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New EDC

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brm4450
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New EDC

Post by brm4450 » Fri May 15, 2020 11:24 am

I hope this the place to post this. My EDC is a 1911 in .45 acp. Arthritis is starting to set in, after I go to the range my hand and fingers ache. I think I need to downsize and move to a 9mm or to a .40. My sons have Glock 22’s. I have shot those and it is a consideration, I see the M&P Shield 9mm EZ advertise a lot. I’ve never fired a 9mm. I asked my friends but none them have a 9mm either. I was hoping if this forum could weigh in.
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North Country Gal
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Re: New EDC

Post by North Country Gal » Fri May 15, 2020 11:43 am

Not to worry, I've shot a truck load of 9mm ammo and a lot of that has been in 1911s. For me, the arthritis has also been a factor in my 1911s, but not so much as far as recoil, though a 45 does have significantly more than a 9mm. For me, it's been a matter of being able to rack the slide on the 45 auto when my arthritis flares up. I can still manage to rack the slide on a 45 auto with its heavier recoil spring, but I have to be very fussy about the design of the slide grooves on the 1911. Surprisingly, the standard vertical mil-spec slide cuts work the best. Dropping down to a 9 allows me to rack the slide, though, even with arthritis.

You will definitely notice a drop in recoil with 9mm. In a full size 1911, it's like shooting 38s in a standard sized revolver. Very soft shooting in a 1911. For me, it's even tolerable in pocket 9s like the Sig P238. Another huge plus for the 9 is ammo cost. 9mm ammo is the cheapest centerfire pistol ammo there is, though 45 auto is not too far behind.

I still prefer the 45 auto, though. Part of it is the tradition of 1911s, but I've always found the 45 auto to have a slight edge in accuracy in my 1911s, though decent 9mm ammo shoots very well, too. I suspect this is because the standard 230 grain hardball 45 auto load has been around forever, whereas there is a lot more variety in 9mm loadings.
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Re: New EDC

Post by GunnyGene » Fri May 15, 2020 11:58 am

Depends on the gun. 9mm is available in everything from sub compacts to full size Barreta's and 1911's. The smaller the gun the harder the felt recoil. I've shot & carried both GI 1911's and full size civilian 9mm for a very long time. Generally speaking for the same pistol weight the 9mm will have about half the felt recoil of the 1911, while a micro or sub compact 9mm won't have quite as much recoil as a 1911, it will be sharper. My advice is to tryout a few 9mm of different configurations/sizes/makes. A lot of folks like the Sig 9mm line.
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brm4450
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Re: New EDC

Post by brm4450 » Fri May 15, 2020 12:29 pm

The recoil from the .45 a acp is a concern but the bigger problem with the 1911 is the racking and the slide stop lever. I am left handed and the lever is on the left, hard to opetate
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Re: New EDC

Post by BigAl52 » Fri May 15, 2020 1:34 pm

I was going to ask if you reload. But from your description it sounds like the left handed shooter is as much an issue as the recoil. My first thought was try a lighter bullet in the 1911. I have several 9mm and the 45acp also. 9mm is lighter in recoil but a 200grswc in a 45 is pretty comfortable to shoot also.
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Re: New EDC

Post by dave77 » Fri May 15, 2020 1:58 pm

Haven't shot one but have handled the M&P Shield 9mm EZ at a LGS, my friend who has carpal tunnel had no problem racking the slide. One big advantage I see with it is it doesn't have a 2 piece trigger like S&W's other M&P's. I had a full-size M&P for a while and hated it's 2 piece trigger.
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Re: New EDC

Post by markiver54 » Fri May 15, 2020 3:46 pm

Is concealability important to you. ?
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brm4450
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Re: New EDC

Post by brm4450 » Fri May 15, 2020 3:54 pm

Not really
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Re: New EDC

Post by markiver54 » Fri May 15, 2020 4:11 pm

brm4450 wrote:
Fri May 15, 2020 3:54 pm
Not really
Then your choices are virtually unlimited, especially in the 9mm family.
That is assuming you truly want reduced recoil.
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GunnyGene
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Re: New EDC

Post by GunnyGene » Fri May 15, 2020 5:32 pm

markiver54 wrote:
Fri May 15, 2020 4:11 pm
brm4450 wrote:
Fri May 15, 2020 3:54 pm
Not really
Then your choices are virtually unlimited, especially in the 9mm family.
That is assuming you truly want reduced recoil.
Yep, absolutely true. In fact, so many choices it's next to impossible to eat just one ;) :lol:

Same goes for 9mm ammo, although that seems to be in short supply lately. Anything from 90gr up to 147grn, JHP, gourmet bullets, or el cheapo range ammo, & any quality (or absence thereof) one might desire. Personally, I'm happy with my Ruger 9e ( with a couple minor tweaks to suit me). I shot everything from steel cased trash rounds to high end 147 grn, in std and +P and it eats everything I feed it. Never the slightest hiccup in the last 1000 rds or so since I bought it 5years ago. I've run it full bore as fast as I can thru 100+ rds (swapping out 17rd mags) to stress it. It got pretty hot, but didn't even slow down. It's my EDC, and my carry ammo is Hornady 135gr +P Critical Duty. I carry it IWB or OWB in holsters made by DiamondD. https://www.diamonddcustomleather.com/
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