Posted: 3/17/2008 6:38:11 PM EDT
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Hey gang, Anyone have one of these? I had both in my hand at a recent gun show and they both seem too small & too light to handle the .45acp! I would like to buy one or the other but my full size 1911 kicks enough as it is. Any opinions on these little 45s would be appreciated! BruceA4 |
You answered the question right there. As you cut more material from the slide, the recoil characteristics become more pronounced. What I have found IME is that once you go past the 4" compact, you are not getting any significant gains in concealment or carry, but you are still giving up shootability. If you want a very deep concealment BUG that will accept the same mags/ammo as your primary, the Defender/New Agent may still be appealing, but they are a poor choice as a primary based on other 1911 platforms available. The last thing you want to do is find yourself committing to 300 round range sessions with that size pistol to keep up on practice because it's your primary. If you want a suitable Colt for CCW, consider a Commander or a CCO if you can find one for a price you can live with. The CCO is an excellent platform for a concealable primary |
I have no intention of "talking me (you) out of a baby .45acp" in any way. I recommend a Colt Defender for what you want. If not the Defender then take a look at the Colt New Agent which is, of course, based on the Defender. 
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| OOOOOOOOOOHHHH....I just saw a pic on the NEW DAO Colt New Agent!!!! hy.gif This might be up my alley as I have never carried cocked & locked.....Always carried revolvers or S & W autos! |
 Here's a Defender that I've had for about seven years or so. Never had a FTF, recoil is no biggie. It's minute of man easily at 25 yds. Good concealibility. I've not shot one of the new agents, and don't think I'd get use to the lack of sights in a 1911 platform. I stoke it with 230 gr gold dots. I did have the front strap checkered, this aids considerably in keeping a good grip for hammers, (double taps). |
I thought they only came with wrap around rubber grips.Did you add the wood grips yourself? |
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I got one of the New Agents the other day - the trench sight DOES take some getting used too. The recoil is just fine... it took me about 5 mags of slow fire to really get used to the pistol, but not soon after it was pretty easily controlled in a quick mag dump, hammer pairs, controlled pairs, and triples. I'm happy with the purchase... ONE thing I did notice, is that with the trench sight any type of reasonably good grouping is difficult at the 25 yard line (where the benches are locally). However a little later in the afternoon I got to move up to about 21 feet, and garnered myself a 3" grouping with 5 shots. THAT impressed me, especially when I was able to do it again and again with the same results. If you do more target shooting, you might consider the Defender just because of the fact that it has sights (will make it a more pleasant shooting day). I am using it primarily as a EDC pistol, so I wasn't too concerned. I'm extremely happy with the purchase, and I only had one fail to feed early on in the day with 230 grain WWB. TWO small complaints, but nothing too serious. These pistols could seriously use a good beaver tail. After about 100 rounds I got myself a bit of a pistol bite in the web of my hand from the recoil digging in. The local smith said he'd install one for about 75 bucks, so not too much of a stretch on my part. I don't plan on making this a pistol that I want to put 500 rounds downrange a day with, either... SECOND thing I noticed, is that at 25 yards with the 230 grain Winchester White Box, it was consistently shooting about 10" low. It might have been me and the fact that I might be using the sights incorrectly. When I moved up to contact distance (21 feet or less) it was only about 4" low. It shoots minute-of-bad guy pretty damn well, though. I have a feeling that it might just be me, but either way the situation is very controllable. Is maybe the grain of the round too heavy? I was considering getting some lighter loads and seeing if there was a difference with the short barrel... If recoil is a big concern for you (like it is my girlfriend who refuses to fire any .45 for any reason other than emergency), you MIGHT consider the Springfield EMP 9mm. It's a micro 1911 that has some pretty nifty features already in place from the factory and I've heard great things about them. Being that it is a 9mm, the recoil should be better. Hard to beat a .45 for personal defense though... just my 10 cents. |
| I have about 300 rounds through a defender. Only problem was the factory magazine followers, at some point they were changed to, what seemed to be a weaker lip. I changed the springs and followers to Wilson Combat and have had no problems at all. Great gun, shoots and handles very well. I have 3 45's and the recoil is not much more than the Govt or the Combat Commander. If you do not like the reciol of the Govt the smaller frames will not be more favorable. |
