Am I the only one who really prefers the Commander size over the Govt?

Balance, looks, carry, ergonomics, you name it. The Commander seems to be to me about THE perfect combo of all things handgun.

Quite honestly, I don't see any serious difference in accuracy between the two either.

Someone try to prove me wrong.

The first 1911 I ever shot was a Commander, and I've preferred them ever since.

Only real Commanders with 4.25" barrels and bushings...none of the 4" bushingless wannabes will do.

Same here. Real 4 1/4 in barreled Commanders have a superior balance over the Gov't in my hands.

I prefer a Govt model over a commander, actually I really like 6" long slide 1911's the best!

I had two commander (4 1/4) size, but got rid of them.
Longer slide doesn't hinder concealment, gets muzzle past my hip (IWB 3:00) rather than in/on it.
Commander size better for appendix IWB, but I moved from that.

I love my Colt Commander. Better than a Govt in my opinion for weight and balance.

All my Govt size are gone.  Only Commander and Officers size remain and I do not miss the Govt at all.

I really don't have any desire for a Commander.  

If I'm going to have the full length grip, the hardest part to conceal,  l might as well have the longer full size barrel.

But l don't have much use for an Officer's either.  I have one and would sell it of the gun market want so soft right now.  I haven't shot it in two or three years.

The CCO is the perfect size for edc, imho.  

Or the full size.

I prefer govt but still like commanders. I carry aiwb and will probably get a lightweight commander someday to try.

I've had a Springfield champion loaded that was a great shooter

To me, the slide is where the rubber meets the road in CCW. Sitting in a vehicle, chair or what ever is where the shorter slide shines over the 5", IMO.

A couple years ago l finally got a Colt Combat Elite.  I found a lightly used Milt Sparks Summer Special ll online for a reasonable price and snagged it.  A classy holster for a classy gun.

The full sized Colt is incredibly comfortably to carry. Even sitting in a car seat for two or three hours or a movie theatre seat.  I even wear it under a t-shirt with confidence.

I love both but my Sig C3 is still my edc.  With the alloy Officers' frame and Commander barrel makes a lighter package.

I carry a LW Commander. More for the weight though. But if I could only own 1 it would be the 5” gov model. It’s iconic.

I go four Government to one Commander in 1911 pistols.  I really appreciate my '76 Commander build by The Action Works in '08.  The pistol is fantastic.  I learned long ago that 3/4" less makes a big difference on your hip.  The LW frame makes the pistol disappear in my Milt Sparks VMII.  My Commander is an excellent pistol to carry.  The Colt Commander in 9mm is an interesting pistol.

That said, I still prefer my Les Baer TRS Government model with +P ammunition this time of year.  IMHO, a 5" pistol cycles better than a 4.25" pistol.  I prefer the Government model for carry and competition.

Personal preference based on fit in my hand, balance, etc... I like the Commander size just a bit better than the Gov't, and both better than the Officer.

But I like 1911s in general and enjoy shooting them.

I'm with OP. I own several Commander-sized 1911's. My favorite is my 10-year old Kimber (gasp) Pro CDP with an aluminum frame. Perfect balance and a great shooter.

My buddy had a Colt Gold Cup in Commander size that could hit a 1/2 gallon milk-jug sized bell at 50 yards all day long. The thing was a tack driver. He sold it...and not to me .

/TCP

Commanders are my preference as well. They seem to point more naturally, feel better balanced, and are more pleasing to look at in my eyes.

I prefer an all-steel "Combat" Commander in 45, or a Lightweight Commander in 9mm. I'll probably reserve the Government size choices for more powerful cartridges, e.g. 10mm, 45 Super, and 460 Rowland, although I'm sure I will always have a GM in 45 for nostalgia, if nothing else.

Commanders are my favorite

The full size grip fits my hand much better than an Officer, and I like the balance of the shorter 4.25" barrel

I have had a love hate relationship with 1911s for years now. I have owned and sold at least 5 government modelsfrom various makers. That all stopped when I picked up a metro arms commander for 250 dollars it was a loose rattle trap but it went bang every time. I loved that thing the way it balanced the way it shot and the way it carried. After this i needed to upgrade So I picked up a ruger cmd and carry it pretty much daily. Sold the loose metro 1911 to a buddy for the same I paid for it.

When heavy shirts are worn, lightweight commander with extended (threaded) barrel.

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This one really is sweet.  An older 4.25” Baer I found used.  Many pounds of lead thru it, the slide feels like it has bearings and it still rips a mag into one hole at 30’ offhand.  

Sadly, I still like the 4” RO compact for edc.   The Baer was edc till I got the CCO.


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This, when I carry a full size the muzzle hits my seat before my ass, not so with the commander, even though it's only 3/4" shorter.

I regret not getting a Colt Commander O1991 when they were still on the roster, and in production.

It's one of my grail guns at this point.

I’m interested but have next to no experience with commanders. As far as looks I think the govt looks better and more proportional as does the cco.

