It's truly amazing that something designed 105 years ago is still so popular today. Easily one of the best firearms ever designed. Mr. Browning was a genius.
I just love the 1911's in all aspects, feel, looks, etc. Just curious, have you done a review on any of the different makers versions of the 1911 in .22 cal. long rifle versions. If so, could you please direct me to them, or if not, could you possibly try to find one to do your take on it.... ?
I just bought a 1911 and that was one of my biggest determining factors when I made my final decisions I just don't like the ones with the "skeletonized" triggers. I ended up getting the Remington R1 and I love it
+davigleisi There are hundreds of different 1911s out there, pick the one outfitted the way you want. Or get the one you think is best and change the trigger, it's really easy.
+area647 I'me with you. I bought the R1 Commander a few weeks ago. Great looking plain jane pistol and the only Commander I've seen with a spur hammer. I will probably get a Gov. size at some time in the future. Remington did this one right in my opinion.
Please try an Kimber compact. I have the UCDP2 and I have shot over 500 rounds with no problem. I do have a gripe about the Kimber though, as expensive as they are they come only a single cheapo mag. ( like they just expect that you are going to buy Wilson magazines, the unwritten rule of standard for 1911s ) Ok more than one complaint, in order to disassemble them they you have to mutilate a paperclip. Looks like on inside based on what see inside my colt rg the kimber also departs from the original JMB design a bit. Shoot great though. To be perfectly honest, I honest think the G43 is a much better gun for pocket carry. I know the Defender comes in 45 AND 9mm, if you had one of each for a chapter 2 that would be really cool. Thank you Keep em coming
+Adam Gold Indeed. I would get a better belt and holster. I carry a New Agent (basically same gun), but I have a really nice belt and holster, and it hasn't been a problem for me :)
Hey, I just wanted to give a little credit to the unsung hero here, John. John, you do really nice handheld camera work, and that's coming from a guy with lots of experience and a degree in Mass Communications (TV production). Of course, your talent (dad) makes your job as easy as it could be. You two are a great team, and I thoroughly enjoy your videos. Keep up the great work -
Use a Kimber recoil spring assembly for this gun. Colt's design was sub standard for the recoil spring assembly. Kimber's design is easier to field strip and is more reliable.
They do most of the time. The only “tweets” I find required as somebody who now only buys colts, and I own this one, but the one weak spot is the extractor. For me, I have never ever had to tweak an extractor. I guess I’m lucky but I have had 3 of these, no problems. I have had 8 of the colt classics, no problems in hundreds of rounds in all. I have had cold defenders and the like, no problems with extractors. It can happen, but many people complain louder then compliment so we hear about it more.
I bought the Defender 45 late last year for carry and couldn't be happier but as you said the 1911 can be a pain if maintenance is something neglected. The 1911 is just not meant for everyone and it takes effort to keep them in top condition. your always spot on with your knowledge and it's appreciated! Take care
+Caleb Shomakr2.0 Yeah, they have featured the Defender in the Uncharted series (2, 3, Golden Abyss) and also in The Last Of Us. I'm thinking that some in their company must be Colt fans.
Markku Myllykoski most likely, they also have a lot of real life weapons in the multiplayer like the AR 15 and the .44 magnum, and a shotgun used by police (I forgot the name of that one)
Please stop saying nice things about the Defender. They are still "affordable" and I don't want the price going up!!!! These are the best kept secret in carry pistols. Yes, it's an aluminum frame, but I can't see me ever wearing it out. Plus, it's light. I absolutely LOVE my Defender. I've carried it for over three years now, and have 10's of thousands of rounds through mine. I still like my G30SF, but the Defender is on my side. Unbelievable accuracy for a 3", and mine has been totally reliable.
@@elibaker8849 Hi. I don't think you could train the gun to shoot with one hand. You really can't train guns to do much of anything. But you could certainly train the shooter to shoot it one handed. No problem.
The first generation Colt Defender is my daily carry pistol. I’ve never had a malfunction with my Defender. I’ve had it since 2000. I did polish the ramp when it was new. I put Crimson Trace laser grips on it about 10 years ago. It’s a great pistol to carry.
