Designed in the late 1890’s by famed gun designer, John Browning, the Colt 1911 has a storied history, and still remains one of the top selling pistol models in the world. The Browning design was submitted in the 1906 pistol trials where the US Army was searching for a semi-automatic pistol in 45 caliber as a replacement for the currently issued Colt revolvers chambered in .38 Special. The 1911 won the trials in 1910 and was formally adopted by the US Army on March, 26th 1911. This led to the pistol being named the M1911.

Scroll Down To See All The Colt 1911 Holster Models That We Carry.

Although the US military switched from the Colt 1911 to the Beretta M9 in 1985, the Colt 1911 has many fans. Even today, after almost 100 years of service, the 1911 is still one of the top selling handgun models in the world.

Although predominately chambered for the 45 ACP round, the 1911 series has also been offered in other calibers including:

• .38 Special
• .38 Super
• 9mm
• 10mm

The standard single stack 1911 magazine holds 7+1 in 45 ACP, although extended magazines are available that will increase the round count to 10+1. Some handgun manufacturers also deviated from the classic John Browning single stack design and offer a 1911 series pistol in a double stack magazine configuration, which increase the round capacity to 14 +1.

Factors such as the interesting history of the 1911, and the battle tested effectiveness of the 45 ACP round, coupled with its ability for easy customizations played a significant role in the popularity of the model. Also, the design sparked a number of equally popular, yet smaller variations such as the Colt Commander model with a 4 ¼” barrel, Colt Officers model with a 3.5” barrel, and Colt Defender model with a 3” barrel.

Despite the overall length of 8.25”, the thin grip of the single stack design, along with the grip angle, make the 5” 1911 a popular choice for concealed carry. The 1911 and its smaller cousin models are especially popular for IWB carry thanks to the grip width and size.

Given the popularity of the 1911 handgun series, nearly every holster maker in the world offers a holster model to fit it. Finding a holster for this model should not be an issue.

Here are some commonly asked questions that we see regarding 1911 holster models:

I have a Charles Daly 5” 1911, but I’m having trouble locating a holster specifically made for that brand of 1911? Do you have anything that will fit it?

John Browning’s 1911 design has spawned more copies and clones that any other modern day pistol. There are literally nearly 100 firearm brands that offer some version of the 1911 design. For the most part, most brands follow the same dimensions and specs of the original and most popular 1911 frame sizes. As such, you may not see anyone who offers a holster specifically made for a Charles Daly 5” 1911 or a Kimber 5” 1911. Most holster makers group all the 1911 models together in fits based on the barrel lengths and most common sizes are:

• 5” 1911 model (commonly called the Government model)
• 4 ¼” 1911 model (commonly called the Commander model)
• 3 ½” 1911 model (Commonly called the Officers model)
• 3” 1911 model (commonly called the Defender model)

As long as your 1911 is a “standard” model (as in built on a standard 1911 frame) and you know the barrel length, then it should fit in one of the frame sizes listed above. Now, there are brands out there that don’t follow the original Colt barrel lengths verbatim. For example, brands like Kimber and Springfield don’t offer a 4 ¼” 1911 model, but do offer a 4” 1911 model. Again, as long as you know the barrel length, finding a holster that fits your 1911 shouldn’t be a problem.

I have a Colt Commander and I’m having trouble finding a 1911 holster to fit it on your website? Can you please direct me to the page listing all the Commander holsters that you carry?

Be glad to help. Here are links to all the 1911 holster pages that are on our site:

Inside the Waistband (IWB) Archives — MTR Custom Leather

Outside the Waistband (OWB) Archives — MTR Custom Leather

Products Archive — MTR Custom Leather

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