John Moses Browning was not a luddite. The designer would have embraced any and all changes to his design that made it better. For a lot of people, a 9mm 1911 is better. Cheaper to run. Less recoil. More accurate. And . . . that’s all I got. guns.com reckons Springfield’s new nine-plus-one nine “will without a doubt be a popular range, self-defense and competition 1911. As 9mm becomes more common even with the 1911 crowd for its shootability and affordability combined, this is one handgun that Springfield will have no problems moving.” But guns.com and Guns & Ammo live in a world of unicorns and rainbows. With a $977 msrp I’m not so sure. “What if you could buy a competition-ready 1911,” Springfield’s product page asks, “without taking out a second mortgage to afford it?” Then I’d be rich! Just sayin’ . . .

 

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53 COMMENTS

  1. I still need a 1911 to fill out my collection more, and I’d want one in .45. The 1911 is not just a gun, but a historical piece. I’d want at least one as close to WW2 standard as possible before I got a more modernized range 1911.

    After I get one or two in .45 though, I would definitely want one of these. I love the 1911 trigger.

    • You want an authentic government model WW2 M1911A1? My Auto-Ordnance (Kahr) M1911 is copied from the last one made in 1944. Shoots great too so long as you like 230 grain hardball.

    • I completely agree. The draw for me is the history of this gun. I’d want one in .45 before I’d ever think of any other caliber, and even then it would be a .22.

  3. If I wanted a 1911– and I do someday– I’d get one in .45.

    If I wanted a 9mm I’d get one that has 17+1 rounds of persuasion, which is what I have. Ruger SR9.

    If I wanted 9+1 of 9mm I’d get something that could fit in my front pocket for half the price.

  5. There already is a John Moses Browning design in 9mm. The 13+1 round Browning Hi Power. Cost about the same and as the first double stack 9mm design it is a more historical pistol. Having said that, if I didn’t already have a Hi Power I would be buying one.

    • There’s also the vastly underrated .38 Super, which has been successfully chambered in the 1911 since the 1930s. There are a million other platforms that can handle 9mm Luger and are better choices than the 1911 for that round, but the .38 Super is a superior cartridge and the 1911 is the sole combat proven pistol to use it.

      • Browning died in 1926, several years before the Hi-Power design was finalized. That’s my story and I’m sticking with it.

      • +1000 🙂 For whatever reason I fell in love with the. 38 Super several decades ago. Dang, it is just the coolest round in the known universe.

  7. I’ve already seen this pistol in a few local shops with a price tag of $769. To me that makes it a lot more palatable than a price pushing a grand.

  8. That is a really nice tool for USPSA competition in “single stack” division. So what if it’s minor power factor.
    I would (probably will) buy one.

  9. I know someone who has an old Springfield 1911 in 9mm. It’s a great gun, reliable with everything and very easy to shoot for most people. Light recoil, good trigger, cheap to feed… what’s not to like?

    I do prefer the .45, but if he’d sell me that 9mm 1911, I’d probably take it.

  10. Choices, choices, there are so many. In some ways, I’d like a single-stack .45 Browning Hi Power, but I can see that they’ll sell more of the 9mm 1911.

    • Competition. 43 oz limit in IDPA ESP and USPSA single stack. Heavier the better.

      Seems like a good competitor for the STI Trojan 9mm which is a very popular comptition 9mm 1911 (I have one and love it). Quite a bit cheaper too. The STI Trojan is around $1100.

  13. I don’t know. Even though its been said already.
    I have to agree.
    To me a 9mm 1911 has another name.
    Browning Hi-Power.

  14. The 1911 chambered in anything other than .45 acp is sacrilegious and I’m not even a 1911 guy.

    • Your loss. While I’m not a fan of 1911’s in 9mm Luger (that’s what the Hi-Power is for), the .38 Super and 9 x 23mm Winchester are fine cartridges albeit a bit niche in application. Ideally I’d want two 1911’s–a GI example in .45 ACP and match grade in .38 Super–along with a Hi-Power for my currently nonexistent JMB collection but I’m broke and NY’s attitude toward pistol permits is a non-starter.

