compact 1911s getting more reliable?

[tahunua001]

hello all,
I'm in the process of selling a set of crimson trace laser sights for a 1911 and as of late have been inundated with calls for people looking specifically for sights that can fit compact 1911s. now I've been a little out of touch with the market as of late, but it seems like just a couple years ago the general consensus was that most compact 1911s were garbage, either extremely unreliable, uncomfortable to shoot, or otherwise undesirable for any gun that you would want to trust your life to. So my question is are they getting better or are there just a bunch of people that think that slapping a set of laser sights on their (often overpriced) compact 1911s will somehow make them better guns?

 

[lee n. field]

So my question is are they getting better or are there just a bunch of people that think that slapping a set of laser sights on their (often overpriced) compact 1911s will somehow make them better guns?

Dunno, and I doubt it. It's a geometry issue, that sights aren't going to have a thing to do with.

 

[orionengnr]

I've owned around ten 3 inch 1911s in the last 10-12 years. Had very good luck with a few exceptions:
--Charles Daly/Armscor that was bought used...prior owner may have futzed with it.
--Para C-6, bought used, ditto.
--Springfield EMP, one of the first off the assembly line (s/n 3750 IIRC...that was in 2007)
The remainder (seven or eight others) were great. Still own two, both Kimbers-- one Stainless Ultra Carry II (mine) and one Ultra CDP II(wife's).

 

[RickB]

How could a market for compacts remain, 40+ years later, if they didn't work?
I do liken them to a sports car, in that you have to take an interest in them, and learn their quirks to get the best performance. More a gun for "specialists" than "experts", though; you don't have to be an expert to change a spring or choose a load.

 

[michael t]

I have a Colt Officer and a Colt Defender Both are several years old and neither have been 1st problem . Best accuracy in a Colt Compact is a 200 gr bullet . 230 and 185 work but the best group will be 200gr

I also bought a new Agent when they came out. Was also very reliable Only sold because of the sight. I couldn't make work for me.

 

[damienph]

Springfield Armory Ultra Compact

My SA Ultra Compact is the only smaller framed 1911 that I have any experience with and once I found magazines that it liked, it has been 100% reliable.

The only issue that I had with it was the slide would not lock back on one of the two factory magazines when empty. I have two Wilson mags, three CMC mags, two Colt mags and one Pachmayr mag for it that all function fine.

The only other change that I made was swapping the factory Hogue fingergroove grips for Pachmayr's.

I got it used, the scratch in the frame from the slide stop/release was already there.

 

[springer99]

"So my question is are they getting better or are there just a bunch of people that think that slapping a set of laser sights on their (often overpriced) compact 1911s will somehow make them better guns? "

Don't know if they're getting better or not since I've only picked up a RIA Officers Model 45ACP about 6 years ago. It's never failed to feed, or fire anything that I've run thru it, from hardball to various HP and LSWC reloads Guess only overpriced compact 1911's are prone to problems??

And yes, it wears a set of CT laser grips everyday, is a backup carry and normal household nightstand gun.

 

[buckhorn_cortez]

but it seems like just a couple years ago the general consensus was that most compact 1911s were garbage, either extremely unreliable, uncomfortable to shoot, or otherwise undesirable for any gun that you would want to trust your life to.

Then, you're totally unfamiliar with the Detonics Combat Master? I've owned one since 1982 - that's more than "a couple of years ago." The gun has been totally reliable the entire time.

I'm guessing you have no personal experience with small 1911's and you're repeating whatever negative Internet memes come to mind in order to get a rise out of people.

Smaller, lighter guns are always more uncomfortable to shoot - it has to do with size and weight. You should try shooting a Smith and Wesson 329PD. It's a lightweight .44 magnum. It's uncomfortable to shoot specifically because it only weighs 25 ounces.

That's the tradeoff for light weight and small size - more recoil. Has nothing to do with whether the gun is a 1911, revolver, or any other design. Small, lighter weight = more recoil.

If you don't understand that - then you need to learn more about guns in general.

So my question is are they getting better or are there just a bunch of people that think that slapping a set of laser sights on their (often overpriced) compact 1911s will somehow make them better guns?

I have two small 1911 style pistols - neither has a laser sight. Again, this appears to be you repeating things you think are important with little, if any, experience.

Both of my small 1911's are totally reliable and I have no problem carrying them for self defense purposes.

But, I choose my guns very carefully and don't take Internet opinions as factual representations of reality.

 

[tahunua001]

ok ok, simmer down. no need to get your hackles up. let me just clear a few things up.

1. memes are stupid. they are supposed to be stupid, they are supposed to be funny. anyone who bases their opinion on a joke, is an idiot. nobody in their right mind bases opinion on jokes so rest easy on that note.

