Ok, my plan was to get a Glock 27 for a carry gun and to possibly use it as an ankle carry backup at work.
BUT I’ve found a brand new Kimber TLE II for about $850.00. I’ve always been intrigued by the 1911 and its classic lines, but in the fullsize version is this going to be a EDC gun? With a good leather gun belt and a crossbreed supertuck I think I could carry it concealed off duty (even during the summer). Does anyone else run this setup with a fullsize??
It seems like one of those “for the rest of my life” guns, something that i can be proud of and hand down to my kids (if and when).
Depends on how you’re built…some people conceal the 1911 better than others. I am lucky that I am built that I can conceal pretty much anything under the sun. In the pic below I am concealing a full size Wilson Combat with a Milt Sparks holster.
Whatever you carry, just make sure your gun is reliable. Kimber’s QC have been called into question more than a few times.
Also- I imagine some people can comfortably conceal a Glock 27 in an ankle, but just know that it’s basically a 2 pound weight and I find it impossible to walk around with that much mass on my foot.
For sure, i’ll wring it out before I start carrying it daily. Untill then I’ll be carrying a G35…which isnt small by any stretch of the imagination.
Im a bigger guy, 210Lbs 6’2", I lift weights so I have a V taper which helps. I also live in a climate that allows me to wear multiple layers most of the year (except june/july/august).
The only hang up I have is mag. capacity. I love the ergos of 1911’s (who doesnt?). But 7-8rds? Of course Im required to carry a reload, so I guess that doesnt matter anyway.
Milt Sparks makes several leather holsters for 1911 IWB carry. The VM II works great. Alternatively, RC makes good kydex options. I have both for my 1911 platforms.
Having said that, the Glock 19/26 have become my favorite CCW platforms due to size, comfort, capacity, etc.
Now show pictures of you walking around and bending over at various angles and reaching up over head. A straight on LOOK!! I can hide a 50 cal DE with just a t shirt tells only part of the story.
I carry a carbon steel government in a Milt Sparks Summer Special II.
Two mags weak side in individual MS holders so that I can space them to my preference. I use either a MS leather or Wilderness Instructor 5 stitch gun belt.
I prefer this by far over: leather/kydex hybrids, VM style, and full kydex IWB.
The 1911 excels at IWB as compared to double stacks such as the 27 you noted.
Walking around is no problem. I rarely have to bend down to do anything anyway. Just have to be aware of what you can and can’t do. No one is going to stare at you to look for a gun. As long as you are mindful it’s not a big deal.
When I’m out most of what I do is stand around and talk to people, or sit down. If I know I"m going to be active I put switch the 1911 out for a Shield 9mm, then I can do all the jumping around/bending down I want.
I started out with a 1911 for EDC. It was heavy and hampered by the 8 round capacity. I’d recommend going with something else for EDC, and using the 1911 for a range/target gun.
A Glock 21 is 1/4 lb lighter than a 1911 while holding 6 more rounds. It is many times more reliable and far more durable. It is actually ridiculous that the Marines went with a 1911 when there are so many better options. It is fun to carry, build, maintain, and shoot a 1911. But as a practical tool - plastic weighs less. If their budget gets cut and they have to slum it and buy $450 Glocks instead of $1800 1911s, I think they will be ok. I would rather have the tax money back. Four times the price of a much better pistol!
I know this is a 1911 section. I like 1911s well enough to have a lot of them. I have build several. Please take my comments in the context of a 1969 Camaro being cool, but as a collectible and not the best choice for current practical use. But in the context of fun and collectable cars it is great.
I’m an average size middle age guy going to fat, but I EDC off-duty my Springfield full size 1911, spare mag and flashlight, everyday. As you said, paying attention to what you are doing is key to not exposing your carry piece. Takes work at first, then becomes second nature. I have carried my 1911 even in shorts and a t-shirt and no one knows it’s there. Carry is a life style, you just have to remember that. I have found, what works best for me, is a Blade-Tech “Nano” IWB holster.
As for the Glock 27 on the ankle, it is my everyday duty backup gun in an ankle holster, no problems thus far. I must note though, I do wear boots on duty, so far no problems even when in foot pursuits.
At times I do carry my G27 or G36 as a primary, but not very often.:dirol:
I have never had much luck carrying extra mags on my belt, but it just occurred to me that I carry my pistols IWB and my mag carriers are all outside. Maybe during this snowstorm I will use that sheet of Kydex I just got to make an IWB 1911 and P7 mag carrier. Fun.
I EDC a railed, alloy frame S&W 1911PD 5" with Crimson Trace grips in a Milt Sparks EX. Very comfortable, very concealable and very reliable. It actually conceals better on me than a G-19 and I far prefer my accuracy and speed potential with it vs. a G-26.
For my last qual at the sheriff’s office, I shot 100% with my duty G-21SF, G-19 and 1911PD back to back, but my group with the PD was noticeably better than the 19 and 21.
There’s no likely about it, the G27 is absolutely the better carry pistol from a reliability standpoint.
I’ve never had issues concealing a full size 1911. I carried a steel 4.25" or 5" 1911 every day for years. I prefer kydex holsters to leather and I’d recommend buying a Raven Phantom, since you can carry it OWB or IWB and it will hold the gun fairly snug to your side. If you never want to carry OWB, the Comp-tac CTAC is great and the MTAC hybrid is as well, slightly slower but more comfortable than the CTAC.
As far as magazine carry, I usually just carried my mags in a single or double leather mag pouch on my belt. I hate carrying mags IWB, and 1911 mags are so slim I have no trouble concealing them under a t-shirt.
OP - If you want a gun to pass down to your kids, buy a Wilson or Nighthawk or similar semi-custom. Kimber cares more about cosmetics than building the gun right. Seriously, spending under $2k on a serious use 1911 is a gamble.
Even if the gun seems to run correctly initially, problems might not turn up until you shoot a few thousand rounds through it. I’ve owned several low- to mid-range 1911s ($800-1500, various manufacturers) that were flawless up until about 2500 rounds, when suddenly problems started cropping up out of the blue. Chasing problems in a 1911 can be a serious pain in the ass, and since the majority of the parts in the gun require hand fitting you can easily build up a stack of gunsmith bills or else spend hours carefully filing, sanding, and polishing stuff yourself. After you fix it, you get to do all the reliability testing again to make sure it really works. Awesome.
Obviously, my advice is to buy the Glock 27 instead. Even if you had the most reliable 1911 in the world, I’d still tell you to carry a Glock or M&P instead. You get more capacity and better controls, they’re extremely easy to fix on the infrequent occasions they break, easy and relatively cheap to modify, and they’re just generally inexpensive. They are easy to use with winter gloves, which 1911s emphatically are not, at least for me. You don’t have to worry about figuring out which brand and model of magazine your gun likes, which can be an expensive endeavor with a finicky 1911. Et cetera.
Why make things complicated by buying a 1911? There’s no upside at all except the cool factor.
My EDC is a 4" Kimber TLE. With a 1911 you learn to dance with the bitch you brought…you learn to dress around the gun and also work on your reloads. I’ve carried 1911’s Sig, Glock, but always come back to 1911’s. It’s all in what you want and it’s up to you and you only as to what you will carry. There is no “perfect” pistol, there will always be pros and cons to everything.
I carry a 5" Kimber every day (say what you will, it has never given me a reason to question it’s reliability). I started carrying it because that’s what I had when I got my CCL. A 1911 is what I had been taught on and what I had practiced with.
If this is going to be your first 1911 I would not recommend using it as your EDC right away. It takes more work to get profeicient with them as a 1911 is a bit of a different animal.
