I love to shoot anything that goes "bang," but the Model 1911 and the AR-15 are my favorite fun guns. No matter what guns I am testing in a given week, it's a safe bet that a few of my favorite 1911s or ARs will make it into the truck when I leave for the range. But lately, rising ammunition costs and decreased availability have caused me to leave my favorites at home more and more. That realization led me to consider different calibers in both platforms.

Selecting a new pistol caliber was easy. After all, no centerfire pistol ammunition is as cheap to shoot or is as readily available as the classic 9x19mm. It may not hit with as much authority as my favorite 230-grain .45 ACP load, but hot new loads like those from CorBon and Winchester's SXT +P+ line don't give up much real-world performance.

Deciding on a rifle caliber was a bit tougher. In fact, I almost gave up on the project until I went to two local gun stores to check .223 Remington availability. I found that one store had no plinking ammunition whatsoever, and the other had only a few of the most expensive boxes of 55-grain FMJ I have ever seen.

I considered all the available AR cartridges, but I kept coming back to the 9x19mm because of cost and availability. I must confess that I was a bit disappointed until I gave the matter more serious consideration. If the 9x19mm +P+ loads work well from a 5-inch pistol barrel, I reasoned, then they should hit even harder from a 16-inch carbine barrel. It won't replace my .223/5.56mm ARs, but I don't feel under-gunned with a 9mm carbine stoked with quality ammunition.

Choosing the guns was much tougher. Although most guns designed around the 9x19mm cartridge are very reliable, the 1911 and AR platforms are both notoriously fickle when chambered for the 9x19mm. This has nothing to do with the cartridge. In the case of the 1911, quality 9x19mm magazines are tough to find. With the AR, again, magazines are a problem, and the guns can be capricious even with good ones.

I had to do a great deal of research to find the right guns, but I think I chose wisely.

The Kimber Aegis II
The 9mm Aegis II is an attractive, two-tone offering from the Kimber Custom Shop. Although it is available in more compact versions, I chose the full-size pistol, which features a lightweight frame of rugged 7075-T7 aluminum and a slide machined from solid steel, as well as a laundry list of desirable custom features.

The frame features well-executed 30 lines-per-inch checkering on the frontstrap and the polymer mainspring housing. Some shooters prefer more aggressive checkering, but I like 30 lpi because it provides a great deal of grip yet doesn't tear at my hands during long firing sessions or my clothes in daily carry.

The frame is cut high under the trigger guard for a high grip, and the magazine well is nicely beveled to facilitate rapid reloads. Its attractive rosewood grips are affixed with Allen-head screws. Instead of the usual checkering, the thin grips have three grooves ball-milled into the flats.

9x19mm Loading Data