Have both. Love both but my ATI GI Commander in 9mm is my favorite and most accurate EDC.

My first pistol was a NIB Government model. I still have it. Runs like a top. It`s pretty beat up but after 30 plus year I`m ok with it. It`s been shot many thousands of times. Spent one night in a river. Fallen out of the truck. Deer lease dents and on and on. I still like to shoot it. Fits my hand well but I fell in love with the S&W M&P 9mm and bought two a few years ago and they are mine mainstays now.

I've owned "most" of the sizes available all i own now is gov't models. Just what I prefer.

Good friend of mine never owned anything but a colt combat comander.
He's the only guy i ever knew that owned a 1911 from the time it was new and shot it enough to crack the frame.
It still shot fine the last two years he was alive even with the hairline crack that never seemed to get worse.

Why not buy one on Gunbroker? Lots of them up there, some even NIB. I guess they are a little pricey though. The only thing that keeps me from the 1991 are the sights. It is really nice to have a front and rear dovetail so you can easily install different sights. That's why I really prefer the newer production guns.

Funny I think just the opposite. I think the gov't slide looks just a little too long, and the Commander is almost just right. Truth is a 4.5" would be perfect on the full sized frame. I don't think anyone ever made one though.

I agree. I am a long time Govt. shooter from my days in the Army and will always have a love for them, however, my Commander is much better balanced.

My 16yr old daughter (5' tall, 110lbs), loves my Govt and shoots it very well, that was until she picked up the Commander I recently purchased.

Except for the dust cover length, there isn't any difference in frame size, is there?

exterior, no other differences, but one  internal difference in where the recoil plug rests.

I have all three. Gov't, Commander, Defender.

Unpossible for me to say a favorite.

It's like redhead, blonde, or brunette.

I prefer the full size.  If I get a 4.25 it would be a CCO.

I prefer the Commander size, but there is no doubt I am much more accurate with the full size.  Get both.

Mine is much older.  I have one of the first production stainless custom target models that was shipped with blued accessories because they didn't have stainless widgets available. 


Get both. 

I had a weird aesthetic journey with 1911s.  In college I was big in to Berettas, specifically the 92FS. Somewhere along the line I saw a picture of a 1911 that caught me just right and I started to gravitate towards them.  When I went in to buy my first handgun I was dead set on either a 92FS or a 1911.  Some dude behind the counter managed to convince me that I didn't want either of those because they were too big and I walked out with a PX4 storm. Woe is me.
I later saw a picture of a Springfield LW Champion Operator and knew I had to have that:

Holy crap did shooting that change me.  I went from a mediocre shooter with a PX4 and a Cheetah to shredding up the center of shoot-n-see stickers no problem.  I had found my holy grail and its name was "1911"
I decided that the bull barrel and rail were neat and all, but I wanted something more traditional up front. I still didn't like government models for some reason and thought that 4" and commander sized guns "looked right."
Bought a S&W 1911 commander with scandium frame and immediately had the crummy finish on the slide re-done

Then I thought, what's better than a commander sized 1911 in .45? A 3" sized 1911(ish) in 9mm? Shyup


Unfortunately the overall height on an EMP with that basepad on there is pretty much the same as a commander. And seeing as how I shot my 4" .45s better than I ever shot the EMP, the EMP went on the block.
Sold the LW Champion Operator because it just wasn't getting carrier as much as my LW S&W commander. I ended up putting a magwell on the S&W and at the time still liked commanders more than government models


Then as I kept going I finally plunked down enough cash to order a full custom 1911 built the way I wanted it.  It was from Nighthawk, and it was a government model. I decided if you were only going to have one 1911, it should be a fullsized 5"

Owned that for a day before it got sent back to Nighthawk for problems, and ultimately I got a full refund (long story)

I started a new order with Springfield for a Custom Carry and 4 months later i've been the proud owner of this for 5 years:


Carrying it vs carrying a LW commander I can see the appeal still for commanders, especially with lightweight frames. I could carry that commander IWB with just a t-shirt in the summer and do it all day without ever feeling fatigue.  
Carrying my full steel government model I can start to tell at the end of the day that I carried a big ol' man's gun, but there's no comparing the shootability to me.  The government model is king

Aesthetically it looks big to me still, but if I put it down next to a Glock 17 they're not that far off from each other.




Short story?: buy both as they're both neat.

Have 2 Government models, a Springfield Loaded, a Colt Combat Unit, both in .45, and I like both of those, always wanted to get a Commander, and always wanted a .38 Super

Just ordered a Lightweight Commander in .38 Super. It's that odd two tone green one of Colt's, if it doesn't grow on me it will get anodized black, probably along with some front strap scalloping of some sort.

Pretty excited it should be here by this weekend!

I have to admit it, I like my 4” RO compact, so light compared to a steel frame.

And I have to admit I shoot my 4.25” all steel Baer much better, and get one more round.  Of course the Baer is better made and has much more inherent accuracy.  Both are boringly reliable.

