How about the CCOs?

by
posted on February 3, 2011
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
2011239488-ccos_ms.jpg

Several friends have asked me to find out why Colt no longer makes the CCO, which stands for Concealed Carry Officer's Model. I have to wonder if any readers are also interested. This little 1911 variant is one of the slickest 1911 iterations I have ever seen. Colt made a number of them in the 90s, then followed up with a short run of Gunsite CCOs. They were very popular and are approaching cult favorite status. Basically, this gun was an Officer's ACP frame with a Commander slide fitted thereto. This gave the gun the length of a Commander and the height of a Defender.

The resulting pistol had a 4 1/4-inch barrel for performance and sight radius advantages, but a receiver that took a short 6-round magazine. The shorter butt was much easier to hide than a long one and the top end had all of the advantages of a Commander, particularly in the reliability sense. The Gunsite pistols were much preferred by concealed carry handgunners and bring top dollar in the secondary market.

Making one of these pistols is simply choosing the right parts. Colt currently makes everything required to assemble a CCO, so I am puzzled that they have not done so. If you want to write with your concerns about the availability of such a gun, write to me care of this blog. I will get your feelings to the right folks at Colt.

Latest

Gotw Walther Fseries Prox Pmm 1
Gotw Walther Fseries Prox Pmm 1

Gun of the Week: Walther Arms PDP F-Series Pro-X PMM

One of Walther Arms' recent introductions combines the features of several other PDP handguns, meaning the Walther PDP F-Series Pro-X PMM is packed with a number of different design elements.

The Armed Citizen® Oct. 30, 2026

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

President's Column | Your Input is Valued

I wish to thank all our members who have sent me e-mails these last 12 months. I’m doing my best to keep up with all your e-mails, but please be aware it seems I’m always 300 to 400 e-mails behind. I want to reiterate that I am reading them all as fast as I have time for.

Building an X-Card Gun for Turkey Shoots

Unofficially known as a “turkey shoot,” X-Card competition challenges shotgunners to place shot pellets as closely as possible to the center of a target. And some makers have perfected a way to fine-tune shotguns for this purpose.

Spanish National Police Adopt Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0FC

The Spanish National Police (Policia Nacional) has officially adopted the Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0FC 9mm pistol as the issue pistol for its uniformed officers.

NRA Launches New NRA.org Platform and Official App to Modernize and Enhance the Member Experience

The National Rifle Association today launched its new NRA.org website and continued enhancements to the official NRA App, marking a major step and significant investment to modernize the organization and better serve members.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.