Suppressed 9mm 1911 Thoughts

[GunNut]

I'm pondering on how well a 9mm 1911 would suppress. Does anyone have one and compared it to a G17 or P226?

I have a Evo-9 and it works well on my P226, but I really prefer 1911's...even if its not in .45.

I like the nice 1911's, so if it suppresses well, I'd probably go with a Nighthawk.

Thanks.

[chrismartin]

Do it!
They are fan-freaking-tastic.
Smooth shooting, very little recoil.
The only real "down side" is single stack and lower capacity than P226 or G17.
And, the Nighthawk would be the end-all-be-all.
They even have an "AAC" version with the AAC logo on the slide.

[Reed503]

Just sent my Combat Commander 9mm barrel to ADCO for threading. I cant wait to to have it as a host.

[GoJohnnyGo]

DO it. Just don't make the mistake that I did. I bought a 4" kimber with the idea of eventually supressing it. When that time can around I learned that it is not a gun that supresses easily. Go with a standard Commander 4.25" barrel or just get a fullsize. THe 4" barrels are difficult to come by and in fact I'm going to have to get one custom made. Which may or may not work. Also, becuase these are particularly diffficult to build there are not alot of them out there/ other people with experiance to help.

[GoJohnnyGo]

Starting with a Nighthawk is a great idea. I'd go with that.

[GunNut]

Thanks guys, apparently I didn't need much encouragement as I ordered one this morning.

9mm Nighthawk GRP, naked slide, tan golf ball grips, and of course, a threaded barrel.

[GoJohnnyGo]

Nice. Sounds dead sexy. Post some pics when you get it.

[2ndchance]

I know this is a REALLY old thread, but I was hoping to ask you EVO-9 guys a question.

If you use an EVO-9 suppressor on a 1911 9mm, is the booster spring needed?

I was told that it may not. I hate having to change out the spacer for the spring, everytime I move from my rifles to a pistol.

[chrismartin]

As a general rule, if the barrel moves, use the spring in the booster.

You may be able to get it to cycle, but it would require swapping the recoil spring in the 1911, tuning it to your loads, etc. Then, if you shoot it without the silencer, you would want to put in the normal recoil spring so the gun isn't sprung too light.

I run a light spring in my 2011, but I always use the booster. It functions 100%.

[2ndchance]

Interesting. I have two questions then:

1. Explain this to me, please. Even a Beretta 92's barrel moves. It moves backwards and forwards. Unlike most other semi-autos that have a barrel that tilts to unlock. Right?

2. As for swapping the recoil spring... What spring would be recommended? I load 147gr FMJ (1,010fps). I use them in a variety of 9mm platforms. Wilson Combat shows that the normal spring for a 1911 9mm is between 10#-13#. I would increase the weight, right. Maybe to a 18#? I have a lot of 18# springs, since I have lots of 1911s in 45acp.

[chrismartin]

Interesting. I have two questions then:

1. Explain this to me, please. Even a Beretta 92's barrel moves. It moves backwards and forwards. Unlike most other semi-autos that have a barrel that tilts to unlock. Right?

Correct. However, if you want better reliability, you should still run a booster on the 92. Yes, it may and can work perfectly, or it may choke every now and again. It's dependent on a lot of factors. However, boosters aid in reliability.

2. As for swapping the recoil spring... What spring would be recommended? I load 147gr FMJ (1,010fps). I use them in a variety of 9mm platforms. Wilson Combat shows that the normal spring for a 1911 9mm is between 10#-13#. I would increase the weight, right. Maybe to a 18#? I have a lot of 18# springs, since I have lots of 1911s in 45acp.

Wolff sells a calibration pack of springs that you can use to tune the gun for what you need. Generally speaking, the heavier springs would be better as it aids in feeding. So, you should run the heaviest spring that gives you the best reliability. 9mm's run anywhere from 8lbs up. I can't remember what spring I'm using in my 2011, I think it's 10lbs or so. It's really light though, much more-so than my 45's. It wouldn't hurt to try the heavy 18's, but I don't know if it would cycle properly.

[2ndchance]

Thanks for answering my questions.
I guess it's going to be a coin toss. Do I buy a 9mm 1911 and threaded barrel to test?

[chrismartin]

Thanks for answering my questions.
I guess it's going to be a coin toss. Do I buy a 9mm 1911 and threaded barrel to test?

The answer to that question is always YES!

I love shooting my 2011 in 9mm. I built it up as a race gun and it'll shoot like mad. It's my favorite gun to shoot.

[2ndchance]

SWEET gun! What weight recoil spring are you using? To clarify; the can does "not" have the booster installed, Right?

[chrismartin]

SWEET gun! What weight recoil spring are you using? To clarify; the can does "not" have the booster installed, Right?

The can has the booster and spring in it. I've never tried it without it.
I think I have an 8 or 9lbs recoil spring in it.

If I can remember, I'll bring my fixed barrel spacer with me and try it without the booster spring and see what happens. I'll probably hit the range next week some time.

[2ndchance]

If it's not too much trouble, can your bring a heavier spring and test it? The question is: Will the Evo-9 operate on a 1911 9mm without the booster. If so, what higher spring weight is required for it to function with subsonic or supersonic loads. The hypothesis is: It will with a heavier spring. Maybe a 15 or 18#.