Colt defender 9mm. Thoughts?

floyd the barber

floyd the barber

Joined
Jan 10, 2006
Messages
79
I finally got notified about my ccw permit after a very long 9 month wait (gotta love NY) and I am thinking hard about my first purchase. I stopped at the lgs yesterday to have a look and there is a brand new Colt Defender 9mm that caught my eye.

Does anyone have any thoughts or comments on this particular model?
Any thoughts on Colt in general, how is their customer service, reliability, warranty etc...

I know many people say that something based on the 1911 isn't a great choice for a first gun as they can be finicky, but being the 100 year anniversary it just feels right. I would eventually replace those goofy looking wraparound grips and probably add an ambi safety, I have a good friend who is a competent gunsmith to help me out with little things like this.

Another crazy NY policy is that you cannot handle a hand gun without a permit so I really have no idea if this will even feel good in the hand, but I would like to hear your thoughts about it nonetheless.
 
floyd... just a comment..1911 style pistols feel pretty good in most any hand, good triggers, and pointability...if you are going with a Colt in 9mm or any short barreled 1911 system, I would suggest something with a longer slide...a lightweight commander or a full size pistol...with the barrel locking lugs forward of the chamber (as opposed to the new breed of plastic guns whose "square" chambers lock in the open ejection port area like a Glock, Sig, or M&P) ...the Colt style lockup will stay in battery longer during recoil, increasing accuracy somewhat, and reducing recoil, but with an already short slide this longer dwell time before the barrel unlocks from the slide cuts down on the time for ejecting and loading a new cartridge before the multiple recoil spring system is fully compressed .... may give problems

if you are going to carry IWB, a longer barrel is just as easy to conceal with a good holster
 
I second the motion for a lightweight commander. Best handgun I ever owned.
 
I third the motion for a Colt Commander, but get the steel-framed Combat Commander, rather than the alum. framed Lightweight....The "recoil-recovery time" is quicker with the heavier frame, as well as the "felt-recoil" being lighter.
 
Excellent! thanks for the input guys, I will be heading back to the lgs with this new info and I'll see what they have. I do like to support local businesses when I can, so I will check with them about their ability to get in something for me have a look at.
I really wish there were a good indoor range with lots of rentals available nearby.
 
floyd the barber said:
...Another crazy NY policy is that you cannot handle a hand gun without a permit...
Click to expand...
You are kidding about this aren't you? You can't even "handle" a handgun (in a gun-store) unless you have a "permit"??? Damn...I'm sure glad that I live in the USA here in Aberdeen, WA.
 
glockman99 said:
You are kidding about this aren't you? You can't even "handle" a handgun (in a gun-store) unless you have a "permit"??? Damn...I'm sure glad that I live in the USA here in Aberdeen, WA.
Click to expand...

gosh no kidding.. i think its hilarious (if this is true) to see dumbass states like NY issue all these rules and laws that only the law abiding citizens will follow. in turn, ill almost bet my left nut that the crime rate is just as bad if not worse. its a shame that folks in cali, NY (just to name a couple) do not really get the freedom the rest of us have.
 
As far as I know this is the case. There are so many laws that it gets pretty confusing.

It doesn't seem right to me that the county I am in requires no training or knowledge of guns or gun safety. So long as you pay the fee (~$110), and wait 8-12 months for the permit to process and the background checks to come back clean you can go out and buy whatever you want. Every county has their own rules and time frames, even though you are issued a NYS permit, good for everywhere except NYC. Ten miles north of me, in the next county, the wait time is 4-6 weeks. The issuing judge can place administrative restrictions on the permit as they see fit, ie hunting or target only. My county is known for issuing concealed carry, thankfully.

I plan on paying for training even though it is not required of me.
 
check your local area for an IPSC/USPSA practical shooting club....give them a look before you commit to your purchase

p.s...I've got 5 1911's and carry a Glock 9mm
 
I collected old Colts, and carried 1911's for quite a few years.. The oldest being a 1911 U.S Army made in 1918. Colt use to make an outstanding product, but they went through a period that they really weren't what they should have been I can't give any input on the new stuff though, because I haven't owned or used any of them.

