For the 9mm 1911 lovers

[SauerGrapes]

I was in the market for another 9mm handgun. Looked at quite a few offerings by Sig {229,226 even considered an X5}, Beretta 92 and PX full size, CZ Shadow and got an opportunity to shoot a STI Trojan. {nice gun BTW}
I had bought a Taurus PT1911 9mm when they first came out, but the gun was poorly fitted when it arrived. Rather than try to get Taurus to fit new parts to it, I decided to cut my loses and move on. Shame, nice looking gun, just didn't shoot accurately.

Just discovered recently that SA came out with a 9mm version of the Range Officer. I bought the 45acp version when they first came out and just love that gun. So I went looking to check it out.
Found one in a local shop close to me. This gun is smoother and tighter fitting than my 45 RO. Same set up, GI style guide rod, adjustable black sights and parked finish. Only difference is the 9mm runs a ramped barrel which I think is better for the 9mm in a 1911.

I decided, this is going to be my choice. It was kind of a toss up between this and the STI. So I plunked down the cash on Thursday and took it home. Probably could have saved some money buying online, but....I wanted it right there and was pretty sure this one was going to be a real shooter the way it was fitted.

Took it to the club today to give it a whirl.
Took all the mags I had held onto from buying the Taurus. {Wilson, MecGar and Tripp}
Ammo consisted of Remington 115FMJ and a variety of hand loads. {125gr LRN, 147gr LCN. Loaded with W231, Universal and Win Super Field in a variety of OAL.
Decided to set up at 40ft with a piece of paper with one of those 2'' orange dots on it. First shots were from a make shift bench to test for sight adjustment.
Loaded 5 115gr fmj to start. First shot, 2'' high and 1'' left. 2nd shot, 2'' high 1'' left almost touching the first shot. 3rd 4th and 5th all the same, except they all touched the first 2 shots. Pretty much could cover all 5 rounds with a silver dollar! I thought, wooow, cool.
Before adjusting I figured I'd try some 147gr LCN to see if I got the same result. Back on the rest, I put 5 rounds down range. After 10 shots, you could cover them with another 2'' orange dot. Ammo didn't seem to make any difference.

Already being familiar with the RO sights, I went 10 clicks down and 5 right and went back to the rest. Went back to the 115gr fmj {5 rounds} All 5, dead center in the orange dot almost touching each other. Rinse and repeat with the 147gr LCN. Same result. 1 1\2'' group almost dead center. This thing shoots like a laser.

All and all after 150 rounds today, no malfunctions or failures with any bullet configuration or load.
My opinion, the SA RO in 9mm is just what I was looking for. Really fun range gun. Just out of curiosity, next time, I'll take some HP's with me and see how well they shoot.
I also function tested all the mags and the gun never faltered. I got the RO to let me function test the full mags. I emptied 2 full mags as fast as I could pull the trigger. The gun was smooth and fed and ejected empties perfectly.

Conclusion, this gun is worth the price and is a rock solid performer. I love the 1911 platform and this gun is a blast to shoot. For a gun that was never designed around the 9mm, Springfield did a great job building this gun!
If your considering a 9mm 1911, give this one a good hard look.

[Bravo Whiskey]

Great review! I have a good friend that runs a Wilson Combat 9mm 1911 and it rocks but with a much higher price tag.
Thanks for posting

[harold63]

I had bought a Taurus PT1911 9mm when they first came out, but the gun was poorly fitted when it arrived. Rather than try to get Taurus to fit new parts to it, I decided to cut my loses and move on. Shame, nice looking gun, just didn't shoot accurately.

You should call them on it. If it isn't accurate to their standards, they may use their dime to ship AND fix. Both my PT 9mms were different in that one was fit well and one was too tight, which I fixed, myself, but both were under 3" at 25 yds. Not bullseye accuracy, but good enough for bad guy distance.