Didnt find what I needed Seaching...Buying a .45 for my home...

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Lemon10

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And I need help.

I like the HK and the Taurus pt845 for various reasons. I read about the 1911 frame and I am a complete gun NOVICE, so I wonder about cleaning/assembly and such. 1911's are kinda high maintenance right?

Is there any other gun...(no glock please) that I should consider. I know someone will say Sig...but that price tag is moving me away...but the HK is also pricy...

decisions decisions...can a .45 guru help me out?
 
If you like the HK and can afford it, buy one. You will not regret it. HK makes a great reliable handgun.
 
No contest....get the HK. It's head and shoulders above a Taurus in every way. Being a novice you should look at a 9mm....The .45 ACP is a great round but if you want to learn the 9 is the way to go.

Why have you ruled out Glock?
 
Look at a CZ 97. It's a GREAT hi-cap .45 handgun. An XD45 will probably do fine as well. But, if you really want an HK or a SIG just save up and buy either one. If you go the cheap route and buy a taurus, before long you'll be buying an HK/Sig anyways..

About the CZ-97... I don't one one, but there are people on THR that do, and LOVE them to death. Many other people would probably agree with me that CZ guns are at least on par with HK and Sig in terms of quality and function.
 
CZ 97b doesn't take any prisoners.

The 97 is my house gun,

The P 01 is my carry gun.

Great ergonomics and quality in both.

Now, you can go out and spend a

Hell of a lot more money, no question.

Guns are tools to me,

Not bling.

Up to you.


isher
 
I know this is not what you want to hear, but that has never stopped me before.

In my opinion the 1911 platform in .45ACP is arguably the finest personal protection/combat/LE handgun going..........in the hands of an experienced, well trained person. Not a gun novice.

I have never felt the 1911 platform in .45 ACP was a particularly good hand gun for a first time, novice gun owner/shooter such as yourself. Sorry, but they're just not good "first guns".

Please seek out local knowledgeable, experienced NRA qualified instructors and work with them in considering other possibilities for your first home defense handgun. Also, take all the training you can afford along with copious amounts of practice.

Consider a medium frame revolver in .38/.357. They make wonderful "first guns" and fulfill the home defense roll quite well.

You also might rethink you anti-Glock attitude. Why these feelings?

Lastly, I know how strong the "gotta buy it now" urge is. But stop, take a deep breath and get thyself down to the local range, rent a bunch of different handguns. See what works best for you. It just might not be the big, honking slabsides after all.

Good luck, have fun, and be safe.

dan :)
 
Of the .45s that I've owned, there's only one that has never produced a failure (jam) of any kind. It's a Springfield XD 5inch Tactical. Factory ball ammo, hollowpoints, reloads, anything, it has never stuttered once (I will admit that it only has about 750 rounds through it, but still I'm impressed). Mine sits next to my bed with 13 rounds in it and I never have any doubt it will do it's job in the very unlikely event that it is needed.

A .45ACP is fine for a first handgun purchase, don't be dissuaded if that's what you want. The recoil isn't that much different than a 9mm or .40.

The poster that mentioned the CZ is likely giving good advice as well. CZs are guns that IMO are typically owned by people that know a lot about guns. I don't have CZ yet, but many love them.

There is a whole universe of handguns between the price of an HK and a Taurus, check them out.
 
1911's are fine, but not for serious use, unless the owner is dedicated to the 1911 system. When you imply that it will be a "house gun," that implies to me that you'll shoot/practice with it seldom. If so, look for another gun.

Three other choices to consider are the Glock 21 SF, Smith and Wesson M&P and the Springfield XD. All three are easier to understand and use for serious purposes than the 1911
 
1911's are fine, but not for serious use, unless the owner is dedicated to the 1911 system
Click to expand...

No gun is fine unless the owner is willing to be dedicated to its use. I would assume that the gun you would use for your house you would practice with diligently. If you are not willing to do so, then do not buy any gun to defend yourself.

A 1911 is a great handgun, I do believe one of the best. It is not just for "experts", but it is for the person who is willing to practice.
 
In my opinion the 1911 platform in .45ACP is arguably the finest personal protection/combat/LE handgun going..........in the hands of an experienced, well trained person. Not a gun novice.

I have never felt the 1911 platform in .45 ACP was a particularly good hand gun for a first time, novice gun owner/shooter such as yourself. Sorry, but they're just not good "first guns".
Click to expand...

I would like to point out that the US military used the 1911 for decades, and how many people joined the service and held a gun for the first time, Millions. So the 1911 design has likely been more peoples "first handgun" than any other.

I can't think of a reason the 1911 would make a bad first gun, so long as it is made by a quality manufacture, like Springfield or Colt.
 
I'm curious as to why a "complete gun novice" would start out by stipulating "no Glock, please". The G21 is a proven commodity, one of the most reliable and best .45 autos on the market.

A great .45 at a good price is the Ruger P345. The P90 is also a stone cold reliable .45 ACP.
 
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If you're a rookie, they only reason you think a 1911 is too complicated is that someone TOLD you it was. If you tried one yourself, you might like it just fine. It takes about five seconds longer to strip than other guns, and is actually mechanically the simplest auto pistol you can work on.

You need to go to a rental range and see what you shoot best. You need to try a LOT of guns in a LOT of calibers, listen to your gut, not the shop owner, not the guy you know from high school who knows a lot about guns, not your uncle the retired security guard. This is your butt, NOT THEIRS.

