1911 for CCW

Maybe a Colt.

Dan Wesson CCO

Mods:
-sensitize the grip safety and v cut for easy removal
-shape the thumb safety (if needed) to fit your thumb
-Tripp Cobra Mags

I like the Raven concealment or Crossbreed holsters best for 1911 CCO's.

I agree. I have a colt CCO that I love. I've also heard the Dan Wesson pistols are really nice

I have 6 1911s. I open carry the full size guns, shoulder holster the Colt Commander and IWB my S&W Compact ES, that is the S&W version of the CCO, very light and has been very dependable. It was a toss up between the S&W in that size or the Dan Wesson mentioned above. The S&W seemed very nice and a better deal to me at the LGS when I handled them both.

I have an older Springfield compact that is perfect for me. Easy to carry and I shoot it better than any other gun I own. Several hundred rounds and never a hiccup.

My absolute favorite small 1911 for carry has been my Springfield EMP, it might be a 9mm but it's one heck of a sweet shooter.

It'd be more helpful if we knew your budget though.

ive been toting a defender stainless for about a year in a crossdraw, one of my favorites.

For under $800 it is tough...

Here is my Colt CCO

Springfield EMP .40

Springfield e.m.p. 9mm is one of my carry options, great pistol !!!

Colt Defender or a LW Colt Commander

i carry a springfield emp in 9mm. you get an officer's frame 1911 sized gun, RELIABILITY, high build quality, night sights, and 3 mags (mags hold 9 rounds) with your emp. they're around 1000 but worth it.

aluminum officer's frame 1911's in 45 are pretty blasty, and followup shots are thus slow. also, 45 loses a LOT of velocity with a small barrel. on the other hand, the emp in 9mm has low recoil, followup shots are quick, and 9mm doesn't suffer as much with the shorter barrel. in short, if you shoot an emp, you quickly realize that 9mm is the proper cartridge for a small 1911.

the emp is a gun that's truly more than the sum of its parts if you shoot one.

fwiw, i paid ~ $1200 for mine. i ordered it from dawson precision, and that extra $200 paid for them to swap in a single sided safety, and go through the entire pistol (trigger job, polish breach face, polish feed ramp, tune extractor, etc). it has been 100% reliable from the first shot, and the trigger breaks like a glass rod at 3lbs.

plus it's a springfield, so you get a lifetime warranty that they will actually honor. i can't imagine buying a kimber over a springfield for this reason.

I've carried a Kimber Ultra Eclipse. She's a little heavier due to being an all steel frame pistol, but that helps in follow up shots due to reduced recoil. No worry on the frame getting beaten up either since she is steel.

Look at the STI Ranger II in 45acp. They're not cheap but worth every penny. Fit and finish is far ahead of Kimber and they are all steel. They are extremely accurate and I can't shoot well enough to maximize the accuracy of the pistol. But it's nice to know that I will hit what I aim at if I do my part!

rellascout said:

For under $800 it is tough...

Here is my Colt CCO

Click to expand...

Wow. That's a good looking Colt.

Colt needs a better website. They really don't look good in the pics on thier website.

I just picked up a Springfield Micro Compact .45 1911.
It hasn't been to the range yet, but it feels very solid and is the right size for CCW.

RIA and Citadel (both Armscor importers) put out surprisingly good compact models, they are all steel but that really isn't an issue if you're carrying in a quality holster on a real gunbelt.

My Citadel 3.5" officer's model works with most ammo, and the RIA 4" CCO(ish) I had them make me up seems to be similarly reliable.
At your ~$800 budget, you could have a gun, 5 Wilson magazines, a holster and belt, and still have money left over for ammo.

I have a Dan Wesson V-Bob and it is a great gun, but it is all steel and a bit heavy. The Dan Wesson Guardian is the lightweight version of the V-Bob and it too is a nice 1911. I carried a Kimber Pro Ageis in a 9mm for a year or so. I had a Kimber CDP Pro Carry in .45 for a couple of years. I think the Dan Wesson Guardians are much (not just a little) better made 1911s.

I have had the opportunity to shoot the DW CCO and the Talo version of the Colt Officer's CCO. Here again Dan Wesson wins in the quality department.

I don't own an EMP, but I have shot the 9mm version with the VZ grips and night sights. Great little carry gun and worth a look. Unfortunately, all of the guns I mentioned are over your $800.00 limit.

The CCO pattern pistol is about as good as it gets for a 1911 that's to be used for concealed carry. I had a stainless Colt CCO that saw a good bit of belt time until being flat out replaced by a Wilson Combat CQB Compact. Although the Wilson is a little heavier than the Colt, it's still a breeze to carry.

Colt CCO's are tough to come by, but there are plenty of GOOD alternatives from a number of companies at moderate price points from the likes of Dann Wesson, Simith and Wesson, and Sig Sauer. If you want to drop some coin, there's great options from Wilson Combat, Nighthawk Custom, Volkmann Precision, and Les Baer

Springfield champion would fit the bill pretty nicely.

My first EDC was a Kimber Compact, a 4" bbl on an officers frame. Carried IWB in a Milt Spark Summer Special II.

It used to pinch my butt if I sat down wrong, so I tried a 5" Kimber and I found it to be just as concealable in the t shirt and jeans you would normally see me in.

My 4" Kimber pretty much sits in the safe. There were times that the 5" was just a little too much, but I found I had the same problems with the 4" gun as I did the government model (mainly the weight on a dress belt). For those occasions, I carried a Kahr P9.

YMMV