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Charles L. Cotton wrote:There is a general consensus that anything less than a 5" barrel on a 1911 compromises reliability. The shorter the barrel the greater the compromise. The custom pistolsmith who has been building and modifying my 1911s for 30 years strongly agrees, as do I. I carry a 5" 1911 about 95% of the time and a Colt Commander the other 5%. Except in limited circumstances, it's not much more difficult to carry a 4 1/4" or 5" gun than a 3" subcompact 1911.

All that said, my wife has carried and shot her Kimber Ultra Carry (3" 1911; .45ACP) for many years and it is reliable. I've seen 3" 1911s function flawlessly in CHL classes as well as other classes and even in the PSC IDPA BUG match. I am convinced that the shorter 1911s require more diligent cleaning, maintenance, and spring replacement than do 5" guns, but that's part of the price one pays for carrying a smaller lighter pistol.

My wife's 3" 1911 has malfunctioned, as have every single semi-auto I own. I've seen 3" 1911s malfunction in classes, along with guns made by Glock, SIG, S&W (M&P), Beretta, Colt, Springfield, Bersa and Walther, as well as any other manufacturer I've left out. I've seen far more malfunctions with micro .32s than all others combined.

I do not believe a 3" 1911 is the gun for a 1911 novice, nor do I believe they deserve Mr. Pincus' broad-brush condemnation.

Chas.

Charles L. Cotton wrote:There is a general consensus that anything less than a 5" barrel on a 1911 compromises reliability. The shorter the barrel the greater the compromise. The custom pistolsmith who has been building and modifying my 1911s for 30 years strongly agrees, as do I. I carry a 5" 1911 about 95% of the time and a Colt Commander the other 5%. Except in limited circumstances, it's not much more difficult to carry a 4 1/4" or 5" gun than a 3" subcompact 1911.

All that said, my wife has carried and shot her Kimber Ultra Carry (3" 1911; .45ACP) for many years and it is reliable. I've seen 3" 1911s function flawlessly in CHL classes as well as other classes and even in the PSC IDPA BUG match. I am convinced that the shorter 1911s require more diligent cleaning, maintenance, and spring replacement than do 5" guns, but that's part of the price one pays for carrying a smaller lighter pistol.

My wife's 3" 1911 has malfunctioned, as have every single semi-auto I own. I've seen 3" 1911s malfunction in classes, along with guns made by Glock, SIG, S&W (M&P), Beretta, Colt, Springfield, Bersa and Walther, as well as any other manufacturer I've left out. I've seen far more malfunctions with micro .32s than all others combined.

I do not believe a 3" 1911 is the gun for a 1911 novice, nor do I believe they deserve Mr. Pincus' broad-brush condemnation.

Chas.

imvirus wrote:This is what I will be carrying for now until my XDS .45 come home.

RedRaiderDavid wrote:I'm no gun smith but I think some guns get a bad wrap because of the failure of their owners to properly maintain them. For instance, my first gun was a Smith and Wesson Sigma 9mm which I think S&W has since removed the Sigma name because they had bad press due to jamming. I shot thousands of rounds through that gun and it never once even hiccuped BUT I also clean my weapons after they are fired, every time. Many less experienced gun owners rarely clean their guns, don't know they should at all or do it every few range trips and then complain when their weapons malfunction. We know that the most reliable gun out there is probably Glock (don't hate, I'm not a fan), you can shoot a thousand rounds through it, drop it in the mud on the way to your car then leave it in there for the month of August and it will still fire. 1911s on the other hand require more routine maintenance, cleaning and lubrication to get that kind of reliability but they are capable of it. So yeah, the gun who buys a 1911, doesn't clean it all year then goes to that training is probably going to have a failure where the guy who bought a Glock, treated it the same way and went to the training is probably going to get away with it.

Excaliber wrote:I agree on all points.

I have carried 1911's in all 3 configurations for many years. None of mine are custom guns, and none have received the custom pistolsmith treatment. They've all got some improved parts and a little polishing here and there, but nothing exotic or expensive.

There is no doubt that the 5" versions are the most reliable.

The shorter versions are definitely much more sensitive to on time spring changes and proper cleaning and lubrication. This is not a problem if one pays attention to these things and knows how to do them right. I wouldn't carry a gun that was finicky and prone to failure, but I also don't pick my guns by how much abuse I can give them before they fail because I don't abuse them by neglecting cleaning and lubrication so it doesn't much matter.

That being said, I have no hesitation about carrying a 3" Ultra Carry that has proven itself extremely reliable over the years with around 7,000 rounds through it. It's much easier to conceal under summer clothing and it does everything I need it to do whenever I need it.

I respect Mr. Pincus and think he has much to say that is worth listening to. In this case, I just have to say that his conclusions on the 1911 may not apply to all such guns, because they don't describe my experience with mine.

jmra wrote:

rockinar wrote:I see a lot of people carrying 1911 Ultra Compact Kimbers. Those things are the most unreliable gun on earth. Good looking guns. But I would NEVER stake my life on one. Do your training and research.


[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=2P0edDYdqXU[/youtube]

The full size 1911 is a tried and true design. The compact versions have many issues and simply aren't reliable as a self defense weapon. You don't know how much I wish that wasn't the case, but it is.

RedRaiderDavid wrote:I'm no gun smith but I think some guns get a bad wrap because of the failure of their owners to properly maintain them. For instance, my first gun was a Smith and Wesson Sigma 9mm which I think S&W has since removed the Sigma name because they had bad press due to jamming. I shot thousands of rounds through that gun and it never once even hiccuped BUT I also clean my weapons after they are fired, every time. Many less experienced gun owners rarely clean their guns, don't know they should at all or do it every few range trips and then complain when their weapons malfunction. We know that the most reliable gun out there is probably Glock (don't hate, I'm not a fan), you can shoot a thousand rounds through it, drop it in the mud on the way to your car then leave it in there for the month of August and it will still fire. 1911s on the other hand require more routine maintenance, cleaning and lubrication to get that kind of reliability but they are capable of it. So yeah, the gun who buys a 1911, doesn't clean it all year then goes to that training is probably going to have a failure where the guy who bought a Glock, treated it the same way and went to the training is probably going to get away with it.

spongeworthy wrote:Gen 4 Glock 27 .40 S&W

Dirvin wrote:

spongeworthy wrote:Gen 4 Glock 27 .40 S&W

What brand is that holster?