2. I don't like being called a troll. sure, I am one from time to time, but rarely start threads, especially on forums that I use regularly(check the join date and post count, buddy) with the intent of getting a rise out of people.

3. you make a good point on smaller guns that shoot larger calibers recoiling worse but it's far more than a simple weight/caliber correlation. there are some designs which are just complete garbage in the felt recoil department. it's like saying that a model 1917 and 1903 have the same felt recoil because they are both chambered in the same cartridge and both weight roughly the same, that is not the case in my personal experience. I could name dozens of other such cases but I'll avoid that for the sake of time and coherency.

4. I do have no personal experience with small 1911s, the reason for this is that whenever I've had the chance to buy one, I've posed a number of questions to boards such as this one and the end result was me not buying said guns based on negative reviews, that's not memes, that's seeking input.

5. I served 4 years in the military, have taken a number of civilian small arms courses, trained with local law enforcement officers, and taken small arms instructor training with the navy. I've also been using firearms for the better part of 2 decades. I find your insinuations that I know little about firearms, more than a little distasteful.

6. my comments about laser grips making a gun "better" were aimed more at making fun of the "tacticool" crowd who pretty up their AR15s with every gadget known to man in an effort to make a super commie killing machine. the statement I made was more aimed at people, who if they did indeed start out with a poor weapon, might try compensating in any way they could, even if it had nothing to do with the original problem.

7. I will admit. I was completely ignorant of Detonics as a company, not just the single model you've listed which is apparently no longer in production as per their site. they currently list a single model in production with 2 variants, neither is even a compact, did a little more looking online and found that it's apparently been sold off several times and has rarely manufactured more than a couple models at a time, please forgive me for having overlooked such an illustrious and well respected company.

 

[BigJimP]

I know this whole thing is going to end in a rant.....but in my view, the compact 1911's made by Wilson combat are very reliable.....and not overpriced in my view, and in fact worth every penny.

While I personally favor a full sized Wilson protector model, in 9mm, as my primary carry gun, I would have no reservations about carrying a compact CQB model Wilson as an example - but a full size gun fits my large hands better.

While I agree that there are more models of compact 1911's now - the better companies making 1911's like Wilson & Ed Brown - have been making good compact models for a long time.

 

[KyJim]

The truth is that compact 1911s (with the possible exception of the Springfied EMP) are harder to make reliable as those with longer barrels. It all has to do with tolerances and timing -- there's less margin of error in guns with shorter barrels. That does NOT mean you can't make them reliable, just that they are likely to have more problems when taken as a whole when compared with those with longer barrels.

This post illustrates my point:

I've owned around ten 3 inch 1911s in the last 10-12 years. Had very good luck with a few exceptions:
--Charles Daly/Armscor that was bought used...prior owner may have futzed with it.
--Para C-6, bought used, ditto.
--Springfield EMP, one of the first off the assembly line (s/n 3750 IIRC...that was in 2007)
The remainder (seven or eight others) were great. . . .

Three out of 10 or 11 were problematic --- that's 27 to 30 percent of this small sample. That's way too many!

I'm not suggesting that a 30% lemon rate is the norm (I don't think it is). I'm suggesting that if you get a 1911 with a 3 or 3.5 inch barrel, you're more likely to have a problem than the large models.

I'm a 1911 guy. I often carry one, usually a CCO sized model -- 4.25 inch barrel with an Officer size grip frame (one less round). They are more reliable but still carry concealed well because it is the grip frame that is hard to conceal.

 

[imashooter]

I have 2 older 3.5" 1911s, SA Ultra Compact / Rock Island CS. Both are .45acp and are very accurate. Having never fired a compact 1911 before, I was expecting massive recoil and minimal accuracy. I was wrong on both assumptions. Very accurate and, for whatever reason, they both seem to have less flip/recoil than my full size 1911s. These two will never leave.

 

[CPO15]

My 4" and 4.25 1911s have all functioned well.

I've owned, and sold, a Colt Defender, New Agent and Kimber in 3" flavor. All but the New Agent threw brass to my face, but that issue was solved with extractor adjustments. All three functioned well with RN range ammo but each displayed some difficulty in HP SD ammo; I never spent enough money to find what SD ammo would function. And I'll add that I found these compacts to be remarkably accurate as well as a joy to carry and shoot.

 

[madcratebuilder]

This Kimber UCII is 100%, round nose or hollow points, never a hic cup. The recoil is really no more then a standard 1911. I've worn the finish off this one, time for a paint job.

This 9mm DW is a pussycat, light, accurate and no recoil to speak of.