1911?s does that 3/4 of inch less really help with carry?

I have personally never had any issues carrying a 5" 1911. A good holster and belt make a huge difference

IMHO....... It does make it a little easier particularly when seated.

Personally, they make no sense to me. The grip is the more difficult part to conceal, not the slide. I've carried plenty of full sized guns IWB (5" 1911s, SIG P220/P226/P250 full size, Glock 17/21, etc), and never did I wish the slide was shorter. I do like a "compact" frame so I enjoy carrying my P250 with its full size slide sitting on a compact frame

CCW while standing or walking isn't an issue with almost any full size gun unless you have physical problems. its sitting down or "working" where the size of the gun becomes a factor.

Making the grip shorter helps more. A shorter barrel may help when seated (that will depend on your belt and seat-to-meat positions and shape)

For ME - a "standard" 5" fullsize 1911 conceals fine standing, but I have to keep my belt a bit high on my waist for sitting in normal seats, and my car's seat makes it uncomfortable...
...A 6" barrel 1911 on a fullsize frame is an open-carry only item...
...A 4" or shorter model pm a FS frame conceals fairly easily...
...A 4" barrel or shorter on an Officer frame conceals best, by far.

So I carry a phony CCO I had made up, with a 4" barrel, night sights, and an officer frame.

It surprisingly does for me. In the seating position. If you wear your pants like Tom Selleck, way way high waisted, probably not a problem. Though if you watch his Jesse Stone series of made for TV movies. He carries a commander.

For me, with a good belt and holster...no.

Exception being wooden pews or metal chairs. I sit down with a slight thump on those surfaces from time to time.

Personally, bob-tailing the frame makes a 1911 more concealable than than taking length off the slide.

I prefer a 5" gun. That being said, I find the compact frame/commander slide combo to be ideal. I've yet to actually buy one, though. Sig c3, colt cco and dan wesson cco are the guns I'm referring to.

As others have indicated, the shorter barrel is more about sitting and other positions. And it's more about comfort than concealment.

I've got 3", 4", 4.25" and 5". They're all a hunk of metal riding on the hip, bobtail or not. They're all not that hard to conceal. However, shorter slides do make the draw a little easier.

Your height, weight and shape make a big difference. Like cpo mentioned, drawing can be different.

I have a very awkward draw with some longer pistols, but not a 5" gun. I had the worst trouble drawing a g34 in IDPA. I had to bring my arm up in an unnatural manner for me, or lean. If I had worked out the night before and was a little sore/stiff...drawing that thing made me feel like the joker. I'm fortunate, a local dealer will break out some leather and let me try on a gun before I buy it.

What I don't get is those who carry a commander to save space then put a big beavertail on it that extends the length .75".

Because that "big beavertail" makes long range sessions MUCH easier on your hands and allows you get your hands up higher on the frame. If you only shoot a 50 round box at the range then you don't need a beavertail. If you shoot 500 to 1000 rounds at a time you will understand why beavertails are popular.

Taking .75 off the slide makes it slightly more concealable, but a full size slide still not hard to conceal. Taking .75 off the grip makes a big difference. Have to say I'm loving my Sig C3 for CCW.

Here's an R. K. Campbell article on a Commander pistol.

http://www.adjunct.diodon349.com/at...olt_Commander_becomes_favorite_carry_gun.html

I've seen a comment from Jeff Cooper (alluded to in this article), where he believed the lightweight Commander was the best carry gun. However, Cooper also said if it wasn't a lightweight model, you may as well just use a Government model.

The 3/4" shorter gun makes a bigger difference than you'd think.

Go for it!

Personally I have found the 4.25" barrel 1911s are more balanced in my hand than 5" ones. I have my eye on a 1911 and will be getting it in the 4.25 just because it feels less abnormally shaped to me. I have carried 5" 1911s before but the 3/4 shorter just feels better.

What he said^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I just like the feel and balance of a Commander.

I wanted a lightweight 1911, so wound up with a Scandium framed, bobtail, Commander length S&W. And I couldn't be happier.

No difference carrying or shooting a Combat Commander or 5" 1911. The reason I have a Combat Commander is the seller was offering it to me at $125 used and a new one was $200. That was in 1974 BTW.

For me? Yes.

I no longer own a 5" 1911. I do, however, have at least four of the 4 and 4 1/4" models. That 3/4 - 1" makes a lot of difference for me, in not sitting on the slide when seated.
Similarly, a 4" revolver is fine, but a 5" or 6" barrel ends up being very uncomfortable when seated (for me).

But as others said, your build and how you wear your pants will be the determining factor. Try both and see what works for you.

I too prefer commander length for carry.

Overall I like the better balance and feel that the shorter Commander length slide gives me over that of the standard Government slide.

I prefer the Commander length for carry for some of the reasons listed in other posts.