Taylor's & Co.'s 1911 Compact Carry Powerhouse

Watch the video review of the Taylor’s & Co 1911 Compact Carry below!

There is an old Detroit automaker’s axiom that there is no substitute for cubic inches, and in the world of handguns, particularly 1911s, the .45 ACP is, without question, the “Big Block” of semi-auto cartridges. If this were not so, U.S. Special Forces and elite Marine Corps units, among others, would not be using the Colt Model 1911 design, now an enduring 103 years old, in the 21st century. In the law enforcement community, this holds true for scores of state and local Special Response Teams (SRT), as well as for civilians who require a gun with proven stopping power. No matter how you break it down, the best handgun for the job ends up being a 1911-style semi-auto pistol chambered in .45 ACP.

For concealed carry use, today’s marketplace is packed with Commander-sized 1911s, as well as a handful of scaled-down models with even smaller dimensions for concealment. In general, though, the compact Commander-style 1911 is the most practical for size, balance and capacity in the majority of concealed-carry situations.

Government-sized models are harder to conceal. Lighter-weight, scaled-down 1911s are easier to carry, but often sacrifice capacity and ease of handling for their smaller dimensions. A Commander-sized or slightly shorter-barrel-length 1911 will meet the majority of concealed carry demands.

The new Taylor’s & Company Compact Carry 1911 models come standard with upgraded features that include a 3.6-inch, tapered bull barrel, a heavy-duty recoil spring and full-length guide rod, dovetailed Novak-style rear sights, a dovetailed fiber-optic front blade, a flat mainspring housing, a serrated palm swell safety and extended beavertail, a skeletonized/grooved trigger, a Commander-style (Delta) hammer, 7+1 capacity, and Cerakote or Nitride black finishes. These are all features that individually increase the price of a custom-built 1911, so with the retail price of only $814, the Compact Carry becomes a lot of gun for the money.

Taylor’s & Co. has its 1911 models built to its specifications by one of the largest manufacturers of 1911s in the world, Armscor. Located in the Philippines, Armscor builds more variations of the 1911 than any other manufacturer with more than 30 models, and its top-end guns are built to perform muzzle to muzzle with 1911s costing considerably more, including guns with specialized finishes like the Taylor’s Compact Carry in Nitride black or a Cerakote OD Green frame. They are also offered in Cerakote Gun Metal Grey and Cerakote Coyote Tan, with matching or contrasting G10 grips or early GI-style checkered, diamond-pattern walnut grips.

Overall length for the Taylor’s Compact Carry is 7.5 inches. Height is 5.25 inches from the top of Novak-style rear sight to the bottom of the extended magazine basepad. Slide and frame width measures 0.875 inches, 1.18 inches at the grips, and carry weight is a modest 37.5 ounces.

The Compact Carry’s slide has nine deeply cut rear serrations, the dovetailed Novak-style rear sights are adjustable for windage and elevation, and the front fiber-optic is interchangeable for another color if desired. The rear sights have rounded edges to prevent them from snagging on clothing, but those rounded edges also save hands from the minor cuts occasionally received from traditional, straight-edged adjustable rear sights.

The slide release is deeply checkered for a solid purchase when dropping the slide on the reload, and the Compact Carry uses a single, 1911-A1 GI-style thumb safety, which is very easy to operate and clicks solidly into and out of lock. The smooth operation of the safety and slide release is another sign of a quality fit. The grips and grip strap serrations provided a solid, tactile surface for either bare hands or gloves, and even the handsome, finely checkered, diamond-pattern walnut grips have the solid feel of an original.

There is a consistency to every one of the Taylor’s models I have tested. All have exhibited a tight fit, excellent Cerakote finishes, reliable operation, excellent sights and superior quality grips. This all stacks up in the plus column, and when you factor in all the custom features, the new Compact Carry models are exceptional handguns for out-of-the-box 1911s.

To find out more watch this video, and look out for a full review of the Compact Carry in the upcoming issue of CONCEALED CARRY HANDGUNS. To purchase the issue, visit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xI9nytxCrhg&feature=youtu.be