Springfield Mil Spec GI vs Glock 36

[G27RR]

I have and often carry a Colt Defender, which has the 3'' bull barrel. I have had one malfunction in nearly 500 rounds, 100 of which were JHP carry ammo. Most of the reliability problems I have heard of in 3'' 1911s were from other manufacturers.

I recently bought a Kimber Super Carry Pro with a 4'' barrel, and once I get enough rounds through it, it will become my daily carry. It feels perfect in my hand.

The Kimber has a curved (bobbed) grip so the Defender loses a bit of its shorter grip advantage, and it will hold one more round than the Defender.

For me, the grip size is a bigger deal for CCW than a 3'' vs 4'' barrel (at least for 1911s).

 

[ForumSurfer]

I had a para p12. Worked great for me. The only issues I ever had were some overly hot hand loads, which is clearly an operator problem.

After that little mishap, I replaced the springs and the extractor. It continued to function fine. I honestly never had a single mishap with that gun other than those hand loads from a friend. Not sure of the round count, but it was well over 3,000. It was also used when I bought it, so the round count is much higher. It was also just as accurate (in my hands) as my full size Kimber, maybe even more so.

Perform the suggested maintenance on a milspec 1911 of any barrel length and it will treat you well and be just as reliable as any glock.

Edit:

Now if you want a 1911 for ccw, you should look at a bobtail commander if you have the funds.

+1

One day I'll have two of those in my collection. One in 45 and another in 9mm. Right now, my kids are at an expensive age so collection additions are fewer and farther between. :/

 

[wyocarp]

I like the 3" colt defender, night defender, or new agent as carry guns. They shoot well, feel good in the hand, and feel nice in a quality holster.

I put 100 rounds through my Colt New Agent this morning without so much as a hint of a problem. Half were ball ammo and half were golden sabers.

 

[chicharrones]

To the OP, Mortimormcsnerd. Back in December '09 I was on the hunt for a smallish auto pistol that fired .45 ACP, much like you apparently.

Just on looks, I really, really wanted a Colt New Agent which is a 3" barrel 1911 pistol. I did fire two Kimber Ultra Carry II pistols owned by friends of mine when I was on the .45 ACP hunt, those guns have 3" barrels too.

Even as much as I love the way 1911s fit my hand, the real hard truth for me was that I prefer my carry guns to have some semblance of double-action-only AND have no manual safety lever. I grew up with revolvers, and I like my concealed carry autos to be "point and shoot" guns.

That led me on the path of "other than 1911". After looking at many compact .45 ACP pistols, I did end up buying the Glock 36 in January this year. The length, height, and width is very similar to a 3" barreled 1911, but you actually get 3.78" of barrel in the G36. However, you are stuck with 6 + 1 ammo capacity with factory mags in the Glock where some of the small 1911s carry 7 + 1.

What I like about the Glock 36 is:

- I'm not worried about marring the finish

- It is priced around $500 new for us non-LEO people

- It shoots and ejects all that I have fed it. Where as the Kimber UCPIIs I've fired could be limp wristed (feed jammed) easier than the Glock in my hands on experience.

- It shoots to point of aim with 230 grain ammo.

- Even though it is lighter than the Kimber, the Glock has less felt recoil to me.

- For a Glock, it fits my hands rather well and points instinctively for me. Kinda like a 1911 will, but it does feel completely different.

I guess it really comes down to what type of pistol type do you feel comfortable with carrying. A single action pistol with manual safety, or a striker type double action with no manual safety?