Commander vs officer

[rhino]

To me the most important issue is reliability. while there are officer's acp size and shorter guns that function well, in general the shorter the slide/barrel, the more likely a gun will have reliability issues.

The guns with officer's size frames and 4 inch barrels are a good compromise.

 

[VERT]

To me the most important issue is reliability. while there are officer's acp size and shorter guns that function well, in general the shorter the slide/barrel, the more likely a gun will have reliability issues.

The guns with officer's size frames and 4 inch barrels are a good compromise.

And your advise holds true for all handguns and not just 1911s. In general as handguns get shorter and lighter they tend to become more quirky. Limp wristing, picky eaters, whatever else you want to blame it on. If you think about how a semiautomatic handgun works it makes sense.

 

[oldpink]

For some reason, the Commander size just feels so much better than either the Officer or the full size.
It seems to point better than the full size, but it has the full length grip, which fits my large hand much better than the abbreviated Officer's grip.
It's a small thing, but I much prefer the burr type hammer spur over the traditional hammer spur.

 

[halfmileharry]

I believe the Springfield Champion is Commander length.

My Favorite Commander sized gun.
Concealment is accomplished by good holsters and a good belt. Anything in between is usually a poor compromise.
I've gotten rid of all my Officers size guns and sold the last one about a week ago. Wilson Combat makes good 7 rd mags for them btw.

 

[oldpink]

My Favorite Commander sized gun.
Concealment is accomplished by good holsters and a good belt. Anything in between is usually a poor compromise.
I've gotten rid of all my Officers size guns and sold the last one about a week ago. Wilson Combat makes good 7 rd mags for them btw.

Seconded, especially on the bolded part.

 

[tranders]

Many years ago I purchased a Springfield Compact that had the Commander slide and Officers grip frame. I thought this was a good combination for concealment. Wish now I would not have traded it off.

 

[senork]

If you are considering getting a true Colt Officers model, unless the design has changed, please be aware that the barrel bushing has a small tab that fits into a notch on the dust cover that can break off. I had that experience about 10 years ago seeing the both the bushing and the recoil spring flying down range. I installed a Clark reverse recoil bushing to solve the situation.

 

[Hookeye]

Pachmayr arched MS housing is nice, just sayin'.

(my Combat Commander has worn one for a long while).

 

[Mikey6]

I love my Colt combat comander but its also been customize but it's my EDC

 

[PGRChaplain]

I Built a Comander on an RMT Aluminum frame 35+ years ago. I can't count how many Hours I've carried it. Still my Fav CCW. I still use the Bianchi Holster that's as old as the Gun, good stuff lasts!

 

[ScouT6a]

"Now my Colt is currently serving in Iraq with my son" patriot:[/QUOTE]

Unless your son is a SEAL team commander or a General officer, I have to question this. ^^^^
Personal weapons are a major no no with our military, these days.

 

[oldpink]

"Now my Colt is currently serving in Iraq with my son" patriot:

Unless your son is a SEAL team commander or a General officer, I have to question this. ^^^^
Personal weapons are a major no no with our military, these days.[/QUOTE]

Maybe he has it stored in the safe, while still carrying the military issue sidearm.
I had both my Ruger Blackhawk and S&W 1006 on board the second ship I served on, with the Old Man's written permission and stored in the Landing Force Locker, naturally.
I took both out a few times to shoot off of the flight deck on the occasions when we did gun shoots of our ship's 1911s, M-14s, and M-60s.
You're right about the military not allowing troops to carry personal sidearms in the course of their duties, though.
Things have changed quite a lot since the days of General Patton carrying a Colt SAA .45 Colt on his right hip and a Smith & Wesson Model 27 .357 Magnum on his left.

 

[Robert Richardson]

Commander size for carrying is perfect.

 

[youngmanjr1970]

My wife has an Springfield RO Champion and loves it.

 

[rvb]

I never understood the rationale behind the commander. It does take a bit of creativity to conceal a full-size 1911, but I fail to see where a 4 1/4 inch barrel yields much improvement over 5 inches for concealment. On the other hand, I can see where an officer would be significantly easier to hide.

+1. in general, parts sticking out in your pants tend to be noticeable, while parts hanging down aren't....

 

[rhino]

+1. in general, parts sticking out in your pants tend to be noticeable, while parts hanging down aren't....

It's not a big deal for concealment, but the 3/4 in. missing from the end might help some people draw from the holster a little easier (especially people like me with T-Rex arms).

 

[VERT]

I do think the commanders come out of a concealment holster a little easier. I also like the way they balance.

What I don't get is putting a magwell on a 4" gun. That really defeats the purpose. Those guns need the back of the mainspring housing rounded off a bit. Or better yet a full bobtail or roundbutt.

 

[Expat]

If you don't carry what I carry, you are wrong.

 

[rhino]

I do think the commanders come out of a concealment holster a little easier. I also like the way they balance.

What I don't get is putting a magwell on a 4" gun. That really defeats the purpose. Those guns need the back of the mainspring housing rounded off a bit. Or better yet a full bobtail or roundbutt.

I'm guilty, but I don't have the same concealment issues as some others.

It's also possible to remove that back "corner" of some magwell extensions and it makes them carry a lot easier.

 

[twfshelton]

I went with Smith commander for ease of disassembly, I didn't like the idea of having to have a paper clip to field strip.