opinions on compact 1911

[canamscott]

There are many compact 1911s out there now I am intrigued by them. I love my 1911, but it is too big for daily carry in my opinion.

Would a compact model suit me better? Do they shoot just as well? Would it use the magazines from my full size 1911? I would be interested to hear opinions pro and con.

I have seen compact 1911s from Springfield, Sig Sauer, Rock Island, Kimber, Colt. Are there any of these or others worth considering?

 

[iChokePeople]

There are many compact 1911s out there now I am intrigued by them. I love my 1911, but it is too big for daily carry in my opinion.

Would a compact model suit me better? Do they shoot just as well? Would it use the magazines from my full size 1911? I would be interested to hear opinions pro and con.

I have seen compact 1911s from Springfield, Sig Sauer, Rock Island, Kimber, Colt. Are there any of these or others worth considering?

Suit you better? That's a very personal question that you have to answer yourself after fondling some.

Shoot just as well? No. All other things being equal, the 5" gun will outshoot the 3" gun, and will feel better doing it. Don't compare a 5" RIA to a Nighthawk T3, of course, which is why I included the "all other things being equal" part.

Mags: Depends on the frame/grip, not the barrel. Your 10-rd Chips will work in your officer gripped shorty, but they'll stick out the bottom and defeat your efforts in going small.

IMHO, the extra 2" of barrel isn't the issue in concealing a 1911. Maybe if you're VERY short or wear low-rise jeans? For me, a full-sized 1911 is very comfy and concealable, and I'll choose the 'shootability' of the full-size gun over the comfort/weight of a smaller or alloy gun any time. If I'm going to bother to carry, I want to carry the gun that gives me the BEST chance if I should ever have to use it. ComfortING > comfortABLE.

 

[tranders]

I've had two Springfield Compacts and to say I was disappointed would be an understatement. One of the pistols the back sight was falling out of the slide straight from the box.The other shot 4 inches low at 7 yards. I had other folks shoot it for verification. YMMV

 

[gajones06]

I have never found a full size 1911 to big to carry...just need the right holster.

 

[TopDog]

You can go Kahr PM45, compact and light at 17.5 oz with empty mag. But baby that recoil takes some gettin used to, believe me. I love mine, its accurate but it takes some range time to master it.

 

[gunman41mag]

Caspian, Colt, Para Ordnance, & Safari Arms. All these compact 1911 shoot just fine.

 

[mwg]

I was happy with my colt defender 45 acp

 

[jakemartens]

IMO the best compromise from carrying a fullsize 1911 is the CCO, a commander length slide (true commander length is 4 1/4 inch, but your will find alot of 4inch) and officers frame.

Carries well, the grip is easier to conceal and for the most part the commander size slides seem to feed/run better than the smaller compacts

 

[kyotekilr]

colt or springfield. you cant go wrong.

 

[Drail]

Your chances of getting a lemon are much greater with a 3 in. than a 5 in. A 5 in. will tolerate a lot of fitting slop and timing errors. A 3 in. will not tolerate any. 3 in guns run MUCH higher slide velocities and the slide travels a shorter distance. If the magazine spring is not able to get the next round up fast enough you will have misfeeds. They are much pickier about what they will feed. 3 in. guns wear springs out faster than 5 in. They are harder to shoot rapidly. It can be done but takes more skill and practice. With all that said there are plenty of 3 in. guns out there that work perfectly all of the time. There are also a lot of really disappointed buyers who are spending time and money to make them work. If you really want one go for it but make sure the seller will take it back or fix it if there's a problem. When I smithed on 1911s I fixed a number of 3 in guns. It was a total pain in the ass to get them to run 100%. I have seen other smiths sell of 3 in guns that they were tired of messing with to get them to work. A friend bought one from a famous smith (I will not mention his name) and it was immediately evident why he sold it off. I got it to run but it would throw brass in your face all the time. Some of them refused to run 100% no mater what we did. I would always recommend a 5 in. or a 4 in. to anyone who wants a 1911 to carry for CCW. The only thing you gain with a 3 in. is a shorter grip length. You lose a whole bunch of the reliability that made the Govt. 1911 what it is. The original Officer's ACP was made for presentation to General Staff Officers for wear with their dress uniform. Honest. When it was discovered that chopping the slide down that far caused serious reliability problems everybody said who cares? They're not actually going to shoot the thing. It just has to look cool. And they do look cool. But if you want a great shooter get a Govt. or Commander.

 

[88E30M50]

I'm a fan of the compact 1911s. Right now I have a Kimber Compact on my hip. I do have a full size 1911 and don't carry it anymore due to that extra inch of barrel. I find that it does make a difference for me. I have not had any issues with any of the compact 1911s I have. When I carry the compacts, I carry a spare pair of full size magazines, but keep a short, compact size magazine in the gun. That gives me the small carry size, but still allows for full size reloads. Sure, the full size mag will stick out of the gun, but if I'm in a situation where I have to use a spare mag, I'll accept the fashion faux pa of the long mag.

 

[Dewidmt]

I've got 3 in the carry rotation right now; LW Colt Commander (4.25" barrel), Springfield LW Champion (4" barrel), and a Springfield LW Carry Comp (4.5" barrel on a LW Officer's frame).
I prefer the lighter weight 1911's for carry purposes, I've never found the 3/4"-1" less barrel length to be a problem, they all shoot 2-3" groups at 15 yards. I would not go less than 4" for barrel length, as posted above, they can be problematic in their functioning.
I personally would stay away from the compact Kimbers, I haven't seen one yet that runs correctly. Colt or Springfield seem to be reliable in my experience.

 

[tradertator]

I have had my Kimber Tactical Ultra Carry II for about 8 years. I've carried it on the regular since I bought it. It has ran flawlessly, and is very light / comfortable to carry. That said, I prefer the full size 1911's. They are not much harder to conceal, and are much more comfortable for my ape-ish hands.

I will admit though, nowadays I carry my Sig P238 75% of the time in a Desantis Nemesis holster in my front jeans pocket.

 

[rlidgard]

i have the kimber pro model which is the four inch model. and i think its perfect on every way. very nice to carry. forget its there sometimes

 

[wetidlerjr]

Colt (TALO) CCO

 

[gdog243]

I have A new Kimber Super Pro Carry 4" for about A month. I am starting to carry daily in OWB holster. Going to be A great carry gun.

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

3.5" doublestack Para. I'm getting another one as soon as I can find one as a backup.

 

[ghuns]

The Kimber pro CDP II is pretty sweet but pricey and "breaking it in" will about drive you broke. They are crazy tight out of the box.

I've got 3 in the carry rotation right now; LW Colt Commander (4.25" barrel), Springfield LW Champion (4" barrel), and a Springfield LW Carry Comp (4.5" barrel on a LW Officer's frame).

Does your LW Carry Comp have a compensator threaded onto the end of the barrel? I have one that I bought used about 12 years ago and have only ever seen 1 other one like it. I have done some minor work to it and it's my favorite 1911 by far. If it had the champion's frame I would pronounce it "perfect".

 

[Bonez87]

I have a kimber ultra carry ii with crimson laser and it is a great carry gun. Very concealable. It is very accurate and still packs 7+1 of 45 ACP.

 

[Captain Bligh]

Shoot just as well? No. All other things being equal, the 5" gun will outshoot the 3" gun, and will feel better doing it...

I have no experience with 3" guns so perhaps that statement is true? However, I have a 4" Kimber Compact (steel-framed, Series I) that I will put up against ANY 5". It shoots circles around my full-sized 1911.

It is somewhat heavier to carry compared to plastic, alloy, or smaller-steel guns but is superior in every other way.