What's your opinion about a 5" or 4" barrel in a 1911 format.

[AIRret]

My husband is looking at high end (Wilson Combat, Nighthawk, Guncrafter, Uselton, e.c.t) 1911's and he can't decide on a 4'" or 5" barrel. The gun will primarily be used for home defense, possible IDPA, and occasional carry. What are your thoughts?

[wyntrout]

I have a 4" Springfield Champion and I think the 4" is a perfect size... it feels balanced. I have a S&W 645 and the XD45 Tactical with 5" barrels and they are huge. I don't CCW with those, though, nor the Champion. Those 3 are for the range or home defense. I got the XD45 for a "battle pistol" with high capacity.

I WAS thinking that I "needed" a 5" 1911, but I wound up getting the XD45 for its capacity and reputation. I will probably get a stainless 5" 1911 within the next year... kind of a must have.:rolleyes: It may be the Ruger SR if they get caught up and offer more sight options.

Wynn:)

[Bawanna]

I went smaller / shorter and shorter and then found myself going back the other way. My Cbob is a 4 1/2" but I get along just fine with a full size. If it's mostly home and range with occasional carry I'd go big.
Maybe the barrel length, probably sight radius helps me, and I need all the help I can get.

[TucsonMTB]

What's your opinion about a 5" or 4" barrel in a 1911 format.
It doesn't matter very much. Both sizes are likely to be accurate and reliable, especially from the makers your are considering.

Five inch 1911's are the most fun to shoot because their greater mass reduces felt recoil and the long sight radius is easy to aim. You can probably get a pretty good idea of which is the better choice for you by handling both sizes at a local shop. Shooting would be even better, but there is so little difference (in my experience with both) that just handling them will probably tell the tale.

Best of luck. I am confident you will enjoy whatever choice you make. There is no such thing as a bad choice between those two sizes at that quality level.

Edited to add: Besides, 1911's are a bit like potato chips, so you will most likely own both sizes eventually. ;)

[Bawanna]

I didn't even notice the brands you were looking at. Those are all on the other side of the tracks from me. They let me look now and then but never touch.

You might add Ed Brown, and Les Bauer to that price range.

Lots of good stuff.

[AIRret]

Hey Tucson, there's no such thing and too many toys, I mean guns!

Bawanna, thanks for the additional recommendations.

At least guns are cheaper than banjos and guitars. Hubby and I like to think that we are musicians.

[gb6491]

It doesn't matter very much. Both sizes are likely to be accurate and reliable, especially from the makers your are considering.

Five inch 1911's are the most fun to shoot because their greater mass reduces felt recoil and the long sight radius is easy to aim. You can probably get a pretty good idea of which is the better choice for you by handling both sizes at a local shop. Shooting would be even better, but there is so little difference (in my experience with both) that just handling them will probably tell the tale.

Best of luck. I am confident you will enjoy whatever choice you make. There is no such thing as a bad choice between those two sizes at that quality level.

Edited to add: Besides, 1911's are a bit like potato chips, so you will most likely own both sizes eventually. ;)
That's good advice.
I too, don't think there's that much difference performance or "carry" wise between the 5" and 4" guns, so the deciding factor for me would be which size I shoot better or just plain prefer.
Regards,
Greg

[TucsonMTB]

At least guns are cheaper than banjos and guitars. Hubby and I like to think that we are musicians.
Really! :eek:

Perhaps my nearly nonexistent musical instrument skills are less unfortunate than I thought. Still, James Taylor will always be my hero, especially now that he is drug free. And, let's not even talk about Mr. Eric Clampton, aka "slow hand" (http://jack.radio.com/2012/03/27/eric-slow-hand-clapton-drops-4-75-million-dollars-on-custom-ferrari-video/).

Or Mr. Peter Frampton who I do sometimes feel like . . . even if I almost can't even listen that fast . . . :o

[muggsy]

It's a matter of personal preference, but I go for the 5" unless it was going to be used for EDC. Longer sight radius, better balance and slightly more velocity.

[Longitude Zero]

Personal choice. If it was CCW I would take the 4" over the 5".

[Bawanna]

I have 3 1/2" to 5" covered. Think I need a long slide? I think I do.

[Bill K]

You mention occasional carry... If the grip height of the pistol having a 4" barrel is shorter than the height of the 5" barrel option I would go with the 4" barrel in order to have a marginally easier to conceal pistol.

[CJB]

I've got three 5's, two 4's and two 3-1/2's.

They are ALL nice.

Forget the 5's if he wants to carry. I dunno, just me maybe, but they're a pain to conceal.

