Iver Johnson 1911 Series – The 9mm Eagle Range Report

Authors Paul Helinski Pistols
American Tactical Imports ATI 1911 .22 Rimfire with Fake Silencer- New Gun Review
American Tactical Imports ATI 1911 .22 Rimfire with Fake Silencer- New Gun Review
The 9mm Iver Johnson Eagle is a formidable 1911 style pistol with several advanced features.

American Tactical Imports ATI 1911 .22 Rimfire with Fake Silencer- New Gun Review
The rear adjustable sight is a Millet with white outline set in a standard dovetail mount. As a target pistol this setup is easy to change for different types of ammo with different points of impact. This is set up to be a target pistol, but the rear sight is fairly low and not really snaggy, suitable for careful duty or conealed carry.

American Tactical Imports ATI 1911 .22 Rimfire with Fake Silencer- New Gun Review
It carries an extended slide stop and thumb safety, as well as a skeletonized hammer and trigger. The beavertail safety has the extra bump for a sure disengagement.

American Tactical Imports ATI 1911 .22 Rimfire with Fake Silencer- New Gun Review
The new Iver Johnson company is located in Florida, but these guns are made to spec for IJ in the Phillipines from specifically sourced parts suppliers and CNC cut forged slides and cast frames. The guns are clean as a whistle for an inexpensive 1911. No sharp edges on the whole gun, and she’s nice and tight.

American Tactical Imports ATI 1911 .22 Rimfire with Fake Silencer- New Gun Review
The trigger pull on the Eagle breaks clean at just over 6 lbs. consistently. The reset was most surprising. It is about as short as they come, 1/10th of an inch or so, and completely clean with no scratchiness in the entire trigger cycle. Someone put some care into the design and assembly of these firearms.

American Tactical Imports ATI 1911 .22 Rimfire with Fake Silencer- New Gun Review
This is a classic top break Iver Johnson from the hardware store gun days. Even nice and clean this gun is listed on GunsAmerica for under $200.

American Tactical Imports ATI 1911 .22 Rimfire with Fake Silencer- New Gun Review
Even in a hot and snappy carry ammo like this Federal Gaurd Dog the Eagle is completely manageable and doesn’t require any muscling down of the muzzle whatsoever. The full sized 1911 was designed for the .45ACP and in 9mm is very tame.

American Tactical Imports ATI 1911 .22 Rimfire with Fake Silencer- New Gun Review
Of all the ammo we tested, this gun liked Fiocchi canned heat the best. Even in off-hand shooting it was easy to keep the gun into 2.5 inches or so at 25 yards, when it didn’t flip brass into your face, which was really the only issue with the gun.

American Tactical Imports ATI 1911 .22 Rimfire with Fake Silencer- New Gun Review
The Eagle looks a lot like the Springfield Armory Range Officer but not only is it 9mm instead of .45ACP, it just isn’t in the same league, but at $200 less, the Eagle isn’t a bad risk and will most likely be considered a good purchase, even though at this price many of the parts have to be from scattered suppliers in Asia. Could you build a competition gun on it? Yes, but you may end up spending as much in replacement parts as you would have spent originally on a higher end gun. Unless proven otherwise, the IJ should be considered a high quality entry level 1911 and a lot of gun for the money.


Iver Johnson 1911 Series – The 9mm Eagle

https://www.iverjohnsonarms.com/


Now that the year 2011 has passed and we are handily into 2012, enough has been said about the 100 year anniversary of the 1911 pistol. We should all be able to just return to shooting these classic and ergonomically near perfect firearms for the next hundred years. The question remains, however, can you buy a bargain priced 1911 and have a good reliable firearm. The folks selling guns under the Iver Johnson name these days would answer that question with a resounding “yes.”

