for years I carried some sort of 1911 only while a PO. I had full size, commander size and even officer sizes at some point. For the last several years I have been carrying a Glock 19, a Shield or my M&P 340 as well as some other striker fired, mid sized guns. I strapped on my full size custom 1911 while walking up on the Grand Mesa today and really noticed how heavy that old beast was. Still love the platform though.

Every once in a while ill strap on the ol 1026 and make a run to the store right quick and thats a boat anchor...

I have a commander sized .45 I some times thunk about carrying, I'm just so use to the G19 I throw it on appendix IWB no issues....

Deffinatly tell a difference between old steel and new plastic

__________________
This is the way....

My current EDC is a Beretta PX4 Compact. Certainly not a heavy, all-metal, full-size gun. But once in a while I'll carry my 642 instead. Man, what a difference!

FWIW, still hoping to get some carry gear for my Beretta 92FS so I can give that a try. Not a high priority right now, though.

47 ounces without a magazine ..... LOL

Huh? Sounds like a Star Megastar, not a 1911.

__________________
Release the Kraken

I Used to carry a full sized 1911 and then a commander years ago.
I do not even own a 1911 anymore. I should have one just for range use but I ain’t got there yet.
Last time I handled one I was reminded why I was so fond of my 3” J frame and Sig 365 XL. Dang those 1911’s are big and heavy compared to those two.

I'm in the same boat. I really want to transition to my full size Gov. 1911 for EDC but my EDC for years has been a Glock 27., pretty hard to beat. Now open carry in a good rig., much more enjoyable with the 1911., IWB is gonna be challenging., maybe a high ride pancake holster with untucked Hawaiian shirt is my ticket.

I have probably carried the 1911 more than any other. Lately this....

Attached Images

Bianchi Askins Avenger.jpg (185.2 KB, 408 views)

__________________
Living a dream - S&WCA #2364

That's what they make Lightweight Commanders for...

My Kimber CDP Pro is still my favorite ccw gun. My M&P 9's are a break-even in weight, with more ammo, but that slim profile of the 1911 is hard to beat.

This would be another choice - Commander LW 9mm.

Attached Images

El Paso Saddlery.jpg (211.5 KB, 272 views)

__________________
Living a dream - S&WCA #2364

The pistol is intended to be comforting, not comfortable.

Personally, after only 51 years of use I find the full-size 1911 pistol to be the most comforting accessory I can have.

Your methods may vary. Your results may vary.

I find my M&P more comforting. 18>8. Running out of ammunition in a gang situation would be discomforting. Perhaps only briefly.

God designed the human body so that JMB could put the 1911 behind the hip at 4 o'clock in Milt Sparks leather. It's in the Scriptures. Someplace.

And then he sent the prophet Gaston to comfort those who needed a reliable companion right out of the box and to help ease the heavy burden of those encumbered with back pain.

__________________
Live long and prosper

And then he sent the heretic Gaston... (Fixed it for ya. )

Just kidding. Gxxxxs are OK, if you like them, and don’t feel comfortable unless your pistol holds half a box of shells.

If the 1911 is too heavy, there’s always the Commander (and the P365 ).

When the Old One returned from the wilderness, he viewed what Gaston had wrought, and cried, "Thou art a false prophet! The skin of your spawn is slippery like a serpent, and gives not the comfort of wood or the finest ivory. It causes those who must turn to it in need to point high. And if the backs of thy followers suffer with pains, losing pounds from their increasingly ample backsides will serve their needs better than a few deceitful ounces of plastic! And further it is ... fat. Return thy spawn to its box, and trouble the faithful no more."

So it was written. So it must be.

Attached Images

	20191225_095452.jpg (126.0 KB, 124 views)
	20190203_154019.jpg (136.4 KB, 123 views)
	20190203_154208.jpg (103.5 KB, 120 views)

YES! I am lefty, My LES BAER 1911 sits at 8 o'clock in Milt SPARKS IWB while driving , while riding horse , while shopping and in church.

__________________
V/r,
Markham

I find my Colt Government models easier to carry than my 4566, but prefer the double action for carry. I will say this though: Can't beat the Colt for it's balance in the hand. Nothing feels like that!

Agree with Squidsix...I moved away from the 1911s as a carry gun as I prefer a DA/SA for a civilian concealed carry gun vs. cocked and locked.

I agree with you except I have a P220 instead of a 4566. Larry

First pistol I ever carried was a Colt Commander in (of course!!!) .45 ACP. Never noticed it being heavy. That was back in 1980 when I worked at nights on the intercostal waterway in New Orleans, LA. Sincerely. bruce.

