Favorite Frame Size to Carry

[JetGirl]

I've got a few different sizes of 1911 and currently carry the Officer's size (3").
I'm seriously thinking about going up to the Government size (4") due to the fact that sometimes HP gives me feed glitches in the 3".
What's your favorite reliable carry frame size and why?

 

[steve666]

The size that ISN'T a 1911, an out-dated design that I have little use for.

 

[iChokePeople]

I carry both 4(.25)" and 5", both work fine for me. Chose 4 because sometimes an extra inch matters.

 

[JetGirl]

The size that ISN'T a 1911, an out-dated design that I have little use for.

Yeah, initially I was going to specify "1911", but then decided to leave it open ended with the "Other" to see what other people do...

Speaking to that end, could you tell me what exactly it is that you have "little use for" and why you think it's outdated? Just curious.

 

[rockhopper46038]

Speaking to that end, could you tell me what exactly it is that you have "little use for" and why you think it's outdated? Just curious.

Sounds like it's just an opinion to me. Everybody has one.

I carry a 5" 1911 and a 4"-ish SIG P228 (darn Germans and their silly metric system)

 

[kludge]

Not a 1911, but in my case it's an XD. For appendix carry 4" is a tad long, but it's more of a problem of the long grip "printing" under a t-shirt. The 3" XDsc is more comfortable.

I don't know that I have a "favorite", but it would be somewhere between 3" and 4".

 

[Rob377]

in 1911s, I won't own anything other than a full 5" Gov't size.

Anything else, 4.25 is about the smallest I go.

I don't have a problem concealing a full-size, and I prefer the extra heft, sight radius, shootability and in most cases, capacity that a full size handgun offers.

 

[SideArmed]

Can't really coment on other frame sizes as I am still in the "learning what is best for me" stages. But I can tell already that my 5" barreled Taurus 24/7 is going to be a bit much to conceal in the summer time, mostly due to grip size on it. I have been looking around at some compact 9mm's and the like to see what will work better.

 

[shooter1054]

I have an XD40sc for carry. since I just started OCing, I have been kicking around the idea of going to the XDM40 3.8. I like shooting my XD, but I have long fingers, and I'm thinking I might be able to grip the XDM a little better with the large backstrap. I also have a RIA 1911 5". It's to big and HEAVY for EDC.

 

[iChokePeople]

...snip... For appendix carry 4" is a tad long, but it's more of a problem of the long grip "printing" under a t-shirt. ...snip...

I frequently carry a full-sized 1911 appendix. But you definitely notice that extra inch vs. carrying a commander that way. A bobtail doesn't print as much, for me. One of the nice things about carrying aiwb is that most people are hestitant about getting caught staring at that particular area to see if you're carrying.

 

[U.S. Patriot]

Right now I'm carrying a PF9, when winter comes it will be a FNP9.

 

[ATM]

XDm 4.5"

Most anything reasonably full-sized. I'm just not personally a fan of shooting compacts.

 

[jeremy]

I prefer a full sized pistol with a 5" barrel...

 

[steve666]

Single action, limited mag. capacity, BUSHING, LINK. Even John Browning realized that it could be bettered (Browning HiPower).

 

[JR50]

 

[Sylvain]

The size that ISN'T a 1911, an out-dated design that I have little use for.

^^ This!
For a carry gun you have so many better options in my opinion.
The 1911 is so big and heavy for so little magazine capacity.
I like subcompact light weight gun who were designed just to carry (especially concealed).
With those I can get more magazine capacity in a much smaller and lighter package that the 1911 is the last gun I would ever carry.



That being said (and before 1911 lovers jump on me) I think its a niece piece if you are talking about a range gun.But for a carry guns I have so many better options.

 

[IndySSD]

Annie,
Somebody has to say it: Size doesn't matter. It's what you do with it.

JR I hate to tell you this but that's just something girls say to make guys with small [STRIKE]genitalia[/STRIKE] firearms feel better.


There's nothing anyone can do with 3 or 4 inches that can't be done with a larger tool but there are LOADS of things that can be done with larger tools that can't be easily duplicated using a teeny tiny tool.

 

[Bond 281]

^^ This!
For a carry gun you have so many better options in my opinion.
The 1911 is so big and heavy for so little magazine capacity.
I like subcompact light weight gun who were designed just to carry (especially concealed).
With those I can get more magazine capacity in a much smaller and lighter package that the 1911 is the last gun I would ever carry.



That being said (and before 1911 lovers jump on me) I think its a niece piece if you are talking about a range gun.But for a carry guns I have so many better options.

My full-size 1911, fully loaded, weighs in at right about 3 pounds. Men have been carrying 3lb weapons on their hips for millenia, so I don't think it's in any way excessive. I've shot lighter guns in the .45 caliber and the recoil is too much, imo. As far as the single action, I much prefer it to double action, and the pure speed of the 1911 trigger is just fantastic. It also seems to me that if you need to fire more than 8 rounds with a pistol in self-defense without reloading....you're f---ed anyway. The other thing I prefer with the 1911 is that although it may be larger, it's also very flat, and prints less than bulkier pistols. It's in no way out-dated or ineffective. It may not be some people's preference, but for me there is absolutely nothing I would change about it.

 

[Rob377]

a 1911 weighs a whopping 14 ounces more than Glock 19. 14 whole ounces. Almost 0.4% of my bodyweight. That's way too much, I'm not a bodybuilder or a pack mule!!

 

[Squib]

I've got a full size 1911 and it is a fantastic range gun, but I simply don't want to carry that much weight cc. I like .45 however, and every once and a while I go looking for a 1911 with a 3" barrell; only to bump into complaints about the small ones not working properly. I just hate dealing with dud guns, so I always back off.

So far, my compromise has been a S&W 457 which I carry when it's cold out. Still not a 1911, though.