I don't like them because they don't fill any logical mission. They are too bulky for pocket carry, and if they are intended for IWB carry, there is no possible justification for such a short barrel/slide. Why give up barrel length if you're going to be carrying IWB anyway? In IWB carry, the only part that benefits you being short is the grip, not the slide. Might as well go with a full sized Government Model or Commander, and get the simplicity of design that comes with them, not to mention the other advantages of a longer slide/barrel.

 

I have a Defender and I like it a lot. I like the size of it and it's comfortable in my hand.

 

why not just buy a new one?

 

Very popular, they have a good rep of running well, I like mine alot......no matter what Hawkeye says.

 

As a guy who carries a full size (and weight) 10MM Gold Cup - most of the time, and has for over fifteen years, I can tell you why you don't find many Defenders lying about doing nothing.

People buy them and end up loving them for practical reasons!

First of all, they work - the first truly reliable 3" 1911 production gun, period. They are plenty accurate, with managable recoil and quick shot to shot times - for a LW compact. And I have to disagree that the reduced bulk and weight is not important - it is very important to some people and for some applications.

If your back sometimes hurts from age or overuse, and you switch from a 40 some ounce full size 1911 to a nice, light (a bit over half the weight) Defender, you WILL notice a large difference in the tug on your pants that you will appreciate.

If you must wear a shoulder rig all day for appearances, the lighter weight is certainly nice on the shoulders.

And the smaller size butt does make concealment, even in a waistband holster, easier. (Be aware that rubber grips - which come on the Defender - can grab clothes and "print" that you are wearing a gun. A nice set of wood Officer's model grips takes care of that.) Smaller people always have more difficulty concealing a full sized gun.

So as a guy that carries and uses both, I recommend that if you only have one CCW 1911, it be a Defender. Then add a "big brother" Colt to practice more with. You can't have too many Colts. CC

 

I wouldn't limit my looking to this forum, I have one and still see a fair amount of them selling new and used. They're one of the less expensive 3" 1911 types out there. My EMP had to go back to Springfield before it would work properly, I've not had a single problem with the Defender. The EMP is better fit & finish, but reliability is most important.

 

Bought mine new. It is a little more ammo specific than discussed above, but ok as long as good hardball or full strength ammunition is used. Winchester 185 gr Silvertips and that type of ammunition made to be full power work well. Saw one in a shop last week, it had been "melted" or whatever they call rounding off the outside edges. There are some out there. Good luck.

rayb

 

I love mine. I know it does not seem like much difference in size, but I do like carrying my Defender more than my Lightweight Commander. My Defender is very accurate, has never mis-fired on anything that I have fed it, and find the recoil very manageble. For some reason, I think the recoil is a little easier with the Defender than the LW Commander...

I did change out the factory grips (comfortable for shooting, but not great for carry...) with a nice set of slim micarta VZ grips.

The Defender, and my Kahr PM9 tend to go with me the most for concealed carry...

 

It's beginning to look to me that the answer to my question is that in general, everybody likes 'em and doesn't part with them that much. That is good info. It speaks for the gun so to speak.

Thanks for the responses so far, will continue to watch this thread for continued input.

 

Keep in mind that as you shorten the slide, you decrease the velocity tolerance of the slide action when firing. That is to say, with the standard all-steel Government Model, there is a wide slide action velocity range within which feeding will occur without problems. With the Commander, this velocity range narrows, and it narrows at a geometric rate as you shorten the slide further, meaning that unless the slide's velocity is precisely correct on the super short slides, you will begin to experience feeding reliability issues. The solution is to replace the recoil spring after every 1500 rounds, minimum, on a super shorty like the Defender, assuming you get good reliability with a new factory spec spring.

 

Passed one up this weekend at the gunshow. 650.00 in the box but hade a lot of wear. If hade been in nicer shape I might have jumped on it.

 

Among other jobs , I'm the buyer for our store . We are not seeing any Defenders being available from the distributors . I did find some Agents recently , but it's been 3 months since we last had an Agent . Longer for the Defender model . The 3" guns seem to be a low priority for Colt .