recommend a concealable 4" 1911 w/ "short" frame

Midget

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hey guys, i'm on the market for a new 1911. quality, and sub 1500.00. i have a CCW and am looking to conceal this firearm.

i'm looking for a 1911 with a 4" barrel, but with the shortest frame/handle possible. i have small hands.

i'm liking the looks of the kimber compact stainless II but have heard less than savory reviews of kimber as a whole.

http://www.kimberamerica.com/pistols/compactprocarry/compact_stainless_II/



any suggestions?
 
Gun Tests just did reviews on smaller .45 and the Colt CCO but its no longer available I guess as a new gun. The Sig Sauer 1911 C3 got a very good review.
 
I would make the effort to find and purchase a Colt CCO. I have one, and I believe it to be the best for CCW. Keep in mind... I live in the bass ackwards state of Illinois, so I can only imagine what it's like. :mad:

I have one, it is the most accurate gun I have. Commander slide on an officer's frame. Both large enough and small enough at the same time. I'll see if I can post up some pics.
 

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I would recommend the Kimber with the caveat of getting the older series 1 compacts. I have a Kimber compact stainless and a Kimber Compact light weight that have been flawless. best would be the "Clackamas Kimbers" from when Kimber was still based there.
braindoc
 
When I had my gunshop I became very wary of the reliability of the micro 1911s, Just saw too many from a wide variety of manufacturers that simply were not reliable enough for a carry gun. The small guns from STI International tho seemed to be the exception to the rule, the ones I saw from them ran great. Based on that past performance I would suggest looking at these two from STI...

The Escort
escort.jpg


and The Off Duty
offduty.jpg


If I were to go back to carrying a 1911 platform gun today tho it would be one of the STI VIPs in 9X23...12 rounds of 125gr at 1350fps would be very discouraging to a varmint.
 
FWIW, I have 3 Kimbers and they've all been flawless (knock on wood). One is a Compact though it's non-stainless. I agree with braindoc, if given the choice I'd pick the Series I over the II...I'm not a fan of the firing-pin block.
 
"Small hands" can be accomodated by most 1911's. This is done by using a flat mainspring housing, a short trigger and thin grips.

if that's STILL too big, then the Springfield EMP in 9mm or .40 S&W. It is shorter in the grip frame, front to back, than anything else. (Para Ordnance also makes a short frame like this, but I could only find one online that has the LDA trigger)

It's a 3" barreled gun, tho, but the 9mm shot very well for me.

http://www.springfield-armory.com/armory.php?model=24
 
Since your price range is up to $1500, I would suggest looking at one of the Kimber Custom Shop pistols. My dad managed to "steal" one at a show for close to a standard gun price. I think he paid $950 for it and it is one sweet pistol. Out of the box accuracy that belies its short barrel and flawless function so far, which is supposedly kind of unusual on these shorty guns. I'm not sure if Kimber puts the short grip on its "Commander" sized gun, which has a 4 inch barrel, a little bit shorter than a true Colt Commander. Another option might be to get a stock factory "full sized" Commander from the maker of your choice and have a good gunsmith convert it to the Ed Brown "bobtail" configuration. That would give you a slimmer, sleaker grip that also won't snag, but without giving up magazine capacity. Remember that a 1911 is alwasy going to be a bit more "concealable" than a double stack 9 or 40 of similar size because you aren't dealing with a grip that is shaped like a 2x4.
 
I have a Colt Officer's and it conceals very well. Handles any load I feed it. I have changed to a heavier Wolf spring tho.

I know I am risking certain death here, but the newer Kimbers aren't nearly as well built as the older ones. This comes from personal experience.
 
I didn't know that Dan Wesson was building a bobtail. I just read a glowing review of it on one of the blogs. apparently, Wesson/CZ is using Ed Brown parts (beavertail safety, bobtail mainspring housing) for this pistol, so I would definitely try to check one out! sounds like it would be a LOT cheaper than buying one of the Brown pistols for $2k+!
 
If you get the Kimber please remember the 500 round break in period and to use 230 grain round nose FMJ factory loads.

Mine(Stainless Pro Carry II 4"barrel Full size frame) works fine as long as I follow the rules as set forth by Kimber.

My Kimber does not seem to care for the JHPs or hand loads my other .45s have lived on for the last 20 years or so.

But with Round nose FMJs it does work just fine and the Factory Crimson Trace was sent from the factory sighted in very well for 50 feet and will shoot one inch groups at that distance as long as I do my part, standing slow fire.

Edited to add :

You got to love being able to shoot pennies stuck in a rail fence or in the top of a post one after the other, so the Kimber might well make you look good, it does shoot a little straighter than my others.

I have my permit but will continue to carry one of the others till I get a couple thousand rounds through the Kimber.
 
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I have a Colt Officer's and it conceals very well. Handles any load I feed it. I have changed to a heavier Wolf spring tho.

I know I am risking certain death here, but the newer Kimbers aren't nearly as well built as the older ones. This comes from personal experience.

You are not the first to say that so you are probably safe. I'm guessing they just had some growing pains. A high quality reputation, winning a few key contracts, and effective marketing can do that. ;)

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I would hope after all these years and that the buying public wants smaller carry guns, that the makers have figured out how to make a small 1911 style pistol without malfunctions.
 
ever thought about a para ordnance, I have my ccw, and I carry a p 14 45 with a 5'' barrel, never had a problem with it also
 
Colt Officers (45ACP), and the Colt Combat Commander.
The 3C is a really fine weapon. Have it Pro-ported, bob-tail
safety and hammer, skeleton trigger, lap the slide, polish the
feed ramp. (It'll feed an empty case if you get it really
smooth) Mine has seen me through many LFI courses, and it's
unbeatable.

Bill
 
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