Cocked and locked or DAO?

[kinda catchy]

Faced this question myself a couple of years ago, here is what I did. First of all I want to throw out my vote for the Glock being the ugly ducking of your listed choices. After firing a friends Glock I had seen enough. Not near as accurate as the other availible models, did not have a good feel in my hand. The Kimber is a fine choice but what I ended up buying was a Colt defender in .45 cal. This gun is lightweight and compact enough to carry and on the range there was no sacrifice in accuracy. At 50ft. you can place shots anywhere you want with little practice. I have let others shoot this weapon with the same results so I know it is not me. More money than the Glock, less than the Kimber. When it comes to caliber, IMHO you cant beat a .45cal. Good luck in your purchase let us know what you decide. Thanks Kelly.

Re-read your own post.

"My delima is this. I can work the (SA) Kimber/Colt mechanism like a Vegas dealer shuffles cards. I love it! The pistols feel graceful and point naturally in my hand.

The Glock is world renowned for reliability. And the price is the best deal in town. However the gun is ugly (IMO), I'm not as accurate with the DAO, and they don't feel "right". Also I don't trust the action. Sure it's great for people who know about the mechanism, but what if somebody with straying fingers handles it? My wife or neighbor might handle/move it and carelessly stroke the trigger and BOOM!"

Am I missing something here or is this a no-brainer? Why even consider a gun you don't like if you can afford a better weapon that fits you like a glove. Life's too short and important to compromise over a few hundred bucks. If you have the money, GET THE KIMBER/COLT and let us know how you like it.

My 2 cents.

[Marble Eyes]

The problem I have with the Glock 27 and I own one in the .40 cal., (If anyone is interested contact me :) Is Even with the Mag. extention the pistol is too small for me to feel confortable in my hand. Great for conceal, but not to handle. IMHO. I think it is a combination of the double stack mag. and the short 3 finger grip. I have spend many days with it on the range and although it is a accurate gun, It doesn't fit right. I say before you buy the Glock, go to shoot a box or two of ammo with one. I wish I had.

I carry the Ruger P89 in the 45 ACP. or My Browning BDA. They may be large frames, but they fit in my hand.

[hgmeyer]

I switched from a S&W mdl 19 wheel gun to a Colt 1911A in 1973...The first day the department allowed us to switch to an autoloader. Because it just worked... felt right... and did the job it was designed to do... defensive handgun. Thirty years ago it was the best gun for the job.... And, today after all the attempts to build a "better mousetrap"... no one has done it. A stainless steel Commander size Gov't mdl that has been "treated" to feed semi-wad cutters in 200+ grains (my belief, the best you can carry...no time or space for this argument here) with "ambi-safety" (that left hand corner thingy) and a decent trigger and good fixed sight set for 25 yds will save your life when it has to... That's the end of my "argument". Based on my thirty years of social interaction I don't want to change handguns...

[Mark_AZ]

I like the springfields too. I was just too lazy to list every "1911". Thx.

Mark

[Mark_AZ]

Somebody told me Series 2 Kimbers have some "Pot-metal" components. Can anyone confirm this?

Mark,I do a bit of gunsmithing work as a hobby,I've built AR's,Garands,and done work to my Kimber Classic Custom.And can tell you that Kimbers are rock solid guns.Every bit as dependable in a gunfight as anything else out there.You dont want to shoot the hot loads out of it,like the Cor-Bon.Shoot a nice slow,heavy 220gr. hardball flying at about 850-950fps. The gun will never give you any problems,and will stop a man just as quickly.Remember,thats the loads that gave the .45 the reputation as a manstopper.When you start off with a 1/2" hole,you dont need much expansion.I have thousands upon thousands of rounds out of my Kimber,and never had a failure.Actualy,there are Police organizations that issue Kimber.Now,Glock has had a major problem,and recall recently concerning the slides of the guns produced in anything chambered above 9mm.You can read about it on pretty much any shooting forum website,or ask your local gunsmith.They have already recalled all models in .40 that were issued to the F.B.I,and repaired them.I'm not imparticularly biased to the 1911,I own many other handguns,including a Ruger P95,and a Glock 17.Like everyone else said,dont let money be the deciding factor on something like this.

[cfwalleye]

3 Words: LES BAER STINGER

Try a Heckler&Koch USP Compact 45. You can carry it either c&l or hammer down. Dao or single action. It can be modified to fire DAO or single action and unlike the Glock, it has a real safety. Put a Hogue Grip on mine and it fits like a glove.