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Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 284
Campfire Member
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OP
Campfire Member
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 284 |
I am looking to get a 1911 for carrying with me while hiking, I was wondering if anyone had any experience with the 3.5 inch models the shortest I have ever shot is a commander? what are they like?
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 73,096
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 73,096 |
I am not interested in anything shorter than the Commander. Muzzle flip, feeding problems and accuracy drop. YMMV
George Orwell was a Prophet, not a novelist. Read 1984 and then look around you!
Old cat turd!
"Some men just need killing." ~ Clay Allison.
I am too old to fight but I can still pull a trigger. ~ Me
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Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 284
Campfire Member
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OP
Campfire Member
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 284 |
Muzzle flip was the thing I am concerned about, losing that 1911 controllability.
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 19,822
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 19,822 |
I'm not a fan of the 3.5" barrel .45's either, that's why I built a carry gun with an Officer's frame and Commander slide and barrel. Much easier to conceal and easy to control.
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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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 69,194
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 69,194 |
I am not interested in anything shorter than the Commander. Muzzle flip, feeding problems and accuracy drop. YMMV ^^^This!^^^ It's just damn hard to beat a Commander. Especially a LW Commander in 45acp. I have experimented with several. Officer sized 1911's over the last 20 years and have never found any of them to be completely reliable. At least not reliable enough to bet MY life on.
"Allways speak the truth and you will never have to remember what you said before..." Sam Houston Texans, "We say Grace, We Say Mam, If You Don't Like it, We Don't Give a Damn!"
~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~
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Joined: May 2004
Posts: 10,872
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
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I have a Kimber Ultra Carry II that I really like. Shoots very well.
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 22,274
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 22,274 |
Colt's Defender Model is supposed to be one of the better ones. Mine shot well, though I eventually traded it off. You may have to try a variety of ammo, as it was sensitive to what it would feed reliably.
I agree a Commander is a better deal. Or go with a CCO model (Commander slide, Officers frame) for a little better concealability.
"...the designer of the .270 Ingwe cartridge!..."
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 7,150
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 7,150 |
I just picked up an RIA Tactical Compact. It shoots very well, and I posted a thread on this that included photos of groups. No one responded so I'll say it again.
It was very accurate, easily controllable with full strength ammunition AND reliably fed semi-wadcutter cast lead too. I could easily get 3" groups at 25 yards! So much for those who say they aren't accurate.
It's actually more controllable than the Springfield XD-S due to a better designed grip. Reliability is on par with a full sized 1911, if you do your part.
They are not as easily concealed as the XD-S
See my thread on the new pistol.
Last edited by Dan_Chamberlain; 10/01/14.
"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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Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 2,465
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 2,465 |
I have a Para Expert Carry with the 3.5" barrel, and I like it. Muzzle report and flip were surprisingly low - no more than my full sized 1911 to me. The Para magazines did not feed well, but when I switched to Wilson mags, all feeding/function problems went away. It IS a lower price range pistol, but is has a very good trigger. Glad I bought it. I got it for the smaller size, and it does conceal a little better than a full size 1911, considering the only difference is barrel/slide length. If I wanted to carry a 1911 "in the woods" - which I do a lot of the time - I would likely go full size.
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Joined: May 2005
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,898 |
I am not interested in anything shorter than the Commander. Muzzle flip, feeding problems and accuracy drop. YMMV ^^^This!^^^ It's just damn hard to beat a Commander. Especially a LW Commander in 45acp. I have experimented with several. Officer sized 1911's over the last 20 years and have never found any of them to be completely reliable. At least not reliable enough to bet MY life on. I'll not argue with any of the above. I do have a 3.5" lightweight Springfield that was a gift and I love it (especially after I ditched the ported barrel for a standard). Shoots well and carries well also. Has not had any issues but if I were picking one for myself I'd go Commander length for sure.
Never give up on something you can't go a day without thinking about.
