[HutchyD]

Well, my 21st birthday is in less than a week (july 31). I have set aside some money for a pistol, and after my months and months of research, not to mention back and forth swaying, I still cannot decide what to do.

I have always been enamored with the baby eagle. the .45, although hefty, points so naturally for me and feels great in my hand. However, i also have a deep appreciation for the 1911 and its single stack profile and frame safety (if only the baby eagle was available with a frame safety!).

I am stuck fast between a baby eagle .45 and a Dan wesson Cbob. I realize that if i want to consider ccw, the baby eagle might be a bit bulky, but i love the profile and feel of it, not to mention it has a capacity edge of 4 rounds over the cbob.
On the other hand, the cbob is a beautiful gun, i have small hands so the thin 1911 grip is good for me, not to mention the placement of the frame mounted safety. I can afford either gun without losing sleep over the extra money id spend for the cbob, but i want a gun i can put a lot of rounds through at the range.

My biggest concerns about either gun are as follows: 1) the slide of the baby eagle does not extend far above the frame, in which it is seated, does this make the slide difficult to pull back? 2) I know that the cbobs are made to fit very tight, could this potentially be a risk factor for reliability in a hd/sd situation in the early parts of the gun's life?

I suppose what would be most helpful is if anyone who owned either of these guns could contribute their positive and negative experiences, especially anyone who has owned a commander length 1911 and a baby eagle! any contributions would be most appreciated! thanks

P.S. I have just seen the Dan wesson valor on the czusa website... does anyone have any experience with this gun? is there a noticeable difference in recoil between commander and full length 1911s?