1911’s in general, 9mm versions specifically

[Formidilosus]

I’ve shot quite a bit 9mm, but I haven’t shot a 45 in a long time. How is the recoil on 45’s compared to 9’s? Is the increase with 45 significant enough to be a major impediment to accuracy and general enjoyment? Going with 45 would open up more options on the used market.

Endowment, probably not. Performance- definitely.

 

[RockAndSage]

I’ve shot quite a bit 9mm, but I haven’t shot a 45 in a long time. How is the recoil on 45’s compared to 9’s? Is the increase with 45 significant enough to be a major impediment to accuracy and general enjoyment? Going with 45 would open up more options on the used market.

It's not really a binary right/wrong, good/bad type of thing, but more a spectrum of advantages and disadvantages. I love .45 from a nostalgic sense, and recreationally shooting them is great. Lately, I've been enjoying using them in training cycles for recoil-management, going through a few hundred rounds and then getting back to 9mm - it's a good way to ensure fundamentals are solid. And it makes you appreciate the advantages of 9mm again pretty quickly.

But the .45s and .40s do recoil more, they carry less ammo, and probably most important from the long-term perspective of getting as good as you can, .45 ammo is substantially more expensive than 9mm. You'll simply end up being a better shot across the board by focusing on 9mm, and will be better positioned to use a handgun for business purposes if the need arises. The parallels with the .223 discussion are very similar.