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I saw an interesting 1911 the other day. It had what the smith was calling a carry compensator. Basically (please forgive the poor description as this is not my line of work) the last two inches of just the top part of the distal end of the slide, where the front sight is, was removed and in its place was an extension of the barrel with ports and the front sight. It does not add in length or height of the 1911 (this one had a 4 ¼ inch barrel) but he SWARES that there is virtually no upward recoil. I do not have a problem with the recoil of a standard 1911 but if this would significantly reduce the time between shots why not? I assume that there is a reason why not. What is it? Thanks!

I have owned a few carry comps that worked OK to tame muzzle flip, but the consensus on a defensive firearm is that they are generally a bad idea for a few reasons.

First, in most pistols, the gas shoots straight out of the muzzle, in a carry comp, the gas is usually directed upward which in turn pushes the muzzle down (over simplification). When firing from unconventional positions, retention, or even in a vehicle or close quarters, these redirected, superhot gases tend to cause a lot of blast, noise and sometimes even damage to whatever gets too close to that gas...

A good example is firing from a retention position where the angle of the comp can easily deflect gas back into your face.

I am sure some others will chime in, but for me they are a no-go.

MHall has a really superb 10mm carry comp, he could provide more feedback I am sure.

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What he's got there is a ported barrel a la Schuemann and they work fine to reduce muzzle flip. They will also light up the night...big time! If the gun is .45 ACP the gas pressure generated by factory ammo is not high in terms of working a comp or ports. Comps and ports are most effective with high pressure loads.

Anthony makes the second and most important point. In PD situations, the blast and flame from the ports can cause negative situations for the shooter. Interesting toy but not useful in a .45 ACP personal defense pistol.

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Bob

Smiths and 1911s are what it's all about!

I like my 10mm Carry-Comp very much, and the hotter the ammo, the
better it scavenges the gas and pushes the muzzle down. I shoot a lot
of Doubletap ammo, and it is very hot, but the muzzle flip feels like a
standard .45 to me....

I'll send you pics if you like.

My carry gun is a Charles Daly .45, their Officers length model, with a single port carry comp threaded to the barrel. The total length is the same as a Commander, although I loose about an inch of sight radius. The comp does seem to work better with the hotter 185 gr. loads, but even with those loads the "back blast" is nothing compared to some of the .38 Super comp loads my friends shoot in IPSC competition.

I thought they sounded good at first- somethng for nothing- but after further review... no thanks.

Read the warnings on Springfield V10s or V16s sometime about the "discharge holes". It makes you thhink about things, like:
(To be a parrot) I have no way of knowing how my gun will be oriented, or even where it will be, if I need to use it. If it gets fired at arm's length, fine. But it could just as easiy be held close in, where I'll probably take the blast from the comp. I don't need to add to my problems in that situation.

And, I look at it like this: I would think a comp would help most when you have to shoot just as fast as possible...like when someone is close...and you might have to shoot from retention...and there's that little blast to the face thing again.

I know they really work! I shot one years ago and was amazed and the way it kept the nose of the gun down. I think they are COOL!

I owned one carry comp 1911 for severeal years and indeed it was very effective in reducing recoil. Double taps 1 inch apart at speed were no problem. The upward flow of gas is very real and you only come into this world with one set of eyes. I chose never to carry it for personal defense. One problem I did encounter that has not yet been mentioned, is that shooting lead bullets will quickly load the inside of the comp chamber with lead shavings and are rather laborious to remove. So long as only jacketed bullets are fired there should be no problem. FYI - Wilson Combat has resurrected the concept and is now building a commander length ported 1911. Patrick Sweeney has an article on the Wilson comp. gun in the most recent edition of "The Complete Book of the 1911" on page 64. Hope this helps.

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Thank you all for the information and help deciding. Considering that it would be used primarily for carry, I’ll keep the hot gases going away from me!

After looking into Carry Comps years ago, I came to the conclusion that they are GREAT for a controlled situation; competition, range practice, fun day shooting with friends. They are a liability in any un-controlled situation; personal defense or even the, so called, night-stand gun for home defense.

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Ok my two cents, I had two carry comps both officer models made by Terry Tussey. One .38 Super, one .45. Using standard loads in the .45 I didn't notice much difference, the super there was not as much "snap". I sold both guns when I wound up being in the way of the supers gasses towards my face. (Long story how that happened.) My point, I was shooting in a "controlled" enviroment and still could have had a bad experience if I didn't have safety glasses on. If your going to carry a gun then you should expect to use it in less than perfect conditions, portings and comps are fine for competition but not for me on a duty or defense gun. Just my opinion, I could be wrong.

Another down side no one has mentioned is how it ruins you night vision. Since the muzzle blast is directed upwards right into your line of sight it makes subsequent shots in low light near impossible. My first 1911 was a lightweight Springfield V-10 I thought I'd turn into a smoothed down carry gun. The gun turned out nice, but I should have shot it at night before I put all the time into it, after that first night test I pretty much put it in the back of the safe.

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Dan Burwell
http://www.burwellgunsmithing.com

Dan raises a valid point that indirectly leads to a related issue every shooter should explore for themselves; and that is one of muzzle flash. Compensated guns notwithstanding, when selecting a personal carry load, one should also consider a load that offers minimum muzzle signature. Some loads fare far better in this regard than others. Just a thought.

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Land of the free BECAUSE of the brave!

I'm not going to attempt to defend them or praise them, it will either work for you or it won't. Mine does not affect my night vision, but I had
a "C" Glock that did. As with any tool, practice and familiarity is what
will show when needed.