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Colt CCO
Sig GSR Compact 1911/ Sig C3 1911
Kimber Compact Stainless/Kimber CDP

Any of y'all have any experience with these models?

I ran across the Colt CCO at a local Gun Store (Seems to be a cross between a Lightweight Officer's Model and Commander. Blued alloy frame with SS Commander slide, with Novak-type sights.). It looked great - but expensive.

Any opinions would be appreciated! ... What are your thoughts on any of the compact 1911's? I would like to hear of your experiences with the Sig 1911's....

Looks like they are a good carry piece.

I have a Kimber Ultra Carry. It is very accurate and I have never had any issues with it. It is small and easy to carry/conceal and most important it is FUN to shoot!

CompVest wrote:I have a Kimber Ultra Carry. It is very accurate and I have never had any issues with it. It is small and easy to carry/conceal and most important it is FUN to shoot!

+1 on the Ultra Carry. I have about 4,000 rounds through mine. CompVest is right on with small, easy to carry and conceal, and fun to shoot. It's also extremely accurate. I shoot it as well as a full size 1911.

If you get one, change the plastic backstrap to a steel one and pay strict attention to the recoil spring replacement schedule. My biggest problem with the gun is keeping enough ball ammo in stock for those impromptu range trips.

I carried a Kimber Compact CDP for a few yrs. Guessing 4. No issues. accurate. Bought it at a good price, let a holster & one extra mag go w/ it for $100.00 more than I gave for it. They will hold their value if you take care of them.

You listed several. That is the only one I have 1st hand experience w/ so will let the others address the ones they have carried.

I've had a Kimber Ultra CDP for about 6-7 years now. It's been a great gun. It's light weight, surprisingly accurate and completely dependable. I also recommend changing to a steel mainspring housing.

Current carry 45 is a Colt Defender. Really like the Colt New Agent or the Kimber RCP. Both are purpose-built CCW pistols with gutter sights. I'll find one for sale at a decent price some day.

Carrying a Kimber Ultra Carry II. It is a great pistol. I'll never get rid of it. Shoots like a dream, and functions flawlessly.

+1 on the Kimber Ultra Carry II.

I had a lot of doubt about buying a 3" gun from all the problems I've read about people having with them. Thank to forum member Skippr for letting me try his Ultra CDP at the range. I liked it, it ran flawlessly, but I was still in doubt. Well, I broke down yesterday, and applied my Kimber Relief Fund to a new Ultra Carry II. I took it to the range today and it was a dream to shoot. Only 3 fail to feeds from the middle of the magazine in the 100 rounds I put through it. A little tap and rack, and bang. I'm smiling!

I like it a lot!!!

I have a SA Micro .45. I love it. No problems, ever. All kinds of ammo through it and it eats it like peanuts.

texasag

+1 for the Ultra Carry II.

I have had a Kimber Tactical Ultra for about 2 years now. No problems and I pocket carry in a Mika holster...

I'm not a fan of compact 1911's but, of the three mentioned by the OP, I'd prefer the Kimber Compact/CDP if and only if it's 'Series I' pistol. My first 1911 was a Kimber and it was a workhorse for eight years and over 100,000 rounds. It's still running today with no problems.

The CCO's that I've shot have generally been OK. Like most Colts, they came pre-sharpened as John Farnam would say. Personally, I'd lose the goofy Hogue wrap around grips with which many of them shipped. The sights weren't my favorite but that's a minor issue. Parts quality is generally good but assembly is cheap but, usually competent.

My experience with Sig 1911's has been spotty at best. These guns are SigSauer pistols in name only in my experience. Some worked just fine while others had quality control issues that I would associate with far lesser brands. Since those guns are assembled here, I have to wonder if the UAW union is in charge of the assembly plant. Early on, holster availability for their unique slide profiles was limited. That may no longer be an issue as they've been on the market for several years now.

The short guns, all of them, tend to go through springs faster than their five-inch brethren. And if you decide to go with any of the current crop of 3-inch 1911's, be sure to pay attention to the guide-rod assembly. Nearly all run a captive, two-stage spring guide-rod with a very thin flange on one end that is prone to breakage. The unit is almost always sold as an assembly at prices ranging from $35 to $65 and they tend to require replacement a bit more often than is the case with full-size guns.

G.C.Montgomery wrote:My experience with Sig 1911's has been spotty at best. These guns are SigSauer pistols in name only in my experience. Some worked just fine while others had quality control issues that I would associate with far lesser brands. Since those guns are assembled here, I have to wonder if the UAW union is in charge of the assembly plant. Early on, holster availability for their unique slide profiles was limited. That may no longer be an issue as they've been on the market for several years now.

I had a Sig GSR 1911. It was a really pretty pistol, and utterly useless. I never could get it to feed an entire magazine without jamming, and I tried new mags, polishing the ramp and throat, etc., etc. I finally traded it in on my Kimber when I discovered that the Sig's grip safety hadn't been working for a while, and I never looked back. It was a wise trade. I'll never buy another Sig 1911.

The Annoyed Man wrote:

G.C.Montgomery wrote:My experience with Sig 1911's has been spotty at best. These guns are SigSauer pistols in name only in my experience. Some worked just fine while others had quality control issues that I would associate with far lesser brands. Since those guns are assembled here, I have to wonder if the UAW union is in charge of the assembly plant. Early on, holster availability for their unique slide profiles was limited. That may no longer be an issue as they've been on the market for several years now.

I had a Sig GSR 1911. It was a really pretty pistol, and utterly useless. I never could get it to feed an entire magazine without jamming, and I tried new mags, polishing the ramp and throat, etc., etc. I finally traded it in on my Kimber when I discovered that the Sig's grip safety hadn't been working for a while, and I never looked back. It was a wise trade. I'll never buy another Sig 1911.

I appreciate the honesty on the Sig 1911's. It was really a toss up between the Sig 1911 (because I am a fan of the Sig line) and of Kimber. I know I was looking at the Colt CCO...

But, it looks like the Kimber is the way to go...but, I have never dealt with the bushing-less variety. I am very familiar with the field strip of 1911's (bushing).

How is the field stripping different with the bushing-less?/

As you noted, the compact Kimbers run a "bull-barrel" and reverse plug design. IPSC guns have used this setup for years. I could bore you with my own description of how to do this but, Kimber has already written the procedures and was kind enough to make it web accessible.

http://www.kimberamerica.com/downloads/ ... ompact.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If you don't have it already, you'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open the file...It's free and can be downloaded at http://www.Adobe.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

The bottom line is before disassembly, you'll need to "capture" the recoil spring using either a "takedown tool" supplied by Kimber or a stiff paperclip. The recoil spring and guide-rod will come out of the slide as a unit and the barrel is removed in the usual fashion without the need to turn any bushings.