I'm still a little torn between the Colt Defender in .45ACP with 3" barrel @ 24 oz. or the Sig Sauer 1911 Ultra in Two-Tone with 3.3" barrel @ 28 oz. to match my P-938 Two-Tone. The weight doesn't bother me so much, but the Colt trigger is set at 3 lbs and the Sig's is 5 lbs. Sig wins for concealed carry @ 5 lbs of trigger pull. But, I've not spent any time with a Sig 1911 at all where I have lots of shooting time with my Colt. My P-938 is a 1911 styled pistol, which is my primary carry piece, and it has been a sweet, accurate, and reliable pistol. I suppose I'll just bite the bullet on the Sig. Plus, the Colt's matte finish is much harder to clean without fouling the front sight with dirty solvent. Not the best White 3-Dot sights in the world. The Sig has the Sig-Light night sights and they're great. Sounds like I've already made up my mind... I think.

Rick, perhaps as the R1's popularity grows Remington will favorably consider a compact version. If so, do you suppose it would cut into their own R51 market? Sounds like the R1 Commander with the 4 1/4" barrel might be a bit too long and heavy for your purposes. Mine weighs in at 40.5 oz fully loaded (7+1), so it's still a bit of a chunk. But, I'm planning to carry it and have just about settled on a suitable pocket holster. I don't own any Sigs, but I'm a Colt guy, too, and have at times carried an Officer's LW .45. I say go with what comforts you the best!

Well Ed, I don't know that a 1911 R1 in a 3" Ultra Carry class pistol would hurt the R51 program so much since there are people who won't carry a 1911 in any size or weight. More people than I realized will grow attached to a gun based upon its appearance and become acclimated to its controls & features, then become proficient with it. Guns, like any other tool, have to be guided, maintained, and operated by a human. It's all just about preferences, although there is some "junk" out there that will 'curb' your decision hopefully before you purchase the junk. That said, I still have hopes for the success of the R51 program since I know the Pedersen Action works well as designed back in the early 1900s. With today's technologies and materials available, the only pitfall to its success is that "Damned Almighty Dollar"! But, if the R51 program flourishes with success, I'd think it would be followed up by a .45ACP version, which would be a really sweet and tame shooting pistol. In the meantime, I might shoot a couple of emails to Remington and see if I can get any clues as to their intentions to make an Ultra version R1. I'd feel more comfort in carrying .45ACP over 9mm as I know the .45 will expand and stop within the subject where 9mm has the tendency to travel through if it misses bone or other dense tissue. I don't want to have to look behind the subject to assure no innocent bystanders are in the line-of-fire. There's no time to investigate that scenario. 9mm is just too fast for its size for my comfort. As for the weight of a carry pistol, that doesn't bother me nearly as much as the physical size of it. I carry "appendix" at about 2 o'clock in Condition "1", so sitting without the muzzle poking my right femoral artery is where the 'size vs. weight' thing comes in. The R51's size is about the largest (O.A.L.) that is comfortable in that regard. They classified the R51 as sub-compact, and I still hold my guns in favor of the idea that it is "compact" rather than "sub-compact".

Well, 10 months is long enough to wait. I finally bit the bullet and pulled the trigger on purchasing the Sig Sauer 1911 Ultra Two-Tone AND the Colt Talo Night Defender, both in .45 ACP. I'll take 'em to the range next week and see which one I want to carry. I couldn't pass up the Sig with the external ejector and I couldn't let the Colt get away either. Like I've stated before, "A man can't own too many 1911s!"

Rick 51/ R51 wrote:Well, 10 months is long enough to wait. I finally bit the bullet and pulled the trigger on purchasing the Sig Sauer 1911 Ultra Two-Tone AND the Colt Talo Night Defender, both in .45 ACP. I'll take 'em to the range next week and see which one I want to carry. I couldn't pass up the Sig with the external ejector and I couldn't let the Colt get away either. Like I've stated before, "A man can't own too many 1911s!"

I'm real proud for you! Not many guys can drop the coin for two 1911s at one time and get some (hopefully) quality guns.

I hope that you have much better performance with short barrel 1911s in .45Auto than some owners that I've known. Wishing you the best.

Thanks nitesite. Somehow, I have more confidence in these two new 1911s for a successful range trip than those first two Remington R51s.
I have to say though, that these two 1911s are some fine pieces of quality workmanship... especially the Sig. I'll take some photos of them for my insurance and post a copy or two on here soon.

Well, I'm impressed! The Colt Talo Night Defender and the Sig Sauer Ultra ran like a couple of fine Swiss watches. Never missed the rings in 300 rounds (150 ea.) and out to 20 yards. These short-barreled 1911s (3' & 3.3") are every bit as accurate as my Gov't 5" 1911s. And, that's right out of the box with a quick lube inspection. Perfect balance too!