3" 45's? here is my list
para LDA covert bl carry
spring-field micro compact
para ord nite hawg
para warthog
COLT DEFENDER - now they have a second one - forget name
para ord covert bl. slim hawg
KIMBER ULTRA CARRY II - and others called ULTRA
GLOCK 36
many of these are expensive - IMHO i would stick with a single stack
the cheapest is the glock 36 -but it isn't a 1911 - but it is reliable as hell and affordable - and its overall dimensions are smaller than the others - even with that the barrell is a bit longer than 3"

Originally Posted by Roman4405

O.K., I have a Springfield 1911 and I love that platform. That being said I'm looking to get a 1911 for carry, but would like a double stack magazine, the thought of a 10+1 1911 with a 3" barrel gets me a bit excited. The only gun that I can find that meets what I want is the Para Warthog, actually I'm interested in the Nite Hawg mainly because it comes with nite sights and is finished in all black, not that the the color is all that important to me.

I had a first generation NiteHawg, as well as three other Paras, unless they've made improvements, get the stainless steel finish'd WartHawg as the Parakote does not hold up that well and add night sights of your choosing later down the road, but be advised that the mags run about $50.00 so if you want spares, they cost good chunk. Para also used to have some issues with weak mag springs, so if you have any issues, just get some new springs.

My question is does anybody actually own one of these and how do you like it? I've looked at one in a gun shop by my house and, though it's a bit wide, I thought it felt really good in my hand. The weight at 24 oz. (unloaded) is decent and just just feels like a solid well made weapon.

Other than the finish I had no problems with the gun, while it does feel good in the hand, due to 10rds in the butt of the gun, it will carry a little awkwardly unless you're using a good belt and a holster with widely spaced attachments to better distribute the weight.

I have a fullsize 1911 and absolutely love it, I know that the para will be wider due to the double stack magazine, but I feel that it is worth it. Another question I have is that I've heard that people have problems with 3" 1911's, I've read that on different forums and a friend has a Kimber Ultra Eclipse with the same issue of the gun not feeding rounds. Does anybody know if this happens with a lot of 3" 1911's? I wouldn't want to carry a weapon that may not feed a round when I need one. Thanks in advance.

Historically speaking, the 3" 1911 in general has been the most problematic of the different size variants, that's from all makers, Colt, Springfield, Kimber, you name it. The geometry just isn't the same. Now that's not saying that they are all junk, there are many that run well, and my Paras, even the NiteHawg ran well. If you do have problems, Para has a lifetime warranty, but their customer service doesn't have the best reputation, I've never had to deal with them but there are reports that they can be hit and miss.

If I were to go the compact .45 route again, it would probably be with a G30SF if I wanted 10+1 or a Sig 220 Compact if I wanted a single stack, they just have better track records over time. But if I were SET on a 3" 1911 Para would probably still be in the running, but I'd probably get the Hawg9. 13 rounds in that small a package is just neat.

Thanks guys, as far as the Glock goes I don't like them. Not that there is anything wrong with Glock in general, but I don't like the way that they feel in my hand and I didn't shoot very well with the couple that I shot. The main reason that I like the nite hawg was the nite sights and it is also about 1/2 lb lighter that the stainless version. Anyway, thanks for your input, maybe I'll stick with a single stack or look into the sig, I do love the sig that I already have so maybe getting another one is a good idea, but first I need to find somewhere that I can shoot the para, that might be difficult.