Best Defensive round for a 3" 1911

[JAXM4]

I recently purchased a Colt Defender and am looking for the best round for the smaller barrell compared to the 5" 1911. Any information is appreciated.

[DeltaKilo]

I recently purchased a Colt Defender and am looking for the best round for the smaller barrell compared to the 5" 1911. Any information is appreciated.

Doc's list of defensive ammo by caliber is the best place to start, and it's stickied at the top of this forum. Beyond that, figure that any ammo in 3" 1911 is going to lose some velocity, so a +P version of the round might be better than a non-+P round just on the thought that the loading will compensate a bit for what you lose with the shorter barrel.

Doc and others will also likely have more ideas on the subject, but that hopefully will get you started.

[aslink]

Speer Gold Dot makes ammo called "Short Barrel" designed for a firearm such as yours. But like all ammo you'll have to purchase and try it to make sure it runs through your firearm.

Just for fun let us know what ends up working for you.

[Paul45]

What ever you finally choose, just be sure it works 100% in the short barrel 1911. I have had mixed results with them - BE ABSOLUTELY SURE THEY WILL FUNCTION ALL THE TIME!

[Ak44]

Speer Gold Dots
Federal HST
Winchester Ranger T's

Are all good JHP's, other companies to look at are corbon, hornady, and remington. As stated before make sure you pick a round that will function everytime in your weapon. Any major brand jhp will work, pick one that is the most accurate and easily available to you. Do post what your findings result.

[JAXM4]

Thanks for the input, Docs charts have some real good info. Short of doing a test with the ammo do you think a 185gr or the bigger 230gr bullets will perform better from the small barrell?

[DeltaKilo]

Thanks for the input, Docs charts have some real good info. Short of doing a test with the ammo do you think a 185gr or the bigger 230gr bullets will perform better from the small barrell?

I think very few of the loadings, save for the Barnes X-bullet/Corbon DPX load, are 230-grain. A 185 grain may have a higher velocity from a short barrel, but I think the fact that his list doesn't include them is telling.

[Lumpy196]

Whatever load you are able to get to function reliably in 3" 1911.

[MarshallDodge]

Winchester Ranger T runs good in my 4.25" Baer.

[DocGKR]

In general, there is a precipitous decrease in reliability and terminal performance as one drops from 5" 1911's, to 4.25" Commanders, to 3.5" OM's, and then 3" sub-compact pistols. I have had Commanders and OM's that ran well, but they took a lot more effort to keep going than I wanted to put into them; likewise ammunition selection can be challenging. The loads using the Barnes XPB bullets would likely be a good starting point.

Personally, I no longer choose to use any .45 ACP pistols of any type with barrels less than 4". If I want a pistol that compact, I'll go with a G26 or M&P compact in 9 mm or .40 S&W; I'd even consider small 9 mm pistols like the S&W 3913, Sig P239, and the small Kahr's.