I have shot a 1911 once before, but never owned one. I'm about to pick up an Israeli KSN GAL (Commander length). Anything, apart from the general "make sure you use quality mags" and "don't put the idiot mark/scratch on it" that you would consider essential tips/guidance?

Thanks

I'd stick with a full size 1911. Would go with another platform (for example Shield 45) if I wanted a compact 45.

Well, my interest was specifically in this gun, not in having a compact 45. I think the other 1911 I shot was a Springfield Commander length also. Anyway, I got the gun, so moving on...

For curiosity's sake, why only a 5" 1911 instead of a 4.25" 1911?

I'll admit that the little Officer's and subcompact models always look a little goofy to me, but I actually imagine the geometry of having the barrel tilt more (shorter barrel, same travel distance at the end) would aid the feeding with HP rounds. I'm just talking out my arse, though.

I believe the Commander lengths are reliable enough.

I've found the full size 1911 feels right while the Commander feels off with the slides shorter travel/heavier spring.

I've been carrying a Shield 2.0 in 45acp. Pretty much same capacity as the Commander with lighter weight. Has a good trigger/sights.

Nothing wrong with a 1911.... the commander sized is just as reliable as a full sized 1911. When they get smaller, to 3" there can be problems, but in modern firearms today, even the 3" is pretty reliable.

When the original 1911 was built, it was built to certain specs, magazines as well. When people changed certain aspects of it, they neglected to redesign the entire piece. Eventually, people began working out the issues that appeared in the smaller 1911s, namely slide speed being too fast for the magazine. The shorter slide traveled much faster than the government slide due to less mass. The semi-controlled feeding of the 1911 means that the round was not in the position it needed to be to load reliably. Since the round was not where it was supposed to be, the round jammed.

Extra strength mag springs, flat bottom firing pin stops, longer ejectors, different main spring weights slowed the slide and sped up the mag resulting in reliable officer-sized (compact) 1911s.