Thank you for the great episode and just in time for my birthday too! It truly doesn't get much prettier than a Colt 45ACP 1911, a true American classic and beautiful pistols. Mine (officer size also) has been perfectly reliable and absolutely flawless from day 1.
I've carried a first generation Defender since '98, absolutely no issues with it. I've read that some have experienced feeding issues with hollow points, but mine has been a stellar performer with every type of round. Been using Hornady 185 gr CD for a couple years now.
I own one, great concealed carry piece. I put Houge Kingwood finger groove wrap around grips on it, just cuz I love wood, they are exactly the same dimensions as the Houge rubber tamer's, but feel great & look beautiful to boot !! I've never had a burp out of mine, knock on wood. It is in my constant EDC carry rotation. Might be the only 1911 I own that has the original J.M. Browning internal extractor on it. I think it's one one of the best kept secret's for a great 1911 Carry firearm. I still carry a Commander size 1911 from time to time, but the "Defender" rides in my El Paso Saddelry "Tortilla" thumb break holster in a basket weave design, more than any of my other 1911's. It Rides high & tight in that great leather holster. Since I'm old now I painted the front sight with Blaze Orange Neon Pop fingernail polish on it & boy did that help my old eyes I Love this weapon & it still holds 7+1 big fat .45 acp pills,... with 2 more 8 round Commander size mags in my left jean pocket & I never feel under gunned !!
I've had my defender for nearly 10 years.. with about 8k-10k rounds down the pipe.. its beat up, worn looking, and still the most fun and reliable shooter. And is the easiest gun to conceal under dress shirts with a good tuckable holster.. Great video! what pancake holster are you using in this video? cheers
I purchased my Defender in Jan. 2017. Gone through about 350 rounds, not one problem yet, but I guess now would be a good time to clean it. Great video my friend.
I purchased a Colt Defender when they first came out. I loved the idea of such a short, small gun launching such a big bullet. My experience with it was exactly like what you encountered with your first sample; I couldn't get through a full magazine without a malfunction. I have owned many, many pistols and not a few long guns since then and the Defender stands out in memory as the worst pistol that I ever owned and maybe ever shot. I believe in what you said late in the video, that 1911 pattern guns are best full size, acceptable Commander sized and to be avoided otherwise. Please do not take my observations as criticism of your coverage of the pistol, just comparing notes. Thank you for all that you do.
I've had a defender for over 20 years and never had a jam or misfire. When I bought mine I found out it was hit or miss on it being reliable and/or accurate. Colt had a quality control issue that was fixed
Is the Defender Equal to the 1991a1 Compact model 🤔. Have you ever done a video on 1991a1 Compact model. Enjoy your videos very much, very Informative and helpful 👍.
My Defender had a problem with the thumb safety when I first got it. Sent it back to Colt, they replaced the safety and slide and sent it back. Hundreds of rounds since then with no problems. I have quite a few handguns, but with the possible exception of my Model 13, the Defender is my favorite EDC.
Owned a Colt New Agent .45 ACP with Novak sights, just like the Defender, and fired well over 2500 rounds with no issues or malfunctions. Love it and will never sell it.
Sorry to hear about your first defender :/ I have one of the newer ones (with the carry cut front end and g10 grips, night sights) and have had good luck with it. Cheers! Edit: all the people saying "$1000 dollar guns shouldn't need breaking in!" Take it easy. 1911s are awesome guns, they require more care but who cares. My defender has been reliable and I got it for $760 out the door
Nice video, All the Colt 1911's Iv'e been around have been extremely reliable. Must be the new lightweight design possibly. I have shot 1000s of rounds through the 45 acp & 38 super and have been around several others and have never seen one jam.
I got a kick out of the comment "nice little shooter". It's still a .45 :-) I have a Colt New Agent and love it. Its essentially the same gun with gutter sights. Those take some getting used too, but they're not not bad.
+Kelly Dardeen Yep. That's why I didn't like having to send my Glock 17 back. It cost almost $600, but the price doesn't matter. A gun should work, like my decades-old 1911s and revolvers. The Glock still fails to fire cheap ammo about 3% of the time. The 1911s fire the same ammo with the same primers every time.
