Why choose a Commander's 1911?

[dogmush]

Your conclusions are wrong. The need to disengage slide lock and light crisp trigger offers no advantage under stressful situations.

Respectfully; No, YOUR conclusions are wrong.

I was very careful to say why I wanted that particular firearm. Even when I moved on to a hypothetical shooter I started with the premise that they have settled on a 1911. If you are going to carry a 1911 then the commander size offers several advantages to other size 1911's.

I have fired owned and shot several .45ACP combat pistols. Glocks, M&P's, XD's, 4 1911's, a 4506, a P220, USP.

In my hands a 1911 is faster and more accurate. The best CCW pistol is the one you can get rounds on target fastest with. Again, for me that is a 1911 (or a BHP, but that's a different thread), and since I want to conceal it a commander.

Comments like:

Quite honestly most out there would be better served with G30S if they wanted .45Auto for CCW. I would think buying few pairs of slacks one size larger than normally worn should not present a great obstacle to anyone. If one wants more traditional options (hammer driven striker) there is second hand market for S&W CS45, alloy framed 45xx or new offerings from Sig Sauer.

Show a severe lack of understanding on 1. what makes a good CCW, 2. how that varies from individual to individual, and 3. a fair amount of arrogance that you know what I (or anyone else) shoot better than I do despite my having expended literally hundreds of thousands of rounds in an effort to hone my skills and find the platform that works best for me.

The OP asked why folks seemed to be looking for 4.25" 1911's and I answered why I was doing so.

 

[1911Tuner]

I would not feel comfortable sliding 1911 into a holster with round in chamber hammer in cocked position and lever in down position.

It's not all that fraught with peril should you find that the pistol has been riding on your belt in Condition Zero for an unknown period of time. The trigger still has to be pulled to fire it, and the gun has to be held in a firing grip before the trigger can be pulled. The thumb safety doesn't block the hammer. It only blocks the sear. If the sear were to suddenly turn to dust, the hammer would fall and it would wipe the safety off faster than you can do it with your thumb.

On the Commander question:

The LW Commander is much easier to lug around all day. Those of us with old, tired backs appreciate it more than those with young, strong backs can understand.

For many people, the steel-framed Combat Commander offers better balance than its 5-inch counterpart.

And both pistols are a shade quicker out of the leather. An advantage in situations where the winner and the loser are decided in fractions of seconds.

 

[bigfatdave]

I'm baffled at the 4-4.25" models with a full frame also.
A longer frame doesn't make the gun more reliable. Modern makers have figured out how to make a reliable 3.5" upper, and you can mount a 4" or even 4.25" upper on the short frame.

But then I'm a CCO user, and don't mind the shorter frame in my (jumbo) hand and obviously prefer the short frame for carry.

Officer frame + 4" upper works for me, I can't really imagine bothering with a commander (or commander-ish) gun.
But then I'm the kind of weirdo that likes his 6" .45acp 1911, too.
Maybe I just don't like the mainstream options?
... it is a possibility.

 

[saltydog452]

baffled

Occasionally most can be baffled on by the choices of another.

There is this OM that is now reliable, thanks to 1911Tuner, and a handy size G36. Both will carryvery well. But, neither has the 'warm and fuzzy' feel of a Commander size 1911 Pattern 45ACP.

That said, now that that I am firmly into my 'three score and ten' biblical catagory, I find that the plastic frame 9X19 Kahrs have advantages that I never would have dreamed of 10 or so years ago.

I am baffled too. Who wouldda thunk it?

salty

 

[KYamateur]

I agree with why not. I would buy a 1911 with an 8 inch barrel if they made one. Most people that don't like a 1911 don't own one. I held off for several years and claimed that it was an inferior design. My dad bought me one and I fell in love. Nothing gives me more pride in ownership than a nice 1911.

 

[maxxhavoc]

Thanks for the input. Sounds like I just need to try one out before I end up buying one anyway.

 

[jdmb03]

I carry a Colt 1991A1 Commander and find it more comfortable to carry over the Government model.

 

[Charlie Horse]

I never warmed up to the Commander length guns when I carried a 1911 on a daily basis. But to shed light on the OP's question, it might help to recall the history of the Commander. After WWII, Uncle Sam was looking for a lighter weight sidearm. One of the things that Colt's did was make a aluminum framed 1911, whack off a little bit of barrel, and eventually put in in production and call it the Commander. The shorter barrel was not the big deal, but the light weight frame was. This tends to be forgotten when they started making an all steel Combat Commander and renamed the original as the Lightweight Commander.

Personally, I prefer my 1911s in 5" and .45ACP. The weight doesn't bother me, but once upon a time, I dated an M60...

 

[jjones45]

Because it's a 1911 with a 4.25" barrel, what's not to like about that? But seriously the 1911 platform is extremely popular and people are gonna like any size of it. I just worry about reliability when you get smaller than the commander size. Tiny 1911's are very finicky

 

[tarosean]

With Flush mags you get 1rd more than a Officers. If you use normal mags, no point in a reduced grip, unless you have small hands.

I own both sizes in a few different configurations, I carry my 4" cone barreled more than my CCO sized. The grip length doesn't ever into the equation for concealed for me..

 

[bigfatdave]

Tiny 1911's are very finicky

Meh.
Mine aren't. I think that data point is obsolete, and yet people repeat it anyway.

 

[maxxhavoc]

Quote:
Tiny 1911's are very finicky

Meh.
Mine aren't. I think that data point is obsolete, and yet people repeat it anyway.

I agree. 1000s of rounds through Colt New Agent, Kimber Ultra Raptor, RIA .45, RIA 9mm compacts. I have not noticed them being finicky at all. I change springs at about 3k-5k rounds, but I do that for everything.