      • My loss?

        Not so much… People that shoot odd calibers either don’t shoot much, or like to waste money on over priced ammo. Which puts holes in things just the same as the cheaper stuff, in either case, that their loss, not mine.

    • Getting a 1911 chambered in 22 makes senses as practice gun to cut costs. Even at today’s highly inflated 22 prices you can still get 250 rounds for the price of a box of cheap 45 ACP.

  15. I’ve got an SA 1911 A-1 Loaded with all kinds of stuff I did to it myself and I use it in USPSA Single Stack Minor. I absolutely, 100% positively love shooting that 1911 more than anything else I’ve got. It’s simply put, through and through fun and cheap to shoot.

  17. Lot of people don’t seem to get that this is a competition targeted gun, which is seems to fit very well for an excellent price compared to other quality 9mm 1911s on the market. Of course this isn’t a carry gun. But it could also make an excellent gun to introduce a recoil averse shooter to pistols. A 43oz 9mm 1911 shoots so soft it’s amazing.

  19. Try finding a vintage colt commander in 9mm. You’ll be paying more than a grand for the privilege to own one. By the way, the commander was designed for 9mm…

  20. Listen, if you are going to buy a 1911, just get it as God, er, I mean, John Moses Browning designed it.

    The 1911 is a handgun built around a cartridge: the .45ACP hard ball round.

    If you want a 9mm semi-auto there are a lot of much better options.

  21. I honestly don’t see the upside here. Sure, set up a 1911 design in whatever you want, but it isn’t as tho there is a shortage of 9×19 pistols out there.

    Bringing out a 1911 in 9×21, 9×23 Win or .38 Super (again) – now we’re talking of a gun that will “make major” and be an improvement on the 9×19.

    I’d like to see someone really run with the 9×23 Winchester. I wouldn’t shoot it much, due to the really high pressure would make it absurdly loud (same reason why I avoid .357’s, despite their impressive performance), but on paper the 9×23 Win is fertile ground for both IPSC and defensive gun usage.

  22. The 9mm has NEVER been more accurate than the .45 acp. At 850-900 fps the .45 is well clear of the transonic velocity range that prevents faster bullets from achieving their accuracy potential.

    The only advantage to a 1911 in 9mm is that it has superior ergonomics to and isn’t as fat as the Hi-power.

  23. You all miss the point, This is a competition pistol to go heads up with STI. About time someone did that. Go Springfield.

    • I seen both. The RO in 45acp & 9mm side by side at a local store. Racking the slide on both was very very tight.
      The 9mm is new but I bought the 45. I have a 1911 ( sig ) in .22 for fun and training. But all the rest are 45ACP. If anyone wants a 9mm, get a 2011.

  24. I have a SR1911 45 its a NAIL Driver,230 gr.hard-ball 5.3 grains Red Dot.
    I love it best pistol i own,and i have a few.
    I’am going to look for 9mm,looks like a great gun.

  25. Here’s the deal their are a million different types of pistols available. The Springfield 1911 in 9mm isn’t for someone who just wants a 9mm. It’s for 1911 enthusiasts who shoot a lot, and want to save s$^%loads of money by shooting a 9mm. you can easily save $20 per 100 rounds. So that means after 3000 to 4000 rounds it pays for itself. I know that sounds like a lot, but find another gun that can pay for itself without saving your life.

    In closing if you think this is a gun is a bad idea that just means it’s not for you just like 98% of handguns on the market. I’m also willing to wager that Springfield makes more than a profit, and starts a trend among other top 1911 manufacturers.

    F.Y.I. I’ve seen 1911s in 9mm for $500 at gander mountain (the kings of over pricing), but the brand was about as well known and reputable as the Nigerian space program.