And oh yes, I'll say it, for HD, where you don't need it to be as concealable, why not get a shotgun?
 
I've owned and shot a LOT of guns over the years. Although I am a 1911 fan myself, I would not recommend it as your first and/or only gun. They can be finicky at times, and take down for cleaning is not as easy as some other guns.

My recommendation: HK45

IMHO, the absolute best 45 on the market right now - bar none. I swear by mine:

3678953560_58493291bd.png
 
No gun is fine unless the owner is willing to be dedicated to its use. I would assume that the gun you would use for your house you would practice with diligently. If you are not willing to do so, then do not buy any gun to defend yourself.
Click to expand...

This statement ignores reality. Many, many people want "a gun" to defend their home with, but aside from elementary "training," they're not going to be serious about shooting it very much. (unlike all the members of THR...)

For people that are not going to take the time to dedicate to their chosen gun, then a revolver is best as far as handguns go.

1911's are not difficult to understand or manipulate, but for serious use, the owner needs to commit to the 1911 system, as I've already said.

Carrying cocked and locked with any gun carried or used for defense is a stupid thing to do unless you're willing to dedicate to the system.

In Boot Camp, I fired all of 15 rds thru a 1911, consisting of 3 mags loaded with 5 rds each. The DI's hand was shoving me hard into the rail so I wouldn't turn around. (understandable when they're having 20+ recruits on line at the same time) This was not training, just a minimal introduction to firing the gun. Afterwards, the MP's were trained to carry the 1911 with 5 rounds, hammer down on empty chamber. Personally, I find that method of carrying a 1911 for defense to be lacking for serious use.

Citing "military training" to make your case when it comes to how to fire and carry handguns for personal defense generally doesn't count for much with me.
 
I am not a beliver in buying a gun for HD that you only fire "once in a blue moon"

If that is all you plan to shoot it then maybe a revolver might be a good choice.

But if that is really the case then maybe a handgun is not the right answer anyway
 
I can understand why some wouldn't consider a 1911 a good 1st handgun. I think you should go to a shop and hold several to see what fits, I like single stacks because of the grip size. Also if possible go to a range that rents handguns and try what feels right.

Also i'll 2nd the shotgun. It's alot cheaper and makes a great hd weapon.
 
Alhough I've become a revolver freak in my declining years, I also am an experienced semiauto guy. My first semiauto pistol was a 1911. I enhanced it myself, for the most part--adding on the parts you can get on a decent $800-900 1911 now. For an experienced shooter, or one willing to become one, the 1911 platform and ergonomics make it about the finest semiauto handgun around.

I then got hooked on Glocks--and then I got unhooked on Glocks, etc., etc. For now, I think highly of the CZ-75 design, al la EAA Witnesses and the CZ brand as well--but neither in plastic.

My advice for a novice shooter, but who also may want a gun for SD use at home (but not carry), would be to get the semiauto that fits your hand best, and learn to shoot it. Don't get hooked on 'feaures'--plastic or metal, large or small capacity, SA/DA, DAO, etc., etc. OTOH, if you are a novice GUNNY--not someone learning to shoot a handgun, but one who is enthused and interested in gun culture, then get a 1911, and learn all you can about it. Learn to maintain it, to shoot it, to use it tactically, and to reload for it.

Now, this is where the CZ-75 design guns come in: Arguably, this is a 'modern' 1911--bigger capacity, better engineering design in some areas--and, with the right trigger assembly, an excellent carry gun, save for size. It has the same ergonomics as a 1911.

Now you can chew on some more opinions.
 
And I need help.

I like the HK and the Taurus pt845 for various reasons. I read about the 1911 frame and I am a complete gun NOVICE, so I wonder about cleaning/assembly and such. 1911's are kinda high maintenance right?

Is there any other gun...(no glock please) that I should consider. I know someone will say Sig...but that price tag is moving me away...but the HK is also pricy...

decisions decisions...can a .45 guru help me out?
Click to expand...

Taurus 24/7 DS in .45ACP
Ruger P345

I wouldn't recommend a Glock in 45ACP at all. The chamber support is outrageous.
 
For a new shooter, striker fired handguns are simple to learn and operate, very reliable, parts/mags are readily available and reasonably priced.

I like the XD Service : Not expensive new, comes with mags holster and mag-loader and you can find good used ones for very reasonable prices.

My son has big hands and wins our local USPSA league most times. I have small hands and shoot it pretty well for an old guy. It has had 'ONE' fte in two years, due to a bad reload.

The bad guy at the door won't care about the cost or name brand.
 
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The CZ-97 is a Fine Pistol.

But it's a big one. If you have smaller hands you may want to look at something else. I traded for a CZ-97, and found that it was just a little too big for me.

I haven't shot one, but You might look at the Ruger P345. I just saw a couple of brand new P345's on Gunbroker for less than 400.00. I had a Ruger P95 (9mm) which was an earlier generation of the Ruger DA/SA pistol. Very ruggedly built and very reliable. It seems to me that the P345 has a somewhat slimmer grip than the older Ruger pistols.

By the way, don't be afraid of the 1911 platform either. Shooting one is no more difficult than most other pistols, and if cost is an issue, the Rock Island Armory (Philippine made) pistols are a great bargain for around 400.00 (for the GI model).
 
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