__________________
<><

We've been spoiled by the plastic guns in terms of weight and carry comfort.

I get a lot of miles out of my Colt Commander!

The 38 Super version of this is being built, slowly, but surely.

This one rides in a Kramer belt scabbard. It works for me

Attached Images

	DSCF0237_zps81f749d8.jpg (116.4 KB, 1825 views)
	DSC_0039_zpsfeq1hr2i.jpg (191.4 KB, 1828 views)

__________________
On the Oak Savannah

Bobtail Commanders are my favorite . That is very nice , stag grips look great !

Nothing wrong with old school either.....c1919 Commercial




Or a little less raucous.....

Attached Images

	DSC_0130.jpg (117.4 KB, 1223 views)
	DSCF0235_zps55d313f4.jpg (132.8 KB, 1214 views)

__________________
On the Oak Savannah

Not trying to get too far off the OP's post, but thank you for posting this one again. I have enjoyed it for years.

__________________
Rather be outdoors

there is always a comfort in what we DID that is a bit different from what we DO now... they are both fine... do I like the 1911... I must, I have a few in all the different sizes, and only one oddball not in 45acp... do I carry one... not much any more... I carry small and alloy or plastic 95% of the time... but that 5% brings back memories of yore... all good

Throufg the years I have carried a lot of 1911's. All sizes - when younger, full size, then commander, and today a .45 ACP Sig Ultra Compact 1911 with a 3.3" barrel. My EDC first choice over the last several years has been a .38 Spl. J-frame 649. I rarely go out without it, but when I do, I carry my Sig Ultra.
I have a hard time retiring the 1911 platform because I am quite comfortable and proficient with it. I really like my J's and 1911's.

My EDC is a full size 1911.

Reminds me of how I used to carry a Walther PPK/S then moved to a Ruger LCP.

My PPK/S was fitted with a thick pair of rosewood grips so it weighed 25oz or more fully loaded, whereas the LCP might weigh 12oz loaded.

__________________
Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

As Ray (Lobo) said, and I agree, there is nothing quite as comforting.

Attached Images

SAM_1394.jpg (93.9 KB, 201 views)

__________________
In Omnia Paratus

Beautiful rig! School me.

Thanks!

Thank you ThinManX. I think the Heiser 728 carved & laced is
quite easy on the eyes too.

But, when carrying cocked and locked I like that extra layer of
safety provided by the strap snapping between the hammer and
the firing pin. Here are three examples, left to right:

DeSantis HRT (named for the FBI's hostage rescue team)
Bucheimer's Concealer
Safariland's "Top Gun"

Attached Images

	SAM_1384.jpg (106.2 KB, 189 views)
	SAM_0758.jpg (110.8 KB, 195 views)
	SAM_0866.jpg (112.0 KB, 191 views)

__________________
In Omnia Paratus

Only way I carried back in the day....................one of the reasons I moved away from Cocked and locked is I discovered Milt Sparks Summer Specials..... and began to replace my Bianchi Pistol Pockets.

To crazyphil and Lobo, I agree with what you said. For at least 25 of my 36+years in LE I carried nothing else but a 1911 and to this day, I don't think any thing is better for the individual who takes the time to learn and train the proper method of carry ie. condition 1. It just felt right carried in a Milt Sparks Summer Special yesterday. I could very easily go back to carrying a 1911 but maybe a Commander.

I carried a C Commander as a duty weapon for years. I didn't notice the weight, but that was before the Glock Revolution and the general acceptance of the 9mm. I still have a Colt Combat Commander I spent too much on, as well as a full size RIA, which is a fine pistol. But why put much money on accessories on a RIA? Here's my Colt, which I fancied up a bit.

BAM-BAM, I have one of those fine custom BHP's as well and love it muchly!

I own a full-size S&W Model 1911. Love the gun but I find it too heavy to carry. Of course, it certainly helps to use a belt intended for gun carry rather than a $9.95 belt from Walmart.

Warm weather carry is a S & W Shield in .45 ACP . I still carry a S & W 1911 SC in cooler months . 28.8 ounces is not that bad for a Commander sized weapon .

Grand Mesa? Sounds like you were on the GJPD or the MCSO. I was on the GJPD in the 70s before taking a higher paying LE job in another state. Back then we were issued the S&W Model 15 or we could carry a personal revolver as long as it could fire the 38 Special. I carried a 4" Model 19. I still get back there once a year for hunting or to see family or the in-laws.

By the way, the old shooting range on Hwy 141/32 Road used to have a great bunch of 45 shooters... even before IPSC became popular. I'm still shootin' the old war horses in all sizes too.

