What is up with "Commander" length barrels?

[bernie]

I have long wondered why when a company makes a "Commander" length sidearm, they normally use a 4 and not a 4.25 inch barrel. I have always thought the true 4.25" Commander length guns handled better. Why does everybody make a 4" gun? This does not seem like a big deal until you do want the original length gun. As far as I know, Colt is the only one producing the 4.25" barrel. I had a Springfield Champion, and just did not like it as much. The only other people I can think of that made a Commander sized gun recently is Norinco, and they did not import many and good luck finding one!

 

[jobu07]

I guess that extra quarter inch makes the slide too long for practical concealed carry in some people's eyes? My little pony is a Colt Officer's Model. 3.5" barrel. Very handy.

 

[fastbolt]

The shorter barreled SW1911 PD/Sc's are true to the original Commander 4.25" barrel lengths ...

 

[HSMITH]

I hear you Bernie, I much prefer the commander to the 4" guns. I also think the extra quarter inch is a good thing for reliability. For every quarter inch shaved off a government model, and that is ALL the shorter guns are, things go downhill pretty quick. The timing gets harder and harder to keep correct, they get more and more magazine sensitive, spring sensitive and so on.

Colts are being made as well or better than anything out there non-custom anyway, so you might as well just get the real thing.

 

[Gordon]

I've heard the Colt Commanders lenth was arrived at after consider post WW2 study .The 4,25" length was arrived at as it was deemed neccessary for 100% reliabilty, and I'll buy that! My Officer's is a different animal and may NOT be 100% on the long haul! I KNOW the early Coomander slides were also lightened as I have an early one!

 

[Moonclip]

Gordon, can you please explain why or how the early commander slide is lighter? Of course it is going to be lighter than a full size gov't slide but are you saying the early commander slides are lighter than a more current commander slide for some reason?

 

[boing]

IIRC, the 4.25 barrel was considered the minimum length that could reliably use the original GI barrel bushing design. 4" barrels require a cone barrel fitted directly to the slide.

I don't know if this is still considered conventional engineering wisdom. My 4" Kimber runs like a top with it's cone barrel. Do other makers use the traditional bushing on 4" guns?

 

[Dr.Rob]

Look on the underside of a commander slide and you'll see the firing pin chamber has a slot machined in the bottom of it... it's to lighten it. The channels on either side of the firing pin chamber are not square, they are ovoid.