We were able to test their 1911A1 “Eagle” in the 9mm version, and our answer isn’t that far from a resounding “yes” either. Overall the gun is a pretty good buy with really only one minor quirk, and it seems to be a good honest buy on a good honest 1911. The Eagle worked mostly as expected, never failed, and was pretty accurate out of the box. With all the 1911s out there, very few come in under $600, which is where this gun is priced, and the Iver Johnson Eagle seems a lot of gun for the money.

If you aren’t familiar with Iver Johnson, this is a name in the firearms world that has been with us since the late 1800s. Hardware stores, five and dimes, and even the Sears catalog used to sell Iver Johnson revolvers that we now call “top breaks” for generally under ten dollars. They are called top breaks because, like a Smith & Wesson Schofield, the gun “breaks” at the rear of the topstrap and flips forward to expose the cylinder for loading. Top break revolvers don’t get a lot of press, and even in good shape an old Iver Johnson won’t fetch much more than a couple hundred bucks. Over the years the brand has come and gone under a variety of ownership, and you will find the name Iver Johnson on just about every type of firearm you can name, pistols, revolvers, shotguns, rifles, everything but an AR-15, so far. Sirhan Sirhan used a top break Iver Johnson .22 to kill Robert Kennedy, or at least that is the official story.

These 1911s are the latest from the Iver Johnson company currently located in Rockledge, FL. They are made in the Philippines from a forged CNC cut slide and cast CNC cut frame, and specifically sourced parts. What makes the guns unique is that they custom created to spec, by Iver Johnson. It isn’t a case where they are buying containers of guns that are being sold elsewhere under different names. An Iver Johnson 1911 is an Iver Johnson 1911, custom made for them and imported exclusively by them, and I think that is why if you Google around on the guns, you will find almost all positive reports. The street price is generally under $600, pretty cheap for a 1911, and if our tests are any indication, they aren’t a bad gun to take a risk on. If your dealer doesn’t already have one on the shelf, you can ask that they custom order you one from either RSR, or directly from the company.

This particular model, the Eagle, is only available in 9mm and carries several special features. It has a Millet adjustable rear sight, extended slide stop and thumb safety (not ambi), front and rear slide serrations, and slightly flared ejection port and mag well. The trigger and hammer are also lightened, and our full sized 5″ barrel all steel test gun weighed 41.8 ounces empty with the magazine. There are currently a total of seven 1911 models offered by Iver Johnson in both full and officer sizes, some in .45ACP and some in 9mm like our test gun.

For this model, the Eagle in 9mm, in over 500 rounds of range and carry ammo in our tests with five different shooters of various hand sizes, frame sizes and genders (we stopped at two on that one), the gun never failed to go boom once. For 9mm, in an all steel gun that was created for the more hefty .45ACP, the recoil is completely manageable even with light, hot carry rounds. Because it is a cut rate gun I didn’t bother to Ransom Rest it, but overall the Iver Johnson Eagle 9mm gun we were able to test shot close to point of aim out of the box and in informal rested shooting from a bag at 25 yards easily kept into 2 1/2 inches, not the best I can shoot, but close to it. Other shooters had similar experiences.

The nice thing about buying a bargain priced new 1911 is that you don’t have to worry about the long term viability of the company and the ability to find parts for the gun. This version of the old Iver Johnson name could move on from 1911s in a few years to go make an AR-15, or they could even go back to the old Iver Johnson Bicycle Works, you never know. Fortunately it doesn’t matter. The 9mm 1911 platform is very common and parts are always available for any standard sized frame, of which the Eagle is one. The magazine on the Iver Johnson is actually a Mec-Gar, the most prolific aftermarket and OEM magazine company in the world, so those will always be available, and the skeletonized trigger, hammer, and all the internals are hot swappable with most standard 1911 parts on the market. Both the front and rear sights are standard dovetails, and the rear sight on this Eagle is adjustable. Iver Johnson seems to be taking a lot of pride in getting you good parts for your investment, but even if one of more of the parts eventually need to be replaced, you still ended up with a nice, clean, and accurate 9mm 1911 for short money regardless.

