Best Compact .45acp?

T

tique

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Oct 28, 2000
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I came across some spare cash, and now I can pick up a new gun:) Seems fair enough. I thought I'd go with some suggestions I had a good while back and quit playing with my little 9mm's and move up to a .45. I'm thinking a 1911 style is the way to go here, and I was going to get a full size and just carry it out in the woods and at the range, but when I saw the Colt Defender laying on the shelf today, I almost fell in love. Seems if I'm gonna get a nice toy, I might as well make it something I can carry every day.

How does the Defender hold up reliability wise, and do I give up too much power with the 3" barrel vs. the full size 5" barrel? Also, is there a better 1911 in that size range for around the same price, sticker on the Defender there was about $750 I think.
 
imho if ya must have a 1911 get a kimber ultra carry or compact - might be a little higher($8-850 or so range i think), but not much, and $$ well spent. the kimbers are the way to go in 1911's, got it all over colt imho.

greg
 
If you like 1911 styles, the Kimbers are nice, I also have a Colt CCO that works pretty good. But for purely defensive purposes, I carry my Glock 30. It always works.
 
Kimber Ultra Carry and Springfield Armory compacts are superior 1911 based designs. Recent production Colts frequently need work to be truly reliable.

For CCW, the Glock 36 and HK USP Compact are better choices for out of the box 45ACP reliability and performance than a production 1911 IMO, but everybody has different preferences.

Look at the Kimbers before you buy the Colt.
 
For 1911s... I have heard that the Kimbers are very good. Again, you might run into reliability problems with the shorter barrels - I've read that they are more prone to malfunctions than the full sized models.

For da/sa, I'd say the Sig P245 would be good to look at.

For da/sa with an option to carry cocked and locked ala 1911 - the USP Compact.

If you like Glocks - the 30 is a great size if you "need" to have 10 rounds. The G36 I have heard is good if the G30 is too fat.

I'm biased, I prefer the USP series by a longshot.

A search on thefiringline.com will do you WONDERS. Make sure to rent whatever you plan to buy.
 
Thanks for the input, I'll probably pass on the Colt now. I think the local range I go to has a Kimber Ultra Carry, but I'm not sure if it's a rental. I'll try it out if I can. I was leaning towards the 1911 style, as I like cocked and locked, and I like metal frame guns over plastic. I've thought about the USP Compact, as I love my USP9 full size... but I still prefer a metal frame over plastic if I can. I do like the looks of the Springfield's, just have never found a compact model anywhere that I can play with.

If anyone knows of a range in the Alabama Gulf Coast area, or surrounding areas that has a good selection of rental guns, please let me know... only range I go to rents primarily Gl@ck's and some snubby's I think.
 
In a 1911-style .45ACP pistol, the Para-Ordnance P-12 is another excellent one to take a hard look at.

Also, it might be a mistake to pass-over the Glock 30 or 36 models too quickly, as you'll find that the "felt recoil" is generally ALOT less in a Glock than with the non-"plastic" frame pistols. This is due to the LOW barrel axis, recoil-absorbing "plastic" frame, and the wide one-piece backstrap of the Glock pistols.
 
Hi tique,

You had asked...

How does the Defender hold up reliability wise, and do I give up too much power with the 3" barrel vs. the full size 5" barrel? Also, is there a better 1911 in that size range for around the same price, sticker on the Defender there was about $750 I think. [/B]
Click to expand...

I bought one of these about 6 months ago as an EDC. I am extremely pleased with it. Very accurate and reliable. I practice with S&B 230 gr as I have found that they shoot to the same point of aim as the Federal Hydra Shocks (which is my carry caliber, but are **much** less expensive).

Cannot address your question about power. I haven't had a chance to chrony it. I do intend to do that and compare the results to those that I get with a 5" Kimber. If I get around to that in the near future I will post the results.

--gordon
 
Dann, I don't dislike Glocks because of the plastic, I actually just prefer a manual safety, this is my only complaint about my current carry weapon, and really against Glocks. I shoot my USP all the time, and it's a plastic gun, and I'm thinking HK people that won't shoot a Glock either have to be like me and like a manual safety, or have other issues that need to be addressed, or in other words, they're just gun snobs. FWIW, I've never shot a Glock, but I will(if possible) in my search for a .45, just to see how they handle. Who knows, maybe I'll convert to being a Glock guy...

I think I may look into just getting a full size 1911(probably Springfield) to take advantage of reliability and all, and see how well it carries. I can always carry what I have most of the time and use the 1911 when it works(carries well) I guess.
 
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