 

[CraigC]

A lightweight Commander makes a great carry pistol. The shorter barrel makes it balance a little more in the middle and length is a factor in both concealment and carry comfort. IMHO, I haven't bought one yet but I think a 4" lightweight bobtail might just be the perfect full sized carry pistol.

That said, my 3" Kimber carries mighty fine and has never bobbled. I agree that folks should probably stop repeating the old wives tales about them.

I would not feel comfortable sliding 1911 into a holster with round in chamber hammer in cocked position and lever in down position.

Obviously a lot of people don't agree with your position or share your fears.

 

[Chocolate Bayou]

Cocked and locked is the only way most people carry their 1911. You have the thumb safety and grip safety. I don't worry about accidental discharge. There are dozens of commander size 1911's, go out and test drive like you were buying a new car. Do what you feel best with and don't try to figure it out reading a bunch of biased opinions.

 

[Officers'Wife]

Thanks for the input. Sounds like I just need to try one out before I end up buying one anyway.

Hi Maxx,

Just for giggles and grins try to get the opportunity to have both a .45 commander and a 38 Super. Fire the .45 first, run through a couple of magazines and whatever you do to make friends with a handgun. Then try the .38. I really and truly believe you will appreciate the difference.

 

[mesinge2]

Some find the Commander just feels and shoots better, for them.
Then there's the fact the Commander holds one more round, or two with the 8 round mag.

I felt the same way as maxxhavoc and then, just because, I bought a commander and I can tell you that moxie is right. I just seem to shoot the commander better than a full size for no specific reason.

 

[skoro]

I have seen several threads about Commander-sized 1911s these days. What I don't understand is why?

It's just a matter of personal preference in the great majority of cases, I suppose. Once in awhile, it may be a matter of convenience or necessity for concealment. I have two Commanders and a Government and like them all about equally. Still, I appreciate the variety.

 

[buckhorn_cortez]

I have an Officer's size 1911 with an aluminum frame and a Commander size 1911 with a steel frame.

I like the shorter barrels with both guns because it's easier for me to sight a shorter barrel.

I like the steel, Commander size frame better than the aluminum Officer's size frame for three reasons: 1.) one more round of ammunition; 2.) the steel gun balances better; 3.) follow up shots with the steel gun are faster as recoil is slightly less.

 

[mesinge2]

I'm baffled at the 4-4.25" models with a full frame also.
A longer frame doesn't make the gun more reliable. Modern makers have figured out how to make a reliable 3.5" upper, and you can mount a 4" or even 4.25" upper on the short frame.

But then I'm a CCO user, and don't mind the shorter frame in my (jumbo) hand and obviously prefer the short frame for carry.

Officer frame + 4" upper works for me, I can't really imagine bothering with a commander (or commander-ish) gun.
But then I'm the kind of weirdo that likes his 6" .45acp 1911, too.
Maybe I just don't like the mainstream options?
... it is a possibility.

I carry much the same guns; one of these two: A Springer 4" Officer's CCO and a SIG 4.25" Commander with a Bobtailed FS frame:

 

[Blue Brick]

What’s New with the 1911 Commander?
by G&A Staff | July 16th, 2013

The fact is, many shooters were not confident about the durability of aluminum-frame .45-caliber pistols. Their fears were somewhat unfounded, as demonstrated by Shooting Times’s legendary Handgun Editor Skeeter Skelton, who put 5,000 rounds through an aluminum-frame Commander .45 ACP in the first “torture test” appearing in these pages (the September 1972 issue). At the finish the frame had cracked near the slide stop pin hole in a nonload-bearing area, but the gun was still fully functional and safe to fire. The aluminum alloys used in today’s pistols are a lot stronger.

 

[ds76]

For me, it's about the feel of it. I have huge hands, so the officer frame feels too short. I've shot a 5" for many years and always thought that was all I'd ever want. Then I finally handled a commander and the feel was just right. Even though it's only 3/4 of an inch shorter, the feel is very different. The weight sits in just the right place and I can shoot it better than my 5". The commander is my new favorite.

 

[Coltdriver]

I have a steel Officers that is a great little pistol, but still a bit heavy.

Recently got a Lightweight Commander and am amazed at how easy to carry it is. I always assumed all 1911's were just too heavy to lug around all day. The LW Commander has changed my opinion on that.

Mine turned out to be the most accurate 1911 I ever owned.

If you look into a Commander make sure you handle a lightweight before you decide which one to get. Petzel has it in his list of 10 handguns to own and never sell and I have to agree with him on the lightweight.

 

[seeker_two]

Any reason why aluminum-alloy frames seem to cost so much? I'd love to see a LW Commander south of $700....

 

[Big Shrek]

upside of a LW is the light weight...
downside is increased felt recoil due to the lighter weight...

although, if ya put on a good rubber grip, that becomes deal-able as well

 

[silicosys4]

Here's my reason for carrying a commander over a full length 1911 in some circumstances.

Combat commander 1991A1



Full size 1991A1



The grip is not a problem for me to conceal. I have to be wearing a jacket to conceal the full size 1911 barrel, and I hate having the extra inch of barrel end up in my back pocket either printing like crazy, or getting in the way of me getting to my wallet, or both.
The commander is also faster out of leather for me, or at least it feels much nimbler. I also notice myself hiking my belt up more with the full size vs the commander.. The extra weight seems to be just enough to defeat my belt after a while...which drops the pistol down...which exposes the barrel even more.
I can tell just by the weight which one I'm wearing, and both are steel frames.
I shoot the full size a bit better, but the steel commander is pretty much the biggest concealable 1911 with enough weight to shoot well for me.