“Formidable” was the term that came to mind shooting this gun. A lot of people find the recoil and muzzle blast of the.45ACP unmanageable even in a full sized 1911, and if 9mm is your preferred flavor, this budget priced 1911 might be a great choice. We did have one problem with the gun, but it was mostly within the first few mags. The extractor on this Eagle was ejecting brass right back into your face. As the gun seemed to settle in, ejection became more random to the right of the ejection port, but an occasional round did still flip back in your face. I felt it affected my ability to shoot the gun well, because I was aware of the possibility of the brass bouncing off my shooting glasses.

This told me that that the gun was probably not test fired at the factory, or if it was the QC department may have been out to lunch. It isn’t a big problem for a gunsmith to fix, and I’m sure the company would fix this for you if you sent it back. Personally I would rather a gun company send us in a review gun from off the top of the pile without cherry picking and find a minor issue like this than have them send us a slicked up gun that has been gone over and that isn’t representative of a gun you buy off the shelf. Iver Johnson is sold out of their .45ACP guns right now so they only had a 9mm to send us, so this one was clearly just off the top of the pile and exactly the gun that the next customer in line would have received. Nice gun!

Integrity builds success on itself and I feel that this is an integritable gun made by an integritable company. To some degree, you get what you pay for, but that only reaches to a certain level. I’m quite sure that the parts in a Springfield Armory Range Officer, which this gun resembles outwardly, are of a higher quality and from much more reliable sources than the Iver Johnson, and the RO is not only .45ACP, but also a couple hundred bucks more expensive. If you can’t afford a more established 1911 and you aren’t going to beat the gun up in competitive shooting, this is our first look at a gun from the new Iver Johnson and it looks like a winner. It seems to function well with various kinds of ammo and it is a nice, clean, tight and accurate firearm with some higher end features, for under $600. You can spend that much on Spirit Air plane tickets and they still want to get you for a carry on. So fly Jetblue instead, and go buy an Iver Johnson 1911.

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  • Buckshot October 26, 2015, 7:55 pm

    I just bought a 1911 A1, for 50.00 and a couple radio, the guy had his receipt were he had purchased it for 600.00, it has a pearl looking handle, with a owl. Any info? And I feel I did great on price. I know my wife likes it so much she didn’t even care. Lol

  • I.J.EAGLE.45 September 8, 2013, 1:42 pm

    I dont know why this article says the EAGLE is only available in 9mm. Thats nonsense, the EAGLE comes in both .45 and .9mm and the iver thrasher is 9mm….check their website before misinforming potential buyers.
    How hard would it have been to check:

    http://iverjohnsonarms.com/3052/index.html

    • Administrator September 8, 2013, 5:52 pm

      It was only available in 9mm when it was written.

  • terz December 7, 2012, 11:50 am

    Just reading one comment about the 45 and basically how little people know.
    Back in 1873 The United States Government was looking for a new side arm and they chose the Colt Single Action Army, chambered in 45 colt, now known as the long Colt this round has gone from a black powder cartridge to a modern day magnum cartridge in the plus P’s, Along came Smith&Wesson and there Top Break Action Revolver,
    because of patent infridgement and competition, Smith&Wesson designed a 45 cartridge the 45 Schofield.
    The 45 Schofield is not a shortend 45 colt, The cartridges were different,esp the rim if I recall, The intresting
    fact is the U.S. Government most likely used more 45 Schofield ammunition in the colt 1873 armies than they used
    45 colt, It was cheaper, but it also caused extraction problems and other issues from my understanding, this lead colt to design the 45 Government Cartridge, this cartridge is based on the 45 colt and it was shortend to 45 Schofield length and it is said this is the cartridge the 45 ACP was based on. The United States Government used other revolvers besides the 1873 colt single action army, they also used the Smith&Wesson and also Colts 1878
    Double Action Revolver.

