compact .45 1911

Howland937 said:

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I carry something else sometimes, but only if I'm carrying 2. This one is on my hip, IWB all day, every day. It carries lighter than the P228 I tried for a while, and isn't nearly as heavy as a full sized aluminum frame Kimber LW I had. Recoil isn't anything spectacular and accuracy is very acceptable. Price is pretty similar to the EMP's I've encountered.
ETA...It stays put in the holster despite the fact that my belt is a Mac Tools buckle-less type and not a gun belt.

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So which model is it?

It's not an easy journey. Is the gun too heavy? Is the holster comfortable? Is it easy to shoot? Is it reliable? Is it best at mag capacity? Does it have a nice trigger? Try putting that in a package.

I have and carried the kimber ultra cdp II for a while. My only gripe with the gun itself was that it comes a single cheapo mag, buying a Wilson 46D mag is pretty much mandatory. I realIy like the kimber but switched over to a glock 43x because I carry a g22 on a regular basis and noticed that when i practiced with the kimber i had a tendacy to forget the manual safety.
I wanted a springfield for a while but never followed through on that.

I like the 47D series better. Although the Vickers mags look interetsing.

@Triggernosis It's the Sig Ultra Compact 1911 in .45ACP with the God-awful "Tribal" motif. I didn't buy it for it's looks though. It has all the features I wished my Colt Defender had.

STI "used" to make a few small 1911s available in 45 ACP. A couple that come to mind are the Escort & Elektra. Both weigh 22.8 oz, which is a bit less than the EMP. You'd have to look around & pick them up used.
These are mine, both 9mm, but the 45s look the same. The wood grips on the Elektra are not the normal grips. I added those.

Armored farmer said:

Yeah,
I like that Sig too.

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If you're ever into south central Ohio, c'mon and shoot it.

FL-NC said:

There's something about 1911's in any caliber except 45- or possibly 38 super- that seems "unseemly" to me. Just my opinion.

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Like a pick up truck with 13" rims

Nature Boy said:

Like a pick up truck with 13" rims

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Hey! Mine has 14" rims. (on the front; 15"s on the back.) It's a Ranger. I do have a set of 16" rims for it, too.

How about the RIA BBR 3.10....Three inch barrel,,,weight 32 oz, and 10+ rounds,,, ported to reduce recoil,

FL-NC said:

There's something about 1911's in any caliber except 45- or possibly 38 super- that seems "unseemly" to me. Just my opinion.

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I get that, though 9mm 1911s are awful fun to shoot and have been around since the 1950s or so. Considering JMBs Colt 1900, 1902 and 1903 were in .38 auto, it's entirely possible if not for the Army's demand for .45 our storied 1911 would have been chambered in a teeny little .38 caliber.

frogfurr said:

Even in 9mm some of these small guns are not much fun. I recently shot a Kimber Ultra Carry in 9mm and didn't care for the recoil. I had a S&W Airweight in 38 special and I did not like shooting it either.

I carry as heavy as is comfortable for me which is about 30 OZ. I have two 1911 Commanders. A Kimber Tactical Pro ll (45 ACP) and Dan Wesson Vigil (9mm). I shoot the 9mm Dan Wesson better and am partial to it but the recoil on the 45 ACP Kimber Tactical Pro ll is very manageable and easy to shoot accurately.

I also had a friend that owned a Ruger LCP but sold it because the recoil was such that he couldn't shoot it well.

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Even though I have several small centerfire autos and revolvers, I’m in league with Frogfurr and others who find shooting battle cartridges out of really small handguns to be more teeth-gritting work than fun. Heck, even the LCP II .380 takes a bit of fun out of shooting because they do “bite the hands that hold them” after a few magazines pass through the gun during a shooting session.

I was seriously wanting a 3” .45 1911 to add to the quiver until i shot a magazine full through one. I found it just wasn’t as neat as I imagined it would be. If I was to add a 3” to 3.5” model to the 3 other .45 caliber 1911’s I have (6”, 5” and 4.25”) I’d go 9mm with it.

