1911 9mm conversion

[robledor]

Hello I have 2 1911 in .45 acp, however I want a 9mm. I have 2 ideas... I can get a complete upper assembly to use on my frame.
Or
Buy a rock island 1911 9mm Hopefully I can find one

[naz]

If you can find it for ppt get the rock island double stacked 9mm

[robledor]

Also would like to stay under 500 budget if I buy a new pistol

[Peahi2]

Many people have gone down this road. You can do a search, there are tons of threads. It eventually ends at Springfield loaded target or a Kimber. Such a shame, since there are so many awesome 9mm 1911s outside of California.

The handgun roster has kept us "safe" though.

You can't just switch uppers like an AR or some of the Glocks. For one, you have issues like feed ramps vs ramped barrel, magazines, ejectors etc.

[9mmContagion]

Buy a 9mm or send your gun to a reputable smith for a conversion. Conversion is costly, but worth it in my opinion

[robledor]

Or maybe buy a .38 super?

[thbat]

The Rock Island 1911 in 38 super is on roster. Get that plus a 9mm barrel. Some ppl had success just by swapping out the barrel. Others needed only minor fittings. You may also need 9mm mags.

[AtomicOrange]

I had a RIA GI .38 super converted to 9mm. It required smoothing/polishing the ramp and throat, tuning the extractor, and a 12lb mainspring. It's a great shooter and I have not experienced any problems with it. I also swapped out the grip panels to maroon micarta, installed a different trigger, and Dawson sights.

[Snoopy47]

Many people have gone down this road. You can do a search, there are tons of threads. It eventually ends at Springfield loaded target or a Kimber. Such a shame, since there are so many awesome 9mm 1911s outside of California.

The handgun roster has kept us "safe" though.

You can't just switch uppers like an AR or some of the Glocks. For one, you have issues like feed ramps vs ramped barrel, magazines, ejectors etc.

^^^
This

The problem is finding a link pin upper and barrel. Otherwise it takes cutting out the frame for a conversion.

Just keep an eye out on a 9mm 1911. Usually a Springfield Loaded.

[sirgrumps]

A 9mm conversion would require the following.
New complete slide (extractor, firing pin, firing pin stop), complete barrel (Link and pin), slide stop, recoil spring, magazine, and ejector.

It’s a pain to find a smith who can get both slides to work with one ejector.

Just buy another gun.

[IVC]

Proper tight fitting will require slight modifications to both the frame and the slide, so if you have two slides one will fit better than the other. And, you would need different slides because breach faces are different, if nothing else...

[Colt]

As stated, best bet other than buying a third pistol is to convert one of the two you have to a dedicated 9mm. I think the ramp is key - that is generally not a home brew fix. then you need a complete upper and depending on the ejector already in the pistol, either a new ejector or maybe a tweak to the existing (I’d just go with a new one).

Good luck!

[smle-man]

I bought a complete .38 super upper with ejector and put it on a .45 frame. It usually worked but I had about 1 stoppage about every 3 magazines. I imagine a 9mm conversion on a .45 frame would have the same experience.

My RIA .38 super is non ramped and I found a non ramped 9mm barrel and had it fitted to the gun. Works just fine.

[Sailormilan2]

I bought a complete .38 super upper with ejector and put it on a .45 frame. It usually worked but I had about 1 stoppage about every 3 magazines. I imagine a 9mm conversion on a .45 frame would have the same experience.

My RIA .38 super is non ramped and I found a non ramped 9mm barrel and had it fitted to the gun. Works just fine.

I've done this 4 times, and it's usually easy to do. The hardest part, if one wants the ability to switch back and forth between calibers and slides, is milling the ejector slot in the 45 acp slide to accept the taller and wider 9mm/38 Super ejector. It's not hard to do, and not a lot has to be removed. Not necessary if one is starting with a Commander set up.
You have to find a slide that goes onto your frame. My ParaOrdnance slide will fit on my Springfield frame, but the Rock Island slide will not. The Rock slide fits just fine on the Rock Island Tactical frame. So, I use the PO slide on the Springfield, and the RIA slide on the RIA frame. I also have 2 PO Commander sized slides, and they work just fine on a Colt Commander frame and a Detonics frame.
None of my barrels are ramped, since none of my frames are cut for a ramp. If you get lucky enough to find a slide cut for 40, you can add a 40 S&W or a 10mm barrel. However, the increasing the Main (Hammer) spring weight to handle the 10mm makes ejecting lower powdered 9mm ammo somewhat problematic. But, I've figured out how to deal with that.

[BigPimping]

Just buy a Glock 17. Best handgun in the world. Best handgun ever made. You'll never need anything else. You will never regret your decision and it will be serviceable for the rest of your life.