4" Barrel in 1911

MrDrummy · Post by **MrDrummy** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 12:32 am

I think that most will tell you it's best to have your pistol in a holster of some sort, as it keeps the gun in it's place, helps with concealment, and you can avoid what a lot of us have read about with people's pistols falling out of their pockets or down their pants leg at very inopportune times. (I actually can't think of an opportune time for that to happen...)

That said-- I've been waiting on an IWB holster for 5 months now (they originally said 5 weeks!!)

and I've carried my 3" Kimber in just about any form you could imagine. I've carried it Mexican style with a really tight belt, in the pocket of my hunting vest (not a big pocket!) in the outside pocket of my leather jacket, and have had no problems what-so-ever. It even stays in a readily accessible position if I put it in the pocket right.

You might be able to fit it in a cargo pants pocket, but it would do some awful sagging in those pants, I imagine. Do the holster. Search the forum, as there are quite a few threads on some quality holsters. Just make sure that your holster maker knows how to come through on his lead times!!

TX Rancher · Post by **TX Rancher** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 7:14 am

Thane wrote:I carry a Kimber 3" 1911, and have no problems with it, not even with Corbon's "flying ashtrays." I have had magazine problems, but every failure to feed I've had has been traced to one magazine in particular; I think the follower is shaped slightly wrong. I'll likely at some point replace all the followers with something more reliable and less finicky, but the other mags work fine right now, and so the offending mag only gets range time.

Thane: My wifes Kimber CDP had a similar problem. I switched her to Wilson mags and the problem went away. I had another mag that had problem in my Ultra, and I switched the follower and spring to Wilson and the problem went away. I couldn't agree more with your comment about the reliability of 3 inchers. I too think the initial problems have been solved (Talk about a statement that's bound to get me in trouble!).

Venus Pax · Post by **Venus Pax** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 9:17 am

I just got a Springfield .45 in a Commander size for Christmas. (Santa was nice to me this year.)
I'm having a lot of trouble hiding it, but I'm not the largest person in the world either. I plan to play around with it and make it work with what I wear.
The advice not to wear it without a holster is very good advice. Even though the 1911s have safeties, remember that they are cocked when a round is in the chamber. Those safeties are very easy to move. You want that trigger to be protected.
A .45 bullet would put a nice little boo-boo in your foot if it went off. (If you carry JHPs, you might not have a foot left, which would really inhibit your ability to protect yourself in the future.) Also, guns going off in public really freak some people out.
Charles recommended to me a Milt Sparks Summer II holster. It has a cant, and that tilt really helps keep the gun's grip from sticking out so far and advertising my concealed carry status. (This holster is worn IWB.)

Although I haven't tried a Comp-Tac kydex holster with this gun (again, this is a new carry gun, so not much personal experience with it), my experience with Comp-Tac kydex holsters has been positive. I will certainly consider one for this gun as well.

Geister · Post by **Geister** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 4:13 pm

Actually, I was thinking about some sort of holster I could put it in while carrying it in my pocket, but I suppose I'll just go with the IWB.

dws, I think I'll stick with a single stack magazine to keep the slimness down. I'm leaning towards a Springfield GI Lightweight Champion right now with a 4" barrel. I think I'll get a 4" barrel because I'd prefer a longer sight radius for shooting at 25 yards and you're right, it's probably not that much harder to conceal compared to the 3" barrel. The extra velocity will also help.

What kind of holster do you put your Dan Wesson in?

longtooth · Post by **longtooth** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 4:57 pm

He has a Tucker HF1. When I saw it I liked it so good that I ordered one.
That is a fine holster. Hope I did not steal his thunder.

Geister · Post by **Geister** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 5:31 pm

I'm assuming that his Dan Wesson is a half inch to an inch longer than a Champion. Is the holster pretty comfortable? I was thinking about a sheepskin IWB holster myself, but I might consider a Tucker, especially if it's a Texas company.

Post by **Skiprr** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 7:36 pm

Geister wrote:I'm assuming that his Dan Wesson is a half inch to an inch longer than a Champion. Is the holster pretty comfortable? I was thinking about a sheepskin IWB holster myself, but I might consider a Tucker, especially if it's a Texas company.

Yep. Tucker's Gunleather is a good ol' Texas company. Their Website is http://rlcompanyusa.stores.yahoo.net/index.html. When you explore the site, one holster you'll see is The Answer, a leather/kydex combo. William Tucker is friends with Greg Garrett, owner of Comp-Tac, maker of some of the most popuar kydex holsters around. The two Houston-based friends got together and created The Answer, a unique IWB holster. Just trivia for today.

tex45acp · Post by **tex45acp** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 9:03 pm

I started out carrying a Springfield GI WW2 Champion that I customized, then moved to a Stainless Pre-Loaded Champion, and finally ended up with the gun I have always wanted a Wilson Combat Professional that I carry in a Milt Sparks Versa Max 2. I love the balance and feel of the 4" 1911.
I also own two of Mr. Tuckers fine holsters, but both are for revolvers.

tex

MrDrummy · Post by **MrDrummy** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 11:01 pm

Venus,

Where are the pics of the new pistol?

We wanna see it!

Geister · Post by **Geister** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 3:47 am

I believe someone on this thread said something about the magazine/grip of the 1911 being the hardest to conceal. The bobcat on the Dan Wesson is one way to do it. But for another way, anyone know of a 4" 1911 with a smaller grip?

Venus Pax · Post by **Venus Pax** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 10:11 am

I've never posted pics on here before. Let's see if this works.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePhoto ... derid=2006

The only thing I could do was post the link to Kodak Gallery.
How do I post these directly onto this post? I've tried copy & paste, but the virtual glue doesn't work.

Geister · Post by **Geister** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 4:11 pm

Try imageshack.us. I can't view the pictures without being registered to Kodak.

Tote 9 · Post by **Tote 9** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 7:00 pm

Venus Pax wrote:I've never posted pics on here before. Let's see if this works.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePhoto ... derid=2006

The only thing I could do was post the link to Kodak Gallery.
How do I post these directly onto this post? I've tried copy & paste, but the virtual glue doesn't work.

Daniel Patterson helped me a lot. He sent me instructions
on how to post pictures using Photobucket. Adigital camera
works best but as long as you have you picture on your
hard drive you can upload it to photobucket. If you would like
I can send you his instructions by e-mail.

longtooth · Post by **longtooth** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 7:04 pm

DPatterson is who finally taught me to get pics on the board. He is sharp. Spread his tallent North to South & all in between.

Venus Pax · Post by **Venus Pax** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 9:30 pm

Okay, I'm trying PhotoBucket. If this doesn't work, I'll PM Tote9 for instructions.