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I'm looking for a good carry sized 1911 to add to my carry rotation. I have a Colt Defender and am looking for something a bit larger, but smaller than a full size 1911.

I like the Ruger SR1911 Lightweight Commander, as well as the Kimber Compact Pro CDP. The reliability of the Kimber concerns me a bit, but I really like the concealability of an officer size grip along with the accuracy of a 4 inch barrel. Another option would be the Kimber Super Carry Pro.

Money aside, I am looking for opinions on all 3 of these guns as carry options to supplement the Defender and full size 1911's (which I can carry with the right clothing).

I have the full stainless sr1911 and it has treated me well!

edit: sr1911 cmd**

I've got a Dan Wesson ECO in .45 acp, and I'll say, it's one heck of a 1911. It is a bit pricey, but the crafrsmaship is superb, and it's very accurate. To be honest, it conceals very well, I have a harder time concealing my g19 than I do the ECO being that the ECO is much slimmer than the g19. If I could figure out how to upload pictures and make them show up large if post them.

I carry a Dan Wesson Commander Bobtail (usually known as the CBOB) and I love it. I find it easy to conceal, and it shoots almost as good as a square-butt 1911. I do give up a bit of "meat in the hand" to the round-butt in favor of easier concealment, but not enough to have kept it from being my competition rig in IDPA.

The CBOB is out of production now, but Kimber and Dan Wesson are both making essentially identical guns (4 1/4" barrel, standard grip frame with the Ed Brown bobtail mainspring housing) and it's been a favorite for a number of years among 1911 folks.

Ed Brown, of course, is still making a number of bobtail models, including commander sized guns, but they're significantly more expensive (north of $3k last time I looked).

Any commander-sized 1911 makes my list of 'perfect packin' pistols,' and adding the bobtail cut to the mainspring makes it an entire order of magnitude easier to conceal.

I also like the officer-sized (chopped and channeled) 1911's, but they can be a bit more finicky about ammo and magazines. The commander sized guns I've had have all been dead-nuts reliable.

Lots of choices out there........

I often carry a Dan Wesson CCO.

4 1/4" barrel with bushing, compact grip. Comes with bright green and yellow night sites.

Very nice, middling 1911.

cbunt1 wrote:I carry a Dan Wesson Commander Bobtail (usually known as the CBOB) and I love it. I find it easy to conceal, and it shoots almost as good as a square-butt 1911. I do give up a bit of "meat in the hand" to the round-butt in favor of easier concealment, but not enough to have kept it from being my competition rig in IDPA.

The CBOB is out of production now, but Kimber and Dan Wesson are both making essentially identical guns (4 1/4" barrel, standard grip frame with the Ed Brown bobtail mainspring housing) and it's been a favorite for a number of years among 1911 folks.

Ed Brown, of course, is still making a number of bobtail models, including commander sized guns, but they're significantly more expensive (north of $3k last time I looked).

Any commander-sized 1911 makes my list of 'perfect packin' pistols,' and adding the bobtail cut to the mainspring makes it an entire order of magnitude easier to conceal.

I also like the officer-sized (chopped and channeled) 1911's, but they can be a bit more finicky about ammo and magazines. The commander sized guns I've had have all been dead-nuts reliable.

The C-Bob has been replaced by the Valor Bobtail (V-Bob) and the Guardian which is essentially the same pistol with an aluminum frame.

range officer compact is a really nice looking bargain

Thanks all. There are definitely a lot of decent choices out there and fortunately I don't need this one urgently. A couple quick questions:

1. What are y'all's thoughts about the trade off between an aluminum vs steel frame for a carry 1911 in the Commander size. Steel frame versions seem to be right around 35-36 ounces and aluminum are 29-30, so we are looking at an extra 6 ounces. Is this worth it for the added durability?

2. Dumb question but should I have any concerns that Dan Wesson guns are being sold by CZ-USA? Was there a merger and if so, are the guns still up to the same quality standards?

Look at the Remington Commander-sized 1911 also. I've got one, and like it.

Soccerdad1995 wrote:Thanks all. There are definitely a lot of decent choices out there and fortunately I don't need this one urgently. A couple quick questions:

1. What are y'all's thoughts about the trade off between an aluminum vs steel frame for a carry 1911 in the Commander size. Steel frame versions seem to be right around 35-36 ounces and aluminum are 29-30, so we are looking at an extra 6 ounces. Is this worth it for the added durability?

2. Dumb question but should I have any concerns that Dan Wesson guns are being sold by CZ-USA? Was there a merger and if so, are the guns still up to the same quality standards?

Aluminum vs. steel: Probably in my head, even at the rates I shoot, but I prefer the steel for perceived durability. I also compete with the same C-BOB I carry (often in the 500+ rounds per month range when I was pretty active) and I also like the slight weight advantage for recoil management. That said, Aluminum guns have easily gone the same number of rounds as the steel guns, and the 6 oz or so difference is significant in a daily carry. I'd say get the one you like best when you handle them -- you won't make a mistake in picking the "wrong" metal.

The merger between Dan Wesson and CZ was quite some time ago, and my C-BOB is actually a CZ gun. The quality is fine. When I bought mine, I had set aside and budgeted for an Ed Brown Cobra Carry, and stumbled across the DW CBOB. I won't pretend that the $1100 version was as finely fit and perfectly tuned as the $3500 version of essentially the same gun, BUT numerous parts on the DW were in fact indiscernible from the Brown. The only single complaint I had about the gun was that the rear sight dovetail was milled a bit loose (to the tune of .001, so not really significant) and after a few thousand rounds let the rear sight loose. It was fixed with a different rear sight that I bought and filed to fit. It could have also been fixed with a drop of threadlock on the set-screw, but I wanted a different sight anyway. The front sight dovetail isn't standard, but again, this isn't a big deal.

Point being, the DW's that I've seen, and the one I have, while not hand-fit guns, are as well fit as any production gun, and slightly better than most.

Dan Wesson was purchased by CZ and then pretty much left to do what they do best.

I have two Dan Wesson 1911s, one all stainless and one with an aluminum frame. The quality on both is sky high, on par with the high-end makers. You will pay much more for say an Ed Brown but the difference in fit and finish will be small. Yes, the Ed Brown will be better, but it will only be a little better and cost a lot more.

I have the full size Ruger SR1911 and have carried it often

patterson wrote:I have the full size Ruger SR1911 and have carried it often

I have a full size 1911 from Magnum Research that I like alot. It ain't pretty* but it gets the job done. Great trigger, very accurate, and 100% reliable. The only thing I really dislike about it is the weight, but I do carry it when my back is feeling up to the weight. And I usually regret it the next day.

I may switch out to a different full size down the road, but for now I am looking for a Commander size to fill the slot in my carry rotation between my Colt Defender and the full size. Based on the responses in this thread, I am leaning toward the Dan Wesson CCO. This looks like it might fit the bill perfectly. Or maybe the Guardian, since the CCo is really close in size to my Defender. There are alot of great choices out there in the sub $1,500 price range.

* Subjective statement. Being a 1911 it is, by default, still prettier than any of my Glocks.

Any and All 1911's are good carry guns

I second Dan Wesson/CZ CBOB / VBOB. The only difference between the two is one has cast frame (CBOB) while the other has a forged frame (VBOB). I'm also a fan of Springfield 1911s, but they are all Government models. Which in a grand scheme of things doesn't make any difference since Commander and Government size pistols use the same frames.

Pardon the hold made spaghetti and meat sauce.