[lions]

I have been looking for a CCW gun and I keep hearing how the slim 1911 hides well while the bulky XDs and Glocks do not. So I decided to try to find some numbers.

The first dimensions I could find on a 1911 came from Kimber's website and it listed the Custom II (first one I came to) with a width of 1.28".

Then I found the dimensions for the Glock 17 and XD 9 (from Glock's website and a review of the XD I found, don't have the link) which listed the width of both pistols as 1.18".

Now I'm confused...Does Kimber just make a fat 1911?
Are these frame, slide, or grip widths?

Can someone please show me to the light? Thanks

[jonc]

this isn't exactly what you are looking for but maybe it will help. THis is a wide body 1911 compared to a single stack. I don't know the anwer to your question but I bet it has something to do with the 1911's having grips whereas the plastic pistols don't. Maybe the kimber just has wider grips?

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a348/jonmcfatty/024.jpg

[General Geoff]

The width of the kimber might include an extra-wide, ambidextrous manual safety. That drastically inflates the actual width of the firearm; the slide of a 1911 is extremely slim (under 1").

[David E]

That picture is misleading, as the focus is on the metal frame of the single stack, NOT the overall width that includes the grip panels.

.

[jonc]

Sorry I took the picture about a year ago just for reference. The double stack is a lot wider tho, no intentions to mislead anyone

[lions]

Does anyone have a picture like jonc posted but with a single stack 1911 next to a Glock or XD?

I guess what really matters to me is the width of the grip since that is where having a slim pistol would really help with concealment.

Or if some kind forum member has both pistols and they could measure the grip width and post it for me.:) Thanks

[MisterMike]

While width is not a trifling consideration, my personal experience has been that the length of the grip and the pistol's overall length (front to back) are more critical to concealment.

[ojibweindian]

From what I've heard, the grip of a double stack XD 45 is generally quite similar in width to the grip of a single stack 1911, excluding slim grip panels on the 1911.

My personal experience is that I couldn't really find a significant difference in grip width between a Springfield G.I. I owned, and both of my XD 45 Tacticals.

[lions]

Excellent point MisterMike, I completely agree and I guess my point in this thread (however unclear it may be:)) is that all else being equal (grip and overall length), how much difference is there in grip width between these pistols?

Is it as big a difference as it is cracked up to be? Is it a small margin? Is it actually the other way around?

[jmr40]

Don't just compare the grips. Look at the difference in the width of the slides. When IWB the narrower slide of the 1911 is a benefit.

[lions]

Thanks ojibweindian, that is very interesting.

Your post wasn't up when I started typing, and yes, I type incredibly slowly.

[OregonJohnny]

1.28" width for a standard 1911 is measured at the widest part, either the fattest part of the grip panels, or the safety lever/s. If you took the grip panels off a 1911 and measured width at the grip and at the slide, it's around 1" or less. Put on some super-slim grip panels and this doesn't change much.

My Springfield XD-40 subcompact measures closer to 1.25" at the grip. Not too wide for a double-stack but noticeably wider than a slim-gripped 1911. Some 1911-style designs like the STI International LS-9 take overall width down to .765" slide width and just a hair over 1" at the grips. In polymer, the Walther PPS 9mm is very slim, as are some of the Kahr models. I also recently held a S&W 3913 (single-stack 9mm) at a gun show and it felt very flat and thin. So did the Springfield EMP ($1,000!).

I still haven't found the perfect IWB setup for me, as I can't stand thick blocky guns inside my waistband after a few hours. But I also don't own any of the super-slim designs I mentioned above, so maybe they would make a difference. Pocket carry of my S&W 642 is my best and most comfortable option at this point.

[Walkalong]

Pic them both up and slide them in your waistband one at a time. A little light will go on. :)

[Zerodefect]

Oh yeah, go to the gun store and start shoving guns in your pants.....


LOL! " Son, you gonna pay for that right?"
"Uh, yeah, I was just testing pocket carry..."

[Walkalong]

That's good stuff there. :)

[Pizzagunner]

Looking for raw numbers never tells the tale. When people say the 1911 is "flat" what they seem to be shorthanding is that it is not a squared off brick.

Glocks, XDs, USPs, M&Ps etc., lock up on the ejection port and this creates that squared off and blocky slide they feature, which makes them a chore to conceal IWB.

[bp78]

Here's a quick stab at the photo you asked for comparing a G17, 1911 (with small magwell) and a CZ75 SP01 & S&W K-Frame for reference too.

http://i42.tinypic.com/2qcidex.png

[AKElroy]

Fractions of an inch really do make a difference. I have carried my series 80 a lot in a open-top pancake with zero discomfort. I finally got a Crossbreed IWB for my Xdm .40, wore it out for the first time (Olive Garden) & was not comfortable at all. I'm going to stay with it to see if I can get used to it because I really shoot this gun well & love the capacity. Side by side, these guns take up nearly identical real estate, with the series 80 actually being heavier. It is thinner, and that makes a big difference in how it carries. It just tucks in really nicely.

