Officers sized 1911 pistol

Hi All
So I decided that I might like to add a Officers sized 1911 pistol to my collection. So I jumped on gunbroker and took a look. Of course the Colt Officers are way up there in price (1.5K or so). Do Springfield, Armscor or one of the other makers make a similar sized pistol at a more reasonable price?

Any reconditions on which one might be a good bet to get?

Thanks
WB

 

I don't think any of the budget or entry-level companies are still making them.

EDIT: Clearly I was wrong! Nice to see the 3.5" options.

 

Check out Fusion Firearms. They are priced well and good quality. I have the CCO model and it is a fine example. The owner is Bob Serva who used to run Dan Wesson. They make an officers model, its called the "bantam", check gun broker.

 

ROCK Ultra CS 45ACP 7rd. It has a 3.5" barrel and MSRP is about $750. There are a few variants of this and in other calibers on the Armscor website.

 

Ruger:
https://www.ruger.com/products/sr1911OfficerStyle/models.html

 

Kimber makes Officer .45

The RIA is a good shooter. At least, the 1 have shot, was, I don't own one, wish I did.

 

I have a LW officer sized made by Kimber. Can't remember what they call it. Accurate and reliable. The Colt officer models come with a barrel bushing that is known for failure. Not sure if their current guns in that size have them or not.

 

I prefer a CCO gun, have 3
They are a 4" or 4.25" slide on a officer frame. The increased sight radius makes them easier to shoot accurately while the officer frame allows for better conceal ability with decreased length.
Numerous companies make them from Rock Island to Wilson Combat

 

On my last range outing, I fired off some 230 gr hardball handloads. The Officers'ACP had not been shot for a few years. Worked flawlessly and for such a short barrel, I am happy with the 25yd groups and consistently banging the steel.

 

Magnum Research 1911U and BUL Armory 1911 Ultra.

 

I have had two officer sized Kimber 3” 45 ACP models and with Wilson Combat magazines have been outstanding from a reliability and accuracy standpoint. I couldn’t be more pleased. They have been reasonably priced, as well. I don’t think you could do better. The Colt’s are good, too, and will have a good resale value if that’s important.

 

If I get lucky, I find something used and inexpensive when I'm looking for a new variety of pistol.

If I have it for a while and don't care for it, I can trade it in towards something else for a small loss.

If I have it for a while and like it a lot, I can trade it towards a better specimen for a small loss.

 

Taurus 3.5" 9mm Officer is still on their website.

 

Officer size 1911s in .45 can be finicky without the right mags and HP ammo. The 9mm Officers will run much better. Just an observation from my personal experiences and believe me I wanted to carry that officer size TLE .45 but it was just not reliable enough for my liking. I went to commander size .45 and never looked back... ymmv

 

I've had officer size variants from:
Springfield V10 Ultra Compact
Colt Defender
Kimber Ultra Carry II's a couple of times
Bul (or Tisas, don't remember which and only had it briefly)
SIG whatever they call it.
All .45's and other than an extractor replacement in one Kimber, the Colt was the only one that had major issues. After the 2nd trip back to Colt, the dealer took it back in trade for the SIG that I currently have and carry daily.

 

Often it could be a slide speed vs the mags ability to lift the rounds fast enough to keep up. Wilson Combat has some tips in their FAQ section.

https://www.wilsoncombat.com/handgun-faqs/

 

I think most of them still make one. My Rock Island Armory Rock CS is OK. It is quite accurate, and seems well made for the price. Reliability isn't bad, but not quite good enough that I trust it for carry or home defense (one FTF or stovepipe every 100 rounds or so). Also, the slide doesn't lock open on the last round when using the mags that came with the gun, but it is fine with decent mags (can't blame the gun for mag issues). Unfortunately, any of the Officer sized 1911s can have reliability issues. I'm not sure I trust anything smaller than a Commander or CCO (Commander slide, Officer frame) for defensive use.

 

Beware of 1911s with less than a 5 inch barrel. The shorter the barrel, the more you should beware.

But you might get lucky and get gone that doesn’t have issues.

 

Beware of 1911s with less than a 4.25 inch barrel.

(There I fixed it for you.)

 

We all make choices. My search this month landed on a 5 inch Rock Island with beaver tail, model 51431.

I've avoided the officer's length for many years due to issues reported by owners that were not magazine related. Some day I may go for a 4.25 to lessen the length carried IWB. Otherwise, there is little difference from a full size for this cowboy.

 

I have personally owned a Sig Ultra Compac and a Colt Compac Officer (the cheap version). I had no issues with the Sig and after picking up the Colt I immediately replaced the problematic reverse plug with the EGW guide rod set. This proved to be the magic pill for the Colt and it turned into a very reliable handgun.
I traded the Sig and never looked back.
In a moment of weakness I traded the Colt to one of my sons. That I regret.
I have always thought the Commander and Government size to be the most reliable.
But from everything I have seen and read Colt got it right with the new Defender. They seem to be very reliable. Of course YMMV…
I am always looking to replace my Officer model, but for most things I will stay with the Commander length slide as my most Compac 1911 platform.

 

If weight isn't an issue RIA makes fine "1911"s in officer commander and g.i. versions. 9mm and 45acp...others too but more obscure

 

Kimber Pro carry on sale here: https://www.sportsmanfulfillment.co...uL1is1iu5mt0F2ew-MxD_ggXkfK-iBwXC0lI4=.SdhERh