It is true that a 3" barrel takes some of the stank off of a 230 grain bullet, although I wouldn't go so far as to call it "underwhelming." The .45 ACP cartridge isn't a high velocity round to begin with. Your load which might generate 850-875 fps in a 5" barrel is going to generate velocities around 775-800 fps in a 3" barrel; but just like I used to say about the .380 ACP cartridge of which I am completely unimpressed, I'm still not going to volunteer to step in front of one.gigag04 wrote:The 3" 1911 platform is inherently less stable than its full size brothers (commander and govt). That said, with either lots of luck, or a small investment with a reputable gunsmith, they can be made serviceable. After speaking w Teddy Jacobson, my lingering issue with the 3" 1911 pattern guns is the underwhelming muzzle velocity with 230gr ammo. Teddy suggested using less than a 200gr bullet to get the speed up.
Because of this, I would prefer a bobbed commander or a CCO patterned gun.
Corbon actually has a load specifically developed for 3" barreled .45s, and it is in their DPX line. Unlike a lot of the Corbon line, this is a standard pressure load, and it throws a 165 grain bullet at 1050 fps. THIS TESTER actually tested the load in a 5", a 4", and a 3" 1911 using a chronograph placed 10 feet out from the muzzle, and obtained the following results with that load:
- Colt Defender/3" barrel: 1082 fps (415.84 ft-lbs)
- Colt Commander/4.25" barrel: 1178 fps (492.90 ft-lbs)
- Dan Wesson Patriot/5" barrel: 1217 fps (526.08 ft-lbs)
Short barreled pistols are a fact of life for most people who carry a gun, dictated by the simple exigencies of trying to conceal a gun. Some carry a full sized pistol, and I do that occasionally myself (either a 5" 1911 or a M&P45), but I carry my 3" 1911 more than I do the full sized guns. My other two carry pistols are both short barreled guns: a Kahr PM9 (3" barrel) and a M&P340 (1-7/8" barrel). I have found loads for those two pistols that account for their short barrel length and still produce sufficient velocity/energy.
In the PM9, I carry the Corbon 115 grain +P DPX.......the 9mm version of the DPX load tested above. Corbon advertises 1250 fps/399 ft-lbs from a 4" barrel. If you knock 100 fps off of that for the 1" loss of barrel length, you are still talking about 1150 fps—not exactly something to sneeze at—and the PM9 uses polygonal rifling which generally yields slightly higher velocities than standard rifling. In any case, the DPX seems like a very good choice for short barreled semi-autos.
In my M&P340, I carry the Hornady Critical Defense 125 grain .357 load. I actually telephoned Hornady and asked what kind of velocity they got out of 2" barrels using this load. They told me "1200 fps," which would produce about 400 ft-lbs.
My point of all of this is that you don't have to be "under-armed" with a short barreled pistol. I've been carrying the 230 grain loads in my 3" 1911 simply because that is what I have on hand for my full sized .45s. The gun functions flawlessly, as I mentioned in my previous post. I don't feel under-armed, but I would be a liar if I said that I not concerned about velocities for 230 grain bullets in that gun. I have been intending to buy some Corbon 160 grain DPX loads to test for function in that pistol, and if they function well, then I will likely start carrying that load in my Kimber.
Now, all of that said, I agree with gigag04 that the 4" 1911 is probably the best 1911 for carry, combining the best of both worlds.....easy concealability with sufficient barrel length. Let it also be known that gigag04 has expensive tastes. I'd love a bobbed commander, but the extra cost of that feature tends to put such out of my price range. However, there are other options also, such as the Kimber Compact models, which are 4" barreled 1911s with the shorter grip length of the officer-sized frames without paying the premium for a bobbed frame. All of that is moot for me right now though, as I can't afford to buy either of them.
