I very much like the P220 in .45, but didn't mention it because for me it's pushing the bounds of concealability.
Here's a question for you. Do any of you think that a 3" barrel is too short. A few people who think they know it all, you know the type of people i'm talkin about, say that they would use no less than 4".
One issue with short barrels is shorter sight radius and decreased accuracy at long range, but in a CCW pistol this isn't as much of a concern since self-defense encounters typically occur at close range.
The other issue is ballistics. If I were in the market and could easily conceal a 4" 1911, I might not choose a 3". But I would not make a blanket statement that a 3" barrel is too short to be useful. I'm no ballistics expert but will try to partially address this issue. Shorter barrel means the bullet spends less time inside it being accelerated, so velocity decreases. With decreased velocity, the bullet will not penetrate the BG as deeply and in the case of a hollowpoint may result in sub-optimal expansion. But even if it fails to expand, a .45 JHP will make a .45 hole, and is generally heavy enough to penetrate to vital organs. Some people are more picky than others about taking barrel length into account in choosing what ammo to carry. With a 3" barrel, I might not choose to carry 230gr JHP like I would with a 4" or longer barrel, but rather something in 200gr or 185gr. Then there are guys who use 230gr Golden Sabers regardless. Ask in some of the forums mentioned and see what guys like in their short barrel .45s. Practice so you can hit what you aim at, and carry a modern JHP load that functions well in it, and you'll be fine. That particular Kimber would be a great choice.<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />
