Commander vs Full size

[Rustbucket]

What are the advantages and disadvantages of the commander VS full size 1911?  
If you could only afford one 1911 which would you want?

[RKBAHolsters]

The only difference between the commander and full size is 3/4" of barrel and slide.

The 3/4" may make a difference in concealment, but really doubt it.

1911's were designed as 5" guns, so why not buy the real deal.



Get the fullsize, they balance right and shoot great.

Steve

[Mikey]

Rustbucket - I have both.  The Commander is the lightweight model, by Colt (long before they went belly-up four different times and boasted of not having a pistol leave the factory with less than a 13 oz trigger pull - that guy is long gone now), and the full size is the Springfield Government Model (dressed).  Both have Ed Brown drop in accuracy barrels and both shoot to within 2" at 25 yds.  If I had to have just one it would be the Commander for ease of carry, but only for ease of carry.  Concealability with both is the same, but the Commander weighs significantly less.

The only possible disadvaantage I might see with the Commander is that you may get tired trying to hold onto that thing after a couple of hundred rounds a day..  HTH.  Mikey.

[RKBAHolsters]

Yeah, kind of depends if your talking about the Lightweight Commander or the Combat Commander.  Combat is a full steel gun, lightweight is an alloy frame.

For mostly a range gun you don't want the lightweight.  They aren't as much fun to shoot, plus they are not as durable.

Steve

[Mikey]

480 Ruger - my lightweight Commander is numbered in the first run of 2500 production guns.  It went with me on every down and dirty tour and assignment I went on, took a heck of a lickin' and still keeps tickin' today.  I think I probably have about 10K rounds through it, mostly ball and some hot reloads.  She carries GI ball now, even though she eats everything I feed her but she is still going strong.  Even some wadcutter guns are built on the alloy frame.

You are quite correct however, that for a range gun they aren't any fun but mine has proven very durable and if RustBusket is going to carry a lot, he may want to consider the lightweight frame.  I did have a steel framed Commander once but didn't see much (or enough) difference in wieght twixt that one and the full size, so I sold it off for something else and kept the lightweight model.  Mikey.

[44 Man]

When you are talking concealed carry, you need to consider weight and size.  The barrel length is not important as that part slides down into your pants.  The hard part to conceal in the butt sticking out.  I have a Kimber Pro compact.  This is a lightweight frame, commander length bbl and slide, but with an officers length grip.  I find this the best of both worlds.  It is light weight with an easier to conceal grip.  And I find the commander length slide balances nicely with the shorter, aluminum frame.

[Iowegan]

Not too many years ago, I was a serious competitor in combat and NRA matches. I shot a full sized Colt Series 70 45 ACP and won my share of contests. One day the collet bushing on my Colt broke right in the middle of a match. I went to the truck and got my duty gun, a 45 Series 80 Commander. I finished the match with winning scores but more importantly, I learned a few things. The Commander came out of the holster quicker, acquired the target better, balanced better, and shot excellent groups. I had never considered the Commander as a match gun.  I continued to use it for both NRA and combat matches and improved my scores considerably. Now that I'm retired, I no longer compete nor do I carry a duty weapon. I bought a Series 80E S/S and when I need to be armed, that's the gun I strap on, and yes, I still have the Series 70 Govt Mod.

[jakes10mm]

I was a loyal government model follwer until I finally picked up a Colt Combat Commander (all SS, not a lightweight).  I have to agree with the quicker nature of the commander-length.  I have also found it to naturally balance better in my hand....thus, first and follow-up shot alignment is almost automatic.  The government, for me, ends up a little muzzle low.  An arched mainspring housing (not popular from the factory these days) does help with bringing the nose up, but the commander just feels so good in the hand.  I will admit that the recoil is a little more "abrupt" with the commander, but this is probably a wash in follow-up shots since the govt model will cycle a bit slower and require more effort to realign the sights....at least for me.  

It's a hard call.  My vote goes for a Commander and write in a Government model for your next big purchase.  I'll also throw in a plug for Colt too.  My Commander is a Colt XSE and quality is as good as an Kimber, S&W, Springfield, etc that I have handled or shot.

[T.J. McSuds]

If I could only have one 1911 style gun, it would be the WilsonCombat KZ compact. It is light weight, Commander length slide, 10 rounds. Recoil is not as severe as my LDA CCW. This may be because of the polymer frame. Because of the shape of the magazine, reloading is fast. It is like putting a single stack mag into a double stack well. The grip is actually a bit slimmer than a regular 1911.

[Huk]

H'lo Rustbucket,
I have both the Colt Gold Cup and the Colt Combat Commander ( not the light-weight). I like them both but the Comander seems to handle a little  better for me. I've got big hands so I use the arched mainspring housing in both.
I'd suggest that you try each one and decide.

Good Luck


Huk