Colt Competition Pistol in 9mm: Questions?

I'm thinking seriously about the Colt Competition Pistol in 9mm, mostly for use in action shooting at the AGC. I have a few plastic 9mms that I shoot very poorly. I do OK with my 1911, but it is expensive to feed.

Now, don't go throwing logic into the mix like, "You should just learn to shoot the 9mms you have," or, "It's going to take a lot of shooting before buying a $1000 gun to save money on ammo makes financial sense." This thread isn't about logic, it's about buying another gun!

The two questions I have for anyone with experience with this model are:

1) Any quality/functioning issues?
2) Most imporantly, does it feel like a "real" 1911?

On Colt's website, the specs (dimensions and weight) are the same for both the .45 and 9mm...so I'm assuming/hoping the grip, frame, and slide are externally dimensionally the same? I've handled a couple 9mm 1911's before (a Ruger and I don't remember the other one) that felt like the frame was smaller...thinnner, I guess?. They just didn't feel right. Ideally I'd like to be able to close my eyes and pic up a 9mm and a .45 and not be able to tell the difference...is that the case?

Thanks,
Art

Art3 said:

I'm thinking seriously about the Colt Competition Pistol in 9mm, mostly for use in action shooting at the AGC. I have a few plastic 9mms that I shoot very poorly. I do OK with my 1911, but it is expensive to feed.

Now, don't go throwing logic into the mix like, "You should just learn to shoot the 9mms you have," or, "It's going to take a lot of shooting before buying a $1000 gun to save money on ammo makes financial sense." This thread isn't about logic, it's about buying another gun!

The two questions I have for anyone with experience with this model are:

1) Any quality/functioning issues?
2) Most imporantly, does it feel like a "real" 1911?

On Colt's website, the specs (dimensions and weight) are the same for both the .45 and 9mm...so I'm assuming/hoping the grip, frame, and slide are externally dimensionally the same? I've handled a couple 9mm 1911's before (a Ruger and I don't remember the other one) that felt like the frame was smaller...thinnner, I guess?. They just didn't feel right. Ideally I'd like to be able to close my eyes and pic up a 9mm and a .45 and not be able to tell the difference...is that the case?

Thanks,
Art

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I don't have experience with Colts but I do have experience with Springfield 1911s. I have a TRP (45) and a RO (9mm) and from a feel perspective they are virtually identical until you pull the trigger and feel the recoil. The weighting is a little different with a full mag as well.

On the other hand, I have an EMP in 9mm which may look like a 1911 but is a very different gun in your hand. I may get blasted for saying this but the EMP is a more comfortable gun in my hand and points a little more naturally for me. Might want to check one out before buying full 1911 chambered in 9mm.

Not a fan of newer Colt 1911s (e.g. 1990, series 80 stuff) but I like the Colt Competition 9mm. I just read they're going to be making them with Series 70 components from now on, so I'd try to get a new new one.

GolfR said:

I don't have experience with Colts but I do have experience with Springfield 1911s. I have a TRP (45) and a RO (9mm) and from a feel perspective they are virtually identical until you pull the trigger and feel the recoil. The weighting is a little different with a full mag as well.

On the other hand, I have an EMP in 9mm which may look like a 1911 but is a very different gun in your hand. I may get blasted for saying this but the EMP is a more comfortable gun in my hand and points a little more naturally for me. Might want to check one out before buying full 1911 chambered in 9mm.

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Ha! You jogged my memory...EMP was the other one I tried and didn't like Unless someone points me to a reliable source saying something to the effect of either, "These pistols are jamomatics until they fall apart and blow up," or "It looks like a 1911 but feels like a Glock," I'm leaning pretty solidly towards the Colt.

OrbitalEllipses said:

Not a fan of newer Colt 1911s (e.g. 1990, series 80 stuff) but I like the Colt Competition 9mm. I just read they're going to be making them with Series 70 components from now on, so I'd try to get a new new one.

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Well...I can't agree with anyone so far... I love my 1991A1 Series 80 The big difference between 70 and 80 is the firing pin block, right? It would seem to be a good thing to have on a gun that you run around with

I've been happy thus far with my Colt Competition in 9mm and am probably past 1000 rds with it (such that it's due for its first real cleaning). I'm a middling handgun shooter at best, and it's the easiest semiautomatic pistol that I have to drill out a target center with. In no particular order, a Bulgarian Makarov, Sig Sauer P226 Legion SAO, and Walther Q5 Match are the next centerfire contenders in this accuracy comparison, so some serious competition. I have the red fiber optic pipe in my front sight, and it's so easy to pick up and dial in with the black notched rear sight.

In my first hundred rounds, I experienced a few stovepipes, but this seemed to be ammo dependent. I don't know for sure as I haven't gone back to cycle through brands that weren't working flawlessly at the time. I tend to shoot 115 and 124 gr regular power round nose out of it. In addition to the 9-rd Colt mags, I got 10-rd Tripp Research and 10-rd Wilson Combat mags for it. All work well, but aesthetically, I like the Tripp Research mags.

I'm not a fan of grip safeties, and after having sporadic problems with the grip safety in IDPA (me not grabbing the pistol properly), I determined it would be more of a range toy for me. I'm pleased enough with the Colt Competition Government in 9mm (it's a pleasure to shoot, so light and well balanced) that I know I'll get the series 70 variant when they release it.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

Also note that your getting a National Match barrel in that gun, the G10 grips, the extended beavertail/skeleton trigger, and a (real) Novak sight for the gun that is windage and elevation adjustable. And getting all of that for a markup that is probably less than what you would pay to buy the base O1991 model and order just the National Match barrel aftermarket. Yeah, it's a good deal.

Art3 said:

Well...I can't agree with anyone so far... I love my 1991A1 Series 80 The big difference between 70 and 80 is the firing pin block, right? It would seem to be a good thing to have on a gun that you run around with

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There's a lot of feeling among 1911 fans that the Series 80 triggers are harder to tune than the Series 70 because of the block. My own opinion, formed by talking to people who are master gunsmiths and have worked on and for Colt, is that the Series 80 guns can be tuned just as nicely, but it takes a skilled 1911 smithy to do it. Personally I'm a Series 80 fan.

Not throwing logic into the mix I won't point out that it sounds like you're looking for a mechanical solution to a training problem.
That said there are pros, and cons to the current Colt Competition guns.
Biggest con being the series 80 firing system. That's 4 extra parts that are not needed for any reason, and can fail.
Pros are the name itself is one of the best established in the industry and this will have a huge impact if you decide to sell.
Colt also uses some of the best steel in the industry.
Mark Redl has said that Colt is going to produce the Colt Competition line with a 70 series firing system in the near future so I will probably buy one then. In the mean time I'll keep shooting my Springfield 9mm Range Officer.
The 9mm 1911 will use the same frame as the .45 which leads to one of the biggest problems with the system. The .45acp cartridge is longer then the 9mm but being the same frame, and having the same size magazine well the magazine must be modified to make the system work. This means that either a spacer must be added to the back of the magazine or a crease must be put in the front of the magazine to take up the extra space. Adding a spacer to the rear has the slide picking up the round later in the forward progress of the slide movement and thus changing the timing. Springfield has a magazine, designed with the help of Rob Leatham, and manufactured by Metalform that puts a crease in the front and has a slight feed ramp built into it. The 9mm cartridge is tapered where the .45acp is not so much so the feed ramp in the magazine helps keep the bullet from nose diving into the feed ramp at the chamber. Another advantage of the Metalform magazine with the crease in the front is it holds the cartridge rim to the rear of the magazine so the slide picks the round up sooner in the cycle.
To answer your two questions:
1) There are no quality issues but YMMV on functioning depending on how your gun was built, and the magazines you use.
2) It can't feel like anything but a real 1911 as it is a real 1911. That is until you pull the trigger. Then you will know you are shooting a 9mm.
Some of the reasons I bought a 9mm 1911 are I think a full sized, steel, single action 9mm has got to be one of the softest recoiling and easiest to shoot guns to teach a beginner. My daughter is 6 now so it won't be long before she's shooting a pistol.
I also decided to start shooting Steel Challenge instead of just IDPA, and USPSA and figured that soft shooting 1911 would be the way to go but I just haven't gotten used to the slower recoil impulse yet.
I would advise shooting one.

I tried Fidelity's a couple of months ago and found it very accurate and soft-shooting. I liked it. Great sights! I'm not in any big hurry to get a 1911 in 9mm but, if I was, it would be on my short-list of pistols to consider.

What polymer guns do you not shoot well? Before plopping the $$$ down for a 1911 in 9mm, I highly recommend renting a Walther PPQ. Accuracy is on a par with guns that literally cost twice as much and the trigger is the best of the best for striker-fired pistols. It made me a believer. I own a 5" in 9mm and I'm picking-up a PPQ 45 later this morning from John at Gym Ratz. There's also a $100 rebate on PPQs from Walther thru September 15th.

