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Over the years I've had 3 OM 1911s. The first was a Colt OM, in the early '90s, which I used as EDC for a while. The pistol handled HP ammo, including the Speer HPs of the time, without fail. This OM, with a 3.5" bbl, just plain worked.
Later I've had 2 Kimber OM versions - an Ultra Carry 2 and a Super Ultra Carry HD - both with 3" barrels. Both of these Kimbers, almost from the time they came out of the box, had intermittent problems locking the slide open after 2-3 shots, with ammo remaining in the mags. Multiple attempts at fixing the problem, including replacement of the slide lock levers, many different mags, truing of the lugs, etc. etc., never fixed the problem completely to my satisfaction. So both are gone and I'm out of the 1911 OM realm.
However, I'm now wondering whether my experience was unusual. I'm looking for the personal experience of those who have extensively used 1911 OMs on the issue of their reliability.
Were my problems a specific Kimber quality issue? Does the Colt's 3.5" bbl length make a difference in functional reliability compared to the Kimber's 3" bbl? Are there any 1911 OMs out there - factory or custom, such as LB, Wilson, others? - that have proven sufficiently reliable for EDC? Is the spotty reliability an inherent design problem of chopping the 1911 shorter than the Commander's 4.25" bbl length and a trade off that must be accepted between portability and reliability?
I don't really need any more 1911s, now having switched over completely to Commanders, CCOs, and GMs. But the business with the OMs is still intriguing and abandoning the concept feels like an unfinished chapter in pistolcraft.
What do the experts think of the OMs? Leave the book closed on them or pick the right one?
Last edited by Wildcatter264; 04/19/16.
Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty of give me death! P. Henry
Deus vult!
Rhodesians all now
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Never did own an officer's model, but did have a Colt Defender, (3.25" barrel) and it worked well - with selected loads and selected magazines. The slide velocity & timing are very critical with the shorter slides and barrels. Once you get them dialed in they'll stay working well, but they can be fussier than the Commander-length slides. You'll just have to judge if the shorter slide is worth the extra fuss.  To me it is not.
"...the designer of the .270 Ingwe cartridge!..."
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Been using a Kimber Ultra CDP (the original without the FP safety) for about 15 years. It sees about 50 rounds a year. Many types of ammo, but have not been able to make it puke yet.
Apparently this particular piece can't read the reports on the 'net about the lack of reliability of 3" 1911s.
I have to question whether it was your shooting technique with the Kimbers causing your slide lock problem?
There is nothing made by man,
which cannot be broken by woman.
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The small 1911's are a little more prone to limp wrist jamming. Have to adjust your grip.
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I have had a Colt Stainless OM for about 22 years now. No problems with it shooting any type ammo including my reloads using semi wadcutter bullets. I had a trigger job done on it and it is capable of excellent accuracy. It isn't a match grade shooter, but it shoots very well indeed. But it is a little big and heavy for daily concealed carry, so it stays in the safe. If I am going to carry something that big and heavy, I'll just go ahead and carry a full sized 5 inch gun, but that's just me.
I don't know about the Little Kimber OM guns. I only have one Kimber and it is a Clackamas marked gun, so that ought to tell you how long I've had it and how far back I go with Kimber.
As far as I am personally concerned, the book is already closed on the OM. It's in the safe and that is where it will stay, but I wouldn't buy another one.
Last edited by BobWills; 04/20/16.
Despite what your momma told you, violence does solve problems.
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The OM is a little more finiky than a GM or Commander, but there's no reason one can't be made perfectly reliable. I have never worked on the 3" Kimber, only the Colt style OM. One of the things I have learned with the OM is they are sensitive to changes in the recoil spring. I generally advise with most pistols that you really never have to change out a recoil spring because they really don't "wear out" even though people who sell springs try to convince everyone they do. And magazine spring set can sometimes cause problems.
On the OM though, spring set actually does affect the reliability of the pistol since it's a finer balance on the OM. It has to do with how far back the slide travels during recoil. If you notice on a GM or Commander, the breech face will come well back of the magazine, which gives you much more room for things to shift/change/wear and so on with the GM & Commander. With the OM since the breech face just barely clears the magazine and doesn't go back any further, the slide is traveling faster, and has much less "dwell" time at the end of it's rearward cycle. If a magazine spring isn't good and stiff, it may not advance the next round in time to be picked up by the slide.
Also since the slide is lighter, it has less moving mass and doesn't strip off rounds with the same authority as the larger pistols, so stiffer springs compensate for this. So swap out your recoil spring with regularity (about every 1k-1,500 rounds), and change your magazine springs annually. Or just get a LW Commander and not worry about it.
Like BobWills, I decided that a LW Commander carried in an IWB just as well as an OM, so I've been carrying a LW Commander for about 12 years now and I'm generally happy with it. But I'm in the market these days because my daughter has laid claim to my LW Commander and I just can't tell her no.
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Deleted, because I obviously didn't read the OP carefully. 
Last edited by FreeMe; 04/20/16.
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No problems with my 3" Kimber in 10yrs of carry and use.
