input on good carry guns. Help !!!!!

[BigIrish]

this is more of a barrel length issue from what i know. there are some problems with 4in models where some are finicky with what ammo they like. this problem becomes quite more noticeable with 3 inch models. these issues can be fixed by having some work done on feed ramps etc. but for concealed carry i personally would not carry a 3 inch 1911.

1911's unreliable? Uhh...no..no more so than any other semi-auto pistol. But even making a statement like that is a bit like saying that a compact car is unreliable. 1911 is the design of the pistol. But there are plenty of 1911 makers out there and as we all know, not all gun brands are created equal.

as far as the 3 inch barrel varieties go, I suspect that from the sounds of it, you've never fired one or have any experience with them? while SOME of the early production models of the compact 1911 (3 inch) did admittedly have issues with feeding and ejecting, more recent production models don't typically suffer from the same problems.

Unfortunately, old stories like that die hard, so rather than spending some time at the range with one, people simply pass on the old notion that 3 inch 1911s aren't reliable.

[86Indy]

Hmmm well has anyone shot anyone else with a carry? If not all this is opinion right?

Last weekend I bought a .45 Defender w/magna ports, easy shooter so far I have hit the broad side of the barn. Grr. I need no such practice with ANY Colt revolver and believe me I have a few.

But it feels real lgood in my hand and has zero bite so I figure in time it/I will come around and start hitting the pie plate at 75 feet (grr like I said).

Meanwhile I much prefer Colt revolvers and until further notice the Defender will be practice fodder only. Interested in all opinions on the Defender because it is sweet but man Im a natural shot..or I was until this weekend

[BigIrish]

Hmmm well has anyone shot anyone else with a carry? If not all this is opinion right?

Last weekend I bought a .45 Defender w/magna ports, easy shooter so far I have hit the broad side of the barn. Grr. I need no such practice with ANY Colt revolver and believe me I have a few.

But it feels real lgood in my hand and has zero bite so I figure in time it/I will come around and start hitting the pie plate at 75 feet (grr like I said).

Meanwhile I much prefer Colt revolvers and until further notice the Defender will be practice fodder only. Interested in all opinions on the Defender because it is sweet but man Im a natural shot..or I was until this weekend

true enough, most things discussed on these boards are more opinion than fact. but the question has nothing to do with whether or not someone has shot someone else with one. there is a persistent notion that compact 1911s with 3" barrels are unreliable. when i hear guys say this, it's almost always coming from a guy that doesn't own one and is just parroting what he's heard in some other corner of the internet. probably a glock owner. i own a defender and i've never had a single issue with it. guys that have never even handled one will say that they wouldn't own a compact 1911 because they're unreliable. go figure.

but the fact remains that generally speaking, compact 1911s built today are no more reliable or unreliable than any other semi-auto. buy a quality name like Colt, Springfield and you'll probably be fine. buy the cheapest one on the rack and you might have problems. but that's the case with any product one chooses to buy.

The notion that a commander or government model 1911 is unreliable or only shoots ball ammo? well, that's just bull*****.

is the defender your first semi-auto? there's certainly a difference between shooting a revolver and a semi auto, as i'm sure you're aware. i shoot mine at about 10 paces and it groups just fine. not very often i walk it out to 75 feet - that's quite a stretch for a defensive shoot.

[CrimDoc]

Well ... I think that's taking it a bit TOO far.

You don't have to have shot someone in a defensive situation to comment on the reliability of a gun.

A number of my friends at the range who own 1911s have commented that they always use ball ammo for carry rather than hollow points because HPs cause more failures to feed. Not many mind you ... maybe 1 or 2 / 100 (vs. 1 or 2 / 1000+ for ball) but in a life or death situation, that might make a difference.

Personally ... I haven't experienced this ... my Taurus PT1911 is quite new to me ... and so far I haven't had any failure to feeds or jams with it ... but then I've only run about 300 hard ball and maybe 25 hollow point rounds through it.

Still ... based on the advice of people I trust at the range ... who have put thousands of rounds through their 1911s ... I am using hardball when I carry my 1911.

I figure a .45 punches pretty large holes, even if the bullet doesn't expand.

true enough, most things discussed on these boards are more opinion than fact. but the question has nothing to do with whether or not someone has shot someone else with one. there is a persistent notion that compact 1911s with 3" barrels are unreliable. when i hear guys say this, it's almost always coming from a guy that doesn't own one and is just parroting what he's heard in some other corner of the internet. probably a glock owner. i own a defender and i've never had a single issue with it. guys that have never even handled one will say that they wouldn't own a compact 1911 because they're unreliable. go figure.

but the fact remains that generally speaking, compact 1911s built today are no more reliable or unreliable than any other semi-auto. buy a quality name like Colt, Springfield and you'll probably be fine. buy the cheapest one on the rack and you might have problems. but that's the case with any product one chooses to buy.

The notion that a commander or government model 1911 is unreliable or only shoots ball ammo? well, that's just bull*****.

is the defender your first semi-auto? there's certainly a difference between shooting a revolver and a semi auto, as i'm sure you're aware. i shoot mine at about 10 paces and it groups just fine. not very often i walk it out to 75 feet - that's quite a stretch for a defensive shoot.

[pkuptruck]

heck, why not a LCP? Seems to do the trick on coyotes pretty well..

http://www.migunowners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=90056

[willforu1]

I just won an auction on a Glock 26! Ho-Ray!

[gixxersorgani]

true enough, most things discussed on these boards are more opinion than fact. but the question has nothing to do with whether or not someone has shot someone else with one. there is a persistent notion that compact 1911s with 3" barrels are unreliable. when i hear guys say this, it's almost always coming from a guy that doesn't own one and is just parroting what he's heard in some other corner of the internet. probably a glock owner. i own a defender and i've never had a single issue with it. guys that have never even handled one will say that they wouldn't own a compact 1911 because they're unreliable. go figure.

but the fact remains that generally speaking, compact 1911s built today are no more reliable or unreliable than any other semi-auto. buy a quality name like Colt, Springfield and you'll probably be fine. buy the cheapest one on the rack and you might have problems. but that's the case with any product one chooses to buy.

The notion that a commander or government model 1911 is unreliable or only shoots ball ammo? well, that's just bull*****.

is the defender your first semi-auto? there's certainly a difference between shooting a revolver and a semi auto, as i'm sure you're aware. i shoot mine at about 10 paces and it groups just fine. not very often i walk it out to 75 feet - that's quite a stretch for a defensive shoot.

i do own a kimber sis 3" and as much as i love it i have had far to many failure to feds to carry it. my g26 has been through thousands of rounds with out one jam.maybe only two or three hundred on the sis and maybe ten or so jams.way to many for a 1200 price tag

[smac61]

Biggest problem with 1911's is the tendency to buy a tightened up version. One of the best 1911 mfg's around is Ed Brown, his motto, "we make 'em right, not tight" or something like that. Stick to a looser build and a 4 1/4" slide and you'll have zero issues.

Having said that, I carry a Sig P239 .40 now a days. No where near as light or the capacity of other choices, but it feels like a pistol should (to me) and I have no doubt about its reliability.

Good luck with your choice.