What about a bobbed tail full size frame to reduce printing?
What about a bobbed tail full size frame to reduce printing?
cabbagecop wrote: What about a bobbed tail full size frame to reduce printing?
My experience is that for me the bob tail helps with a full size frame, but the officer length grip is even better. If I was younger and thinner, it probably wouldn't make as much of a difference... 
So far my list consists of:
Rock Island Compact - Has a 3.5" barrel which doesn't meet my original specifications, but from all the reviews I've read Rock Island seems to have figured out functioning reliably for this size. $450 from Buds. Rock Island Compact
Sig Nickel Compact - not sure I'm in love with the finish. MSRP looks to be $1k although Sig doesn't list one on their website... Nickel Compact
What else you got? 
There are some nice options listed when I dropped your search criteria into Gunbroker.com. Can't speak for any of them personally as I'm more of a CZ75 fan than 1911.
If the SIG is otherwise what you want, I'd go with that and have it coated to whatever color you like with one of the high tech coatings. I don't think you can go wrong with a SIG.
I've got a 3" compact ATI. Runs good and is all steel. Not in your original restrictions but another possibility. Otherwise the Sig would be a good option.
Springfield PI9132LP would be my choice but the COO kills it. Stainless, 7+1 in 5 inch not 4.5 barrel.
If it is for Concealed Carry there are about a thousand other things that I would take over a 1911 I can tell you that.
Also what about a Ed Brown Kobra Carry. About 2.2K used but right in line.
In reply to wearymicrobe:
Concealed carry is about the feeling of security. If a certain kind of gun makes you feel better and makes you more likely to have it on you then so be it.
Carrying a gun professionally is different. You learn to use the best tool for the job and not necessarily what feels best. I don't particularly like Glocks but I'm plainclothes so I carry a glock 43. In a monkey suit I carry a sig p226 with 4 high-cap mags. Different jobs-different tools.
I've been smart and lucky enough that I have not had to consider drawing and hope to keep things that way. I don't plan on any John Wick style adventures so having dozens & dozens of rounds doesn't seem necessary. Lots of folks knock 1911's, but ergonomically they fit me well and I shoot them well.
Ojala I am totally on board with that. I just don't understand 1911's as CC gun.
For the money its just hard to get a good one when a polymer gun like a glock or say even my old model 66 revolver which is at least for me just simplier to use and well 40-70% cheaper then a really good SS 1911 concealed gun.
secretariata wrote: Please keep the ideas coming and don't be offended if I dismissed your suggestions. I didn't just blow them off, I did go look at each suggested model/manufacturer to see if it fit the desired criteria. My main requirement is a steel officer sized frame and a reliable weapon. The 1/2" shorter grip helps reduce "printing" for concealed carry and doesn't impact my shooting because I don't have ginormous hands (that size is reserved for other anatomical features). The 4" to 4.25" barrel length seems to be easier for manufacturers to come up with a formula that is reliable compared to shorter barrels and is better balanced than a full-sized 5" barrel would be on the shorter grip.
Have you tried carrying a 1911 before? (Honestly asking) The reason I ask is, I'm 150lbs soaking wet and I carried a full sized colt (build date 1943! 
) in a king tuck holster using my normal leather belt (at about a 5:30 position) for about a year and my wife couldn't even tell when I had it on me (no joke, no print).
Other than that, Ojala has it nailed:
Ojala said: Concealed carry is about the feeling of security. If a certain kind of gun makes you feel better and makes you more likely to have it on you then so be it.
For me the 1911 was familiar. I could draw, point and squeeze easier with the 1911 because it was what I was familiar with. It has limitations a plenty but I was willing to work around those to keep me in my comfort level. Same with old dogs and the the rotary engine
In reply to Hungary Bill:
Yes, I carry a 1911. I have carried full size, commander length, and CCO sized at various times. Currently I only own full sized frames with either 5" or 4-4.25" barrels. As I have aged and gained weight, the butt of a full sized frame is becoming more obvious.
My fault I was thinking 4 inch barrel with full grip.
If that's the case I actually do own a first gen Kimber Compact Custom which I carried for a time. It has the shorter grip, steel frame, and 4 inch barrel.