  • terz December 7, 2012, 11:35 am

    I will go with what my father taught me he loved the Colt 1911-A1 but said there were plus’s and minus’s with this firearm as there are with every firearm. If you were carrying the 1911 or 1911-A1 and if you were smart you would carry extra Recoil Springs and Guides and plugs, As he said some times in the middle of the night
    you would have to tear one down and if you sliped either tearing it down or putting back together again
    than you were out one recoil spring and recoil spring stop. than your 1911 becomes a book end, unless you have spear springs etc. with you. WHile as a Cop the Boss carried a FN Browning HI-Power he was very impressed with it
    it fed everything but one load, these were reloads given to dad from a friend , we ended up throwing them out.
    I also have Dad’s 1911-A1 I find both pistols better than most of the new stuff.

  • Jim Hensey December 3, 2012, 10:35 am

    I am really surprised at the number of young shooters who are buying 1911’s as their first guns. I’ve chatted with at least a hundred of my customers between 18 and 25 who bought 1911’s. I think the movie and video game industries have really glamorized them. I have a Taurus and Rock Island 1911 and I’ve put boxed and boxes if ammo through them with zero malfunctions. They are sweet looking guns but they are heavy for all day carry. At some point I let one of these customers try out my Xd45 and you can tell they are surprised by the reduced weight. I think many of these young shooters think the 1911 is THE .45 and there is no other. I have even had people tell me that they shoot a 45 and when I ask WHAT 45 they genuinely are puzzled.
    The 1911 is at the summit of its popularity. At least we can be comforted in knowing that a solid, reliable, powerful and sweet looking shooter like the 1911 will be here for all to enjoy for as long as there are guns.

  • MIGUEL November 5, 2012, 6:24 pm

    colt 45 1911… excellent conditions !!!!

  • MIGUEL November 5, 2012, 6:23 pm

    how can i sell my gun?

    • Jim Hensey December 3, 2012, 10:39 am

      Take cash from person. Give them gun. If you like- write down their name for future records. I always insist on name and driver lic number and I make them sign a piece of paper saying they are not a felon and can legally own a gun. BUT you don’t have to do any of that

  • Jim July 23, 2012, 10:10 am

    I have a Iver Johnson Colt 380 that probably hasn’t had half box of ammo shot thru it. Just looks like it came out of the box. For shooting, very mild compared to the S/W Bodyguard, which in certain instances can be brutal if firing rapid fire. I’m looking for a concealed carry holster to fit this gun but no one seems to have one. Any clues anybody??
    Jim

    • Jim Hensey December 3, 2012, 10:46 am

      I bought one of the in the waist Galco leather holsters. They are thin and after a few days your gun gets molded into the holster. I bought a Glock 19 version for my XDS and fit is perfect. Go to your store and open up a half dozen that look like a good fit and try them. Ask if you can use the back room if they have a problem with you having your pistol out OR go to their gun counter and use their gun if they carry one. I was going to get a holster from CompTec like for my Xd45 but the Galco is so thin and fitting I just kept it.

  • Dan June 17, 2012, 9:11 pm

    Remington Rand did not make weapons in WWI, Remington UMC did. Remington Rand made 1911’s in WWIi.

  • D. Carr June 2, 2012, 4:22 pm

    With the millions of 1911/1911A1’s manufactured by Colt or under license from Colt from 1912 to 1945 plus millions more Colt commercial models and clones how can anyone berated this histoical firearm. It was a sad day when our military switched sidearms.