__________________
Keep your powder dry.

I like 1911's. The real ones with steel frames and 5'' barrels, I have three. They shoot real well but that's a lot o' steel to be packing every day.

I just bought a sub compact 9 mm HK P-30 SK. Light weight and big enough to shoot well. LEM with a hammer so no controls like a Glock but not a striker.

The HK45 has basically replaced the 1911. Well, not totally because there will always be retro shootist, but the real utility is polymer now.

I own a bunch of 1911's and S&W revolvers and I love those things for what they are. The first handgun I owned was a revolver in 1965 and I've had at least one ever since. I still carry one from time to time, but the real packin pistol is light weight and polymer something or other.

__________________
That's just somebody talkin.

As you can imagine, when I read this I ran to my gun room and opened the safe in a dither. Fearing the worst, I was prepared to exclaim, "Nein! Nein! Was ist loss? Wo sind miene 1911 pistolen?"

Fortunately, they were still there.

Attached Images

20200627_145440.jpg (78.5 KB, 85 views)

I have most of the 1911 sizes but generally carry a Combat Commander when I carry one. I have always liked the 1911 platform and enjoy shooting it, of course in 45 ACP.

Taj, There are 1911s and then there are Swenson 1911s, would love to see any photos you would share of “Ralph”, especially closeups up Armand’s handwork.

__________________
kbgrips.com

So, we have someone who is familiar with and appreciates the work of Armand D. Swenson. Attached photos show a Swenson-Colt Government Model, frame dated to 1968, demonstrating just about all of A.D. Swenson's innovations. Forward and rear barrel positioning, slide top stippled and bordered, S&W revolver sight beautifully fitted into the slide, Swenson's outstanding ambi-safety (now an industry standard), satin hard chrome finish, checkered front strap and front of trigger guard squared & checkered, expanded ejection port.

This one came from the estate of an old Texas lawman, Clifford Louis Causey (and yes, his name is engraved inside the slide as Mr. Swenson did on custom order pistols). Complete with Mr. Causey's Lawrence scabbard holster, floral carved and suede lined.

Family legend is that Mr. Causey served as a Texas Ranger. My inquiries to the Ranger Hall of Fame cannot support this, but it remains possible as his career spanned the 1930's to 1960's during which time records are notoriously incomplete, and many "special ranger" commissions were issued to local law men and others assisting multi-jurisdictional investigations run by the Rangers.

Sold last week and ready for delivery to a Swenson collector.

Attached Images

	PTDC0010.JPG (182.4 KB, 90 views)
	PTDC0009.JPG (185.0 KB, 86 views)
	PTDC0012.JPG (158.8 KB, 79 views)
	PTDC0014.JPG (195.7 KB, 84 views)

Some of those old guys built the best guns....... wish I'd taken the risk and gotten a Austin Behlert (sp) custom High-Power back in the 80s.

I was out all afternoon with my Kimber Ultra Raptor strapped to my right hip and two extra mags on my left, I never noticed the weight because that is my typical everyday carry.
Our church is having its first service, since the Covid-19 shut down started, tomorrow morning. I am on the Security Team and will be carrying a full-size Colt 1911.

I carry everywhere outside my home, every day, and have, for going on over 35 years now. 99.99% of the time, it's been a full-size 1911. No other gun I have ever held/fired, in my life, fits my hand better. A Browning HP comes close, but still not quite as good a fit.

I carried a variety of wheelguns as a LEO, before semi-autos were allowed by my department, and I was perfectly comfortable with all of them. Once semi's were allowed, however, I carried a 1911 until the day I was mandated to go to a Glock 22. But when the workday was over, and I was back in civies, the 1911 still went back on me in an IWB.

I don't mind the weight, and I've never had an issue concealing one.

The only place I don't wear one, is on a bicycle. Then it's two J-frames in a twin kydex horizontal shoulder rig.

I simply can't envision a time when a 1911 won't be my first choice. I simply love 'em.

This magazine started it all for me, about a year later I had my first Colt .45 auto, a new Gold Cup, 305 and change out the door, course I had to have my dad actually buy it ! Thanks dad!

__________________
kbgrips.com

Most days I carry a Shield 9mm, but every now and then I get the urge to take my officer size 1911 or Browning high power. Though heavier, the satisfaction outweighs the added ounces, and having a "proper gun belt and holster" makes it really no burden at all.

Attached Images

	IMG_6565.jpg (61.6 KB, 51 views)
	Hi Power with Summer Comfort Holster.jpg (69.4 KB, 54 views)
	High Power Carry.jpg (62.8 KB, 55 views)

__________________
Stay protected my friends.