I've never had an issue with it. I think I bought mine for like 400 dollars 10 years ago. They're bushing less too which I really like.
Dr. Hess wrote: If the SIG is otherwise what you want, I'd go with that and have it coated to whatever color you like with one of the high tech coatings. I don't think you can go wrong with a SIG.
From looking on the interwebz, it appears that the nickel finish is a plating which might be difficult and/or expensive to redo.
I did, however, find an earlier version (Sig Stainless Traditional Compact 1911) that is stainless and has a rounded slide which would allow use with my current holsters. But the external extractor that all Sig 1911's have is not "traditional". It appears that this version was rather popular and discontinued in 2014 with a large quantity backordered. I may start hunting for a NIB or used one...
Hotlinked photo...
Since this thread has been sadly devoid of pictures. Here are my two. 
In reply to Bobzilla:
The whole PhotoBerkeleyIt issue may have impacted the presence of photos...
I decided in the short term to order the Rock Island Compact from Bud's and look for the Sig stainless traditional compact.
If I can find the Sig for $1k, I'll still be under my $1.5k limit and have two 1911's added to my collection...
The0retical wrote: My fault I was thinking 4 inch barrel with full grip. If that's the case I actually do own a first gen Kimber Compact Custom which I carried for a time. It has the shorter grip, steel frame, and 4 inch barrel. I've never had an issue with it. I think I bought mine for like 400 dollars 10 years ago. They're bushing less too which I really like.
That sounds a lot like the Kimber I had except mine had the aluminum alloy frame. I got mine for about $500 from a pawn shop and it didn't appear to have more than a few hundred rounds through it. I really liked it until the frame cracked...
My favorite CCO is the Talo Wiley Clapp:
http://www.taloinc.com/colt-firearms/colt-o9840wc-concealed-carry-officers
But it's got an alloy frame, so I guess you won't be interested.
See if you can find an old Springfield Compact. They're all-steel. The barrel is 4" instead of 4.25" so I suppose it's technically not a true CCO.
I've got one and it's a tank. Dead reliable. Feeds everything. Here are some pics from when I first bought it maybe 15 years ago:
The precision is shockingly good for a compact pistol. Here is a typical group of 10 shots at 15 yards (aiming at the red spot) from when I first bought the gun.
That's how it shot out of the box. Sent it back to Springfield to regulate the sights, which they did for free under warranty. While it was there, I had them install a beaver-tail grip safety and do a trigger job as well. Cost and turn-around time was very reasonable.
In reply to secretariata:
Ooo, sweet. I like the tan cerakote. Let us know your thoughts after you put some rounds through it.
wearymicrobe wrote: Ojala I am totally on board with that. I just don't understand 1911's as CC gun. For the money its just hard to get a good one when a polymer gun like a glock or say even my old model 66 revolver which is at least for me just simplier to use and well 40-70% cheaper then a really good SS 1911 concealed gun.
It's a preference. I owned a 1991a1 compact for over 10 years. Carried it daily, shot a few thousand rounds through it and never had an issue. I paid under $400 in the box with very few rounds shot. I paid $700 for my new Springer loaded in 2012. It shoots flawlessly and feels more natural than anything I've ever owned. The ATI I paid $350 for it with new night sights and the Hogue grip. Not new but shoots damn well.
I could say "I don't know why anyone would carry one of those plastic pieces of crap because the 1911 is perfect" but I would be spewing an opinion that doesn't hold true for others. What feels natural to me and allows me to shoot well isn't the same for you or anyone honestly. That's a personal choice that each and every one of us must make on our own.
On the topic of the plastic craze..... I've got a Remington model 11 that was built in 1908. Shoots well. Looks terrible. What are these glocks going to be like in neglected form 109 years from now?
In reply to Bobzilla:
They'll be perfect. Glocks are perfect. All hail Glock
Thread is relevant to my interests. I was dead set on a Rock Island 1911 as well. Then I went to the gun show and handled quite a few other brands. Sig seemed to have the best stock trigger, by far. My 1911 gun nut buddy is trying to convince me to get a Colt...decisions, decisions
My buddy who blows up cheap 45's with hot loads prefers the RIA.
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