2WheeledSpeed

I was searching for a subcompact .45 for concealed carry work, and my love for the 1911 platform led me to look at Kimbers and Para Ordnances and other similar 3-inch 1911s. But it was Colts New Agent that stood out of the crowd to me, and it was the New Agent I ended up bringing home with me (To the dismay of my girlfriend!).

Probably the first thing you'll notice upon picking up a New Agent, and the biggest thing that sets this gun apart from its competition is the unique sighting system. It uses a "gutter" or "trench" cut along the whole top of the slide and totally lacks any front sight, it's designed for a snag-free draw from concealment rather than accuracy. I know of only one other 1911 with a similar trench sight setup, the Kimber Ultra RCP II.

The New Agent is basically an Officers ACP sized 1911, with an aluminum frame and a 3 inch barrel. It has a traditional single action trigger, is chambered in .45ACP (Although you can get it in 9mm), and is supplied with two 7 round magazines. Because of it's 3 inch slide and barrel it uses a full length guide rod and bull barrel. The Officers frame is slightly smaller than the standard Government frame, but it still feels great in my hands, just like a 1911 should. I'll always prefer single stack guns to double stack for just that reason. Also, I can fit all of my fingers on the grip, unlike my similarly sized subcompact XD40.

Being significantly smaller and lighter than a full sized 1911, this gun is a bit of a handful to shoot compared to a larger steel framed 1911, especially with full powered defensive loads. Once I've shot through a couple boxes of ammo it starts to take a bit of a toll on my hands and wrist, but in the real world you won't be shooting a couple hundred rounds at a time.

The "trench" sight takes some getting used to, but it definitely does the job it was intended to do. At close range it's easy to achieve "combat" accuracy, I have no doubts that I'll be able to quickly put several 230 grain slugs into the center of mass of anyone intending to do me harm (But headshots at 50 yards? Not for this gun!).

I have about 500 rounds through this gun as I'm writing this, and with the exception of a box of steel cased Russian TulAmmo that the gun absolutely hated, it's only had 2 failures during the first 100 rounds. Since then it's been totally reliable. Some people will tell you that 1911s with 3 inch barrels are unreliable, and that you should never go shorter than 4 or so inches with a 1911. But this gun has proven to me that the conventional wisdom isn't always right, and there are plenty of people with subcompact 1911s who will tell you the same thing.

The reason this gun exists is for concealed carry, and I've spent many hours running around town with this on my hip in a leather OWB (Outside the waistband) holster or a Fobus paddle holster. It easily disappears under a long shirt, jacket, or sweatshirt. And although it's heavy enough that I won't forget it's on my hip, it's light enough that it doesn't bother me at all. The snag-free design works as advertised, during many drills both in my house and at the range it's never caught on anything when drawing from the holster. Though to be fair, my Springfield Subcompact XD40 with traditional sights never caught on my clothes either when coming out of concealment.

All in all, the New Agent is an excellent pistol for concealed carry. It's easy to carry, and can be relied upon to do it's job effectively and reliably.

It's definitely not the gun for everyone though!
It's a 1911, and some people just don't like that platform for whatever reason. It shoots a big .45ACP bullet, and for some people that's just too much, or they'd rather have a gun with more than 7 rounds in the mag. The "trench" sights are like nothing most people have ever seen, many will prefer "real" sights on their defensive handgun.

But if you want a unique, and IMHO beautiful subcompact 1911, then you may want to see what Colt has to offer. For those seeking a similar gun with "real" sights, check out the Colt Defender.