Three Small 45 Autos: The New Sig Sauer 1911 C3 Is Superior

An the opinion of many experienced shooters, the 45 Auto is the caliber of choice in self-defensive pistols. However, most of these guns, like the classic 1911 Colt, are big and heavy. Therefore, they often get left behind for a lighter piece, which generally is of lower power. If you still want the power of a 45, why not go to a smaller and lighter gun?

We found three such pistols for this test, and gave them a wring-out. They were a Colt CCO, no longer in the Colt stable but available on the used or new-old-service market for about $1250,

Though we tried to like the Kahr PM4543, center, we were overwhelmed by the excellence of the Sig Sauer C3, left, and the discontinued Colt CCO, right. The latter two had it all, and the C3 had even more than the CCO, our testers said.