Thoughts on Colt Defender?

**r6champ410** · 10-06-2009, 12:52 PM

FEATURES
Wrap around rubber finger groove grips
Skeletonized aluminum trigger
Single action
Fixed sights
.45 Caliber
3” barrel length
6¾” overall length
Beveled magazine well
Lightweight
Brushed stainless frame and slide
7 + 1 round capacity

**mikeCentola** · 10-06-2009, 01:11 PM

I was looking at those before. They seem to be great quality but I've never shot one. Colt is a great manufacturer though.

**Tim1** · 10-06-2009, 01:39 PM

What's the recoil like on them? I can't imagine it's going to be very pleasant. Is it something you'd be able to practice on regularly enough to remain proficient with, assuming that your intended purpose for it is carry?

**r6champ410** · 10-06-2009, 01:53 PM

erased

**JStarX7** · 10-06-2009, 02:16 PM

Looks nice. I bet it carries well. I was looking at a SA EMP, but the price got a no go from the wife. (Which she hardly ever does, so I listened. For now.

) Anyway, the EMP is the same concept, CC 1911. (Except the EMP is 9mm or .40S&W)

**Tim1** · 10-06-2009, 02:45 PM

I would question the wisdom of having such a light trigger pull on a carry gun. At best you might be exposing yourself to some legal liability ("The defendant didn't think his deadly weapon was deadly enough, so he had it modified"), at worst it's going to go bang at the wrong time when your fine motor skills disappear.

If you do pick it up let us know what the recoil is like. I'd especially be interested in hearing how it compares to a full government model sized .45. I looked at defender and commander sized .45s but opted for the full size one because I assumed it would be more pleasant to shoot a large number of rounds out of it.

**r6champ410** · 10-06-2009, 03:28 PM

erased

**Tim1** · 10-06-2009, 03:44 PM

If you find yourself in a situation where your life is on the line you are going to get a massive adrenaline dump as "fight or flight" kicks in. One of the side effects of that adrenaline dump is the disappearance of your fine motor skills. You won't be able to manipulate objects (including triggers) as precisely as you normally do. Now ask yourself if you want a 2-3# trigger under such a scenario?

Dave (RochPersDef on this forum) could probably explain it better but hopefully that gets the gist across. A light trigger pull is appropriate on a target gun. I don't think it's appropriate on a carry gun. If you are worried about flinching then you should practice prepping the trigger. It's something Dave covers in his 101 class. I would assume the other instructors go over it as well.

**r6champ410** · 10-06-2009, 03:52 PM

erased

**FrankRochester** · 10-06-2009, 08:25 PM

Originally Posted by javerial

If you find yourself in a situation where your life is on the line you are going to get a massive adrenaline dump as "fight or flight" kicks in. One of the side effects of that adrenaline dump is the disappearance of your fine motor skills. You won't be able to manipulate objects (including triggers) as precisely as you normally do. Now ask yourself if you want a 2-3# trigger under such a scenario?

Dave (RochPersDef on this forum) could probably explain it better but hopefully that gets the gist across. A light trigger pull is appropriate on a target gun. I don't think it's appropriate on a carry gun. If you are worried about flinching then you should practice prepping the trigger. It's something Dave covers in his 101 class. I would assume the other instructors go over it as well.

In the case of a single action 1911.. whether its a 4.5lb trigger or a 2lb trigger. It won't make a difference if you have your finger on the trigger and hit it. Your finger shouldn't be on the trigger until you are going to shoot. With that said, I would prefer the 4.5lb trigger in the case of being more drop safe. I wouldn't trust the 2lb trigger not to go off if dropped by accident.

**FrankRochester** · 10-06-2009, 08:33 PM

Originally Posted by r6champ410

Thank you for the clarification that makes sense. It is to easy to change the trigger set up on the gun and can easily be changed back if I dont like it. I am fairly new to the "hand gun" but found it much more comfortable to shoot with a lighter pull. If I dont care for the light pull I can always flop it back over.
I guess it comes down to comfort..while you like the stock # pull I like the light pull and thats cool too.

Well I am heading out to Vegas soon and they have a few indoor ranges where rentals will be available so I am going to try out some new guns both semi, full auto. So I ahve the oppurtunity to try some new guns.

The Colt Defender is a great carry gun. I would suggest you shoot your new pistol in stock form for awhile. 1911's already have a fairly light trigger as it is. Break the gun in first. If you take the pull down to 2lbs(which I don't recommend, see post above) you will not be able to put it back without replacing all the trigger components. I also would suggest you don't run +p's in your defender. Running standard pressure ammo will ensure reliability, the extra push +p's give make the gun run harder. And wears out your recoil springs faster. You also need to replace your recoil springs on a much more frequent schedule. I think one of the manufacturers suggests every like 500-1000 rounds? They just take that much more of a beating trying to control the lighter mass of the shortened slide. You also aren't gaining that much more velocity out of the short 3" barrel with +p's...

**VTLO910** · 10-06-2009, 09:05 PM

Nice Gun. I had a buddy who had one that shot like a dream! Whats the going price on those at the local shop...?

**ddan24** · 10-06-2009, 09:09 PM

$900-1000ish... there's a few different models. I have a family member who bought one because it was similar to the colt officer model they carried in the Navy.

**tinker** · 10-07-2009, 06:23 AM

Nice looking firearm. I'm taking sides with both javerial and Frankrochester, Shoot it in its stock configuration for a while before changing it. I would spend the cash that you were going to spend on a trigger job twards a firearms class that will teach you how to not flinch.

**r6champ410** · 10-07-2009, 08:28 AM

erased

**11B1P** · 10-07-2009, 02:32 PM

Originally Posted by r6champ410

Well Im not going to carry this gun all the time..I have never been put in a posistion to warrant carrying a weapon all the time.

So, you know up front when you will need your firearm?

When I'm not on my property/inside house, I have sox on and my gun. You never know when you might need your sox.

**ddan24** · 10-08-2009, 08:45 AM

There's no point in having a ccw unless you're going to carry it all the time... the one time you don't carry is when you'll need it.

**r6champ410** · 10-08-2009, 09:07 AM

To each their own on the carry thing...

**11B1P** · 10-08-2009, 02:30 PM

Originally Posted by r6champ410

To each their own on the carry thing...

Thats not the point.

**FrankRochester** · 10-08-2009, 04:10 PM

When I first got my permit, I carried everywhere. Now, I couldn't tell when the last time I carried.

**JIMMAGU** · 10-08-2009, 04:46 PM

Every single peice of info I have come across speaks highly of Colt Arms. I own a .22 and it shoots like butter.

I love the styling of Colt, and someday I am going to carry a Colt when my paycheck can accomodate.

On the CCW discussion, I would like to carry more often, but I am as yet untrained and I really feel that I need to close that gap before I go for any more frequent CCW. Not saying I want to be Jason Bourne, but I do want to learn situational awareness, tactics, and techniques for CCW, as well as legal concerns, and anything else that an instructor would like to teach me.