  • joseph June 1, 2012, 9:54 pm

    will stick with my 1911 officers short barrel full size handle… SPRINGFIELD ARMORY

  • J Spence June 1, 2012, 1:57 am

    As a 1911-1911A1 collector and shooter I find nothing wrong with it chambered in 9mm…..in certain situations. I’ll qualify that by saying I’m a NRA and State of TN Dpt of Safety Handgun Instructor, former Army Officer with combat experience and own a Sporting goods/Gun shop. I carry my Colt Defender in 9mm in the shop with 9mm +P hydrashock ammunition. It (God forbid) will be used if someone tries to rob my shop as the maximum distance I’ll be shooting is under 10 ft. my primary goal is to neutralise the threat with it or make it to the rear of the shop where I keep my AR. I also carry this weapon in places where it needs to be concealed in 5.11 concealed carry undershirt or one of several concealed carry holsters. That being said ALL my other 1911’s and 1911A1’s are chambered in .45 ACP, including the Colt Series 80 lightwieght Officer’s Model I carried as a backup weapon in combat in the 1st Gulf War. My oldest is a “Black Army” made in 1918 (still shoots fine, though I seldom shoot it). I have WWII A1’s in Colt, Remington-Rand (not the Remington firearms company that made rifles during WWII) and Ithaca. They all shoot fine. My Competition pistols are a Colt Series 70 Commander modified for compitition shooting and a Ed Brown “Molon Labe” which is my best shooting pistol by far. At 46 I 1st fired the A1 29 yrs ago as a young private and was later issued a WWII Colt as a young 2LT. My point is John Brownings design is, in my opinion, the best pistol ever made regardless of the caliber it’s chambered in. As for a .22 LR 1911, I have one of those as well and its great for practising the basics such as drawing, presentation, sight alignment, sight picture and trigger pull. I hand load so it does cut cost and use steel cased ammo when I go to someone else’s range but I can still shoot 100 rounds of 22 LR for less than $5.00. Everything is the same, except the recoil. Fundamentals and mucle memory are more important as recoil is forgotten in a “real” scenario. Just ask any deer hunter who shot a nice buck, recoil is the last thing he’ll remember about the encounter. 1911’s……I Love them all!!!!!

  • Mark Freburg June 1, 2012, 1:55 am

    I think that had to be one of the poorer gun reviews I’ve read in a long time. Why is 1911 reset surprising? It’s a 1911. Unless it has completely different insides, it is what it is, and 1911s have a very short trigger reset. And while he purports to praise the Iver Johnson 1911, the writer seems to think it is a second rate pistol made up of cheap Asian parts–or to be fair, perhaps the photo captioner, if it was other than the reviewer, has that impression. Yet he goes on about how $600–the supposed street price–is cheap for a 1911. In reality one can a Springfield GI45 or a Springfield Milspec in that ballpark, and those will have the parts the writer apparently thinks of much more highly. If money is an object, he can buy a Rock Island–cast frame and slide and also made in the Philippines, but for perhaps $400. If one wants truly inexpensive, he can get under the price of the IJ. And there are other Philippine and Turkish guns to look at as well with similar construction, either all cast, or with frames machined from bar stock and cast slides. By the way, what is a “cut” frame or a “cut” slide anyway? Cut?

    If one can spend a little more, you can still find the original Kimber Custom (II) for about $750. The Range Officer can be had for $750 or $800, and the Ruger SR1911 is about $750 as well. But if money was a big concern for me I’d buy a Springfield GI, pay about $100 for the sights I wanted, and shoot it until I was good enough to appreciate any other custom changes I thought it needed. Yeah, I know I sound like an old fart, maybe because I am getting up there, but bells and whistles don’t make you a better shooter, constructive trigger time makes you a better shooter. I have a GI45 among my 1911 type pistols, and I can tell you these come with triggers so good you are unlikely to even need to have trigger work done on it. No, it isn’t as light as my Range Officer’s trigger, but the Range Officer’s trigger is too light for a first-time 1911 anyway.

    I thought the comparison to the Springfield Range Officer was the worst sort of envy. My impression from reading was “Yeah, the Springfield is ‘cooler’ but if you buy the IJ Eagle people might think you are cool from a distance, and your less knowledgeable friends won’t even know up close.” Must we perpetuate that sort of stuff? Buy a gun that works and that you like and don’t worry about keeping up with your friends and neighbors.

