Compact 1911s

[Grayfox]

Ok, y'all know me. Aside from my addiction to S&W revolvers, I am equaly addicted to the 1911 pistol.
I have Government Models, Commander sized pistols and Longslides. Mostly Colts, a few Springfields and a couple of other makers as well.
Yet I have never owned an Officer's size/compact 1911. I remember when they first came out that there were lots of feeding and function issues. But it seems that most of those have been worked out now.
I was at a gun show last weekend and handled a Sig compact 1911. Nice gun, losts of extras and it felt pretty good in my hand. But the $1000 price tag made me reconsider.
Frankly, I believe that the Colt Lightweight Commander is the ideal 1911 carry gun. One of these has been my primary carry for quite a few years now and I'm perfectly happy with it.
But for some reason I have a hankering to add one of the Compacts to my collection. I guess its just because I don't have one.

Anyway, I'm going to another gun show in two weeks. So I'm looking for the members of this forum to either talk me into or out of buying one.
Tell me about your experiences with the little 1911s. The good, the bad, the brands you like and those you hate. Anything and everything that might come to mind.

I have no particular price range in mind. But naturally, the less costly the better. I'd like a good gun, but not necessarly the best. And let's leave the custom makers out of this. Just stick to regular factory offerings. If I buy one and like it, I can always upgrade at some later time. For now I just wanna get my feet wet with a good quality pistol that's worth its price.

Ok, you know what I'm looking for, so have at it!

 

[Aemsl69]

I've got several short 1911's. A Colt Officers Enhanced, A Colt New Agent in 9mm and Kimber Ultra CDP II. I've never had success in getting the Officer to run well.

Now the New Agent runs anything I put thru it. Never had a single problem and love it.

My Kimber runs awesome as well. Never had a malfunction. Will shoot anything I put thru. One of the finest 1911's I've ever had.

I have a Colt Defender in .45 ACP on order as well.

I love my short 1911's especially with allow frames. Great carry platforms.

I'd spend the money and get one.

Mike

 

[BigCityChief]

I have several compact 1911's - a Dan Wesson ECO, a Colt Defender, a Sig Ultra, and a Kimber Super Carry Ultra HD. Before you go out and spend a fortune on one of these, look at Rock Island Armory's Compact pistol and Metro Arms' Amigo (American Classic). They're great entry/level compact 1911's at modest prices. Good luck with your choice.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sw1834]

Love my S&W Pro Series

I only have one 1911 compact. Mine is a Smith and Wesson Pro series with 3" barrel. You know as well as any of us the natural point and shoot characteristics of the 1911. I barely have to use my sights. I love this gun and have put a lot of rounds through it. Mine even came with an extra spring just in case. I still haven't used the second spring.
Clean it after each range session and no problems. I will include a pic of my 3" pro series next to a full size 645 just for comparison.

SWCA #1834

 

[badge]

I have a Rock Island compact and wasn't sure if I'd warm to it. I'd ordered a Commander sized and this one came in so I took it. 3" barrel. I really do like it. My only gripe is that the company recommends 500 rounds for " break in ". Yikes. I've got about 200 through it and it is startling accurate.

 

[2hawk]

Colt seem to have figured out how to make them run well. I have a Defender that is totally reliable as long as I don't try to feed it SWC profiles. And it is a joy to carry!

 

[denverpilot]

Not necessarily my opinion, but Rob Pincus has one on compact 1911's for self-defense...

http://youtu.be/2P0edDYdqXU

It was over a year ago. I wonder if he ever had to pay up.

My S&W Pro 3" 1911 hasn't made it through a range session without a malfunction yet. It was my late father's so I won't sell it, but it'd have to be the only handgun in the safe to reach for it when I needed it. It never malfunctions on the first round, so that's something. Ha.

That said, I do love shooting it. It'll be a range gun for life or until a gunsmith figures out what it's problem is.

And I do have other 1911s I trust. But not that one.

Sorry I know it's a a Smithy forum. I also have a Gen 3 -- and that pistol I do trust with my life.

Not intending to start any arguments. Just sharing.

 

[Grayfox]

I just remembered another reason that I've shyed away from the compacts all this time. Several years ago our IDPA group held a BUG match. I think there were three of the compact 1911s in our group. None of them made it through the match without a malfunction.
Like I said earlier, I do believe they have pretty much solved the problems with the compacts so I'm willing to give them a try. But let me be clear, I have no intention of replacing my Commander as my primary.
I'm already giving serious consideration to the Rock Island guns. I've heard only good things about these. But nobody around here has one in stock. Matter of fact, there are very few compact 1911s to be found around here. So that's why I'm having to depend on finding one at a gun show.

 

[skeezix]

I have a first generation Kimber Ultra Carry. I bought it used, so it was already broken-in. Very reliable and shoots everything I've tried - even my LSWC reloads. Nice lightweight carry gun for when I want to go big-bore, and recoil is surprisingly mild.

 

[old&slow]

I have a few 5" government 1911's. Only one Kimber 3" tactical ultra. When I first got it , I had problems with failure to feed the last round. I got new wilson magazines , still had problems.

I called Kimber. They said send it back. A few weeks later I got the firearm back. I haven't had any problems since. I've shot it in a few CCW type matches and have run several hundred rounds thru it with no problems.

I usually have my J frame close at hand. But when I don't it's the 3" Kimber. It's one of my favorites. And it carrys almost as easy as the j frame.

Currently don't have a 4" 1911 ,, but it's on my short list..

 

[old&slow]

Not necessarily my opinion, but Rob Pincus has one on compact 1911's for self-defense...

Subcompact 1911s Just don't work well.... - YouTube


Not intending to start any arguments. Just sharing.

