Best compact 1911? Or favorite DA/SA carry

[carlson1]

I would check out RIA 1911s. I have friends who run and love them. RIA has proven to be very reliable and affordable.

Didn’t know they made a compact. It looks like it has everything you want.
If you ask for a “quote” Grabagun knocks off $39.01 making the pistol $554.99. Seems to be a fair price for all the things that comes with this pistol.

https://grabagun.com/armscor-ria-1911-t ... rd-cs.html

[rob777]

My EDC is a "mini-1911" as in a Sig P938. When I'm in the mood to carry something a little larger, it's my Springfield Range Officer Champion.

[kayt00]

I really dig my Kimbers. My usual EDC is a Kimber Stainless Pro Carry II, with a Kimber Ultra Carry CSE coming in second.

[The Annoyed Man]

I have owned and carried a 4” Sig 1911 and a 3” Kimber 1911; and still own two 5” 1911s, although I never carry one anymore. My world seems to have defaulted to 9mm Glocks. I have, however, also owned and carried a HK USP Compact .40, which is DA/SA, and I’d have never sold it if it were a 9mm. If you search the forum for posts about CZ pistols, you’ll find that there is a large and passionate fan base among the members. So if you’re looking for a compact DA/SA pistol, you might want to check out the CZ-75 (steel frame, hammer fired, decocker), or the P-07 (polymer frame, hammer fired, - both of which are available as compact pistols. By "compact", I mean something roughly analogous to a Glock 19 in size and capacity.

[gabeZherrera]

I have owned and carried a 4” Sig 1911 and a 3” Kimber 1911; and still own two 5” 1911s, although I never carry one anymore. My world seems to have defaulted to 9mm Glocks. I have, however, also owned and carried a HK USP Compact .40, which is DA/SA, and I’d have never sold it if it were a 9mm. If you search the forum for posts about CZ pistols, you’ll find that there is a large and passionate fan base among the members. So if you’re looking for a compact DA/SA pistol, you might want to check out the CZ-75 (steel frame, hammer fired, decocker), or the P-07 (polymer frame, hammer fired, - both of which are available as compact pistols. By "compact", I mean something roughly analogous to a Glock 19 in size and capacity.

I am currently searching for a CZ p-01 to buy sometime in the next month or so. But no luck finding any for sale with reasonable value (all i see are about 600$). I may go to a gun-show and check then.

[RPBrown]

I have several 1911's but my favorite 2 are my S&W 1911SC and my Colt Defender

[thatguyoverthere]

I really enjoy alternately carrying my .45 STI Escort and Colt Defender. They are pretty much identical (intentional choice) in looks, feel, and operation. Had them both for several years now and really enjoy carrying and shooting them.

They're aluminum frame, so (relatively) a little lighter weight for carry. Being single stack .45's, they only hold 7-8 rounds, but, hey, it IS a .45 after all! They're the short barrel (about 3.5 inch) officer frame type, which some people consider unreliable. I did have some problems with my STI Escort initially, but sent it back to them and they actually found and fixed a manufacturing defect, if you can believe that. Worked fine ever since. Never had any problems at all with the Colt Defender.

The STI Escort was a little on the expensive side, and it's out of production now. The Colt Defender was in the moderate price range I would say, and is still in production as far as I know. But I've been very happy with both purchases.

I would suggest trying to find a shooting range that has rental guns available of the type you're interested in, or find a friend (or ask around this great forum) who owns something like what you want and see if they would let you put a few rounds downrange with theirs.

Good luck in you search!

[Charles L. Cotton]

Smallest one I have to carry is the Lightweight Colt Commander and I love it.

I agree. A lightweight Commander would be my choice. The non-Colt equivalent guns would be fine also, if they are a reliable brand. I like Springfield Champions and Kimbers without a firing pin block/safety. (These are the non "II" versinos.) Kimber seems to have gotten much better with quality control.

Chas.

[troglodyte]

Another Colt Defender fan. I did get rid of the rubber grips and installed Alumagrips.

[strogg]

My daily carry is an M9A3. It's not exactly compact, but it's the most comfortable gun I have, and it's also the easiest and most comfortable to shoot. As far as compact DA/SAs go, my go-to gun is the Arex Zero 1 CP. I feel very confident with it, and it's pretty darn accurate. The recoil isn't all that great (it is a compact after all), it's a bit fat (harder to conceal, but great for my hands), and all the controls are a bit on the heavy side. Other than that, it's a great gun.

As for 1911s... well, the only one I'd carry on a regular basis would be the Ruger SR1911. That's my fancy gun, though. I can't say I'd want a 1911 compact, to be perfectly honest. I don't really have a place for a single stack compact sized firearm. For the round count, I'd rather stick with a subcompact single stack. Or just get the extra round count with a double stack compact. But that's just personal preference. To each his/her own.

[Maxwell]

Colt defender.

I second that! We have a Stainless Steel one at the range that I drool over regularly!

[Maxwell]

Also, there are several SIG and HK DA/SA out there in "carry" sizes and there is also the Walther P99AS.

[Soccerdad1995]

Dan Wesson CCO

[cheezit]

Colt defender.

I second that! We have a Stainless Steel one at the range that I drool over regularly!

I have an earlier one that looks better the the later generation model, on top of that it's factory custom shop ported

[Maxwell]

Colt defender.

I second that! We have a Stainless Steel one at the range that I drool over regularly!

I have an earlier one that looks better the the later generation model, on top of that it's factory custom shop ported