    And to those who bashed the 9mm caliber on a 1911 platform–they’re lot of fun. Any of you remember fun? I’d actually like to get an inexpensive 1911 in 9mm. I had a Colt in 9mm once and regret selling it. All mine but one are in .45 today, the one is a .38 Super, and a 9mm would be a nice addition to the group. Besides being fun to shoot, they are also inexpensive to shoot. If one is interested in using a 1911 for defensive purposes, shooting a lot is usually helpful, and shooting a lot today cost money. You see where I’m going. Even if you have a .45, a 9mm would make a good practice gun. Yeah, they make 1911 .22s, but without any recoil, the .22s don’t have that integral aspect of practice that only comes with a centerfire–recoil recovery. A 9mm does. And if one just wants his pistol in 9mm and likes the 1911 type pistol, well, as some pointed out, the 9mm is nothing to scoff at, especially in a five inch barrel and using today’s modern JHP ammunition.

    And while I’m complaining, what in the heck is “integritable?” There is no such word, and repeating it doesn’t make it so.

    Oh, one more thing, yes, the people who own the Iver Johnson name may suddenly start making top-break revolvers again, but the reality is there is no connection between the company that made those guns and the IJ of today other than the fact they have the same name. Expecting these folks to bring back a product that they never made seems a bit unlikely….

  • DunRanull May 31, 2012, 11:17 pm

    The 1911 in 9mm is a non-starter if the .45acp is available. Even the .38 Super is better, greater velocity and bullet-weight. I HAVE fired, carry, and own both and don’t need to play “tin soldier”. JMB designed the 1911 for the heavy and bulky (somewhat) .45 acp and the pistol. JMB and the frenchie designed the BHP as a 9mmP package. It excells in that form… less weight and bulk and arguably better ergos. More deadly? Hmmm maybe IF you are comparing high-speed hollow points with FMJ. I like carrying the BMP but if Im heading for trouble I prefer the .45. Both pistols are now passe with me anyway, as I carry the Glock 21. YMMV

  • Joseph P May 31, 2012, 10:34 pm

    So much hostility, I think we can all agree that the 1911 is a great platform, but it was designed for 45 not due to speed ( no one’s going to out run it whether its 1200 fps or 800 fps) but due to mass. If you actually look at account where people, yes normal everyday people; not soldiers on battlefields have been engaged in close quarters combat, you will see that 45 acp really shines. 9mm takes 3-4 rounds to stop an assailant where as 45 takes 1-2. I know shot placement and such figures in but in a high tension situation you can’t rely on hitting a critical shot, no matter how much trigger time you get in. There are plenty of 1911 platforms that have double stack mags, but if your somewhere you need more than 7 rounds, you’ve got bigger problems. Many people do trust their lives to this 100 year old gun because it has a proven track record, and the sloppy-ness of the design is what makes it work so great but this is true for all great guns. All things aside if you actually know the history of the 1911 (in 45acp) you will know that it was created to stop natives on drugs and that it was tested against the 9mm parabellum. Perhaps there’s a reason the U.S. adopted it as the service pistol for use from WWI to Nam?

  • BJ May 31, 2012, 10:31 pm

    I have a new old Double Action 22 Iver Johnson that I have not shot. Wondering if anyone has used this gun for target practice. Will try it soon.

  • Jeff May 31, 2012, 9:25 pm

    I believe Sirhan Sirhan used a solid frame, pull pin Iver Johnson .22 to kill Robert Kennedy. I don’t think it was a top break.

  • thart May 31, 2012, 4:02 pm

    Uh….Rick? You gotta quit holding back, man. I mean, let loose….let it all out. Tell us how you really feel. Try a little corn syrup. You sound bitter. When I came back from Vietnam my wife told me I had to let it go or it would eat me alive. She was right. It’s over, move on. And humor does actually help. Try to smile a little each day.

