Short 45 ACPs from Sig Sauer, Kimber, and Springfield Armory

Some of us who know that there's no substitution for bullet mass when it comes to stopping power prefer the 45 Auto for self defense. But no one likes to pack a heavy handgun, so most makers offer some solutions to that problem in the form of lighter-weight 1911s. These generally utilize aluminum frames, with shorter grips and slides. Any 45 Auto requires good management by the shooter, so these lighter and shorter-grip guns are not for everyone. One of the

From left, the Kimber Compact Stainless II, the Springfield Champion Operator, and the Sig Sauer 1911 C3 with the test ammo. Our crew liked the easy takedown of the Sig and its features best, but the Kimber was not far behind, and was slightly less expensive. The Springfield had many good points, including a full-size grip, but was on the rough side and had a very poor takedown procedure, in our opinion.