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I've had two. An original Colt from the mid 80s and a RIA that's 12 years old. Both were utterly reliable with all ammo and decidedly more accurate than one would expect. At the same time, I had a Colt Combat Commander that simply would not work reliably, even with ball ammo.
"It's a source of great pride, that when I google my name, I find book titles and not mug shots." Daniel C. Chamberlain
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Thanks for all the comments. I'm pretty sure it wasn't my shooting technique as that was my first area of focus, given the short distance between the grip and slide stop, but that didn't pan out. I doubt my problem was limp wristing the pistol as I've been shooting 1911s, including several Star PDs for the last 40 years, so I have a fair amount of experience handling light weight compact - albeit mostly 4"-5" bbl - pistols for most of my life now.
I finally decided that LTWT Commanders and CCOs work better for me for EDC so that's where I think I'll stay. Occasionally a full size all steel GM still finds its way into a holster as I don't seem to have problems with those functioning reliably.
I still haven't heard a plausible explanation for the type of problem I described, although the anecdotes and opinions are interesting.
BTW GG, I did replace the recoil springs pretty regularly in the Kimbers, at no more than 2K rounds, but that doesn't explain why they'd stay open when new. In addition, why the slide would lock open with rounds in the magazine seems opposite to the idea of a weak magazine spring.
Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty of give me death! P. Henry
Deus vult!
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I had a Colt and still own a Kimber in the "Officer" size configuration. Never had trouble with either one. Shot both handloads and defensive factory loads of all bullet weights without an issue.
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When I was younger and in the law dog business and running a pistol team, people would sometimes ask me for a reccomendation for a self defense hand gun. I had a neat response that you should shoot as powerful a handgun as possible GIVEN that you can hit well with it and make rapid follow up shots with it. A good hit, or multiple hits with a lowly 22 will do a lot more self defense than a miss by a larger, more powerful pistol or revolver because loud noises do not tend to stop bad guys.
Civilians have a more difficult time of carrying a firearm because most states require they be concealed, so they don't have the option of hanging it in a comfortable holster on their side. So some manufacturers started making smaller versions of their full sized guns thinking they would be easier to carry. They are to the extent that they usually weigh less, but they are usually still too large to comfortably carry in a pocket or IWB holster. The Officer model 45 ACP guns fall into that catagory.
So now that I am a civilian and required to carry concealed, which I think is a good idea for many reasons, I find that my original advice on which handgun one ought to carry for self defense has been refined to include, carry the most powerful handgun you can shoot well and make rapid follow up shots and still carry COMFORTABLY conceal. Once you determine what that is, carry it ALWAYS EVERYWHERE you go.
I once could easily shoot a .357 magnum revolver well and make accurate rapid double action follow up shots with it. I still can, but I can't comfortably carry it concealed, so I have had to make the adjustment to what I can carry concealed. It isn't what I would RATHER carry because I would RATHER carry my model 19, but it is what I can and will carry EVERYWHERE. Today I am limited to a small, light. .380 caliber auto loading pistol which I can and do carry EVERYWHERE. I can not and will not carry an officer's model like that and most civilians will not simply because they are too big and heavy. If I carry it, it will be in a OWB Askins type holster which means I will have to have on something to cover it and if I am going to have to do that, why not just strap on a full sized gun and be done with it since it won't be any bigger problem to do that? I do not understand the use for an officer's model gun for a civilian. It is not a target gun. It is heavy when fully loaded It is not easily concealed. With it's shorter sight radius, it is more difficult to align the sights correctly and to shoot accurately.
I have one and have had it for a long time. I can shoot it very well, but I am a former sheriff office pistol team shooter and NRA 2700 shooter and have shot at Camp Perry for a number of years on various teams, so my skill level is likely somewhat better than the average shooter out there, but I still do not carry an OM. It is TOO UNCOMFORTABLE to carry it all the time and if I don't carry it all the time, I may as well just carry a stick because when I need it and don't have it because I don't carry it all the time, the stick will be more useful to me.
Some of you are likely better men than me and stick it out and daily carry an officer's model. All I can say is that I salute you and wish I had your level of pain tolerance. Meanwhile, my neat little stainless Colt OM sits in the gun safe.
Alone.
In the dark.
Loaded and unafraid.
Last edited by BobWills; 04/22/16.
Despite what your momma told you, violence does solve problems.
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I've been carrying one for over twenty years, ten of those with it as my backup or as primary when working undercover.
I've never had a problem.
Ed
"Not in an open forum, where truth has less value than opinions, where all opinions are equally welcome regardless of their origins, rationale, inanity, or truth, where opinions are neither of equal value nor decisive." Ken Howell
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When I was younger and in the law dog business and running a pistol team, people would sometimes ask me for a reccomendation for a self defense hand gun. I had a neat response that you should shoot as powerful a handgun as possible GIVEN that you can hit well with it and make rapid follow up shots with it. A good hit, or multiple hits with a lowly 22 will do a lot more self defense than a miss by a larger, more powerful pistol or revolver because loud noises do not tend to stop bad guys.