  26. I shoot a little competition plus do a lot of messing around at the range with both Glocks (9mm) and 1911’s (.45 ACP). This gun looks like exactly what I want for competition and just shooting. I think that Springfield combined the continuing interest in the 1911 platform with the economical and availability of the 9. As soon as circumstances allow this will be my next new firearm. And I’ll bet that it will get more than a few looks and comments at matches and at the range. Price seems reasonable for what you get and if it’s like my Springfield 1911 it will shoot better than I do. Respectfully, Alex

  27. I decided to put my money where my mouth is and purchased the 9mm RO at the Tanner Gun Show in Denver. With red tape and all the price out the door was $820.00 from Alpine Armory out of Littleton, CO. Changing the grips to my customary Hogue’s w/finger grips as putting some red paint on the front sight were all I did after I cleaned it and headed off to the range. I shot some reloads (115 grain Berry’s at about 1150 FPS) from a bench. I don’t have a rest so I shot from sand bags. No malfunctions and an honest 3″ group which could have been better but my skills were not up to par. 10 & 15 yard Bianchi Cup standard 8″ plates were easy with the 20 & 25 yard ones falling at my normal rate. When I get some additional magazines I will make my decision which gun, the RO or my Colt 1991. I’m happy with my purchase and at this point would recommend this gun to anyone looking for a good comp gun that doesn’t break the bank. Respectfully, Alex Ragulsky

  28. I’ll wade into this. I just bought one in 9 mm. In Australia we are limited to 10 rounds and if you want a 45 you are only allowed to shoot metsil ,anything over .38/9mm . I also own a glock 34. They are chalk and cheese. The glock is great fun and more accurate than people give it credit for . That said the range officer in 9 mm is a tack driver and I can’t wait to shoot it some more. When the government here grows a brain I’ll be getting a ruger sr1911 as god intended it, in 45 but until then the range officer 9mm is an awesome bit of kit and plenty fun for me.

  30. The Browing High-Power was a cooperative effort at Fabrique National (FN) between John Browning and Dieudonné Saive, a talented Belgian arms designer who would later design the FN FAL. In 1921, in response to a French defense request, FN began work on a new 9mm pistol design with an expanded magazine capacity. John Browning, as FN’s chief weapons designer, initially had no interest in the proposal because he felt standard single-row magazines holding seven or eight rounds were reliable and had sufficient capacity. Saive, as Browning’s assistant at FN, then designed a high-capacity, double-row, single feed magazine. Saive mated his experimental magazine to a modified FN Model 1903 for testing. Saive then provided the completed magazine to Browning who developed two 9mm pistol designs alternately using locked and unlocked breaches. FN filed for a patent for the locked breech gun, which would later be named the Grand Puissance (High Power), June 28, 1923, a full three years and five months BEFORE John Browning’s death.

  31. I love my 1911 in .45. If I could only afford one gun, this Range Officer in 9mm wouldn’t be it. But the way I see it, each tool in my toolbox is designed for a specific purpose. This isn’t a concealed carry weapon. It’s a range gun. It’s designed for punching holes in targets. It might be a good gun to use to introduce my wife or kids to centerfire pistols, and learn on the classic 1911 platform, and how to take care of it. (less felt recoil, target sights, sweet 1911 trigger, single-stack mag for smaller hands). By God’s grace, I can afford more than one gun. So, I can see a use for this gun, and I could see myself buying one. Later, if my wife wants a defensive weapon to carry, I can also see myself helping her shop for something else that was designed for that purpose. Just different tools in the toolbox, different weapons with different missions.

  32. If I was gonna get a 9mm 1911 I’d pay a bit more and go for a CZ-based Dan Wesson “Pointman Nine”. Springers are good, but DW makes the best “production” 1911’s money can buy (well, along with STI).

  33. Has amyone ever put one of these Range Officer 9mm in a Ranson rest with hand loads and testes it for pure raw accuracy?!?! If it is REAL accurate I want one. other 9mm I’ve considered:
    1. Glock 17L – shoots only slightly better than my Glock 19
    2. Smith and Wesson M-929 Jerry Mechiic – EXPENSIVE! no ranson rest reports
    3. CZ Checzmate – the best 9mm on the planet, ultra accurate, CRAZY EXPENSIVE!

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