If so, which one?

I ask because I’ve had a hankering for a lightweight commander lately. Also trying to decide if I want it in 45 or 9mm.

As far as a lightweight carry .45, I like the Colt Defender Lightweight. It does buck a bit in .45 ACP, 9mm might be a good choice in this model, but I have never personally fired one in 9mm.

A wise instructor once told me to carry the largest gun you shoot the best. Carrying a gun because it’s small that you can’t run fast and accurately is too large a compromise. That led me away from my 365 and back to a Glock 19 for the last year. That move made me try putting an XL frame on a 365, that I’m running the same way I run a service gun in training. I still shoot and carry my 1911s from time to time and do not feel under gunned. My smallest and lightest being a Wilson Compact in 45. If I were buying one for serious carry right now today a lightweight in 9mm would be a perfect balance between wants and what I have already. My choice for carry comes down to the gun I shoot the fastest with the most good hits. If that gun for you is any flavor of 1911 then go for it.

I’ve gone on sprees with my Ruger SR1911 Officers model..

I’ve been carrying a Sig Scorpion 1911 chambered in 45ACP for about a year now. I believe the Sig is about a Commander length 1911. It rides in a Galco vertical shoulder holster.

This swap came about under certain circumstances.

I’ve had some hip issues and swapped to a shoulder rig to keep the weight off my hip. It has helped tremendously, BTW.
I’ve also been losing some extra pounds, and the shoulder rig makes a pretty decent set of suspenders.

The pistol has been 100% reliable so far. And I can ring steel at 50 yards about 70% of the time with my nearly 50 year old, badly nearsighted eyes.

I still carry my Sig Ultra 1911 on occasion but my Sig P938 is my primary carry gun anymore.



Jim

My EDC is a a Dan Wesson ECO in .45. Carries well and shoots great. I have a 365xl, but the ECO keeps ending up on may belt.

I'll do you one better: I carry a full-size 2011.

I did carry a full-size SIG 1911 in .357, though, for a short time a few years ago.

When I get money that isn't going to buying magazines and receivers, I'm going to get a 2011 commander sized gun to replace the full-size.

From time to time, I pack my Ruger SR1911 5 inch. IWB is a Milt Sparks Summer Special. OWB is a Kramer horsehide version of the old Askins Avenger. I forget what Kramer calls it.

Yep. My most often carried off duty guns are full size 1911s. Probably my TRP is in the lead. I’ve got a Colt Defender for when I want something smaller.

I generally carry a p365 when carrying off duty but based on my commission (business trips, places that don’t recognize my permit, etc). It’s a fine gun and an excellent choice, but I just prefer the old big iron.

shorts season so the Seecamp or J frame get the most carry time,

I do still carry a 80's vintage steel frame Colt Commander (series 80) often

I carried a Dan Wesson CBOB (Commander Classic Bobtail - a steel frame Commander with the Ed Brown bobtail mainspring housing) in 10mm for a long time.

The size of the gun wasn't at all a problem, but the weight was a bit of one.

I also decided that speed and accuracy were (to a point) more important than the extra power of the 10mm.

Based on all of that, I recently bought an Ed Brown EVO-KC9 Lightweight to be my primary carry pistol. It's an aluminum frame, bobtailed almost-Commander (the barrel is 4" long instead of 4.25") with a slightly slimmed down slide, chambered in 9mm.

A steel-framed Commander (with empty mag) is about 36 ounces. The EVO-KC9-LW (also with empty mag) is about 27. That's not much heavier than a lot of similarly-sized polymer guns like a Glock 19 or Sig P320 Compact.

On occasion, I'll carry my DW Guardian in 38 Super. For me it's a perfect blend of gun & cartridge.

My most frequently carried gun is a Colt Lightweight Defender in .45ACP. Still thinking about a small lightweight 9mm to replace the role of my J-frames, but I've been thinking about that for years like back when a Kahr was the only option.

I almost exclusively carry a Dan Wesson TCP. Whatever magic they put in this gun, I shoot it better than just about anything else I own.

Me. I have four steel-framed Government Models that I gravitate amongst for most of my concealed-carry. Most often, I use a Summer Special IWB holster from either Milt Sparks or the “new” Bruce Nelson Combat Leather line; sometimes, I opt for a Milt Sparks Roadrunner OWB holster (it rides high and has a strong forward cant much like the Summer Special IWBs). One spare magazine in a Sparks S4C pouch. S&W J-frame 642 in a pocket holster as a BUG.

I also have a Glock 26 that fills the carry-role sometimes. It’s my only Glock and I like it a lot; however, the 1911 is what I spend most of my carry / range / training / practice time with.

Still carry 1911. Commander size.

I have a pair of Commander sized Guncrafter 1911 (9mm and .45). I still carry the 9mm (10+1) once in a while.

On the occasions that I can use an OWB holster with a bit of drop, I will sometimes still carry a full-sized 1911. (The old shoulder and wrist are not as freely-operable, anymore, so high-ride holsters, and IWB, are no longer best practice.) Well, it would be more accurate to say that I will still carry a 1911, when my COVID vaccine has had a chance to take full effect, so I can resume range visits. Any time I cannot train often enough, I gravitate to carrying revolvers, as long-stoke DA is my less-perishable skill. In this panic-demic, I have been revolving around.

Sig Ultra 1911 in a Wright Leather Predator.
Pico IWB hot summer.