  • rick schronce May 31, 2012, 3:23 pm

    9mm is a great 1911 caliber if you don’t know this than keep your mouth out of it put the video game down leave your mothers basement and understand the concept of the 9mm every one talks about going into battle What and Where you freaks if you are in battle it means you don’t have a 1911 in your hand anyway and if your speaking of battle then you have no real clue of what battle is. Let me give you a clue battle is 99% training 1% doing that means shooting correctly and shooting and correctly a lot and to do so you use 9mm ammo and like one other person said 9mm are out right nasty little death pills when I was in the military in battle not in my mothers basement playing battle games we shot every kind of ammo at bullet proof vests and the only one to get through it was a 9mmgift so do some home work and stop bashing a great debris and go out and shoot and shoot whatever you want but don’t talk down on something you have no knowledge of I know this because if you had a 9mm 1911and you would throw your 45away or at least put it way far back in the basement under your Mario brothers game

    • Mark N. May 31, 2012, 3:49 pm

      I have to agree. I love my .45, but I would not volunteer to stand in front of a 9 mil with high velocity 124gr +Ps. And in battle, you want volume so you don’t have to reload quite so often. There are so many 9s with 17+1 capacity, I could not see turning one down in favor of a 7 or 8 shot mag on a 1911. Personal defense is one thing, war is a completely different story.

      • Don May 31, 2012, 5:02 pm

        grew up loving the 1911 45 but make mine a .40SW best of both worlds!

      • Jake June 1, 2012, 4:43 pm

        You could always use 2 Kimber 45s with Nite Sites & Red Dots, What a Combo

    • Tony June 3, 2012, 9:10 am

      I’ve owned a Series 70 Colt in .38 Super set up for IPSC on-a-budget since I was in college, well, forever ago. Nice gun, but… if you want to carry a .38 Super and you want really good self-defense loads, you need to roll your own- meaning potential liability issues if you actually shoot someone. A 9mm has factory ammo options galore, and can get fairly close to .38 specs without the recoil of a .45 or ever my .38 S.

  • troop emonds May 31, 2012, 1:06 pm

    Please consider bringing back the .22 Iver Johnson Supershot Sealed Eight Top Break revolver. Even better would be to make it a single action with more of a plow point grip so that it resembles the cross between the Colt Peacemaker and the S & W Model # 3 Schofield with a 7″ barrel.

  • Jim Lloyd May 31, 2012, 12:21 pm

    I tried several 1911’s of different makes, Kimber, Colt, Remington etc.. settled for the old fella (Remington Rand) from WWI as my favorite… This thing is bulletproof when it comes to ammo.. It eats anything and at 25, I’ll put it against anything in the cases… I’ve been breaking in the short version Colt (New Agent) and feel when it is cycled enough it will perform really well… PRICE was a tad heavy but anything with colt on it is gouged to the max anyway. The thing I find best is the fixed sights, since I learned to forget them for 0-25and trust my line of sight on my arm. the 9MM is something that I would love to try.. Colt did the new agent in that too… may see if either is available to get.. Curious about the casings in the face bit..??? Ejector needs to be re-positioned..??? I have a few go past my ear occasionally but none in closer proximity than that..

  • Matt Cuddy May 31, 2012, 12:14 pm

    Why oh why would ayone want a 1911 in 9 mm? If I want a battle pistol in 9 mm I’ll buy an occupation Hi Power or a Luger. To make a classic like the 1911 fire dinky little 9 mm rounds is bordering on criminal.

    • David May 31, 2012, 1:29 pm

      Yep, I agree. I purchased a CZ75C in 9mm. Although, at the last g-show here in Odessa I spotted a 1911 in (of all things) 22 cal. The seller stated it was a good “plinker”.