My fav's are the 4 (or 4-1/4) inch guns. Thats the "Commander" length. The 4 inch barrel came about as the shortest that can be done on a standard Govt. length barrel and slide, without resorting to extra machining. Shorter than that, the barrel lugs hit the bushing, so you either need a coned barrel, or an oversize bushing (or combination of both like Colt did with the Officers). So, one gun is a true Commander at 4-1/4 inches, other a Springfield Compact, at 4" but with straight, non-coned barrel.

The Officer's length 3-1/2 inch barrels are fun shooters, concealable, but heavy to carry unless alloy framed (old guy here... light matters).

I still shoot the 5 inch guns when I want to make nice little holes, very neatly, in paper targets, or want to kill some cans and odd steel pieces at distance. The shorties do lose their practical accuracy. I still carry the Officer's, from time to time, when the situation calls for it.

[wyntrout]

My 4" Champion takes regular length mags... 7 to 8 rounds. The grip is not shorter, but it still feels like a more compact pistol. I don't CCW it, though.

Wynn:)

[Bawanna]

I got my Chief a Para CCW? CCO? can't remember which but it's a commander length slide with an officer size frame.
It is not what I was looking for in a duty gun but he liked it and wouldn't let me send it back for a full length frame model.

[O'Dell]

I have two 3 inch, a 3.5 inch, a 4.25 inch, and and a 5 inch. The 4.25 inch SIG is my favorite of the bunch. It's well balanced, and for me, just as accurate as the 5 inch SA. I also think with the officer's grip it has the best proportions and is the best looking.

[ORSalesRep]

I have Bill Wilson Carry which is a 4" with a rounded butt. I am 5'8" 170lb 30" waist , so not large framed and it conceals extremely well. In fact, if the weight doesn't bother you, it conceals every bit as well as my Kahr P9. Wilson makes an amazing gun and honestly, in addition to concealing well, it does everything perfectly. It is my favorite handgun, but it is expensive. Usually if I am not carrying my Wilson, I will be carrying my MK9 elite. For me 5" was too big for carry and from what I read about 3" 1911s is that they can be unreliable or ammo finicky. In fact, that is one of the reasons Wilson doesn't offer 3". The design of the 1911 is 100 years old and when it was designed, it just wasn't creat�ed with the intention of a 3" barrel in mind. That said, there are companies that have made modifications to their 1911 designs to enable 3" barrels, but I still personally don't feel they are entirely reliable. My friend has a 3" Kimber and it is very picky on ammo choice. Jams up with Hornady Critical Defense pretty regularly and won't feed some hollow points. However, others have been known to find a type of ammo that works through trial and error and then have had success sticking with that type. Good luck on your choice. All those manufactures are excellent and I agree that you should also look at Ed Brown and Les Baer.

[Infidel proud]

My home defense is a Smith and wesson E series 1911 with light rail, however my all around favorite would be the commander lenght 4.25 barrel. It seems to have the best balance, and I like the CCO platform for carry, it has the shorter grip for better concealment and still has the sight radius of the commander...So I guess I'm sayin I like all of them, just for different applications...

[Longitude Zero]

Bawanna I have the Para 7.45 and the full sized both LDA versions. I am looking for a long slide top from Para when they become available again. They do not keep them in stock and don't make them very often.

[Bawanna]

Bawanna I have the Para 7.45 and the full sized both LDA versions. I am looking for a long slide top from Para when they become available again. They do not keep them in stock and don't make them very often.

I have the CCW? the little 3 1/2, the 7.45 Limited and the 14.45, one of the early blued double stacks. It's a blued one, all LDA's.
I'm giving my son the 7.45 Limited for graduation next week. He's a lefty (no idea where that came from, well his moms lefty. It has an ambi safety and is a little more forgiving with the LDA trigger. It's a real accurate gun too.

I kind of hate to part with it but it's still in house for a few years at least anyhow.

I didn't know Para even made a long slide. Learn something everyday.

[Longitude Zero]

Its called the Super Hawg Long-Slide. Do you have any idea why ParaOrd stopped making the LDA's?

[Bawanna]

Call me a lying cur dog. My little one is a Companion, it's a 7.45. I thought the Limited Edition was a 7.45 but it's a full size 5" full length frame??? I did my own bobtail on that one, used to be conventional. I like the feel of a bobtail, works well with my hands.

Evidence photos. Also the grips I'm making for the baseball playin graduate. I'm not totally happy with them yet. Another hunk of that now famous Osage Orange. School colors are Orange and Black.

Edit to add- These are the last photo's taken right before the horrible boating accident and I still miss them.

