.45 to 9mm Conversion?

[bugkodee]

i know this is mildly off topic, but how would i go about converting a factory 1911 to 9mm (who sells the barrel & magazine)? thanks in advance.

[Jim Watson]

Assuming you are starting with a real 1911 - a .45 ACP - barrel and magazine aren't enough. You need the slide and small parts, making up a whole 9mm - specific upper assembly, plus the right ejector pinned to the receiver. It isn't like a Glock or Sig-Sauer .40 to 9mm conversion.

Brownells carries most or all of what would be needed.

[BGY]

Unfortunately, it's a bit more involved than just a barrel and magazine substitution.
Essentially an entire top end needs to be assembled for starters. Also, modifications to the frame itself would need to executed...technically if you were to turn your .45 to a 9mm, they would not be readily interchangable. (ie, switchtop )

[bugkodee]

thanks, very helpful comments.

[fastarget]

Probably less expensive and better to just purchase a 9mm,
wife's kimber is a fine machine, around 800.

[John]

....they would not be readily interchangable.

Well, if you are lucky, they will. Wilson sells a 45/38 ejector, which is supposed to be useable with both 9mm and .45 ACP, so that takes care of the only modification on the frame that needs to be done. But there are so many other things that can go wrong (tolerances can kill you in such a project) that it is not something you want to do, if you are not the ... experimenting type.

[leade45]

The importance of a specific .38/9mm breechface is often discussed. 9mm in a slide with a .45acp spec'ed breechface can cause some possible issues.

I may be wrong, though.

[DuckRyder]

i like the idea of a kimber 9mm the best so far, as i don't have a 1911 yet and this would no doubt be the best route...and the price isn't bad either

If you don't already have the pistol, you CAN convert a Super 38 to 9mm with a barrel and magazine. Which opens your options for base pistols up a bit.

If I was going to go buy a production 9mm it would probably be a Springfield loaded 9mm.

[bugkodee]

i'll look into that at well. thanks.

[grendelbane]

The ramp is quite different. Unless you have a pistol with a ramped barrel.

Conversions from 9 to .38, and vice versa are fairly easy. Even 10mm to 9mm works surprisingly well, even with the 10mm breech face.

.45 feed ramp is at quite a different angle. I managed to make a 9mm Caspian frame shoot hardball reliably one time, but it definitely would not shoot anything else. Now, it rotates between being a 9x23mm Winchester, 9x19, and a .38 Super.

[essequamvideri7]

I asked my gunsmith this exact question. I have a Stainless II Target with the .22LR conversion and I thought why not have 3 guns in one with a 9mm top end. My gunsmith called Kimber and they said it was not recommended.

[Hawkmoon]

Take a stroll through the archives of the "Gunsmithing" discussion area.

For example: http://forum.m1911.org/showthread.php?t=33926&highlight=conversion

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e193/AguilaBlanca/RIA_9mm/2007-07-17004_800x600.jpg