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**44 AMP** · April 18, 2010, 01:48 PM

and here's mine. Will a 6" 1911 work for a range gun, or duty gun? Sure. For CCW? Going to be more difficult to conceal than smaller guns.

Will it shoot softer? (less felt recoil), yep. Add a few ounces to any gun, and it damps felt recoil some. Accuracy? Depends on the individual gun, the ammo, and you. The longer barrel and sight radius has the potential to be more accurate than the standard model, but it doesn't always work out that way in real life.

More Velocity? Probably. But again, it depends on the specific barrel and ammo used. I have seen instances of shorter barrel guns actually chronographing higher fps than longer ones. But its not common. Usually there is a velocity increase with a longer barrel. How much is again dependant on the gun/ammo specifics, but anywhere from 35 to 70fps (per inch) is most common. Some guns will do more, others less.

What does gripe me is people who complain about the size and weight (of the standard 1911) for concealed carry. "its huge, its a brick, can't be done," etc.,etc, etc. I think these people would look at a pet turtle and complain how its not a bird!

Look at what the gun was designed for. Not what you want to use it for. If a particular gun isn't the best for what you want to use it for, the problem isn't the gun, its you.

The 1911 was designed for open carry. Duty holster use. Adding an inch to the barrel doesn't change that at all. May make it fractionally slower to draw, but we don't see a lot of slap leather showdowns in the street these days. One side or the other usually has their gun out by the time things get ..interesting. I don't think the tiny anount of extra time needed to clear the 6in is street significant. I could be wrong, never actually been in that situation myself.

Everybody seems to want a carry gun that weighs nothing, is invisible, can't miss, hits like the hammer of Thor, and never runs out of ammo. And if your choice doesn't do all this, somebody will tell you what a bad choice it is.

I won't. Choose, and use what you like, what you are comfortable with, what you have confidence in. And learn to adapt to any "shortcomings" your choice has for specific purposes. There is always a different gun that does something better and something worse than your choice. Whats important is how you balance all the factors for your personal intended use.

Nothing wrong with a 6" 1911. Just some disadvantages for certain specialised uses. You ain't gonna hide it in your speedo, but for most other things, you can adapt and do tolerably well.

April 18, 2010, 01:48 PM	#9
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,839	Everybody's got an opinion... and here's mine. Will a 6" 1911 work for a range gun, or duty gun? Sure. For CCW? Going to be more difficult to conceal than smaller guns. Will it shoot softer? (less felt recoil), yep. Add a few ounces to any gun, and it damps felt recoil some. Accuracy? Depends on the individual gun, the ammo, and you. The longer barrel and sight radius has the potential to be more accurate than the standard model, but it doesn't always work out that way in real life. More Velocity? Probably. But again, it depends on the specific barrel and ammo used. I have seen instances of shorter barrel guns actually chronographing higher fps than longer ones. But its not common. Usually there is a velocity increase with a longer barrel. How much is again dependant on the gun/ammo specifics, but anywhere from 35 to 70fps (per inch) is most common. Some guns will do more, others less. What does gripe me is people who complain about the size and weight (of the standard 1911) for concealed carry. "its huge, its a brick, can't be done," etc.,etc, etc. I think these people would look at a pet turtle and complain how its not a bird! Look at what the gun was designed for. Not what you want to use it for. If a particular gun isn't the best for what you want to use it for, the problem isn't the gun, its you. The 1911 was designed for open carry. Duty holster use. Adding an inch to the barrel doesn't change that at all. May make it fractionally slower to draw, but we don't see a lot of slap leather showdowns in the street these days. One side or the other usually has their gun out by the time things get ..interesting. I don't think the tiny anount of extra time needed to clear the 6in is street significant. I could be wrong, never actually been in that situation myself. Everybody seems to want a carry gun that weighs nothing, is invisible, can't miss, hits like the hammer of Thor, and never runs out of ammo. And if your choice doesn't do all this, somebody will tell you what a bad choice it is. I won't. Choose, and use what you like, what you are comfortable with, what you have confidence in. And learn to adapt to any "shortcomings" your choice has for specific purposes. There is always a different gun that does something better and something worse than your choice. Whats important is how you balance all the factors for your personal intended use. Nothing wrong with a 6" 1911. Just some disadvantages for certain specialised uses. You ain't gonna hide it in your speedo, but for most other things, you can adapt and do tolerably well. __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.