Note Alumagrips- first class for grip adhesion! you need something to hang onto with this beast.

Colts Best Compact- The Defender .45 R K Campbell

The history of concealed carry handguns falls into two basic genres. The first are purpose designed concealment handguns. The derringer, Walther PPK and Smith and Wesson Chief's Special are in this category. The second route has been to cut down a service handgun into a handier configuration. A shortened barrel and a round butt were the common modifications to revolvers. The Colt Police Positive Special became the Detective Special. Shortening automatic pistols such as the Colt 1911 is more difficult. But the 1911 (and the Smith and Wesson Model 39 and Glock among others) has been shortened and lightened with success. But the success was hard won. Since revolvers are operated by hand manipulation and automatics reciprocate by cartridge energy, the automatic is more complicated to modify. The balance of function in the automatic must be preserved. Shortening the barrel and slide affect the weight of the handgun and the recoil spring isn’t something to be trimmed with indifference. Locking lug angles and barrel tilt must be considered. I prefer the 1911 to all other handguns but an unreliable 1911 is not something that I would give house room. The Government Model is a five inch barrel thirty nine ounce automatic with many good features. The Government Model handles well and is reasonably easy to control. I have carried the GM on a regular basis for much of the past thirty years. I carried the piece in a service holster when in uniform and in a quality concealed carry holster such as the Milt Sparks Summer Special when off duty. The pistol is a good one but it is long and heavy. It is relatively thin, especially when compared to the bulky Glock and SIG types. Since it was deemed expedient to produce a shortened 1911 the first attempts took place before World War Two. These were gunsmith modifications and the results were chopped and channeled 1911s of varying quality of workmanship. Most featured shortened and welded slides and shortened barrels. A few also featured shortened and modified grip frames. There were problems inherent in shortening the 1911 that were not completely solved for decades. The first practical concealed carry version of the 1911 was the Colt Commander, introduced in the late 1940s. This pistol features a 4 1/4 inch barrel and an aluminum receiver. The application of aircraft quality aluminum to handgun frames resulted in a significant weight savings. The Commander breaks twenty eight ounces unloaded. The major mechanical change is a shortened barrel bushing. The Commander proved reliable but is at its best with 230 grain loads in the 850 fps range-hardball or the equivalent. Many short slide 1911s are not as reliable with 185 to 200 grain bullet loads. In the 1960s the Army decided to replace the Colt .380 ACP Model 1908 pistols issued to general officers with a compact version of the 1911 pistol. Army gunsmiths perfected a shortened and chopped 1911 that was known as the Officer's Model, now a generic description for a significantly lighter 1911 with the short six shot grip frame. Shortening the grip and insuring the action worked was far from simple but modifying the barrel, locking lugs and barrel bushing was much more involved. The 1911 uses a tilting barrel that moves on a link. In recoil the barrel link moves the rear of the barrel down to insure proper feeding and muzzle moves upwards during the feed cycle. In order to perfect function in the Officer's Model Army gunsmiths had to modify the tilt or the barrel would not tilt deeply enough to feed. One locking lug was removed allowing the slide to move further to the rear in relation to the barrel. Simply shortening the barrel bushing did not produce acceptable results. These master gunsmiths produced a coned barrel that mated to the slide without the need for a barrel bushing. The operating cycle of the 1911 was considerably modified. Spring technology was developed that gave the short 1911 greater reliability. The Officer’s Model has proven reliable but has always been at its peak reliability with 230 grain loads. There are modern variations that are completely reliable with a wide range of ammunition but common sense tells us the 230 grain weight is a reliability standard. There are exceptions to the rule that may be considered. One is Cor bon's 160 grain DPX, a load especially designed for short barrel .45 caliber pistols. Cor Bon's research into powder burn and momentum resulted in an exceptional load by any standard. Another reliability caution revolves around the recoil spring. For best reliability we change the Government Model recoil spring every 3,000 rounds. The Officer's Model short slide takes a real beating in compression in comparison and should be changed every 1,000 rounds. The Officer's Model format was introduced by Colt commercially in both steel frame and aluminum frame pistols and has been successful. The most desirable Colt concealment 1911 by most accounts is the Defender. The Defender features excellent sights, Hogue grips and outstanding workmanship. The Defender is a light and handy handgun but performance is also good, making the pistol a reasonable choice for concealed carry. I have found myself in the wrong place at the wrong time and have taken falls stopped by hard pavement on more than one occasion. I have been lucky but occasionally endure stiffness and pain in my body. At these times it is good to have a light pistol. If I am able to deploy a light and concealable handguns with the same controls and the same basic grip handle as the Government Model 1911, then that is a good thing. With the same operating procedure and controls my actions remain fluid and automatic. But take care in movement- with the shorter slide makes it is much easier to cover your body or to let your hand stray in front of the muzzle when moving into a two hand hold. Still, the Defender is no shorter than a snub .38 it is simply a short pistol for the 1911 shooter to get used to. While there are tradeoffs in control the Defender is a brilliantly fast defensive handgun. It is remarkably quick from leather and comes onto the target quickly. For fast coarse shooting of the type usually involved in personal defense, the Defender is a first class design. You must be more careful in affirming the grip and you must hold the handgun a bit tighter but the Officer's Model in general and the Defender in particular is nearly as easy to use well as the Commander. Perhaps the low slide mass and short recoil strike produces less momentum. In any case the Defender is not a bear to use well. The Defender has a shorter sight radius than the Government Model, making long range shooting less precise but the short sight radius lines up quickly at modest range. Minor movement is more difficult to detect in the sights with a short radius, but overall the Defender is well suited to its mission profile. As for the .45 ACP cartridge, nearly impossible attributes have been assigned to the .45 ACP but in the end it is a most effective cartridge. Errors in perception exist but the .45's effect on motivated adversaries is well documented. 230 gr. hardball is accurate, feed reliable, exhibits little muzzle flash and is controllable. Just the same modern expanding bullets should be used when they exhibit perfect feed reliability. I have personally experienced a failure to penetrate adequately with a 200 grain JHP fired from a Star PD many years ago. This is enough to convince to stick with ‘hardball’. Today, we have 230 grain JHP bullets that expand well and offer a good balance of expansion and penetration. The Cor Bon 230 grain JHP works well in the Defender. The Cor Bon 160 grain DPX and the 185 grain DXP have broken the mold in light bullet loads in more ways than one. I have been impressed with their performance. Fed reliability and cycle reliability are good. The projectiles are good but the handgun itself is most important. I have used the Defender extensively and find it reliable and well suited to the task at hand. As for accuracy, I have fired a full magazine from the Defender at ten yards as quickly as I could pull the front sight into the post. The result is a credible four and one half inch group, fired with Wolf brand practice ammunition. At a long twenty yard yards I have managed to keep the hits in the kill zone of a silhouette target with concentration and focus.Bench resting a short barrel .45 at twenty five yards is almost laughable but seems expected. With the Cor Bon 160 grain load, especially designed for short barrel handguns, a five shot group ran four inches, very respectable. The load went about three inches below the point of aim. The 230 grain Winchester SXT JHP went into four inches and about two inches high. Most 230 grain ball loads went into five inches- this type of accuracy will save your life if it wont win a pistol competition.