I am going back to the Baer for edc.   The watermelons made me do it.   I was hitting most of them rolling at me with the Baer , not even half with the ROC.

Had a bunch of melons left in the garden, and a spot to shoot them on a grade that let me chock them on an incline with a dirt clod.
Go to bottom of hill, shoot dirt clod, engage charging melon.

Very sciency stuff.  And a 230 gr HST will positively explode a melon.

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I like the Commander size just a bit more.  

I don't dislike full-size ones.  I own a couple of them too.  It's just the Commander seems "right" in my hand.

I have a few Commanders and even one or two Officer's length guns, but I prefer the Government overwhelmingly.

Now that's odd, IMO. I thought NH had a pristine rep for quality.

What's the cliff notes version?

This is my most recent 1911 purchase. I haven't shot mine yet, hope to this weekend. I've never shot a .38Super before. Ballastically it appears to be on par with a 9mm +P.

More for us then..............  

I depends on what im using it for. Commanders are my preference for carry. Everything else I’ll go full size.

My first centerfire handgun was Commander Satin Nickel in 45 ACP.  It was a shooter. A little polishing of the feedramp and it fed empty cases.  This was 1982.  
It gobbled my reload of a 200gr LSWC and 231.  Moved to a Gold Cup, and that more for the adjustable sights.  I have had Officer's model, a Detonics MK VI, and whole lot
in between.  But for fun gun...I like commander sized guns!

I guess I'm in the minority where I like the "wannabe" 4" Lightweight Commanders from Springfield (minus their politics) the best then. The bushing-less Commanders I've shot and owned all shoot better and are more accurate for me than the standard bushing Commander 1911's. Weird, but that has been my experience. Also, with that bull barrel it balances better for me. I like the 4" barrel as well because it's just that much more compact. Along with the weight savings it's a win. I'd dare to say my LW Commander recoils a hair more than my 5" Loaded. No doubt due to the 22lb recoil spring. To each his own; but I'll take the 4" LW Commander over anything larger if given the choice 100% of the time. YMMV.

I am quite partial to my older Combat Commander. Slim gip panels, flat main spring housing...it fits my hands juuuuust right. Barstow barrel, Kreiger Accurails and a custom trigger...it is a tack driver. I outscored a competition shooter running his custom race 1911 with that little Commander.

Go back to 1970 I believe and Colt came out with their ALL steel Combat Commander.  I had to have one.   Very nice looking pistol.  Functioned flawlessly. BUT  There was a difference in performance and accuracy on the range. I was shooting in an indoor combat combat competiton at the time.  Had a full sized Colt and the Commander.   The full size auto out shot the shorter barreled pistol every time.  I tried both under different conditions not at a competition. Just experimenting.   The difference in the weight in the barrel, the sight radius made a noticeable difference in accuracy and acquiring the target faster.

Although I loved the Commander I had to stick with the full sized pistol.

Did y'all know why the Commander exists at all?

Way back before the internet, back before Glocks, back when even the Korean War wasn't in the news, back in 1948 the Army took a long long look at the old, long in the tooth and beat up fleet of pistols they carried thru WWI and WWII. And compared the 1911 to what they thought was the best thing since sliced bread to come out of a firearms plant.

The 88mm.

Well, maybe not for holster carry. They were looking at the Walther P38. It was pretty cool, ya know, and it had features that the old 1911 didn't. Like, it shot a pretty good round - at least for stopping civilized humans not hopped up on narcotics who were only fighting for their country. And  the P 38 was lighter, easier to carry, and shot double action first shot - so, you didn't have to thumb back the hammer and you could carry it hammer down in public without looking like you were ready and able to blast someone.

They took those requirements, and actually scheduled a Pistol Trial to replace the 1911A1. Really Really. So, Colt submitted a very interesting new design which eventually went nowhere and is one of those things you see on Forgotten Weapons. H&R did, too. Along with the submittals that were exactly what the Army was asking for, they got around to sending a chopped Government with tweaks - they got Alcoa to forge aluminum frames. Those were pretty heady days, the war over, new tech busting out all over, women wearing nylons (not silk) and they could every day. An honest to gosh alloy frame did meet the specs for lower weight. Being in .45 and SA, not so much.

They even got S&W to get into it, who submitted the M39, and all said and done, the Army saw they had 3.2 million 1911's and no budget money to bother. So they killed it (and it wasn't the last time either.) An ironic aside about the S&W M39 design was that it borrowed a lot from the Walther P38. Another irony? The Beretta does, too, and eventually became the replacement for the 1911.

And the Commander? It and the M39 were slowly sold for decades, the M39 adopted and eventually a common LEO pistol. The Commander has become the knowledgeable shooters carry gun. As it stands now, it's still in production. The Commander has survived a lot of competition - but was always a bridesmaid in contract awards. Probably for the best as committees aren't known for keeping a design pure - Forward Assist anyone? - and how it would have been burdened with increasing safety requirements is anyone's guess.

Like, adopting a DA/SA trigger with slide mounted safety . . .