first encounter with a .45 ACP

Seems a bit odd to me. Having fired thousands of rounds of 45acp out of several different firearms, I wouldn't describe the blast or report as concussive or anything like that. I find the sharpness of 9mm or .40 to be much more offensive.
Maybe it's just how the sound was directed at that range, or maybe he was shooting some stout loads using longshot or power pistol,(45 super perhaps?)

Sure it was a .45 and not a 10mm?

The .45 should not have had any
real concussive feel through the
walls.

Most of your (and everyone else's) impression of concussion is relative. I would class .45ACP in the lower half of the handgun concussion range. Full house 158gr .357 in a 4" barrel marks the half-way point for me, and my anti-tank .45Colt rounds will restyle your eyebrows, as will a .357 snubbie with light bullets.

I've trained older shooters who wouldn't get a second round down range from any .45ACP. . . so I put them on a gentler gun. Ain't diversity grand?

thunderbyrd said:

through my sw 65

Click to expand...

Have you ever fired a .357 Magnum through your S&W Model 65?

It will be infinitely more exciting than a .45 ACP.

A .45 auto is an exceptionally pleasant round to fire. Especially in an auto. The slide eats a bunch of the recoil energy. It’s a big slow moving bullet.

I never found the .45 concussion or recoil to be overly harsh. I have no 1st hand experience with a Glock .45 but the 1911 platform is a joy to shoot.

So many variables in this. Was it a ported or compensated gun? Were those handloads pushing the limit? In indoor I find the 10mm and .38Super guns to be the most concussive, typically.

Now you want some heart stopping concussion, you should have felt my .357 MAXimum, pushing over 1700fps out of a 10" barrel.

My first introduction to concussive blast was from a 357 S&W Model 66 2 1/2” barrel.

I started getting addicted to blast and recoil.

That said, the 45 is a good round and the Glock 21 is an excellent platform for that round. The grip is a bit big so shooters with smaller hands may prefer something else like a 1911 or the smaller and skinnier gripped Glock 36, but for me the 21 is a nice gun that is big enough to tame the 45 ACP shove.

You should try a 45 out.

sgt127 said:

Have you ever fired a .357 Magnum through your S&W Model 65?

It will be infinitely more exciting than a .45 ACP.

A .45 auto is an exceptionally pleasant round to fire. Especially in an auto. The slide eats a bunch of the recoil energy. It’s a big slow moving bullet.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I like .45 Auto much more than .357 Mag, even out of a 6" S&W 686.

The .357 Mag may perform better than a .45 Auto on targets, but I'd rather shoot 200 rounds of .45 Auto through a 1911 Government Model, than 50 rounds of .357 Mag through a 686.

.45 rules. Yes, my first experience shooting a .45 was: Wow, this thing has a louder boom. And others commented on it as well, since we were all noobs shooting 9mm. Shooting from the retention position (hip, kinda), was tough to get used to with .45. But in my opinion, .40's blast is just as bad.

The Glock 41 is a great soft shooting .45. It shoots as softly as a much heavier SS 1911. Otherwise I prefer all metal .45's for weight.

I picked this up a while ago. It’s a 9mm “1911”. Springfield actually resized the gun for 9mm. It’s a fantastic fit for my smaller hands. And, very reliable.

You might look into that.



I’m a huge fan of the 1911.

I carried this Wilson Master grade for 20 years as a duty gun.

I'd much rather defend myself / carry / shoot a 1911 (45 acp) or Glock 21/30SF (45 acp) than a 38 revolver.
My wife likes the Glock 21SF (45 acp) better than a Glock 19 (9mm).

It's not the gun it's the powder. I would bet a buffalo nickel he was shooting power pistol which sounds like a cannon going off. One pound was more than I ever wanted of that powder.

thunderbyrd said:

i went to an indoor firing range this past weekend with my walther-colt 1911-22. there was one other customer at the other side of the range. we were about 30 feet apart, i'd guess. the other guy was firing a .45 glock.

i have never fired a .45 handgun and never been in the vicinity of one being fired. every time he fired it, it seemed like the building shook! i could feel the concussion in my chest. i couldn't help but think, "Man, i would not want to get shot with that thing!" i think if i was in some combat situation and somebody was shooting at me with that gun, i would become unmanned very quickly. it would be like having a howitzer aimed at you personally.

i also thought about the recoil. i fired some .38 through my sw 65 and i noticed that the recoil from that was making me a bit uncomfortable (getting old and haven't shot much the past 6-7 years). but how much worse would that .45 be. i wonder if i could manage it at all.

Click to expand...