It's another grand, but also look at sti and their 2011 models (1911 doublestacks). Pretty much same grips and ergos and trigger but more capacity. Hit any uspsa or 3 gun match and you'll see a bunch.

I bought the Rock island armory full size 1911 in 9mm and it is probably my favorite hand gun to shoot now. I like shooting it more than my Sig P320 and I'm more accurate with the RIA than I am with the Sig.

You won't find much difference in 1911 configuration comparing calibers. The differences will be manufacturer to manufacturer and model to model within manufacturer's lineups. Caveats to that are material construction and custom enhancements.

I have never seen a properly fitted and unmolested Series 80 fail.

Thanks for all the replies. Since nobody chimed in with, "it's an exploding jamomatic," I put one on order with my LGS. While I was there, I had a conversation with him and what seemed like a knowledgeable customer who all agreed that Colt's are still good. I was a little concerned, having seen a decline in quality in previously trusted (at least to me) brands, like Marlin, Remington, Mossberg, and, to an extent even my beloved Ruger


I hadn't considered it shooting soft, especially for beginners, so that's an unexpected plus. My wife doesn't like 1911's...but maybe this one will change her mind. (It won't. She's stubborn and has Glock hands...but it's fun to hope)

One last question: Magazines? Are 9mm 1911 magazines (I'm assuming this uses the creased style as mentioned by pop-gunner) as universal as standard Gov't mags? My hunch is they are not...so what type should I look for and where?
Thanks

Also, the mechanical solution to a training issue absolutely is a valid point...but they aren't mutually exclusive. The training can and eventually will still happen. But...it's been several months since I've purchased a firearm of any type, and I've been feeling the itch. (It's hard coming down off of the "President Hilary" binge buying high).

I was kinda leaning towards 1911 anyway, and even posted another thread about...well...pretty much the exact opposite type of 1911 from this one. Well, that ol' timey one can still be on the list.

I've always liked 1911's. On my 21st birthday (almost 18 years ago), I didn't care about going to a bar or anything silly like that. I had two places on my itinerary: The MVA to get my "real" license, then Eastwood Guns to start paperwork on my Colt 1991A1. I try to be fair to all of my "kids," and when asked which my favorite is, reply with whatever one is in my hand at the time. If my hands are empty, my favorite handgun is that Colt. I certainly don't think it is anywhere near being worn out, but given it's sentimental value, I do worry sometimes about "using it up." (The sights still have three dots of my sister's nail polish on them from way back then...). I'm certainly not looking to replace or retire it to the safe by any means...but it wouldn't hurt to bring another into the fold to do some of the grunt work...know what I mean

Picked it up last Saturday. I haven't had it to the range yet, but was able to run a few round through it back in the woods to make sure it worked. Remember how I said my wife wouldn't like it because she doesn't like 1911's? Well, she said that this one feels pretty good and she'd probably like shooting it. She says it feels lighter than my 1991A1. I don't have a scale to check...maybe the stainless is lighter? Maybe the slide has to be lightened for 9mm? I think she likes it because it's shiny. She's a badass (https://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=210688), but still a women. Women are like crows: they like shiny things.

My worries about it not feeling like a 1911 were definitely unfounded. It sure looks like the same frame as a .45. I was thinking about swapping slides (not shoot it) just to satisfy my curiousity. It's mags fit in a .45, and .45 mags fit it. I hope that doesn't lead to an unfortunate mix up sometime. The reason I went with stainless was to instantly identify it as NOT one of my .45's.

As far as I'm concerned, the trigger is fantastic, series 80 and all. I don't feel any reason to mess with it.

the 45 and 9mm are made from the same frame. Feedramp and extractor are different dimensions but everything else is the same. What you are feeling is the probably the undercut trigger guard and grip safety configuration.

^The 9mm probably has a ramped barrel vs a ramped frame. Not sure how .45 top end would feed on a 9mm frame. If anything, the 9mm should be a little heavier than any of your 45s since it is after all a smaller bore cartridge inside a larger bore frame (thicker barrel walls vs a .45 cal barrel).

Only thing these Colts lack from the factory (especially now that they are producing them in Series 70 trim) is good checkering on the front strap IMO.

Assuming unramped barrels - 45 will typically feed on the 9 frame if tge rsmp is deep enough...the 9, however, might or might not feed on the 45 frame. Moot point since each should be fitted and timed to the frame it is used on. Plus the ejector widths differ.