Best Budget 9mm 1911?

The Ruger 1911 in 9 mm is pretty nice. Nothing beats a double stack though. I like old Para’s, some are good, others need work. Here is my 7 inch doublestack that I made. Need to parkerize it yet.
 

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I picked up a barley used rock island fs tac govt. a few years ago for about $500. All it needed was more tension on the extractor and it runs like machine. It won't win any beauty contests but well worth the money for a plinker. I used it for a few steel plate shoots and did pretty well. 70 series made the extractor tuning a breeze
 
Never used a 9mm for pins. Wouldn't it sial trhough?

No, but it depends on the pin format hes shooting. If its the "lame short tables with the timer" type stuff that some clubs do, the 9 is fine. If its real pin shooting with 4 x 8 foot tables where you have to clear the pins off the table, 9mm is absolutely worthless.
 
I'd pick the Tisas over a Rock for a budget gun, they are sub 400 dollar guns, but well made and run well. 9mm only come in black cera or the repro army style grey cera. They don't make stainless. Mine have run good in 9mm but most i have is 500 thru one of them, and only with junk turkish 115 grain. Havent fed it a diet of any thing
non standard. The Tisas "duty" line has more features (better trigger, better sights, better grip safety, better safety) than the GI repro models and is almost the same price.

Otherwise the best middle of the road, where you will get front frame checkering and some other features...BUL armory, or Desert Eagle. Maybe as Springfield if you can find it in that price range.

Over 1K, I'd be looking at Dan Wesson.

Bowling pins.....9mm 147 grain is OK....but your kinda wasting your time.....45ACP is the best for that.
 
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No, but it depends on the pin format hes shooting. If its the "lame short tables with the timer" type stuff that some clubs do, the 9 is fine. If its real pin shooting with 4 x 8 foot tables where you have to clear the pins off the table, 9mm is absolutely worthless.
It was a very crude shoot. Real ten pins, on a table, 20 yds. Actually was using my 365X, no optic, took out the 5 with 8 shots first time and 9 shots second time. No timer. It was the first bowing pin shoot the club started, I went to check it out an ended up shooting with them. It was good.
 
S&W Pro Series

At the current retail price $1752 I would not consider the Pro Series a "budget" 1911. I bought a 1911 Pro Series that went back to S&W twice for repairs in the first 6 months because it would stove pipe and the bullets nose dive at the feed ramp. Also given that S&W quality has been on a downward trend for a while I can't recommend them.

https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/sw1911-178047
 
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Never used a 9mm for pins. Wouldn't it sial trhough?

Real men shoot pins with a 357 Revolver or at least I used to. Something about shooting pins with a revolver is so fun.

9mm won't sail through the pins. Might not move them like you want either. I like shooting pins with a 1911 (real 45, no 9mm pretender). My buddy swears by the 10mm for pins.
 
You don't want a 9mm for pin shoots, you need bullet knockdown energy. .45 ACP is what most use, but there is also the old skool revolver crew that also do very well. My vote for cheap without actually being cheap would be a Springfield millspec A1
 
At the current retail price $1752 I would not consider the Pro Series a "budget" 1911. I bought a 1911 Pro Series that went back to S&W twice for repairs in the first 6 months because it would stove pipe and the bullets nose dive at the feed ramp. Also given that S&W quality has been on a downward trend for a while I can't recommend them.

https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/sw1911-178047
I got mine years back slightly used, trading a G30 for it. It runs like a sewing machine for me with factory or handloads. Had no idea they have gone up in price that much
 
You don't want a 9mm for pin shoots, you need bullet knockdown energy. .45 ACP is what most use, but there is also the old skool revolver crew that also do very well. My vote for cheap without actually being cheap would be a Springfield millspec A1
You need weight
 
I got mine years back slightly used, trading a G30 for it. It runs like a sewing machine for me with factory or handloads. Had no idea they have gone up in price that much

I picked mine up brand new in Feb 2017 straight from the S&W store at the Shooting Center in Springfield. I believe I paid around $1200 at the time. Like I said, never ran right from the start and went back twice. They didn't fix it either time. I ended up ripping it apart and polishing the feed ramp and everything else. I Reassembled and then shot the crap out of it at IDPA matches and practices using every different kind of magazine I could beg, borrow or steal. Most of the problem were on reload after running dry so I down loaded mags and did mag changes with the chamber loaded etc. We put 3500 rounds through it in 6 weeks and I had other shoot it etc. When I was done it was determined the only magazines that run reliably in it are Wilson Combat. So as long as you are using WC mags you are fine. To be honest an average shooter may never have a problem with other magazines but if you shoot IDPA/USPSA, Steel Challenge or something like that and run like 5k plus rounds in a summer you'll run into problems eventually with other magazines.
 
You don't want a 9mm for pin shoots, you need bullet knockdown energy. .45 ACP is what most use, but there is also the old skool revolver crew that also do very well. My vote for cheap without actually being cheap would be a Springfield millspec A1
If you go revolver, my 929 shoots 160-165 grain bullets no issues. It has space to seat them further out, meaning I could go with a heavier bullet, but didn't find a need to do it.

The other positive is powder, you only need maybe 3 grains for those big bullets (I am going by N320 which is what I use). So one pound of powder will reload 2.3K rounds.

If you decide on a revolver, don't buy local, you won't find them for under $1400. I bought my 929 online for $950. This was in 2020.
 
It was a very crude shoot. Real ten pins, on a table, 20 yds. Actually was using my 365X, no optic, took out the 5 with 8 shots first time and 9 shots second time. No timer. It was the first bowing pin shoot the club started, I went to check it out an ended up shooting with them. It was good.
Today we did six 10 pins at seven yards. Pins must be knocked off the table, and it took me 13 rounds of 357 to do it.
 

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At the current retail price $1752 I would not consider the Pro Series a "budget" 1911. I bought a 1911 Pro Series that went back to S&W twice for repairs in the first 6 months because it would stove pipe and the bullets nose dive at the feed ramp. Also given that S&W quality has been on a downward trend for a while I can't recommend them.

https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/sw1911-178047

I heartily agree! I wanted a Dan Wesson, but could not find one at the time. I did have a Springfield RO available to me but unfortunately decided on the Smith. I bought it in 2015 for $1220 and it was too much then considering it went back to S&W 3 times before it ran right. I actually haven't shot it since 2017, but for some unknown reason never thought of selling. I suppose I should take it to the range one of these days and see how it runs, I only shot about 150 rounds through it when it came back from the 3rd trip to S&W , cleaned it and put it in the safe.
 
Star Model B.

say what again pulp fiction GIF
 
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