Poll - 1911 Frame Material Preferences for Carry

[camel]

I find when carrying aiwb that an inch off the muzzle makes a bigger difference then frame material.

With the ramped barrel and a modern heat treated frame I'm really not to concerned about my lw champion being any less rugged than a steel gun.

Carrying iwb or owb I really don't notice a difference.

If I was going to help someone find their next carry gun I'd first ask if it is going to be carried aiwb. If so then commander/champion. After that let's go shopping and see what you like.Attachment 79875

Overall barrel length is a problem aiwb. Waist to leg length plus the size of your thighs are my problem

[CSW]

I went with an alloy 9mm Commander as my carry gun, and would do so again.

Same here. Alloy framed Range officer elite champion since August 2020.
Lots of rounds thru it, no wear issues, but the gun definitely liked to be run wet.

[Elwin]

Ok, I think there's a clue here, and it points towards getting a lightweight 9mm whenever I'm adding to the 1911 collection.

I also just realized I'm about to complete my own accidental experiment on this that would answer my question. I've been carrying a Gov. .45 backup gun the past week, which will continue through next week, while my 9mm Commander is down due to both a FUBAR grip screw bushing and needing a range outing to fully vet a new trigger install before carrying it again. I think I can say the ~6oz difference between the guns is noticeable, and I should be able to confirm that when I switch back.

The comments regarding carry position are helpful. My body shape allows me to use a 5" holster for AIWB regardless of how long the gun is, and that helps to keep the gun from tilting out, but I can see how a lighter frame would be more helpful still.

[Elwin]

A 5" steel frame 1911 with 8+1 of 230 JHP is tolerable in a JMCK 2.0 for 16+ hours a day AIWB for me but I find a STI STACCATO C singlestack 9mm to be more perfect for AIWB carry in all seasons. It doesn't have the drama associated with double stack STI's , has a polymer grip, alloy frame, ramped barrel and decent quality to cost ratio, just wish the factory had them stippled by extreme shooters from the get go....

In a just slightly different timeline I could see myself having gone the 9mm CCO route, and that gun would be a very strong contender. It's a great collection of features at its price point.

[45dotACP]

I'm a big apologist for the RRA poly framed 1911. I wore one regularly when I still carried 1911s I wanted a .45 that I didn't have to worry about getting banged up. At the time I had the gun that I built and kinda have an attachment to, so that wasn't gonna happen, and that was it. Bonus points that it was light and easy to shoot, even with my preferred defense ammo (which is HST +P 230gr)

That it was about the same price as a Kimber or Springfield was interesting, because the thing shoots circles around most guns. I'd venture to say it is the most accurate .45 I have...and that's saying a great deal.

I think it's probably bullseye level accuracy for entry level money, which I was amazed by.

It did need tweaking for me as well (sight regulation, brutally stiff thumb safety, extractor tension that I adjusted before even firing a round through it) but if you expect a 800/900 dollar 1911 to be perfectly set up for you, you're probably gonna be disappointed. I have had to tweak every 1911 I own. Most things I can easily fix. I can't easily fix a poorly done barrel fit that won't produce accuracy.

And buy a steel bushing wrench. I'm not kidding.

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[Skinner Precision, LLC]

In a just slightly different timeline I could see myself having gone the 9mm CCO route, and that gun would be a very strong contender. It's a great collection of features at its price point.

Staccato R's (now discontinued) are the full size equivalent with the same feature set....

[Amp]

I've carried a 5 inch steel frame 1911 almost everyday for 30 years and with a good belt and holster the weight doesn't bother me. It is more comfortable to carry for me than my Glock 17, especially IWB.

A shooting buddy bought a 5 inch .45acp Dan Wesson Vigil recently and it piqued my interest in a lightweight full size 1911 but the gun was not reliable with 8rd magazines, it would only run with 7 round mags. A sample of one I know but I have seen other lightweight .45acp 1911s with ramped barrels not run as reliably as ones with the traditional 2 piece feed ramp. A ramped barrel works great in 9mm, .38 Super, .40SW and 10mm but not so well in .45acp.

@45dotACP What setup does the RRA poly frame use?

[03RN]

I've carried a 5 inch steel frame 1911 almost everyday for 30 years and with a good belt and holster the weight doesn't bother me. It is more comfortable to carry for me than my Glock 17, especially IWB.

A shooting buddy bought a 5 inch .45acp Dan Wesson Vigil recently and it piqued my interest in a lightweight full size 1911 but the gun was not reliable with 8rd magazines, it would only run with 7 round mags. A sample of one I know but I have seen other lightweight .45acp 1911s with ramped barrels not run as reliably as ones with the traditional 2 piece feed ramp. A ramped barrel works great in 9mm, .38 Super, .40SW and 10mm but not so well in .45acp.

@45dotACP What setup does the RRA poly frame use?

I've had 2 Springfield champions (still have one) with ramped barrels and heavily used and saw used a friend's 5" LW operator. I can only speak very highly of all of them

[TGS]

For some reason I feel like we have more people voting than people who actually carry 1911s.

[Elwin]

For some reason I feel like we have more people voting than people who actually carry 1911s.

It's definitely more responses than I expected.