still carry the .45?

for me, capacity is a bigger deal that caliber.

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Yea, me too.

I drank the .45 koolaide for years, but have moved on. Still have a couple, still shoot them regularly, and the more I do, the more Im convinced I didnt make the wrong choice.

Heart and lung hits are good, MORE heart and lung hits are better. The modern doctrine favors whatever helps you make hits accurately and rapidly. If .45 is the caliber that lets you do that, so be it.

The FBI moved from .40 to 9mm because agents shot it better and more accurately but that is a general trend, not a rule without exception. There are certainly lots of people that do their best shooting with 1911s.

I first carried my Colt FS 1911 in open carry holster last Jan 1 at the Texas Capitol to celebrate the new law . It's a good feeling. But I don't intend to open carry all the time . The Russian Makarov I carried concealed for 9 yrs is much comfortable. But , yes, the 45 acp is heavy but perfect for open carry.

SlicLee said:

couldn't help reading above. In todays world of ammo,JIC u haven't noticed
most defensive ammo has no velocity, check it out before a comment.

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Well... Buffalo Bore TAC-XP (oops, it's 155gr, not between 160 and 180 I mentioned earlier) averages at a chrony-confirmed 1430fps V0 through my Para. Some other rounds may be slower, some may even be faster, but that doesn't really concern me; everyone has their own preferences. That was just my personal point of view, nothing more, nothing less.

I wont add any fuel to this fire, but in my opinion: a 45 is the Chuck Norris of personal defense rounds.. I've been using a 45 for 50 years. I used it in the Military and two tours of combat. 22 months.
It has been very effective for me... and in close quarters, its even better because the round usually stays in the target, discharging all of its energy into the victim. I don't care what anyone carries.. I know what I like and that's all that really matters to me.

There's something special about the .45. Both my 1911 and my Glock 41 are by far my most accurate pistols.

.40 and .357sig have they're place in my CCW quiver as well. 9mm is saved for my subcompacts that would be recoil heavy in a larger caliber. For the most part, the bigger the grip, the bigger the caliber, for me.

So I carry:
Glock 23 g4
Glock 23 g3
Glock 41
Dan Wesson Valor
Glock 43
S&W J-frame
Kahr P380

floritucky said:

Just got done reading this: (its a good read). note this post and following questions are directed to my fellow .45 carriers, 9mm guys, I probably already know your answers. lol.

http://americanhandgunner.com/the-lessons-of-tim-gramins/

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It is a good read. Thanks for the link.

I'm not LEO, but it sure makes me think my Glock 36 isn't up to the task.

I think we've become an Internet full of over-thinkers. My criteria:

Is it reliable?
Is it shootable?
Is it accurate?
Will I actually carry it?

jlr1962 said:

I can see that happening. He is Chuck Norris.

I vote 15 of 9mm over 7 of 45 any day. I own a 1911 and a Glock 19. I just had to have the 1911.

FYI, Chuck Norris was bitten by a water moccasin while filming in Dallas one time. After three days of misery, the snake died.

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+1
Same here. The 1911s I have are mainly investments, whilst my G19 is for protection

Is it reliable?
Is it shootable?
Is it accurate?
Will I actually carry it?

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Bingo. I'm best with .45's so that's what I generally carry.

I had an XDS 45 for a long time, but for some reason I just never cared for the gun. I had a Shield 9mm for a while which replaced it but recently decided to buy a Glock 30S. It'a fun little 45 to shoot, and fairly easy to carry.

I had a 3" Kimber 1911, just was never comfortable with it and it wasn't 100% reliable so I switched to the S&W Pro 3" 1911 and never had a problem. Still one of my favorite carry pistols.

Is it reliable? Yep, Colt Combat Commander from Colt's Custom Shop.
Is it shootable? Yep, very comfortable and controllable.
Is it accurate? Yep, very accurate with a preference for 185 gr. loads.
Will I actually carry it? Yep, have carried it and qualified for my CCW license with it.

1911
yes
yes
yes
& yes to the #1

Great! A caliber war! Yippeee!