It's true back in the old days , even custom gunsmiths had trouble getting a 3" 1911 to run right.
And even with me being a die hard 1911 fan, I think a 1911 might need some tender loving care before it's a 100%.
I've had several 1911's. Some worked fine out of the box ,, some didn't.
But, Just because some self proclaimed expert doesn't care for XYZ type firearm and thinks it's a piece of junk, doesn't mean it's so.
If I remember right Pincus doesn't care for any 1911. But, Jeff Cooper thought 1911 were pretty good.
So choose your side. 9mm or 45 acp ,, 1911 or Glock,, steel or plastic ,, Ford or Chevy. Also not intending to start an argument. If you are happy with your choice, that's fine by me.

By the way, Love my 3" Kimber tractical Ultra.

 

[Dennis The B]

It Is A Government Model

This one is even more compact than the "officer" sized guns. Just picked it up this past weekend. It shoots like a dream.

 

[dmar]

I can't speak to 'off-brand' 3" models, but both my Colt Defender and Colt Officers model have been 100% reliable. The Defender is my go-to carry piece and it is an accurate and soft shooting gun. I prefer to carry it than my Commander models.

The Defender has eaten everything I've fed it, including my SWC reloads. IMO, it's a great carry option.

 

[Tracer_Bullet]

I had a SW Pro Series 3" (Lew Horton version), had multiple malfunctions every time I took it out, sent it back to the factory twice and they made several adjustments to it but I still couldn't get it to function reliably. Sold it with full disclosure of the issues and got a SW 1911SC to replace it, which I am much happier with.
I also have a Colt Officers ACP that I bought used. I had to replace the extractor and recoil springs, but it has run like a Swiss watch ever since.

 

[galena]

I have had a Colt Compact Series 80 for several years. I only run 230 grainers through it but I have never had any issues with it at all. I recently picked up a Legacy (Citadel) (RIA) compact in 9mm, it has been flawless so far.

 

[eveled]

I'm sorry, I just don't understand the appeal of a compact 1911. The barrel is easy to hide, it is the grip that prints. Add in the lost energy from the shorter barrel and the greater potential for malfunctions, makes them even less appealing.

In an all steel gun, I want the government size 5inch barrel.

For CCW the lightweight Commander is the perfect size.

If anything I would go with a commander barrel, and a officer sized frame.

To each his own, and I am not trying to bash anybody, just my opinion. Ed.

 

[Stevie]

So I bought a cheaper 3 inch 1911 style pistol..an ATI Titan-LW .45acp...This thing looks much like anybody elses 3" 1911 officer's style gun.

Works great!..The only thing is it don't like hollowpoints. Was beaning me in the head with brass..so I switched to Kimber mags which for whatever reason fixed the brass to face.

Observations on the three inch guns...can be shot just as accurately as a full-size...get dirtier than a full-size...carry easier than a full-size.

So I impulse bought a cheap 3" 1911...now have faith in the concept of a midget 1911 .45acp....and sort-of want to up-grade to a Kimber or Colt..the conundrum being that what if the $1000 Kimber or Colt replacement ain't as good as the $500 Philippine made gun??

No..I'm not touting the virtues of the ATI Titan. Mine works great..yours may not. I'm just saying a three inch 1911 style .45 pistol can work as good as any other

 

[WC145]

Personally, I don't like the 3" versions. If I'm going with a compact 1911 Officers size (3.5") is the smallest for me. I have a custom Colt 1991A1 Compact that runs great, no issues, and a Springfield 9mm Ultra Compact lightweight that I recently traded into. The Springfield has turned out to be a great carry gun - it's light, thin, accurate, has decent capacity (8+1) and is reliable with all the ammo I've tried so far including the hot Federal 9BPLE 115gr +P+ I use for carry ammo. I agree that a Commander is probably the best compromise and I carry mine often but this little Springfield is pretty handy.

 

[KevinCH]

My wife bought me this in early 2001 shortly after we were married. (Well, I sold off a 4516-1 to a very close friend to partially fund it).

Now, 14 years later, I find myself with a renewed interest in 2nd & 3rd generation S&W autos. While I would like to have my 4516-1 back & have the first right of refusal if the current owner ever decides to sell, I don't regret selling it off & replacing it with this Kimber Ultra CDP. As it was manufactured in 2000, it is a "first generation", not a "II" model, & does not have the extra firing pin safety - sort of like a comparison between a Series 70 & Series 80 Colt, although the safety in a Kimber II is different than that of the Series 80.

Anyway, the 4516-1 was flawless in function while I owned it. The problem I had with it as a carry pistol was weight. The Kimber has an aluminum frame & is light enough that I can forget I'm carrying it. This one has the ramp machined into the frame while I believe the newer models may have a ramped barrel. It has been 100% reliable. I do have a full size all stainless 1911 that I use for range work. While this 3" lightweight gun doesn't recoil too badly, there is no denying that the 5" all steel gun is softer to shoot.

I sold the 4516-1 after I acquired the Ultra CDP. When comparing the 2 side-by-side, 1 in each hand, there was just no question in my mind. From a concealed carry standpoint, the 3rd Gen compact felt like a brick.

I've since added a 4" aluminum frame 1911 to my battery which is generally employed as my cold weather carry gun, when I'm wearing more bulky clothing. This 3" gun is my go-to gun in warmer weather when my clothing is lighter.

My suggestion? Make room in the safe for 1 more!

 

[ColbyBruce]

My brother bought himself one of those Sig C3's to celebrate the end of his child support payments. It is a fine pistol. The melted contours do require a fitted holster though. He tried to talk me into buying one, but my battered Colt LW Commander suits me just fine. I would rather have a Sig P245 than a sub compact 1911.