Civilians have a more difficult time of carrying a firearm because most states require they be concealed, so they don't have the option of hanging it in a comfortable holster on their side. So some manufacturers started making smaller versions of their full sized guns thinking they would be easier to carry. They are to the extent that they usually weigh less, but they are usually still too large to comfortably carry in a pocket or IWB holster. The Officer model 45 ACP guns fall into that catagory.
So now that I am a civilian and required to carry concealed, which I think is a good idea for many reasons, I find that my original advice on which handgun one ought to carry for self defense has been refined to include, carry the most powerful handgun you can shoot well and make rapid follow up shots and still carry COMFORTABLY conceal. Once you determine what that is, carry it ALWAYS EVERYWHERE you go.
I once could easily shoot a .357 magnum revolver well and make accurate rapid double action follow up shots with it. I still can, but I can't comfortably carry it concealed, so I have had to make the adjustment to what I can carry concealed. It isn't what I would RATHER carry because I would RATHER carry my model 19, but it is what I can and will carry EVERYWHERE. Today I am limited to a small, light. .380 caliber auto loading pistol which I can and do carry EVERYWHERE. I can not and will not carry an officer's model like that and most civilians will not simply because they are too big and heavy. If I carry it, it will be in a OWB Askins type holster which means I will have to have on something to cover it and if I am going to have to do that, why not just strap on a full sized gun and be done with it since it won't be any bigger problem to do that? I do not understand the use for an officer's model gun for a civilian. It is not a target gun. It is heavy when fully loaded It is not easily concealed. With it's shorter sight radius, it is more difficult to align the sights correctly and to shoot accurately.
I have one and have had it for a long time. I can shoot it very well, but I am a former sheriff office pistol team shooter and NRA 2700 shooter and have shot at Camp Perry for a number of years on various teams, so my skill level is likely somewhat better than the average shooter out there, but I still do not carry an OM. It is TOO UNCOMFORTABLE to carry it all the time and if I don't carry it all the time, I may as well just carry a stick because when I need it and don't have it because I don't carry it all the time, the stick will be more useful to me.
Some of you are likely better men than me and stick it out and daily carry an officer's model. All I can say is that I salute you and wish I had your level of pain tolerance. Meanwhile, my neat little stainless Colt OM sits in the gun safe.
Alone.
In the dark.
Loaded and unafraid.
I thought police officers were civilians too...
THE CHAIR IS AGAINST THE WALL. The Tikka T3 in .308 Winchester is the Glock 19 of the rifle world. The website is up and running!www.lostriverammocompany.com
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I stand corrected sir and you are absolutely right about that. My most sincere and humble appogigies.  I use that term because that is how the sheriff and the chief deputy always refered to non LEO's. It's an old habit, but a technically incorrect one just the same.
Last edited by BobWills; 04/28/16.
Despite what your momma told you, violence does solve problems.
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I can not and will not carry an officer's model like that and most civilians will not simply because they are too big and heavy.
Really ?????? An OM is not a big gun by any definition.......granted, surely not a pocket gun & it needs a holster, but nonetheless, it's not a "big" gun. I'd think that such a highly skilled & accomplished pistolero would surely be able to tough out carrying an OM w/o major heartburn. MM
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I have three pistols I routinely carry. An OM clone from RIA, a Sprinfield XD-S and a Kahr CW-9. Of the three, the OM clone is the most noticeable to me the carrier, when I have it on. Not by a lot, and not enough to preclude me from carrying it, but it has the greatest weight and bulk of the three. Having established that fact early on, I also have to say it's the easiest for me to draw and present - due mainly to that little extra bulk and the rounded grip profile vs the "flat" profiles of the other two.
"It's a source of great pride, that when I google my name, I find book titles and not mug shots." Daniel C. Chamberlain
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Well Dan, I guess that more or less (mostly more) precludes you from being very comfortable with a G-19, G-17, S&W M&P, or a Commander................none of which are "big" guns, except for maybe the G-17.
All of which see a lot of use accross the board.
MM
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Montana, what about my post suggested that I would be uncomfortable with any of the guns you mentioned? I've re-read it several times and can't find anything that would suggest this to a reader. In fact, I mentioned that the OM is the easiest for me to draw and present, over the more boxy grips of the other two weapons I routinely carry.
"the OM clone is the most noticeable to me the carrier, when I have it on. Not by a lot, and not enough to preclude me from carrying it,"
I don't think I could have been more clear.
As for the guns you mentioned, having shot nearly every Glock model made, I can't find anything about them that would endear me to them. I've never shot nor held a S&W M&P, simply because I have everything I need in that category of gun, and I give it a big, meh.
"It's a source of great pride, that when I google my name, I find book titles and not mug shots." Daniel C. Chamberlain
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"the OM clone is the most noticeable to me the carrier, when I have it on. Not by a lot, and not enough to preclude me from carrying it,"
I don't think I could have been more clear.
Quite clearly (at least to me) implies that you are at the size limit that you are willing/capable of carrying.............. Has nothing to do with its ease of draw or presentation. If the OM isn't the limit, then what size is? MM
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