The 1911 always has been, and always will be my favorite pistol. That said, I switched to Glocks for carry about 7 or 8 years ago. You don't have to worry about them rusting, they still function even when dirty, and they are almost indestructable. They are more accurate than 95% of the people that shoot them.
For some people, they don't point well though. I would wait until you get your permit, and go the the lgs and handle everything you can get your hands on before buying. If I was in the market for a new production 1911, I would probably go with a Springfield. They make a great product, and although its been about 6 years back, they have incredible customer service. Not sure how they are now.

Be very careful though. 1911's are extremely addictive
 
Les Snyder said:
check your local area for an IPSC/USPSA practical shooting club....give them a look before you commit to your purchase

p.s...I've got 5 1911's and carry a Glock 9mm
Click to expand...

Thats a good idea Les. Most fellow shooters would be more than happy to let you shoot their guns, and give input, if they know you are trying to figure out which one to buy
 
For the most part, the newer Colts (post 2003) are pretty nice guns. You ARE paying about $100 over equivalent competition for that pony stamped on the side, but I've been known to do so in the past.

I do have to add how blatantly stupid it is that the checks/processing takes eight or more months in NY. Extremely high level government security clearances take in the vicinity of four to six weeks to go through. The wait/fuss that they're making you go through is a blatantly obvious attempt to disuade your interest from even trying. There really isn't any inducement that could bring me to live in any of these totalitarian cities/states which so many gravitate towards. I'm not willing to give up being an American in order to have live theater or high-end restaurants. Personal preference, of course.
 
I know many of the smaller 1911's seem to have problems, something about shrinking everything down to make it smaller causes reliability to decrease. The Springfield EMP is designed from the ground up to be a smaller framed 9mm pistol. Might take a look at that as well. You'll want to invest in some ammo designed for shorter barrel pistols while your at it, Speer makes some good 9mm +p stuff.
 
I've had a Combat Commander in .45 ACP for many years and it my favorite pistol out
of ten total.:thumbup:

Bill
 
100 years or not, for your first carry gun I would say your causing more risk to yourself until you have about 10k practice rounds through it.
 
The 1911 is not simple to shoot like a Glock or revolver, it needs the correct grip, a trained thumb to take the safety off, and more detailed care. It's a gun for a experienced shooter and when the clocks ticking the least amount of mistakes you can make the better.

Its hard to really say though, you could be a natural or end up getting trained by someone that knows the 1911 and pick it up without trouble. Overall it is a more complex weapon to master but once you know them its like a fine tuned swiss watch :)

I'll also second the EMP suggestion, amazing little pistol.



(Maybe try a gun forum too)
 
Nice pistol. My only question is this: can the gun handle +P+ rounds? These hopped up rounds make the 9mm a real thumper and even the score a bit when put up against the .40 caliber offerings.
 
floyd...the 1911 is a single action pistol, so once the slide is retracted it charges the chamber and cocks the hammer... all the trigger has to do at that point is trip the sear to release the hammer and the pistol fires...this is why it is the pistol of choice for most competition shooters...the trigger travel is straight back with very little movement (no hinge motion like a revolver), with a relatively light amount of effort (trigger pull) compared to other pistols.......the slide under recoil has ejected the spent cartridge and recharged a new one.. it resets with very little movement and is ready to fire again

this is all well and good for the casual range shooter that is not drawing from a holster... typical 1911 pistols have a grip safety that blocks the trigger bow in case the pistol is dropped, and a thumb operated safety that blocks the sear from releasing the trigger...some "series 80" pistols have a firing pin safety...it takes some instruction and dry firing (without ammo) practice to get a safe draw and presentation out of a holster (and to not sweep your hand reholstering hot)..... so that you don't cover anything with the muzzle you don't want to shoot , and especially to not disengage the thumb safety until the pistol is pointing at your target....

the frame mounted thumb safety is very ergonomic to use ,and is designed to be released easily....many of the new pistols have a somewhat enlarged thumb shelf... without good gun handling skills many new shooters release the safety while the pistol is either still in the holster, or way too early in the presentation ... if you go with a 1911 for CW make sure you get some good instruction, and spend some dry firing time with your draw and presentation before you start launching bullets... good luck
 
I had a Defender in .45 ACP.
It was a great shooter.I could do better with it than I could with my full size Kimber.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top