3" 1911 guns dependability questions

View · by **tabberski** on Mon Jan 21, 2013 8:37 pm

Hello everyone,

Considering a 3 inch 1911 gun purchase. It is very appealing to me, love the fit and controls. But I have heard of FTE, FTF horror stories all related to that length barrel. What are your experiences? Or recommendations?

View · by **mmcnx2** on Mon Jan 21, 2013 8:40 pm

My wife's EMP runs 100% and has right out of the box. Mostly shoot WWB and some Honady Defense loads on occation.

View · by **Thunder71** on Mon Jan 21, 2013 8:41 pm

I have a Kimber Ultra Carry II that's been flawless and a joy to carry. I use either a Bianchi CarryLok or SnapLok, and load with Federal HST.

Sent from my ThunderBolt using Tapatalk 2

View · by **tabberski** on Mon Jan 21, 2013 8:48 pm

I have to ask also with your experiences, could you explain possibly why your firearm functions better then another. Without being biased. I only ask because of the problems associated with the shorter barrel, not the gun manufacture specifically. Maybe there is a feature that makes the gun more reliable? Thoughs, opinions, data, or SWAG are all invited. Free beer tomorrow, i've heard.

or the day after?

View · by **tabberski** on Mon Jan 21, 2013 8:53 pm

Another thought, are these pistols ammo specific. I know even some full size can be. Also do they function correctly only with a strong grip, or will a weak grip also allow them to cycle? The last was a recoil/cycle sensitivity question. I currently have a Kimber F/S and love it, and a Para LDA Commander size, love it. No problems with either. Just don't want to make a financial mistake.

View · by **TTS** on Mon Jan 21, 2013 9:01 pm

Most problems with short 1911s is lack of maintenance, they require frequent recoil and magazine spring changes.

The next most common problem is ammo related. You need to find ammo that works well, some +p ammo will cause too high of slide velocity and result in malfunctions.

Had an EMP and Kimber Ultra Carry that both ran well for thousand of rounds.

View · by **kerns bbo** on Mon Jan 21, 2013 9:09 pm

I have a Kimber Ultra CDP in .45 which runs flawlessly with all ammunition. I would not question buying another.

View · by **Sorcerer** on Mon Jan 21, 2013 9:09 pm

EMP is 9or 40 cal. Are you looking at 45cal in a 1911? Also isn't the Para a double stack?

View · by **sawgrass** on Mon Jan 21, 2013 9:48 pm

I have a Colt Defender. It has been a good reliable gun.
I don't carry it any longer. I find the CCO to be a much better option.
The 3" isn't exactly fun to shoot so it gets less range time. The better 4" guns with the Officer's frame work much better for me.

View · by **tabberski** on Mon Jan 21, 2013 10:09 pm

My Para is a single stack. For a DA the trigger isnt bad.

View · by **Metal Bird** on Mon Jan 21, 2013 11:03 pm

I have a question to add to this ... Is the .45 or 9mm a better round for the 3" 1911?
I too am wanting a compact 1911 but would prefer a 9mm for the wife's ease of use. Read once that those are more reliable than the 45 in that size, but am looking for more insight.

View · by **tabberski** on Tue Jan 22, 2013 6:35 am

I haven't decided on the cal yet. 9, .40, and .45 are all options. Most likely the .45

View · by **LS3Miata** on Tue Jan 22, 2013 6:51 am

my kimber ultra cdp II has been flawless for 1200 rounds. Very manageable too.

View · by **rugersol** on Tue Jan 22, 2013 7:36 am

tabberski wrote:problems associated with the shorter barrel, not the gun manufacture specifically

I ain't conducted an overly scientific study ... but had/have a few 3in - 3.5in 1911's ... I had a 3in Kimber, and a 4in Kimber ... 3in ran fine ... 4in never shot more than 2rd in a row w/o jamming ... Kimber charged me $150 for a new frame for a brand new $1,000 pistol ... so now I ain't got neither!

I got a 3in Colt ... it had issues ... had some hack thru J&S give it "the package" :roll:

... it worked ok ... then the recoil spring/assy broke ... sent it in to Colt ... they replaced any/all parts modified by "the package" ... been 100% ever since! No question, there was an issue, from the factory, but Colt made more than good on it!

Also got a 3.5in Rock Island (this was from several years ago ... apparently, these days, they're all 100% reliable?!

) ... it shot FMJ ok ... but I had to work on it quite a bit, to get it to feed JHP ... still not 100%, depending on the shooter!

Also picked up a very gently used 3.5in Springfield V-10 ... always ran well! ... my first Springfield 1911, that ever did!

Based on my experience, I'd go with a S&W, Colt, or Para!

I don't have a 3in S&W ... but I got several others ... including 4.25in ... they all run like tops! I'd guess, if anyone makes a 3in 1911 that's 100% outta the box, it's S&W! (I'd have one ... but my 4.25in S&W's are only 4oz more ... and have a full grip ... I'm gettin' way too much, fer my 4oz!)

If a Colt don't run outta the box, send it in, they'll make it so ... no charge!

Good chance a 3in Para has a ramp'd bbl! ... IMO, this is the #1 issue with feeding JHP!

I know that's somewhat counter-intuitive to the original design ... but, the original design was fer 230gr FMJ!

... that said, S&W's clearly got the geometry down to a science!

With less than ideal geometry ... recoil springs, magazines, lube, grip, solar flares ... will all have a much greater effect, on reliability! IMO, this applies nearly as much to 4.25in and 5in 1911's! I'd bet my life on my Defender! ... not so much, with my (no longer owned) 5in Springfield "Loaded" (even after a trip back to the factory!)

View · by **Cuda66** on Tue Jan 22, 2013 7:37 am

My 3" New Agent as been perfectly reliable, even with several different types of carry ammo.

The only round it had issues with were the 185gr Barnes Tac-X.