Really?
Once again I look for something simple and find nobody makes it.
This can’t be right. I expected 8 models of steel framed 9mm 1911’s with threaded barrels just from Tissas!
A 2/3 sized 1911 in .32 or .380, threaded, would be neat, too. Yea, I know.
See if you can get your hands on a Llama III-A .380, Especial .380, or Micromax .380. These are older pistols made in Spain that are very much like a micro or mini 1911. I had a III-A for many years and it was a sweet shooting little pistol. You could probably find one for anything from less than $300 to around $600 (complete, excellent condition, box, and paperwork). Llama also made a small 1911 type 9mm. For something newer, SIG SAUER has the P238 (.380 micro-compact)and P938 (9mm micro-compact). These are 1911 based pistols. Beretta has their new 80X Cheetah which is SAO with a frame mounted safety and has provision for mounting a red dot. It is worth looking into as well. Beretta also has their new 30X Tomcat .32ACP. It does have a threaded barrel and a manual safety. There is even accommodation for mounting a red dot should you so choose.
If it was not for the steel frame request, the Browning 1911-380 Black Label would have been a really good choice. Its frame is a composite with metal reinforcement. You may want to look at them anyway.
I’ve been looking for a somewhat compact auto the wife would enjoy shooting.
I have Cheetah’s (.32 & .380) and likes the .32, but there’s no way she can rack it.
She handles my 92X Centurion just barely. I’m surprised it doesn’t malf because it flips in her hands. She can rack it with the optic, but just barely.
She limp-wrists Glocks & such.
She can a Ruger Security .380, so that’s a possibility. She can rack some 1911’s, too, and I read they suppress well, if it cycles.
The threads aren’t a must. I just figure “why not have the option?” For a range gun.
The steel frame is a must. I want a steel-frame 9mm, too. But I’d rather it not be 43 oz for her sake. But she could enjoy first a box before it gets to too heavy.
About the Llama’s…I know a guy with a .32 and .380. I fired about 25 rds through each and they worked fine, to my surprise. They are ribbed models IIRC and I think I was the first to fire them. They are like new.
I was planning on getting the .32 from him but they might come as a pair. That .32 was butter.
They are small for a range gun and I’d hate to use them up. They may not last long.
Waaaaaiiiiiiitt a minute…maybe what we need is an early Colt .32! What’s the racking effort on those?
Would prefer a .380 or 9x19 just because the ammo is cheap .
There are also the Colt Mustang Pocketlite 380 ACP and Colt Mustang Lite 380 ACP Carry Conceal Pistol. Never handled either or a Colt 1903 .32ACP, so I cannot provide any feedback on those.
Thanks, but not much interest in Glocks.
If they made a delayed-blowback / tilt lock G48 in .380, maybe.
I think I’ll pick up a Ruger Security .380.
Didn’t Sig make a mini 1911 in 380 and 9mm?
Edited to add: Yeah, the P238. It’s not a real 1911,but it’s inspired by the 1911. Probably the closest thing to a 2/3 size 1911 in .380 you’ll find.
Edited again to add: I see someone already mentioned it. Damn! I should read through threads before replying.
It does shoot rather nicely for a tiny gun.
Not a 1911 at all, but Ecco could probably thread a EZ 380 for you. That thing has incredibly low recoil for a lightweight centerfire gun, is sized to be easy to hit with, and it actually has a pretty nice trigger, due to being a SAO hammer gun. Damn; I need to get mine threaded.
I honestly always wanted to get one.
On being able to rack the slide on a pistol, here is some food for thought:
I haven’t seen the guy in several years, but we shot with a dedicated pistol shooter who had lost the use of his left arm due to a motorcycle accident.
He brought a special fixture to make it possible for him to rack the slide on his pistols. Essentially it was a 2x6 base, maybe 8" long, with a 2x4 fastened vertically down the middle so that the fixture resembled an inverted “T”. At about the midpoint, the 2x4 had a ~5/8" half-moon slot cut vertically down one side.
The fixture was placed on the table, about waist high. To charge his pistol, he would hold the gun with a normal grip and, pointing it straight down, put the tip of the barrel into the top of the half-moon cut. Pressing straight down sharply, the slide would be restrained by the 2x4 but the barrel was free to poke into the cut-out.
Same procedure when it was time to show a clear chamber.
This idea won’t work with every style of pistol but it worked well with a Browning High-power and Glocks.
It will take a bit of practice to get the technique correct.
Well, so much for the metal frame requirement.
I give it a pass because it’s a locked .380.
A 9x19 would need the heavy frame to be a pleasant shooter for a small-wristed female.
I dunno…reading about alot of ammo pickiness in the Ruger .380 Security.
How about a 1911a1 style with a 4.25 in threaded .38 Super barrel?
I could load .38 acp spec and use a lighter recoil spring my wife could work. Good feed ramp, Round hammer, short, smooth faced trigger, suppressor sights and optic ready.
Hah! Nobody makes that!
Why not 9x19? Because that seems to be the least reliable 1911 caliber.
Although…does anyone make a 4.25 in threaded, 9mm, optic ready 1911?
The Beretta 80X Cheetah .380 is a pretty nice handgun. 13+1 capacity, steel framed. You can buy a threaded barrel for them.
https://www.beretta.com/en-us/product/80x-cheetah-FA0042
https://www.beretta.com/en-us/product/beretta-80x-cheetah-threaded-barrel-JB80X380TH
I have Cheetahs. Definitely a gun better in .32 acp. .380 is slappy from them. I have a threaded .32 barrel, too.
Wife and I both like them but she can’t rack the slide. The new 80X might have a slightly milder spring and better purchase but it still isn’t “easy”. We tried one out at a store.
I still occasionally carry an 81FS with 4.5 inch threaded barrel. S&B 73 gr averages over 1100 fps from my chronograph and on rare occasions I get a SS crack. Lighter loaded .32 acp is good fun suppressed or not.
I like my Cheetah, but yeah, the .380 version’s recoil is out of proportion to its power level. And it’s snappy enough that it launched the orange ring out of the Trijicon front sight I had installed.
That stinks.
I learned that firing .380 wore a recoil spring faster than .32. The recoil spring should be replaced in 500-1k rounds depending what you’re shooting if you want the frame to have the maximum life possible.
I go by how hard the slide seems to come back and the length of the spring compared to a new one.
A suppressor increases slide velocity. Luckily the guns will operate on very weak ammo.
Yeah, I probably need a new spring. I’m hoping to snag an extra-power one sometime, but the older-ish guide rod diameter complicates that. I’ll likely eventually grab an 80x just for the upper half.
Correct.
Wolff gunsprings sells versions for the oldest version, but models with a suffix are different and nobody makes extra power springs for them.
Allegheny Arms told me they wanted to make that happen.
I do not think the 80x slide will fit on an older lower. Different recoil spring assembly entirely and slide lock / release lever. The barrels, as you know, swap across the Cheetah line.