[ScareyH22A]

If you like slim, try handling a Ruger SR9. My jaws dropped when I saw the double stack magazine. Quite possible THE most comfortable gun I've ever had the pleasure to hold.

[anheiserglock]

The H&K P30 might work for you.

[possum]

i carry sa xd, a glock 23, and i have no problem concealing them, actually since the glocks grip frame is shorter than the xd it is acutally easier for me to conceal than the xd. either way i have no issue with them being "bulky" at all. a good iwb holster, good belt and the right attire and concealment is too easy.

[Dot_mdb]

Slim 1911s & bulky XDs and Glocks?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have been looking for a CCW gun and I keep hearing how the slim 1911 hides well while the bulky XDs and Glocks do not. So I decided to try to find some numbers.

The first dimensions I could find on a 1911 came from Kimber's website and it listed the Custom II (first one I came to) with a width of 1.28".

Then I found the dimensions for the Glock 17 and XD 9 (from Glock's website and a review of the XD I found, don't have the link) which listed the width of both pistols as 1.18".

Your numbers are accurate but they don't tell the whole story. The grip on the Glock is narrower than the standard grip on the 1911. My Series 70 has about a 1.25" width at the grip's widest part. But the grip is curved and is slimmer in the front and rear. Compared to the Glock 23 the 1911 is about 1/2inch higher and at least an inch longer. The Glock's slide is a little thicker than the 1911's but not enough to be uncomfortable for IWB carry. Remember the Glock does not have the safety on the frame like the 1911. Also the Glock is about 17 ounces lighter than the steel 1911.

Glock also makes the G36 compact .45. It holds one or two rounds less than the 1911 but the dimensions are smaller than the double stack models. I own the G23, the Series 70 and a S&W 640 J frame. The 640 measures about 1.3" in width at the cylinder. I carry the 640 IWB on most days and the Glock occasionally. I never carry the Colt.

Bill

[Dan Crocker]

Fractions of an inch really do make a difference.
It's funny because it doesn't seem like they would, but they do. I don't have a 1911 anymore, but that gun just seemed to melt into my body and hide so easily. My Glock 19 isn't far behind, but the ol' Colt could just disappear. If it wasn't so humid in the summer and I hadn't have gotten little rust spots (daily) then I would have kept it and not given it to Pops. Oh well, at least it's still in the family.

[JDGray]

I went from a G23 to a Kimber UCII, and the 1911 is far thinner, and easier to conceal. The grips have been changed out to thin Alumagrips.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b278/JDG357/IMG_1227.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b278/JDG357/IMG_1224.jpg

[The Lone Haranguer]

... I keep hearing how the slim 1911 hides well while the bulky XDs and Glocks do not.
That is overstating it a little, but the 1911 is slimmer and more "streamlined" than either of those guns. The slide is rounded on top instead of being squared and blocky like the Glock/XD (necessitated by the guns' barrel lockup design). As well, the grip of a single-stack 1911 is much slimmer than the fatter grips of the Glock/XD (again, necessitated by design). This comes at the cost of some ammo capacity, but 8+1 bowling balls is still plenty compared to 16 pellets. ;)

[lions]

The Lone Haranguer:
... but 8+1 bowling balls is still plenty compared to 16 pellets.

No, that is overstating it a little.;) Just kidding.

Thanks for the input everyone, there really is much more to think about than I thought about.

[ironvic]

I carried a Glock 36 .45 ACP single stack for a while. Nice little gun.

[spiroxlii]

I have a full size XD9 (actually an HS2000, but who's counting?) and a full size 1911 (Springfield Armory GI.45). I've carried both, but I've never carried them IWB. I carry them OWB. My IWB guns are a S&W 637 (most comfortable gun I've ever carried) and a Bersa Thunder 380 (not a bad carry, but it doesn't melt away and disappear the way the S&W does).

Just looking at them side by side... I wouldn't want to carry either the 1911 or the XD IWB. I'm fairly thin, and neither one would conceal very well or be very comfortable. If I had to pick one for IWB carry, it would be the 1911.

Also... whether it conceals better or not, a single-stack full size 1911 must have a smaller overall grip circumference (the measurement you'd take if you wrapped a string around the grip). I say that, because my girlfriend has small hands with short fingers, and she can't comfortably shoot most of my full size pistols. She can handle the 1911, though. Then again, that may not all be in the grip. It might also have something to do with the shorter reach to the trigger on a 1911.

[weisse52]

Beating a dead horse, but. I have carried both 1911's and Glock 19's, 17's and a 21.

Measure all you want, but the 1911 is thinner when you carry.

[CDW4ME]

Glock 36 (45 acp) slimed down Glock.

[JDGray]

Beating a dead horse, but. I have carried both 1911's and Glock 19's, 17's and a 21.

Measure all you want, but the 1911 is thinner when you carry.
__________________
IMHO


This is pretty evident, when you stick the 1911 in the glock holster.:D