1911 question

[BigSlick]

I have been looking around for a compact 1911.

I have seen a couple of the gunrag articles on the Para Warthog. It looks great, and sounds great (typical gunrag drivel) but also seems to get some lukewarm reviews from some owners.

Any recommendations for a compact 1911 ? A 45ACP is preferable, but a 9mm might also fit the bill nicely.

Of course top priority is reliability. Three finger grip with extension works better than a two fingered grip, hicap would be nice but not necessary at the expense of concealability, comfort or reliability.

Thanks for the help

BigSlick

 

[Zak Smith]

A friend of mine carries a Kimber Ultra Carry in her purse (45ACP). It has proven reliable.

 

[[email protected]]

maybe I'm wrong

Maybe I'm wrong but I think you might be asking two different questions. I'm not sure there is such a thing as a compact 1911. Possibly I'm being a purist, but isn't that either a colt model 1911 or a clone there of? If this is the case then you aren't going to get that big iron brick to be smaller with out making changes and then it will be a different gun.

But, with that said, if you are looking for a compact auto in 45 ACP then there are a number of these, sort of, out there. I know a friend who carries a glock in this caliber. I shot it the other week and it was nice for double action only... you won't be driving nails with it at 50ft but it will hit and for sure knock down what ever it is at 25.

 

[wally]

I'm a fan of double stack 1911s and have Para P10 (the older, heavier version of the Warthog) a Springfield P12 clone, a P13, and P14 along with the Kimber BP series with 3" 4" & 5" barrels.

But I'd not really recommend any of them as defensive guns because the guns tend to jam frequently due to magazine problems. Rounds seem to bind at the single to double stack transition leading to ride-over-feed failures. Keeping the mags clean and the springs fresh is an absolute must. As you might expect the smaller guns are the most finicky but even in the 5" guns the magazine spring life is rather short compared to everything else I've own.

I do carry a Kimber Ultra Carry (3" single stack) with CTC laser grips during our short not summer season, its reliable as long as the recoil spring is fresh (usually needs changing after 800-1000 rounds).

--wally.

 

[Brian Williams]

Blume357
Yes there are compact 1911's, they are considered compact when they have a barrel shorter than 4" and they tend to be finiky flaky.

Fullsized or Govt has a 5" barrel, Commander is a 4.25" or 4" barrel, and Compact is less than 4".

 

[stoky]

The Warthog is so small that it is not a lot of fun to shoot. As the Clint Smith line goes "Nothing is too small when your carrying it or too big if you need it."
I recently accquired a (used) Robar customized Colt Lightweight Officer's model. It shoots well and seems to be very reliable but I'm wondering about the durability of the alloy frame if I were to shoot it alot.

 

[hube1236]

I shot the warthog in both AL and steel at the IDPA Nationals.

My Champion (carry) and the Steel Warthog feel the same when shooting and weigh about the same. The Aluminum, while not harsh was jumpy. The thickness of the double stack leads to concealment problems for me, that is a thick grip.

While I will own a warthog in the future, I think it would be for the novelty. I did knock down 5 plates in 6 shots (untimed, but rushed). I love my Champion though.

Dan

 

[DirksterG30]

My recommendation would be the stainless steel Springfield Champion Loaded. It is a commander-sized 1911 - 4" barrel, full-sized grip.
Comes with Novak night sights, wood grips, ambi safety:



It has been very reliable (1 stovepipe during break-in, flawless since - 1200+ rounds), and conceals well in a C-TAC with a good gun belt.

 

[dk-corriveau]

I'd also toss the Para LTC into the mix. I recently purchased the stainless version to carry. I only have 295 rounds through it so far, but not a single failure of any kind.

As I have learned, you will need to get a solid rig to carry this, or any commander sized 1911, in. I am using a Milt Sparks Vera Max II with a 1.25" belt from the Beltman and I am very happy with it.

 

[shield20]

My only problem with Paras are the investments cast slides and frames and all the MIM - yet they still get top dollar. I like the Colt Commander Ltwt, though my Smith 1911 is top-notch, so their Commander size SC is probably a good bet too. Don't have experience with SA - though wouldn't say no to a Champion - wish it was US made though. Also wouldn't mind trying a compact Kimber - as long as it had an internal extractor.

 

[Lonestar.45]

I'm a big 1911 fan, and love my SA Champion. When I decided I wanted something smaller for a CCW piece, I really thought I wanted a micro sized 1911. After looking at Kimbers, SA's, Para's, etc, I decided on a Kahr PM9 of all things. The weight factor and size factor just can't be beat. No worrying about flicking off the safety in a moment of high anxiety, true pocket carry capability, and generally just a quality gun with zero reliability issues.

I still might get a micro sized 1911 (can't have too many, right?), but I have a feeling I wouldn't carry it as much as the Kahr. It's only 6+1 of 9mm, but for me I think I made the right choice.

 

[HighVelocity]

I also like the SA Champion. My wife and I both have one and they've been trouble free.

 

[Zach S]

The P10 feels weird to me. Any Para shorter than a P13 does. So does any 1911 with a shorter grip than the officer's model.

I dont like Para's new cocking serrations. The old ones worked for me, the new ones dont, and are ugly to boot.

My Para Companion worked great after throwing the orginal extractor and magazine away in favor of wilson parts (although this doesnt sound like a positive review, I do like the gun). If you want one of these, it will have to some off the used market. Now they're putting their PXT in every gun, and AFAIK, those ugly, ineffective cocking serrations as well.

My Kimber Compact Stainless has been flawless. Its a Series I, so it'll have to come off the used market as well...

edit: Spelling. I found about a dozen typos in this post. I think I should go to bed...

 

[HD]

i gave up on compact 1911s , bought a sig 245...

do a search here or on 1911forum , the gripes/complaints/beyatches go on forever...
i have had one lwt commander that worked flawlessly out of 15-16 compacts over 35 years...
1911s do NOT do well as less than 4.25" configuration ...
do not buy para , you will learn a new reason to hate canada as soon as you do ...
the sig 245 works and is almost as slim as a 1911...

 

[HighVelocity]

1911s do NOT do well as less than 4.25" configuration ...

Come on now... Not ALL compact 1911's have problems. I had a S80 Stainless Colt Officers than ran 100% for years before I traded it away. (still kicking myself)
Currently I have a Kimber Ultra CDP that also runs 100%.

The smaller 1911's get more complaints than larger ones but not because they're inherently faulty, they're just more sensitive to things like, mags, ammo, limp wristing etc. They CAN be built right.

 

[BluesBear]

I have experienced nothing but good results with several of the Colt Officers ACP and 1991 Compact models.
I have only fired two Colt Defender models and they also worked well.
The only thing about them I don't care for is the need to replace the recoil springs too dang often.

I also really like the original Detonics but many of them need some peaking and tweaking before they run right. The new Detonics models use a triple recoil spring arrangment that is supposed to give a lot longer service.