Finally got the missus to enjoy shooting a bit more. She doesn't like the recoil of the .40, and prefers 9mm. She hates the triggers on my Glocks and my Sigs. She does however like the trigger on the Kimber. I want to get her a gun that she will really enjoy shooting and she'd be 100% comfortable shooting if an intruder came around and I wasn't there.
For those reasons, I'm pretty settled on a 1911 in 9mm. Can anyone give input to these? How light is the recoil? Are they generally accurate? Reliable? I'm probably going to get a Kimber or STI.
justinfranksnj2010-11-19T23:56:29Z
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Recoil in a 1911 chambered for 9x19mm Parabellum is very light. Much less felt recoil than a 9mm Glock.
How does she like shooting .45 ACP out of your Kimber? I find .45 ACP out of a 1911 to have much more pleasant recoil than .40 S&W from a Glock.
I would look at either the Kimber Aegis II or the Para LDA (PDA). I have 4 Kimbers and love all of them. If you already have one then you probably already know they are extremely reliable and one of the most accurate 1911's on the market. The full size Kimber may be a little large if she has small hands so you could always look at the Ultra. The Para is another great gun but is double action only, however the trigger pull is incredible for a DAO. In a high stress situation the DAO can be nice as there is nothing to worry about besides squeezing the trigger. The trigger pull is sooooo much better than a DAO Glock, Sig or XD yet it still has the feel of a 1911. Either way the recoil is minimal. They are so comfortable to shoot that they "feel" like they have less recoil than many of the .380s or .32s that I've shot.
I had the exact same experience with my wife. I had a Kimber Tactical Pro II in .45 and a Sig 2022 in 9mm. She loved the feel and trigger in the kimber, but hated the recoil. She had no problems with the recoil on the Sig, but didn't like the trigger or operation, or really the grip very much.
We ended up getting another Kimber TP II in 9mm and it was a great pistol. It needed a good break in to loosen things up, but after 500 or so rounds it functions flawlessly. With the cheaper price on 9mm ammo, I now shoot it more than the 45
We went to the shop a year or so ago and she fell in love with the CZ 75 sp01 in 9mm. We ended up getting one and that's what she shoots all the time now. It can be carried single action ****** and locked like the kimber (which she likes) and she LOVES the grip feel.
While I can certainly recommend the kimber 9mm I would urge you to have a look at the various CZ models.
Both the Kimber and the STI will be just as accurate and reliable in 9mm as they are in .45, and they should be you are paying for it. Recoil will always be subjective. I tend to find the recoil of a the .45 1911 to be more of a "thump" and the 9mm to be a little more of a "snap". Neither are too bad, and the weight and design (low bore axis, large grip surface) of the 1911 will make the 9mm exhibit less recoil than in the Glocks.