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Compact 1911

Frontiersman101
Anyone have any problems with compact 1911? Are they a good open carry wepon? I have shot many 1911s, but never a smaller one. I like 1911 more than any other high caliber auto pistol.
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10 comments

Date Votes
  • Frontiersman101
    Ive asked this before but does anyone know anything about the over-johnson thrasher model 3", there is a bunch out there about ria, but cant find any compact model reviews much less ones that seem honest... or recent for that matter. Like the Iver-johnson model, cant afford the kimber or S&W les baer etc. Would be nice for some feedback.
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  • perry shooter
    IMHO the shorter the barrel the more temperamental a 1911 type pistol becomes. #1 the barrel angle between lock up and unlocked increases as the barrel gets shorter . This can cause failure to feed. #2 the pistol recoils more so many shooters tend to limp wrist . this causes failure to eject. & #3 the shorter the barrel the shorter the barrel time of the bullet this can and does make the recoil impulse shorter in time and the load MUST be tuned to the recoil spring to fully Cycle/function the slide. YMMV.
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  • peddler
    I have a Para Warthog in 45acp with a 3" barrel. Shoots great and have had very few no feeds. Would buy any other name brand compact.
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  • William81
    I have a Colt 1991A1 Compact 3.5" barrel. It has been 100% reliable.



    After I polished the feed ramp.....[;)]
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  • beantownshootah
    quote:Originally posted by Frontiersman101
    Anyone have any problems with compact 1911? Are they a good open carry wepon? I have shot many 1911s, but never a smaller one. I like 1911 more than any other high caliber auto pistol.


    As usual, Perry shooter has it.

    Without getting into complicated explanations of why this is true, in general the problem with compact (or sub-compact) 1911s is that the smaller the gun, the less reliable it tends to be.

    Smaller guns can also be more ammunition sensitive.

    Now, most of the manufacturers have improved these mini-guns to the point where the smaller 1911s are a lot more reliable than they used to be. That said, I've heard quite a few stories about expensive subcompact guns from "name" manufacturers that wouldn't run right.

    So in practice, before you trust your life to ANY carry gun, you'd want to test it to make sure it runs reliably with your chosen ammunition.

    As to the actual question, personally I don't have a lot of experience with these little 1911s, but the two I've shot did each run 100%.

    Could these guns work for open carry? Of course they could.

    But I have to question why you'd want one for that purpose. The whole point of the mini-1911s is for concealed carry.

    If you're going to carry OPEN (ie NOT concealed) then why wouldn't you want to carry a full-sized 1911?
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  • dfletcher
    Off the top of my head, I have 2 Detonics, 1 Colt Defender, 1 Springfield EMP and had 1 Springfield Micro. Both Springfields didn't work correctly from the start (firing pin issue with EMP and extractor issue with the Micro)but were corrected by the factory for free, the EMP is a a favorite now. The Defender works fine but has a lousy trigger pull and the Detonics have worked perfectly from day one, I've had the blued one for about 35 years and the stainlee for about 25.

    The Detonics feeds everything so long as they are pretty strong loads. The smaller guns are more sensitive than full length. The only reason I see to carry them is concealement or perhaps lighter weight. If I were carrying open I'd definitely go with the full sized though.
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  • CapnMidnight
    I've carried a Star PD for more than a year, put about 600 rounds through it and haven't had any problems, eats anything I feed it. They cost about half of what a Colt Commander light weight cost, mine has Wolf springs in it, and a 4lb trigger pull. I'm a believer in in short 1911s for carry.
    W.D.
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  • olsenjb
    I have a Kimber Ultra CDPII and love it. I've put about 400 rounds through it with no problems whatsoever, and that's included trying 4 or 5 different brands of ammo.
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  • yoshmyster
    I thought about getting an Officer frame and slap a Commander slide. Would love to locate some Randall "LeMay" magazines since they have a "pinky rest". I think that would be a good combo.
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  • cash777
    As stated by me in numerous replys to this type of question. DO NOT get springfield armorys 3 inch G I model. Best Dave
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