted a 1911 for a while now, but didn't want to add yet another round to my collection, since I'm trying to get down to a single pistol round across all my weapons (slowly but surely). Today's posting takes a lot of the trepidation out of buying a 9mm 1911 and alleviates a lot of the concerns that I otherwise had.
X:
Yeah, I'd love a 9mm Colt Commander, too, but nobody is selling them for anywhere near $650 today! I'm sure the real gunnys out there know that, but the noobs might not.
Mike Harbour
Helena, Montana
Xavier
Have you heard of the Chiappa 1911-22 introduced at the 2009 Shot Show? If it's a true 1911 internally and with a MSRP of 300 it ought to fly off the shelves.
Yes, .45acp is getting scarce. Largely because comp shooters and serious pistoleros use it and there are not as many production lines for it as it has been supplanted as a military round by the 9mm. So people have been stocking up before the hoarders get it all. Get ready for additional shortages as 9's start getting stockpiled.
I do find myself shooting the LE-surplus S&W 5906 more often than anything else, even though it's a bit large for CCW most of the time. As centerfires go, it's hard to beat the 9mm cartridge for cheap, paper-punching FMJ ammo cost. For CCW, I'm fond of this spicy load. As an added feature, when out of ammo, it's heavy enough to make a serviceable blunt instrument.
Trying to find .45, 9mm, .40, or just about any pistol caliber ammo at the local walmart here is difficult. You might find 9mm ball sometimes, but almost anything else is out as soon as it hits the door.
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