Compact 1911s and reliability?

[Car Knocker]

I can't understand the attraction to a diminutive platform

A 3" 1911 pocket carries quite nicely in a custom holster.

As for ballistic performance, no need to resort to exotic rounds, Double Tap's 200gr Gold Dot Hollow Point comes out of a 3" tube at 976fps, certainly fast enough for proper expansion.

 

[DHart]

Lest ye think I have no appreciation whatsoever for the little Compact 1911's, I had a Defender for a while and did like the little gun. Just sold it though because there are so many compromises involved with such little guns that are easily avoided with slightly bigger guns... like a bobtailed Commander if the 1911 is your preference or Glock 30 if you're among the many who love Glocks. I happen to love both! And no, I wouldn't want to be shot with even a 3" 45, though I'd prefer to defend myself with a Commander or even better, a Glock 30.

 

[fencer1960]

I've been carrying a Para Black Watch Companion (3.5 inch barrel) for about two and a half years now. New, it wouldn't feed reliably from the factory mags, so I replaced them with Chip McCormick mags and solved that problem. Recently it started to have FTF and FTE troubles. The round count was about 1800, so I replaced the recoil spring assembly and now it works with anything. The moral of this story is that these short barreled 1911s really are sensitive to recoil spring weakness, so replace the springs at the recommended round count.

That said, I'm now looking at Commander sized 1911s to replace my Para. The extra inch and a half of barrel isn't any harder to conceal, and will eliminate a potential reliability problem.

 

[Wesson Smith]

Yikes. On Monday, I bought myself a little Christmas present - a Kimber Ultra Raptor 2. Fell in love with it immediately at my trusted local gun shop. Man, was I stoked! Now I read some opinions and/or experiences with the 3" compact .45, and a lot of the wind has been taken out of my sails. I haven't been to the range with it yet, but I'm already a little gun-shy. Pardon the pun. I'm gonna feel a little like I'm shooting a porcelain gun. Here's hoping my purchase wasn't in vain. Guess I gotta trust my instincts, eh?

 

[MICHAEL T]

Shoot it and enjoy it Iam sure it will be fine. I still belive the 185 Corbon DPX is perfect for the 3 "
I use my Agent or Defender as my main carry. My Commanders just sit at home retired.

 

[DHart]

Wesson... you're new Ultra will probably run ok, don't fret. But do consider some slightly bigger alternatives (like a Commander) if you decide to buy another 1911 or two.

 

[DHart]

+1 on choosing CorBon PowrBall or DPX for use with the 3" 1911's, those will be the best choices possible with such a short barrel... you'll get good penetration & expansion... downside is function testing will cost you a LOT!

If I still carried a little 1911, those would be my carry loads for sure. I'm a dyed in the wool 1911 lover and I've got a bunch of them that I love, but amazingly, I've come to much prefer the Glock 30 as a carry/defense gun, particularly with the 11-round capacity. Awesome accuracy, stone reliability, good potency (3.8" octagonal barrel gives velocities comparable to 4"-4.25" 1911) all around superb carry gun.