Have you tried some that didn't work so well?
A friend of mine recently purchased a Ruger compact commander. It has a 4.250" barrel. He purchased it at Rural King for around $600. It is his EDC and he is very pleased with it.
There isn't one. You might get lucky and get one that will run in that price range but I wouldn't bet on it.
Check out the Sig Sauer traditional Compact. It's an officer sized frame with a commander length (4.25") slide. IMHO this is the best "compact" 1911 for the money. Granted it's not a true officer sized 1911 but any 1911 that is less than 4.25" slide length can be subject to timing issues and be much less than reliable. In fact most of the myths you read about 1911s being unreliable are steamed from the officer length ( 3") pistols. The 1911 just wasn't designed to be that short. The Sig is out of your price range but if you want something "cheap" that will still be reliable that is your best bet. They are in the $850.00 range, or at least they were when I bought mine. Aside from two ammo related incidents it's been 100% reliable and accurate if I do my part.
There isn't one. You might get lucky and get one that will run in that price range but I wouldn't bet on it.
At your price point it is a crap shoot to get a good one. Especially in a compact.
+1. Budget "or" compact, by themselves, gets you into hit and miss choices. Budget AND compact? Good luck.
i have a Defender that runs like a sewin' machine.......you can find a good used one for around 800
Check out the Sig Sauer traditional Compact. It's an officer sized frame with a commander length (4.25") slide. IMHO this is the best "compact" 1911 for the money. Granted it's not a true officer sized 1911 but any 1911 that is less than 4.25" slide length can be subject to timing issues and be much less than reliable. In fact most of the myths you read about 1911s being unreliable are steamed from the officer length ( 3") pistols. The 1911 just wasn't designed to be that short. The Sig is out of your price range but if you want something "cheap" that will still be reliable that is your best bet. They are in the $850.00 range, or at least they were when I bought mine. Aside from two ammo related incidents it's been 100% reliable and accurate if I do my part.
Springfield Armory RO Compact just came out. The standard RO is a nice gun for the money so the compact might be a good option.
I am looking forward to playing with one of these.
I have owned several RO's and still have 2. Great guns for the price point.