Leather for concealment—

I have tested several good quality holsters for the Defender. For deep concealment, the Crossbreed tuckable works well. Secreted under the trousers with only a synthetic hook visible, this is a concealable holster. The large leather pad is comfortable and the kydex holster maintains a firm grip on the handgun. For those with a real need for maximum concealment, the Crossbreed is a fine choice.

For general duty I use a Milt Sparks Summer Special holster. Recently I reluctantly retired an original 1980s Summer Special. The leather was dark and dingy from two decades of exposure to perspiration and gun oils. The belt loops had never failed but seemed all the worse for wear. The holster still held the shape of the pistol. My new Summer Special seems an improvement. The new design features a more pronounced reinforced spine for greater rigidity. There was no better holster twenty years ago and this one should serve at least as well. My threat profile is much lower these days but just the same the Summer Special is the first choice for concealed carry under a light sport shirt as it allows good concealment and a rapid draw.

Michael Taurisano of Tauris holsters offers a remarkably versatile holster. This offers belt carry, with good concealment under a light jacket. But the holster is also supplied with loops for inside the waistband carry. As a rule holsters designed to fulfill more than one function do so at a cost in one scenario or the other, but this holster has no flies on it. This holster is remarkably versatile as the maker, a retired cop, intended.

Other additions—

I have replaced the original grips with a thinner set from Alumigrips. These grips allow my average size hands a better purchase when grasping the handgun, and offer plenty of traction. I have also adopted the modern Metalform magazine for duty use. Ask for the specific Officer’s Model magazine with the red follower. These magazines are first class and make for even greater reliability in a short slide 1911.

The Colt Defender is not for everyone. This is a handgun best reserved for those who are competent with the Government Model 1911 and who wish to adopt a scaled down version for concealed carry. For those willing to master the piece, this is a credible and effective handgun.