OK I have my money in my pocket ready to go and am going to spend it on a 3 inch 1911 in 9mm. I can't make up my mind as which gun to buy. The Colt and the EMP are alot alike and both have good reviews. I know that Springfield has very good service but not sure what Colt offers in the way of service. What are the form members feeling on these two guns.

Buy the Colt - It will only go up in value.

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Living a dream - S&WCA #2364

Yes on the Springfield Service. Not any dealing with Colt for me.What way are you tending?Good luck let us all know.

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Spin The Wheel

always colt

i have the EMP in 40 & 9 not any trouble with either. .What brought me to the EMP,S is customer service from Springfield. I wonder about Colt 's service

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age is just a number

I know that 3inch 1911 can be a problem if not set up just right. Thus the Springfield service is a important factor but a colt is a colt and if I know the service is good I may go that way.

Colt has gone bankrupt how many times? Yes, the little pony seems to command more cash, but for full time service and reliability I'd go with the Springfield.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

I have the EMP9 - SA service has been outstanding with three different 1911s. I have a Colt 1911 (actually a safe queen), but with no Colt service experience.

For a working gun, the EMP9 is good.

FWIW, I went with the colt defender chambered in 45 auto and the recoil is very manageable and feels good in the hand. Never had a problem with the gun (or my 1991a1) so I cant comment on their service.

tx40d

Bought the EMP a couple years ago. The EMP was a ground up build first introduced in 2007. Compared to a standard 1911, all dimensions of the gun were shrunk a few mm's to accommodate the shorter 9mm round. Series 70 design with no barrel bushing and double recoil spring. Being slightly smaller than a regular 1911 results in a grip circumference that is slightly smaller. I like a smaller grip so the in hand feel is perfect.

With the full length bull barrel, recoil is manageable and accuracy is excellent. Crisp trigger at a hair under 5 lbs. The proprietary mags made by Mec-Gar are top quality. Standard Trijicon night sights. 26 ounce area unloaded.

Absolutely love the gun. Has never missed a beat. Nothing but good to say about the folks at SA. Like the company and product so much I currently have the Loaded Combat Operator 9mm on order at the LGS.

Just my input on the Springer. Can't comment on the Colt.
Klyde

I've had two Colt Defenders in .45acp. That is one sturdy little pistol, and it felt solid in my hand. No problems with the pistol, and no problem handling recoil, so you sure shouldn't have any issues with 9mm recoil.

Colt's financial troubles and all the negative comments from Colt haters are immaterial to me. A Colt's a Colt, and if I could afford it, I'd have a bunch of 'em.

Get the Colt.

In over 50 years owning and shooting Colt 1911s, I've never had to send one in for service.
I've never had any interest in firearms made in Brazil.

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Living a dream - S&WCA #2364

To echo what KLYDE said-

They are not the same pistol with different brand names. The EMP is (slightly) smaller, in proportion to the smaller round.

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Because of the metric system?

Love my Colt Defender in .45 ACP, I also bought a Springfield Armory Ultra Compact .45 ACP, both have night sights (Trijicon), both are super reliable and never had any problems with them.



I carry the Colt Defender most of the time. I would buy another Colt or Springfield without hesitation. I have the full size Springfield TRP and Colt Government S-80. I prefer the 45 to the 9mm, not that there is anything wrong with the 9mm, I just like to have the bigger advantage, night sights, laser sights in my favor if the time come, day or night.

Just on the outside chance that someday you may need to sell it...Get the Colt.

Not even a second thought about it. I would buy the Springer in a heart beat over the Colt. The later IMO is not even in the ball park for quality.
Pick up a Colt and shake it then do the same with the Springer. The Colt will rattle but the Springer will not. My LGS had me do this just to see how sloppy the Colt was.

Every time I read stuff like this, I just sorta lean back in my chair and look out the window, or stare off into space, or take another sip, or pet the dog or something. Or maybe all of those things, who knows. Once my head stops shaking, I get back to what I was doing.

I wish I had a dollar for every comment I've read about how the Colts rattle and how sloppy a Colt is. If I did, I'd be out at the LGS right now, buying another Colt.

Frankly, if I was lookin' at a regular ol' 1911 Government Model and it didn't rattle a little, I probably wouldn't buy it.

Emp my 3" is awsome and if you buy a new Springfield you get a mail card for four free mags holster and mag holder that is a $200.00 free gift.

I've owned them both, and they both have their pros and cons, IMO. My EMP was in 9mm, and the Defenders I've owned were in 9mm and .45 ACP.

The EMP was about $200 higher than the Defender in the gun shops around where I lived. The EMP is a somewhat smaller gun, which may make it easier to carry (I didn't carry either one.) The EMP isn't a "traditional" 1911, and doesn't accept many standard 1911 parts. Both of them seem to hold their value, although Colt has many more fans. Both shoot very well, IMO, and mine were reliable.

Springfield has excellent service (I had experience with them on a different pistol) and they are very fast. Colt's service varies from slow to very slow...and they sometimes get focused on large contracts (primarily military and police) and individual guns can get pushed to the back burner. I've owned a number of Colt 1911s, from full size, Commander, and Defender, and I only had a problem with one (and it was pretty minor, but took a LONG time to get resolved.) Colt makes a beautiful gun, IMO, but then the EMP is a little jewel in its own right.

I don't think you could really go wrong with either one, depending on what you want. If you want a great little carry gun, the EMP will certainly fill the bill. The Defender will as well, and also being a Colt, has a rich American tradition. The Defender does have one advantage that the EMP doesn't (unless they have started making one lately) and that is it is available in .45 ACP.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Forgot about the free mag offer. I'm hoping my Loaded Operator arrives soon before it ends.

That's a good deal! I never could find mags for my EMP when I owned it.

Thank you all for your replys to my post. Some thoughts about some of them. The free mags are a big plus. Some one pointed out that the EMP was $200 more than the Colt. In fact the difference is the EMP being $63 higher than the Colt at Buds. At the end of the day I do not care what name is on my gun. I want it to work well, do what I need it to do and should I have problems I want fast good service. That being said I think the EMP is the way to go. Colt is a great old American name and I hope they can get it togeather and be great again. For the record I am not a Colt hater because Colt would not have been one of my two choices.

That was me...and that was the price difference at the local gun shops around me (more or less, the average.) That was also about 10 years ago, now that I think about it...man, how time flies!