+Kelly Dardeen I think the 'break in period' is the biggest load of BS pulled on us gun owners. I feel like the industry totally made that one up to cover their asses and people ate it up.
sergeantbigmac 1,000 rounds is about two days of shooting for me. So I break them in pretty fast. Short 1911s have always been a joke. There is zero need for them. A full size 1911 is plenty small enough, and a Glock 17 is plenty small enough.
***** Damn dude, living the dream! Im not sure I could afford 1000 rounds even if I pooled all my measly $ together right now. Being a poor college student sucks lol.
+Orang Pendek I agree on production line short 1911s. I owned a Sig C3 that wouldn't feed a hallow point, period. Owning a few Dan Wesson 1911s, I bought a Guardian, and that shorty changed my mind quickly. I carry this gun everyday. However it's about $500 to $700 more than a Sig or Colt depending on who or where you buy it from. I can't say anything bad about Colt, I've never owned one. I can't imagine comparing a Glock 17 to a Government 1911, where did that come from?........the Glock is very fat.
Hey Hickok, another great review. Thank you Sir. The Colt 1911 in either .45 acp or 9mm, is one of my favorite firearms out there. I've owned two, a government model .45 I bought new back in the mid 1960's, and a 9mm commander. It fit my hand like no other handgun has ever done. I only had one issue with the .45 before I had the feed ramp polished, cast ball ammo. That was the only issue. The 9mm commander has never had a hiccup. Keep these great videos coming. Oh, by the way, you might want to keep a supply of Ricola's on hand for John whenever one of those coughing fits jump on his back. Thanks again, you two make a great team.
Colt has neglected the consumer side of their business to focus on military contracts for a long time. The overall quality control for their regular guns was sketchy at best. Thankfully after their recent bankruptcy and reorganization they seem to be taking consumers, and quality, seriously again. Time will tell...
The Defender is a great gun , I trust my life with one when a feel the need to carry a small gun with a big bite. An honest and fair review ... Thanx Hickock.
Not only were they made by USA allies in PI but now allot of models are made in Pahrump NV. So if you like to spend your gun dollars stateside you can buy a RIA and still do that
+Schreckschuss Channel I prefer SA. I also like SA/DA. I will NOT buy a DAO, I HATE them. Not a fan of the half cocked striker designs like Glock either but they are OK.
+wingracer 16 I prefer striker guns. Other than that I like DA/SA like Sig. But I will say that SA only guns like 1911s have the best triggers by far. Striker guns having the worst with a few exceptions.
+wingracer 16 I prefer striker guns. Other than that I like DA/SA like Sig. But I will say that SA only guns like 1911s have the best triggers by far. Striker guns having the worst with a few exceptions.
Hi. I have several Colt .45s. The Gold Cup, the Light Weight Commander & the Defender. My Commander had to be sent back, cause it took 3 men & a boy, to push the mag release. I was surprised when I got it back within 3 weeks. It is now flawless. All my Colts are dead on out of the box. My Defender is a delight. It is extreamly accurate & very easy to conceal carry. I cheat by using an 8 rd. mag in all of them. The weapon does not seem to print & acually, who cares if it does? I carried Colt revolvers for years. The reliability & accuracy is hard to beat. I shall remail a Colt fan for many more years.
this is by far one of my favorite youtube channels. cause the gun laws in nyc are stritch I will never have the opportunity to even see or touch a third of the weapons. thank you for giving me a ray of hope
Great review. As always. I'm happy to see someone else wrestle with a 1911 reassembly. My Colt Officer's always has attitude after a clean-up (just like my Westie!). Like this Defender! Ty.
My first Defender, which I purchased on March 10th, is sitting in the safe, soaking in Ballistol, all STUCK together in an unusable state. I cleaned it for the first time, was reassembling it and could not get the slide stop in its proper place. Then it got stuck. Now that taxes are outa the way I've got time to take it out and try to UNstick it from itself and put it together properly. I have never had this kind of trouble before with any kind of 1911.
