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Sidro wrote:74Novaman now you need a 4" or 4.25" to have a full set. It's a vicious circle once you buy a 1911.

Quiet, you.

Well now that I have an actual opinion instead of just speculating, I'm resurrecting this thread from the dead.

I have owned and carried a 5 inch RIA 1911 in both OWB and IWB holsters and didn't have much trouble concealing it.

I just picked up a 3.5 inch RIA. Shorter barrel, and an officer frame.

I now get it. While it is doable to conceal the 5 inch (especially in cooler weather), it is much easier to conceal the compact. I think everyone should have one of each.

Since both of mine are steel, the weight difference between the two was pretty negligible. The 3.5 I bought did come with Hogue grips on it, and I like them so much I had to go ahead and order a set for my full size.

In summary, I now understand completely why people want both.

I currently own a Rock Island 1911A1 GI model. 5 inch, bare bones 1911. Love the gun.

It does make me wonder though: Whats the advantage of a 4 inch 1911? Does that extra inch really make it that much harder to carry a full size? For that matter, the compact models with smaller round counts confuse me too.

I don't seem to have any problems carrying my 5 inch 1911, so I was wondering why others had gone with the 3.5 or 4 inch versions.