I grew up with a loaded Colt 1911 on my dad's dresser. I learned to shoot at an early age.  I always craved a scaled down 1911 as a kid, and although I own several Colt 1911 .45s  now,  that craving never went away.  I was excited to hear that Browning was coming out with one, but somewhat disappointed when I saw it. I wanted,  and still want,  one in .380, that looks in every detail (except name in small font, like a WWII, ) or at least an early commercial Colt pistol, checkering,  finish,  etc.
I can except a slightly enlarged trigger guard,  but that's it.
Something that looks like a wartime contract,  no extra holes in an aluminum  slide. Nothing "enhanced "....
Anyone agree with me on this? ?

No.  Get the SIG in 9x19mm, and enjoy.

Although they have a poor reputation, Llama made something somewhat close to what you're desiring.

I've always found them to be a bit of an oddity myself because the Defender (and New Agent) in 9mm "filled the bill" for a compact 1911 in a "lesser" caliber. I love my 9mm Defender.

However, Colt actually made exactly such a pistol you describe, and you can buy one today if you like (used, not new).
Go to GB and do a search with the term "Colt Government 380" and you'll pull up a few.
When you do the search, leave out the "dot" before the 380 or you'll be inundated with 38Super's, and be sure to ignore any "Mustang"s or "Pocketlite"'s that come up because you are looking for just the "Government 380"s.
At the same time, I confess that I'm not positive about the "Pocketlite" because that may well be the same as the Government 380 because those terms are used interchangeably. But it most definitely is NOT the Mustang.

the old llama 3a's in .380 are the only military style  down sized 1911 with barrel link and all that I know of.

Loving 1911's myself, I recently picked up a Kimber Micro Raptor after ditching a Sig P938 Nightmare that I was very disappointed in.
Love it. Shoots fantastic.

What problems did you have w/ the SIG?

First I should say, I own several Sig firearms and am a fan. I actually purchased two of them the same day, one for my wife and one for my daughter and from day one neither would shoot accurately with hand loads or factory. Just was not acceptable.

There is a Star BS 9mm on Gunbroker right now from CDISales.  I'm tempted to give it a try myself, but I dont need a project if it dosn't work out. I've bought two HiPowers from the seller, and he was good to go for those transactions.

$200.


No affiliation.

I have a Llama V in 22.  Is essentially an all steel 1911a1, 7/8 scale.

Its quite heavy, reliable with CCI and federal 22LR,  although mags are expensive its great to shoot.

I got it for $150 and its like new.  plenty of polymer and pot metal 22s were 2X that price in the same shop so this followed me home.

I do have plenty of pot metal 22LRs, but this was surprisingly well made.

Where do the Colt Mustang Plus II models that used the Government 380 frame and the Mustang slide fit into the equation?  I've seen a few used ones for sale on Gunbroker and Armslist and I'm tempted to buy one to add to my collection for the wife to have as her carry gun.

 Please post a picture of your wife's purse.  She can't fit a full size gun in there?

Wife is a very small woman with very small hands.  She cannot properly grasp a 1911 or even a 9mm.  She has a J-frame but wants more rounds and quick reload capability.  Hence my search for a good 380 for her and a Colt Mustang is at the top of the shopping list.

Fair enough.  Might look @ the SIG .380" & 9x19mm equivalents.  Glock 42 & 43 are in the same size range.  Keep in mind the shorter the slide the harder it is for women to rack.

I hate to lead you away from Colt since I'm a big fan myself (my 9mm Defender is a frequent carry piece), but the Colt Mustang, even being a fine pistol, only gives her one more round over the J-frame.

But if that's good with her, then I would highly recommend a serious look at the Ruger LCP. When I have to dress T-shirt light, it is undetectable in my front pocket in a clip-over pocket holster.

If the wife has small hands, then she will love the LCP, plus, it's very light. I take mine to the range often (as I do all my carry pistols) to blow off a few in order to have an excuse to clean it once in a while.
It has been stellar for reliability using any of the HP .380's like Gold Dots etc.

Her only problem using it as a purse gun will that it's small enough to get lost at the bottom if she doesn't use a holster attached somewhere inside the purse where it will always be quickly accessible, plus, she'll want it in a holster that will guard the trigger since it doesn't have a safety (that's a GOOD thing for a carry pistol).
The Mustang is a neat little gun, but from what you describe that your wife wants, the LCP should at least warrant a good look.

Last thing; the Rohrbough has been a pretty cool little pistol from it's inception, and I still have mine. It's a tiny 9mm that is about the same size as the LCP.
Anyway, fast forward, and Remington has bought out Rohrbough and is in the process of releasing it as the RM380. I have not seen one in person, but I can tell you that I like my Rohrbough so much that I will pick one up as soon as I run across one.
http://remingtonhandguns.com/rm380

Which is why I'm keen on finding a Mustang Plus II.  It's a Mustang slide on a Government 380 frame, which gives it 7+1 rounds with one in the chamber, versus the 5 round J frame or the 6+1 round Mustang.  All in package small enough for her to easily handle.

The Plus II looks like a Combat Commander compared to the full-size 1911-like proportions of the Government 380.  A regular Mustang next to a Plus II looks like my Kimber Ultra Carry next to a Combat Commander, with the Mustang's shorter grip designed for 6 round magazines versus the Plus II's longer 7 round grip.

Mustang Plus IIs show up on Armslist and Gunbroker fairly frequently, but not as often as regular Mustangs.  So I'll probably keep watching for one to turn up at a good price.