I'm considering buying a compact 1911 colt 45 with a 3inch. barrel but is it manageable what are cons?

Answer 1

shortest 1911 I would use is a commander.The reason all these compact 1911s are being made is to profit off the gun's popularity.It is the most popular semi auto pistol except for maybe the glock.all the 1911 freaks (myself included) wish there was a way to carry the 1911 concealed comfortably.I know that in order to do that,I would have to sacrifice performance,which I am not willing to do.The USP series in .45 performs similarly to the colt 1911 but in a slightly smaller package,while at the same time it (supposedly) has less recoil.Get a semi compact or compacty USP instead.

Answer 2

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RE:
I'm considering buying a compact 1911 colt 45 with a 3inch. barrel but is it manageable what are cons?

Answer 3

The first thing I would make sure is that you are sure that you want a 3" barrel. I own a 5", 4", and a 3" all in 45ACP. There is a recoil difference but not enough to keep me from shooting the 3" Kimber. The biggest difference I notice is the muzzle flash. The 3" has double the muzzle flash of the 5". If you are choosing the shorter version for concealed carry I understand, but if you are not going to carry it all the time, the 4" or the 5" would be more shooter friendly. My personal choice is the 4". It has the smaller dimensions but with less muzzle flash and less felt recoil. Make sure you try all 3 barrel lengths before you make your decision. Good luck and take a friend shooting.....

Answer 4

If you read these posts a lot, you know I am a .45 fanatic. I have carried them both on and off duty for over 25 years. I build my own from the frames out, modify new ones to my personal taste and am rarely seen without one riding in a place of honor on my right hip. I believe that the .45acp cartridge is the finest all around man stopper out there. Not the only one, just the best (in my experience) a few years ago, Para Ordinance came out with the P10 which "morphed" into the "wart hog". This is to my knowledge the smallest high capacity .45 out there. I purchased a "nite hawg" new 2 years ago. (wart hawg with nite sights). I find this pistol to be an absolutely great CCW. It comes with two magazines, both hold 10 rounds, but one has a finger extension on it, whereas the other mag is flat across the bottom. I have large hands. With the shorter mag, I had to modify my grip slightly, but with the finger grip mag, it fits my hand very well. What impressed me, is that right from the box, this pistol is ACCURATE!!! It shoots every bit as well as any 5" duty pistol I have ever carried from point blank out to 30 yards ( any farther than that and I won't be shootin, I'll be "scootin" the heck out of there!!!). I was concerned about the short sight radius on the 3" barrel. Forget those worries. Seriously, at practical self defense ranges, it is extremely accurate. Since the object of a CCW weapon is for it to be "concealed" This little pistol gets my top rating. If it can't be done with 11 rounds of .45acp hydroshocks, it can't be done with a pistol and you should have been using a rifle!! I can actually wear a black sleeveless T shirt, tuck the pistol in a Milt Sparks "summer weight special" holster just in front of my right hip. I wear the T shirt tucked in, but let the area of the pistol kind of look untucked and hanging down just over the belt. Then, I carry my cell phone in a belt case which I slide up tight against the pistol. This completely conceals the psitol and not one person in two years has had any idea at all that I was carrying.
Like I said, I have been a fanatic for many years on the .45acp for self defense, as for colt, I have owned a pile of them. From the "officers" model, to gold cups and every variation in between. I'm sorry to say that I prefer Para ord or Kimber over Colt anymore. If I buy the colt, I have to spend additional money for parts upgrades, then put in a lot of time fitting and polishing the weapon to make it 100% reliable. For the person who does not have the tools, training and experience to do these things, it's gonna cost you a fortune to get the pistol to where it should be. Para ord and Kimber both come right out of the box with 99% of the parts already installed and the fitting and finishing done as well.
My only qualifier to anyone considering carrying a "****** and locked" .45 pistol, is, Get very very very comfortable with it, and wear a good safe holster, preferably with a retaining strap with a thumb break that goes in front of the hammer. Or, if you want a fairly compact .45 acp pistol, but you are not really experienced with ****** and locked carry, I encourage you to check out the Para Ord "colonel" LDA pistol. It is a pistol that has a sweet double action trigger that is nicer than a lot of single action triggers. My wife carries one, and she loves it.
Shoot safe

Answer 5

I have a 3.5" 1911. That's about as short as I would go, mine has some kick but it is not to bad (full stainless model). 3" is gonna hurt after a while especially aluminum framed models and it's gonna be a bit harder to keep a good grouping. I would say for personal protection why not but for constant target practice it might get old quick.

Answer 6

Bad Idea.* Go with the Colt Combat Commander in 45 acp.*

Answer 7

There's always a trade-off when you shorten the barrel (by 25% or more in this case....). Greater felt recoil, much more "muzzle flip" and reduced accuracy range.

Answer 8

I personally would NOT by one of these chopped up monstrosities. I like the full size Colt Government models. Accuracy will suffer, and recoil will be enhanced with the 3 inch barrel.

Answer 9

I can tell you one thing I do not like shooting full house 230gr loads in my Custom II I sure know I would hate doing that in a 3" barrel.

They are going to be a lot more flippy.

I would go and see if you could rent one at a range and see if you like it.

Answer 10

If you are a 1911 guy you can match the ammunition to your ability.