    • Ft.Defiance May 31, 2012, 2:48 pm

      Matt let me respond to you
      For those of us who do not reload 9mm is much less expensive than 45acp. Less expensive ammo translates into more trigger time. More trigger time is good for both the shooting enthusiast and the defense minded.
      1911’s manufactured in 9mm are much easier for both petite women and people with arthritis to shoot. Recoil is less and racking the slide is much easier for individuals with limited hand strength.
      I myself am not to keen on going in to battle with a pistol that is 70 to 80 years old. I agree that the Grande Pussiance ( Browning High Power) is a great pistol. It does not however have a grip safety, many object to the magazine safety and the trigger pull is much heaver then on a 1911. Now that Argentine imports have dried up they are Brownings are pricey.
      Finally as claims of pipsqueak 9mm rounds: Bull pucky! Plus p 124 grain and 115 grain ammo reaches velocities above 1200 fps. That velocity treads hard on the heals of 357 magnum rounds from my 2.5 inch model 66. I love the 45 acp round but when using best available hollow point ammo I doubt that there is a nickels worth of difference between the two rounds.

      • LWJ2 June 1, 2012, 3:13 pm

        I’ll stick with my Browning and the slower, heavier rounds. Shot placement counts and I’m not worried about shooting more than once. As my son’s DI told him, “Ammo is cheap. Marines are expensive.”

        I note two things in closing: (1) The Browning does not shoot parts across the room when dis-assembling it; (2) It was the LAST pistol designed by the Master. And yes, I’d like to see Browning heavy-up the design and make one in .45ACP.

    • k marrow May 9, 2015, 1:56 am

      First off people like you irritate the hell out of me! We have enough people to criticize shooters and hunters we dont need dissension within the shooting and hunting communtiy itself just because you don’t like the fact someone shoots a different caliber of gun(which is an argument that is the product if silliness, ignorance, arrogance, all three, I don’t know)… Second I don’t reload as of right now, and, I can pick up 50 RDS of 9mm for $10.97 + tax. As opposed to spending twice that for half as many rounds of .45ACP.. And third, for the self-defense aspect, I can shoot sub 3″ groups from 0-30 feet with my 9mm, (which is the distance at which most self-defense situations occur)… I’ll guarantee you right now if someone is in need of being put down a well placed 9mm round will put ’em down faster than a missed .45 round(Im just assuming youve missed since ammo is expensive and you cant shoot as often, therefore, you haven’t built up the muscle memory needed to produce accuracy in such an adrenaline – pumping situation!)… So you can keep spending a million dollars a bullet for your .45 (if you dont reload) and shoot sparingly, but for me, I will keep feeding a couple hundred cheap and readily available 9mm rounds down range every weekend… Have a nice day!

  • woody hall May 31, 2012, 9:12 am

    Iver-Johnson , also made top-break .38′ short and other cal. , under the name U.S.Revolver Co . , same gun . I have a break-top .38 short , 5 shot , i will sell . it has chips in both grips , and needs index repaired or replaced . 1-843-858-4821 , $125.00, as a parts gun only . Blue finish is very good for 103 y.o. gun !

  • Shane May 31, 2012, 9:07 am

    Nice read but where are the Iver Johnson 1911 Eagle in 9mm?
    I checked Gunsamerica and a no go on the 9mm, lots of 45s though.

    • Administrator May 31, 2012, 9:14 am

      Well, we did tell our sellers to post them, but could be they dried up this week.

  • woody hall May 31, 2012, 8:46 am

    it was my first 1911 buy , 11/11/2011 , and I bought a .45 from my REGULAR DEALER , but he charged me $800.00 ! Besides over-charging me , i am supersticious of owls , and it had one on the grips . i sold it for $700.00 and bought Rock island Armory 1911a1 & 1911a2’s . I now have 8 , including Colt 1911’s . One made in 1919 & one made in 1943 , in EXCELLENT CONDITION ! ( MY FAVORITE ) , but i carry a R.I.A.1911a2 …None came from my EX-Dealer , either !

  • Louis Symos May 31, 2012, 8:25 am

    Iver Johnson produced a .22 Top Break 8 shot revolver. Is this still available? I’d like to pursue the possibility of purchasing the item.

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