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Your thoughts on compact 1911s

Rockrivr1

Rockrivr1

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I made the royal of all mistakes last week. I test drove a friends 1911 Colt Defender and liked it a lot. Now I've got a bug to buy a compact model 1911 for myself. I had a Springfield Armory Champion in Commander size. It was a nice gun, but was finicky with ammo. Would shoot 185gr bullets, but turned into a jam-o-matic if you shot anything bigger. I traded it at the time for a DE in 357 mag.

Now though I'm looking to get another compact 1911. All kinds of fun sizes out there. The 3" Defender, the 4" Commander and the Officers model which I think is a mix of them. I'm thinking of this as a colder weather CCW so I'm leaning towards the Defender model.

I haven't had much experience with these so looking for some comments on the different models. I'd like to be able to run the full gambit of round sizes, so I'd want to stay away from anything finicky like the Champion was.

Thanks
 
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I had a rock island officers. It was ok with ball but had issues with hp that my full size rock didnt.

I have a ruger cmd that runs mint after break in.

Personally i dont think short 1911s run as well as full size.

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My Colt Defender is dear to my heart. It comes at a premium. Too bad you cannot buy them in the state. I would own only Colt if I could. Just a snob.
 
Instructors who see large numbers of guns and millions of rounds a year will tell you that the 1911 was designed as a 5" and the shorter they get, the less reliable they are.
 
I had a SIG ultra compact 1911. It had an external extractor to make the 1911 purists cringe. When I got it, I couldn't eject live rounds. Had to do some work on the ejector to get that fixed. It ran well with most ammo except Remington. It would jam every single round with Remington. Stovepipes and double feeds every time. I never had a single issue running hot carry ammo, but I rightfully didn't have much confidence in it. It was a gorgeous gun, but it had to go.

I've always liked the look of compact 1911's but doubt I'll ever own one again.
 
Don't do it. Skip all that shit and get a G30SF/G30S (or a springfield XDS or whatever) and be done with it.

Small 1911s are a fool's errand. I had a couple of officer's mods that ran OK but frankly after shooting something like a G30 I'd never own a small 1911 ever again. Done.

-Mike
 
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Personally I love the 5" and it's the only 1911 I'd ever own.

drgrant said:
Don't do it. Skip all that shit and get a G30SF and be done with it.
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drgrant said:
Small 1911s are a fools errand. I had a couple of officer's mods that ran OK but frankly after shooting something like a G30 I'd never own a small 1911 ever again. Done.

-Mike
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Or that LOL.
 
For fun, or for carry?

For fun, go crazy!

For carry, see drgrant's response. My XDS is a sweet little thing.
 
drgrant said:
Don't do it. Skip all that shit and get a G30SF/G30S (or a springfield XDS or whatever) and be done with it.

Small 1911s are a fool's errand. I had a couple of officer's mods that ran OK but frankly after shooting something like a G30 I'd never own a small 1911 ever again. Done.

-Mike
Click to expand...

+1 For carry..... I have the Ruger CMD , but still carry my gen 4 g30 over that.
 
I wouldn't go with anything under a 4" barrel. If you can conceal a full size 1911, do it. I'm looking at one with a 4.33" barrel for my next 1911 purchase.

BTW, there are people out there that simply don't like grocks. I don't own one and intend to never purchase one. I don't care if they came out with one that could kill a building, it's not for me.
 
I'm a huge 1911 fan..... I have a Colt Defender and a Kimber Ultra Carry II..... I love them both, but I favor the Colt a little..... Problem is, they are so nice, I hate to carry them all the time....They would get too beat up for expensive guns..... I also carry a Glock 30...which I don't mind it getting worn and torn.... I suppose its how you plan to carry.... if you expect lots of wear, go for a plastic gun....if you can protect the finish...go for Defender or UC II.....
 
I've had good luck with my 3" S&W Pro. It also has the external extractor and the only issues I've seen it experience are ammo (bad rim, nothing for extractor to grab) and magazine (1 mag volcanos out the top on the last round....).

That said, I've yet to put more than 300 rounds through it between cleanings and I have not taken it to a multi-day course. I did oil it, stick it in the safe for a year, and then take it out and run 100 flawless rounds through it with no additional lube added.
 
Get one that is built right, use good mags and it will run.
I sold a 3" STI to a friend that shot it in an all day self defense class and it ran 100%, It never had a issue when I used it either
 
I've got an oddball Springfield Armory Compact (Officer's Model size) with a compensator that brings it to Commander legnth. Runs perfect with everything except bargain basement reloads. Carries nice, I just don't like a safety on a CC piece, so it is a range or SHTF gun only.
 
I recently picked up a Colt Defender and hit the range yesterday putting 150rds of ball through it without issue. I really like this gun as I do my Government models. It was suggested to me to upgrade the recoil assembly to that of the Kimber Ultra Carry which I have now done.
 
drgrant said:
Don't do it. Skip all that shit and get a G30SF/G30S (or a springfield XDS or whatever) and be done with it.

Small 1911s are a fool's errand. I had a couple of officer's mods that ran OK but frankly after shooting something like a G30 I'd never own a small 1911 ever again. Done.

-Mike
Click to expand...

You can't pay me enough to carry a DAO gun of any sort. I will only ever carry a SA, 1911 or close to (938/238). I have multiple sub 5" 1911s and ZERO reliability issues after 1000s of rounds.

You can keep your glock...
 
Wow, it's almost dead even between love and hate this kind of 1911. I did enjoy shooting the Colt Defender, but at $1k for free staters I'd hate to see what one would cost in this state..... I'm thinking the Kimber would be in the same price range.
 
Davidk said:
Instructors who see large numbers of guns and millions of rounds a year will tell you that the 1911 was designed as a 5" and the shorter they get, the less reliable they are.
Click to expand...

I think that 3" reliability may have been a factor way back when, much more so than today.
You know, technology and all that stuff. I have three 3" 1911's that are bomb proof reliable, a 3" Kimber 45, a Smith and Wesson 3" 45 and a Colt defender 3" 9mm . The only issue that I've seen with the 1911 is that limp wristed shooters can encourage failures. but that's true with any length 1911. I'm selling the Colt defender only because I prefer a checkered front strap and it's to costly to remove the Colt finish, add checkering and then refinish. I will replace it with another 3" 1911 9mm that's checkered.
 
M60 said:
I think that 3" reliability may have been a factor way back when, much more so than today.
You know, technology and all that stuff. I have three 3" 1911's that are bomb proof reliable, a 3" Kimber 45, a Smith and Wesson 3" 45 and a Colt defender 3" 9mm . The only issue that I've seen with the 1911 is that limp wristed shooters can encourage failures. but that's true with any length 1911. I'm selling the Colt defender only because I prefer a checkered front strap and it's to costly to remove the Colt finish, add checkering and then refinish. I will replace it with another 3" 1911 9mm that's checkered.
Click to expand...
X1
 
I have a Sig Ultra, absolutly love it, carry it all the time. It eats anything, even my puss puss loads that I use for steel plates. If you feel the need to shot it and are in the Hopkinton area, PM me. Will be happy to let you shoot it as much as you like. I even know where you can get one.
 
I have a S&W 3" 1911 with 750-1000 rounds through it and so far it's been good to me. The only complaints I have is it didn't come with night sights and the finish of some parts could have been little better. Oh and if you buy one of these check to make sure your guide rod is installed correctly!
 

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