But that’s just me .

The EMP is a good looking 1911, I can certainly see why there’s the attraction to them .

Good luck with your search and stay safe.

JR24 said:

I get that, though 9mm 1911s are awful fun to shoot and have been around since the 1950s or so. Considering JMBs Colt 1900, 1902 and 1903 were in .38 auto, it's entirely possible if not for the Army's demand for .45 our storied 1911 would have been chambered in a teeny little .38 caliber.

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I once got some crap from a counter guy at a local police-oriented gun store when I asked about checking out a 9mm 1911. I had grabbed some Glock 34 (17) mags and after not seeing a 9mm 1911 among the several dozen in the display case (a couple years ago-pre Covid.) I asked if they had a commander sized 9mm. He looked at me like I had just slapped his grandma.

After hearing from him for a bit about how the .45 was the only caliber for the 1911 and these new style 9mm guns aren’t good, yadda yadda, I asked him with all sincerity, “You do realize that the one hundred and seventeen year old 9mm cartridge has been chambered by Colt in 1911 pistols for about seventy years now, right?”

The guy had a taken aback look like he just learned this was not some sort of new plot from 1911 makers to separate gun buyers from their money and clammed up. Since they clearly didn’t stock 9mm 1911’s, I bought the Glock magazines I had come in for and left without handling one .

I’ll admit the .45 and the 1911 sort of go together like milk and cookies, but the 9mm in the 1911 has had plenty of time under its belt and deserves a bit of love, too.

Stay safe.

A buddy got a bright stainless Colts Officers, and it got me itching for one. Of course they aren't common, so I settled on a .45 Defender. A genuine sweetheart to carry, but three magazines of ball was about all the fun I cared to have.
Finally found a stainless Officers; the steel gun is much more pleasant to shoot.
Have a 9mm Defender as well, and it is a great gun to carry or shoot.
So, all steel in .45, alloy frame in 9mm. MHO.
Moon

I've been using a DW Vakyrie cco in .45. I don't find it uncomfortable to shoot at all, though it's not ideal for quick double taps. Maybe the extra slide length helps. Carries nice too, light with the aluminum frame.

I carry every day, a Springfield Armory Compact 9mm 1911. Aluminum Officers size frame & 4" bull barrel. Trigger is a clean crisp 4Lb. I fitted it with Tritium nite sights and a
Crimson Trace lasergrip. In two years of at least 100 rds each month of assorted reloads, FMJ factory, JHP of assorted manufacture it has been totally reliable.
It came with 2 magazines which function flawlessly, however I use 8 rd flush fit Wilson magazines for carry & 10 rd Wilsons in mag case in my back pocket. & recently tried a McCormick mag that is
very smooth feeding. Tucker Gunleather & Galco IWB holsters make it comfortable.

^ that's a good looking outfit.

I've got 2 4" 1911's... a Kimber stainless, and a Pro Carry... with an alloy frame. While the Pro Carry is lighter... and you can tell when shooting it with full-house loads... it's still a heavy pistol when loaded up with 9 rounds of .45.



When I initially bought my stainless Pro Eclipse, I went in with the intention of buying a 3" compact .45... my brother talked some sense into me about compromising with a 4"... and that's what I walked out with. After handling the 3" I realized it was likely not the pistol for me... mostly because of the shorter grip. I don't know that I've every shot a 3" .45, but I still sleep pretty well at night not having done so. After I bought the 4" and shot it, I realized I had my new favorite 1911 configuration.

I think frogfurr is right... shoot one before you buy one.

I also think a 9mm compact 1911 is a very viable option... even when compared to a .45ACP... but it just depends on what you are comfortable with.

FL-NC

There's something about 1911's in any caliber except 45- or possibly 38 super- that seems "unseemly" to me. Just my opinion.

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I know the feeling. I had a Colt Government in 9mm. once and it just didn't seem right, like it was too much gun for the cartridge. I greatly prefer my .38 Super/9mm. convertibles to be Commander size and weight.