If you only have time to put one round on target would you rather make a one inch hole or a half inch hole?

i like 45acp because i can load it into a carbine, get over 600ft/lbs out of factory ammo and still remain subsonic and suppressible while also being able to make brass out of .308, 30-06, and all their derivatives, plus when you bring 45acp pressures up a bit higher the amount of energy you get out of them blows any other pistol caliber out of the water in terms of energy

what i like about 9mm, very, very inexpensive, easy to stockpile ammo by the thousands, cheap reloading components, and a much greater variety of firearms chambered in this cartridge

why do i mention these added benefits of the two?.. because strictly speaking from a self defense standpoint, 3 rounds in the mag (17 in 9mm, 14 in a truly doublestack 45acp), the energy differences out of a pistol muzzle with factory ammo, none of it in itself is enough to really matter, both will do the same job about as equally as well and since im not one to want to stock up on multiple calibers for the same thing i look to other benefits each one brings as the decision maker

"Me, personally. I feel more like the first shot will be followed by a lot of screaming like a little girl and me running the hell away thinking. "brave sir robin ran away!!!"

All I am saying is read accounts of combat through history from the middle ages, to World War II, to Law Enforcement to the roaring twenties. Guile, planning, mindset and will win fights......not guns. not knives. People have taken out belt fed machine gun nests with 1911s.

and at the end of the day.......sometimes it just isn't in the cards for you. Even the best of the best of finest of the few have been cut down by bad luck or random bullet not even intended for them. Such is life..........hence you avoid violence at all costs."


That is an absolutely awesome post!

I like my loadings to be just like me: heavy and slow. My standard winter carry is a Colt Compact 1911. I'm okay with .38s, too, 'cause that was good enough for Jack Ruby. If it's metric, it's just not American.

AZAndy said:

I like my loadings to be just like me: heavy and slow. My standard winter carry is a Colt Compact 1911. I'm okay with .38s, too, 'cause that was good enough for Jack Ruby. If it's metric, it's just not American.

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then how would you feel about the 9x20mm browning long? designed by browning, essentially based on the .38ACP (which lead to the .38 super), and has roughly the same COAL and would use the same mags as 9x19mm, its metric, you could consider it american and you can load it up to 9mm pressures if you make brass from .38 super or .223 brass, then youd have a 9x19 equivalent that was designed by JMB

justin22885 said:

then how would you feel about the 9x20mm browning long? designed by browning, essentially based on the .38ACP (which lead to the .38 super), and has roughly the same COAL and would use the same mags as 9x19mm, its metric, you could consider it american and you can load it up to 9mm pressures if you make brass from .38 super or .223 brass, then youd have a 9x19 equivalent that was designed by JMB

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I was playing the curmudgeon a little, but the part about heavy and slow is true.

Personally, the 9mm is sufficient for me. Looking at reams of data, I don't see enough of a difference between SD ammo for 9mm vs SD ammo for .45. That's not to say I would't buy a .45, but rather that I don't see enough of a difference to get a more expensive round that has less capacity.

Yeah, I still carry my Glock 30. It's been a darn good pistol.

I have both calibers and still carry a .45 as my primary.

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I'm confused Did you mean cartridges?

it depends on which guns I am taking with me, my carry's all have 1 glock, as the main gun. A 30s or a 19. Then a 26 or an xds, all have 2-3 mags, and yes I can conceal them even in Fl.

As far as a .mil battle pistol goes, .45 ACP wins hands down if the operator is forced to use FMJ rounds.

In a civy or LEO role however, modern tactical 9mm JHPs are just as good, with less recoil and more capacity.

But if the operator is authorized to deploy .45 ACP tac JHPs, then it's a no brainer. Far more efficacy than similar 9mm rounds.

AZAndy, Me too. To which I add old. I started shooting after getting my CCHP at age 62. I bought a Ruger P345 and learned to shoot it well, moving or stationary. It is a mite large for cc, but doable. I've since downsized to a Kahr PM45 which is an ideal carry pistol and as accurate for me as the Ruger. Lots of friends have .380, 9mm ,and .40 and they let me shoot them. I like them but I've been with .45 long enough to realize I'm happy with how it rides and how effectively I shoot it.