I dig compact 1911s and always have a couple on hand. I understand all of the "The 1911 was designed to function with blah blah, slide, blah, blablah spring, blah blah weight." etc. I've just never had a 3" or 3.5" or 3.6" or 4" or 4.25" that didn't work great and I've owned Colts, Kimbers, RIA, Citadel, and Para.
There are a lot of mechanical devices that are designed to function a certain way, and people being people will always modify them to fit other wants / needs. Everything from engines to staple guns gets this treatment and through patients and perseverance we end up with a fully functional, yet radically different version of the original. It's how this country has progressed and the 1911 is not exempt. People have made it work quite well in abbreviated forms. Yes, I know the master custom and race gun builders won't touch the short 1911s, but who cares, you can get them from a lot of other vendors for a lot less dinero.
In the last 3 years or so, I have purchased 5 new Kimber 1911s, (3) Ultra size (2 stnlss, 1 blue), (2) Pro size - both stainless, and (1) Blue Custom size. Maybe I got lucky on all 5 but I never had an issue with any of them. Shot most of them 50 to 200 rounds per week and traded or sold them somewhere in the 1,000 round range.
Then again, I can't seem to get an F150 truck that's worth a pinch of dung, yet the rest of the world uses them and loves 'em.
There are a lot of mechanical devices that are designed to function a certain way, and people being people will always modify them to fit other wants / needs. Everything from engines to staple guns gets this treatment and through patients and perseverance we end up with a fully functional, yet radically different version of the original. It's how this country has progressed and the 1911 is not exempt. People have made it work quite well in abbreviated forms. Yes, I know the master custom and race gun builders won't touch the short 1911s, but who cares, you can get them from a lot of other vendors for a lot less dinero.
In the last 3 years or so, I have purchased 5 new Kimber 1911s, (3) Ultra size (2 stnlss, 1 blue), (2) Pro size - both stainless, and (1) Blue Custom size. Maybe I got lucky on all 5 but I never had an issue with any of them. Shot most of them 50 to 200 rounds per week and traded or sold them somewhere in the 1,000 round range.
Then again, I can't seem to get an F150 truck that's worth a pinch of dung, yet the rest of the world uses them and loves 'em.