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Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 32,044
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 32,044 |
1/2 inch shorter barrel on the 1911 just won't make a lot of difference to your target in a self defense situlation the conceal carry citizen may find him or she in
A Doe walks out of the woods today and says, that is the last time I'm going to do that for Two Bucks.
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
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I've had'em all. I now have a full size 1911 and this shorty. If you have a full size, a Commander length offers no real savings to speak of. You might as well carry a full size gun. Thinking 3/4 of an inch makes a difference in portability is ridiculous. Now, the Commander length gun is a sweet length, and if you have one, you are well served, but to compare it with a full sized 1911 and think it offers an advantage is silly. Chop some from the butt and chop a lot from the muzzle and you are starting to realize a benefit. Those who can't shoot it well, shouldn't. Those who can, know that the 3.5s offer all the same accuracy they will get from either a Commander or a full sized piece. And with my McCormick mag, I still get 7+1! The smaller guns require stiffer recoil spring assemblies, but the excessive recoil or muzzle flip is simply a myth as the stiffer system soaks it up. Now, the XD-s is a different matter. I love mine and it takes the nod over the Micro 1911, but if you complain about muzzle flip on a compact, you don't want to shoot the XD-S
"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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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2006
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The EMP 40 is the shizzle.....
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Posts: 30,903
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 30,903 |
I have the short Kimber and an 80's Colt Officer. Both are accurate and no more muzzle flip than a standard 1911 IMHO. the Kimber loses a lot of velocity, the colt does not.
I got banned on another web site for a debate that happened on this site. That's a first
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Joined: May 2005
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
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1/2 inch shorter barrel on the 1911 just won't make a lot of difference to your target in a self defense situlation the conceal carry citizen may find him or she in bea175 - I agree with this also. Just saying that I prefer the 4.25 if I was starting over. Like the traditional bushing system, etc. I won't be trading my 3.5" in for one but if I picked for myself it would be a 4.25". Only my preference.
Never give up on something you can't go a day without thinking about.
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Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 32,044
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 32,044 |
A Doe walks out of the woods today and says, that is the last time I'm going to do that for Two Bucks.
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 9,009
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 9,009 |
I am looking to get a 1911 for carrying with me while hiking, I was wondering if anyone had any experience with the 3.5 inch models the shortest I have ever shot is a commander? what are they like? My wife carries a Kimber Ultra stainless TLE. I shoot it sometimes when we go to the range. I can't recall it ever malfunctioning. Recoil and "muzzle flip" are not anything more than a commander. I have zero hesitation trusting my wife's life to that pistol. On a related note, I've never encountered a carrying situation where a commander size 1911 was too big but an officer model was small enough. That extra barrel length just doesn't ever get in the way for me. (My wife carries in her gun purse and the dedicated holster and pocket on the side of the purse won't take the commander, whereas you can squeeze in the officer model.) But, since I carry in a holster, the commander is no more inconvenient than an officer model. I'm not going to wow anybody with my shooting accuracy and that extra bit of sight radius does assist me in hitting what I'm aiming at. YMMV. If you're only concerned about reliability, however, I can't fault the Kimber, nor the Springfield officer size I've owned. They work.
Wade
"Let's Roll!" - Todd Beamer 9/11/01.
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Oct 2010
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I like mine, though admittedly I have done a bit of work to it.
"If dogs don't go to heaven, when I die I want to go wherever they went." -Will Rogers
"If you have a lot of self control you don't need a lot of government control" - Thomas Sowell
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Joined: Apr 2011
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Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 69,194 |
The EMP 40 is the shizzle..... Yes They Are! Absolutely love mine! And it is the only small sized 1911 that I've had that is 100 % reliable.
"Allways speak the truth and you will never have to remember what you said before..." Sam Houston Texans, "We say Grace, We Say Mam, If You Don't Like it, We Don't Give a Damn!"
~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 24,661
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 24,661 |
I am looking to get a 1911 for carrying with me while hiking, I was wondering if anyone had any experience with the 3.5 inch models the shortest I have ever shot is a commander? what are they like? Is this for defense against two or four legged critters?
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