Full-Size 9mm 1911-Style Pistols: Kimber, Springfield, STI

It could be said that the Browning 1911 pistol has evolved more than any other design. The operating principal remains the same, but alternate configurations have been applied to nearly every facet of its execution. In fact, it is now commonplace to buy over the counter what not long ago would have been considered a full-blown custom pistol. We all know about beveled magazine wells, frame checkering, undercutting the trigger guard for a

When we loaded our trio of modern 9mm 1911-style pistols with Black Hills ammunition the results showed that each gun was accurate and appealing. All three carried a list price of just less than $1300 and produced comparable accuracy. But the guns also offered different features that set them apart. Our Kimber Custom Aegis II, right, was narrow, snag free, was fit with night sights, and weighed much less than either the STI Duty One (center) or the Springfield Armory Loaded Full Size Stainless Steel 9x19 pistol. In our view, these characteristics make the Aegis a better fit for concealed carry. The STI Duty One carried an accessory rail. This gun felt like it was overbuilt, and as the name implies, ready for carry by law-enforcement personnel. The Springfield Armory Loaded was, in our view, the quintessential 1911.