You were shooting a .22 with a .45ACP not too far away in an indoor range? Yep, that .45 will feel and sound quite "impressive" in comparison.

As far as recoil, my Glock 36 (.45 ACP) has plenty, but it is less snappy than a similarly sized and weighted .40 S&W. BTW, my old alloy framed revolver shooting .38 Special +P smacked my hands harder than my Glock 36.

Old photo below.

View attachment 1025494

for what it is worth, when I shoot .45 ACP, if I don't wear padded shooting gloves my wrist will make a clicking noise and be a bit sore ... so, I just opt for the gloves now ... fun to shoot, but not interesting in any long term overuse injuries ...

My guess is that the .45 had a compensator on it which will redirect the blast from going forwards to going to the sides making itself known to others at the range. My friends don't really like it when I am shooting my compensated 1911. But the people around it will get a much bigger blast wave from a compensated gun than the person actually shooting it. In an enclosed range the blast will be different from an open range and bounce off the walls so it might not have been a compensated gun.

I honestly can't remember the first time I shot or experienced a 45. But I think pretty much every cartridge I ever shot was pretty unique the first time I shot it or was standing in the vacinity when someone else was shooting it. I do know that the more I have fired a particular cartridge the more natural it seems. I do have memories of thinking the 9mm being a big powerful round 35 years or so ago.

Personally the .45acp is my preferred self protection cartridge of choice. A big fat slug of lead coming from a handgun that is quite controllable wth practice makes it a great round. When handloading the .45 can be compiled from mild to wild making it a very versatile round. For me the asnwer to the question of when is a cartridge big and powerful enough to feel secure when packing it equals a .45acp.

film495 said:

for what it is worth, when I shoot .45 ACP, if I don't wear padded shooting gloves my wrist will make a clicking noise and be a bit sore ... so, I just opt for the gloves now ... fun to shoot, but not interesting in any long term overuse injuries ...

Click to expand...

I have a little Springfiled XDS sub compact in .45acp that is a bit of a handful to shoot and not that fun. But a full sized 1911 is rather mellow for me and even more so with a compensator. A grip that fits your hand well will also make a big difference in how controllable a gun is and how much the recoil will impact you. Any given gun will have different recoil characteristics to different people. Which is why it is important to find a hand gun that fits your hand well. The particular load will also make the recoil quite different depending on the bullet weight and powder charge.

Many competition shooters have shot hundreds of thousands of rounds of .45 over the years without damage. These same guys spend a lot of money customizing a handgun to suit them for maximum comfort and they also usually shoot lighter loads.

MikeInOr said:

But a full sized 1911 is rather mellow . . .

Click to expand...

Full size, steel frame, I agree. Downright nice to shoot compared to the small poly framed pistols.

While not quite as young as I once was at 71 I really enjoy shooting 45 ACP including a little 3" Kimber. I have no idea how you could feel concussion from a 45 ACP when 30 feet to the side of it. I do feel some of the large bore revolvers like 44 Magnum including my own but 45 ACP I have never noticed anything as to concussion or feeling the blast. I likely feel (felt recoil) from any of my 357 revolvers than any of my 1911 frames. Here nor there but I do get out and shoot at least weekly, especially now during summer where I can enjoy the outdoor range.

Ron

Never really considered the .45ACP particularly loud or "concussive" indoors or out; I find the 9mm has a much sharper sound, especially indoors. If you really want an experience in concussive shooting (and recoil), a friend of mine has an oversize SAA chambered in .45-70!

Just wait till your in a booth with an ar pistol with an 8" barrel. Makes me just want to leave.

I love how people make stuff up.

It must have been XX gunpowder.

It must have been ported or had a compensator.

It must not have been a 45.

fxvr5 said:

I love how people make stuff up.

It must have been XX gunpowder.

It must have been ported or had a compensator.

It must not have been a 45.

Click to expand...

Or they are relating their experience.

thunderbyrd said:

i believe that i will hunt up a 1911 in 9mm whenever i get ready to move up from .22. or a .380. though i would at least try a .45, if i got a chance, and find out what it's like.

Click to expand...

I bought my first 9mm 1911 a couple of weeks ago. It’s a great shooting gun that has all of the wonders of the 1911 experience (shootability, great trigger pull, all-around ergonomics) with less recoil and an extra shot in the Mag.


Springfield Ronin 4.25” 9mm.


I have three other 1911’s in .45 and I like shooting them all, but the 9mm was a lot more fun IMHO.

Springfield Loaded 5” .45:


Ruger SR1911 4.25” .45

I don’t have a picture of the V-16 .45 Super long slide .

Good luck with your search .

Stay safe.