1911 vs 2011 strong side carry

The short and honest answer is it depends!

on holster
On what you’re wearing
On your body type

the Stacatto obviously has a thickergrip for the double stack mags so it is bigger but many of us carry and conceal it well

I carry both.

The 1911 is flatter/slimmer, at least to me, and conceals well in a Milt Spark Criterion but you're giving up mag capacity in the 1911. My Staccato C2 is lighter and conceals well with my TT Gunleather IWB. The key really is belt and holster and the right cover garment.

I would not call a 2011 “significantly difficult to conceal” but I will say that it will print more.

Keep in mind that a short 2011 grip with magazine inserted (aka VIP, aka 120mm) is the same length as a full size 1911 grip with flush mag but the wide base will print a bit more. Full size 2011 grip with magazine inserted will print even more

Yesterday I started carrying a 15rd SFX9 and I think along with the new Staccato CS these guns provide an in-between option with near 2011 capacity and near 1911 slimness.

simonp said:

The short and honest answer is it depends!

on holster
On what you’re wearing
On your body type

the Stacatto obviously has a thickergrip for the double stack mags so it is bigger but many of us carry and conceal it well

Click to expand...

I can lay my 1911 and 2011 on a flat surface and the difference in width is quite small. However, the 2011 is shaped differently than the 1911 which means that the width of the 2011 grip area is wider at the front to accommodate the wider frontal area of the 2011 mag vs that of a 1911 mag.

I find little difference in the overall dimensions of a 2011 grip vs that of my 1911. But the shape is definitely different, and that could be an issue for those skinny folks out there.

Thanks everyone! This gives some food for thought.

From my experience, no.

azpoolguy said:

I’m a skinny dude and don’t have an issue concealing either IWB. The cover shirt for both needs to be considered. View attachment 1205981 View attachment 1205983


There is a 2011 under a T-shirt.
View attachment 1205999

The bigger issue for me is the thickness of a single stack spare mag versus a double stack spare mag. View attachment 1205982

The pistol size difference is not an issue.

Click to expand...

could you tell me about the grip in the top one? I'm guess you or someone cut the grip sort of like the cheely grip so a 120mm mag fits flush?

What holster and mag is this?

azpoolguy said:

I’m a skinny dude and don’t have an issue concealing either IWB. The cover shirt for both needs to be considered. View attachment 1205981 View attachment 1205983


There is a 2011 under a T-shirt.
View attachment 1205999

The bigger issue for me is the thickness of a single stack spare mag versus a double stack spare mag. View attachment 1205982

The pistol size difference is not an issue.

Click to expand...