[Bawanna]

Its called the Super Hawg Long-Slide. Do you have any idea why ParaOrd stopped making the LDA's?

Crap I didn't know they quit making LDA's. I thought it was a real winner myself. I know that got into funny colored guns and you couldn't get a plain stainless. The colored finishes didn't last long and looked like hell.
Officer at work at one, we called the green machine. Para wouldn't warranty the finish and admitted it was junk. It got kind of ugly and he sold it.
I wanted to sent it off to Birdsong but it never happened.

Wonder what's up with them. I heard they moved down here someplace from Canada but hadn't heard they quit the LDA's. I got one of the last Limiteds, seems like I have a affinity to wanting discontinued stuff.

[JFootin]

Their website still shows LDAs as available.

[TucsonMTB]

I got one of the last Limiteds, seems like I have a affinity to wanting discontinued stuff.
That's a really handsome 1911 . . . but, then I have always liked Para Ordnance. It's on my list for "if I win a lottery". Their stainless models have always been the best looking to me. Guess I have a thing about "shiny" but, their other finishes never did seem to hold up very well. :rolleyes:

[Longitude Zero]

Their website still shows LDAs as available.

True enough but only in the compact size, no fullsized ones listed in the currrent catalog. Unfortunately the shops where I live are getting the "We have no idea when they will be back in stock" lymerick. Sadly PO has had a habit of showing guns in the catalog and only making small limited production runs. When they are out you get the above mentioned lymerick.

[AIRret]

Nice pictures Bawanna.

Hey folks thanks for the information.

[downtownv]

I owm a target Ii kimber 5" I want a full size 1911 and don't regret my decision one bit! Love to shoot it little large for summer cc, for me.

[TucsonMTB]

I owm a Target II kimber 5" I want a full size 1911 and don't regret my decision one bit! Love to shoot it little large for summer cc, for me.
http://home.mindspring.com/%7Ejustsomeguy/BoxElderGrips.JPG

Me too! Even though they are not very expensive (compared to Wilson (http://wilsoncombat.com/new/default.asp) and Les Baer (http://www.lesbaer.com/), etc.), they certainly are fun to shoot and not bad to look at. :)

[gb6491]

http://home.mindspring.com/%7Ejustsomeguy/BoxElderGrips.JPG

Me too! Even though they are not very expensive (compared to Wilson (http://wilsoncombat.com/new/default.asp) and Les Baer (http://www.lesbaer.com/), etc.), they certainly are fun to shoot and not bad to look at. :)
What a nice looking pistol!
My local shop has(had?) a Nighthawk GRP (http://www.nighthawktactical.com/GRP.html) as a rental gun. I rented it one day to shoot in a side by side comparison with my Kimber TLE II. I must say the GRP is well made and that I liked it, but I didn't shoot it any better than I did my Kimber (no problems with either guns). So knowing that I'm the limiting factor as accuracy goes, I'm hard pressed to break the $1500 mark for a 1911 (reliability has never been a problem for me in sub $1000 guns [which all mine are]), but I've surely been tempted by Wilson's X-TAC (http://wilsoncombat.com/new/handgun-xtac.asp) (same shop had one last year and another in the case now).
Regards,
Greg

[Bawanna]

Ok, that's it Greg, I gotta put a block on your post!

That Wilson (which I hadn't seen nor looked for) is one very nice looking pistol. One officer here has what I call an entry level Wilson, low end of the spectrum but it's still like a Mercedes compared to a Taurus in comparison. It just exuded quality just holding it. I've not had a chance to shoot it yet, most likely never will which is probably a good thing.

My wife says your the little devil that sits on my shoulder and plants evil ideas in my head like spending her money.

One of the things on my bucket list is to own a Wilson, course Ed Brown and Les Bauer are on the list too. I've managed to fight it off so far but sometimes I'm weak, course I'm usually broke too so it's not so awfully difficult.

I'm sure gonna miss ya, I'll no doubt cave in within the next 45 seconds.

[tarheelcm9]

I had a Springer Champion with the 4" barrel, and wished I had the 5". I never carried it because it was just too heavy and big. IMO, 1911's are just tough to carry, so it will most likely spend its life on the night stand. Because of that, I would get the 5" barrel. I personally think they look better too.

[TucsonMTB]

What a nice looking pistol!
Thank you for the kind words, sir!

http://viewsfromtucson.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/XTAC-Compact.jpg


I've surely been tempted by Wilson's X-TAC (http://wilsoncombat.com/new/handgun-xtac.asp) . . .Regards,
Greg
Yep! A nice Wilson is on my "when I win a big lottery" list. :rolleyes: