Where are the 45 ACP micro compacts?

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KarateHottie93

KarateHottie93

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I just won an XDS 45 for way over it’s market value. That’s okay though because I’ve wanted one of these for years after shooting my old manager’s. I saw a post recall one pop up locally at auction…everything included, and in FDE. Had to have it.

It got me thinking though…where are the micro compact 45’s? They’re making micro 10mm’s so why not a make 45? It’s still a great round. They’re also just fun to shoot. Capacity is a big deal to people but I can’t imagine it’s THAT big of a deal to most people. Also included a picture of my new XDS cause yeah…I’m super proud of it and it’s not even metal.
 

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I trialed one pretty close to that. After 1 mag I was ready to hunter Biden it (throw it in the nearest dumpster).
Realistically a gun that small should be a 380 or 9mm at most.
The 10mm crowd is just a younger version of the 45acp crowd, doomed to make all the same mistakes.
45acp is a great round, it just sucks in a tiny gun. I tried every 45acp loading I had on hand, mostly 230gr and I struggled to hit a b27 target at 5yd with that tiny xd I trialed.
With a 1911 I can hit that b27 about 7 out of 7 times at 50 yards with a good load no problem.
The ideal load for that gun likely would have been 185gr or lighter bullet with just enough fast burning powder to cycle it. At that point just use a 9mm.
 
Capacity is a big deal, that's why Federal came out with 30 Super Carry to convince us more is better. There are still some .45s out there, the Shield has been around for a while. People want 9s for the capacity, less recoil, and lower price.
 
N555 said:
I trialed one pretty close to that. After 1 mag I was ready to hunter Biden it (throw it in the nearest dumpster).
Realistically a gun that small should be a 380 or 9mm at most.
The 10mm crowd is just a younger version of the 45acp crowd, doomed to make all the same mistakes.
45acp is a great round, it just sucks in a tiny gun. I tried every 45acp loading I had on hand, mostly 230gr and I struggled to hit a b27 target at 5yd with that tiny xd I trialed.
With a 1911 I can hit that b27 about 7 out of 7 times at 50 yards with a good load no problem.
The ideal load for that gun likely would have been 185gr or lighter bullet with just enough fast burning powder to cycle it. At that point just use a 9mm.
Click to expand...

is the recoil really THAT bad though? I have one arm so I have absolutely no idea what shooting two handed feels like. To me though, the 45 XDS feels about like an Air Weight with standard pressure 38. It’s jumpy but not uncontrollable, and it doesn’t hurt like a big bore revolver. I personally enjoy a gun with noticeable kick when at the range. I have more metal frame 9mm’s than anything and I love them. I just don’t really enjoy shooting them the same way though.
 
KarateHottie93 said:
is the recoil really THAT bad though? I have one arm so I have absolutely no idea what shooting two handed feels like. To me though, the 45 XDS feels about like an Air Weight with standard pressure 38. It’s jumpy but not uncontrollable, and it doesn’t hurt like a big bore revolver. I personally enjoy a gun with noticeable kick when at the range. I have more metal frame 9mm’s than anything and I love them. I just don’t really enjoy shooting them the same way though.
Click to expand...
It really stings, like shooting full power 158gr 357mag in a small 357 mag.
I found a fast burning 230gr start load under a 185gr bullet acceptable, accuracy also improved. Testing full power 1911 rounds in that little thing I had to wear "mechanix" brand gloves or there was no way to test all my loads without earning several more blood blisters. I tried every one and 2 handed grip I could think of and accuracy was some where between bad and worse.
That's definitely not the same gun as I had, your results will hopefully be different.
But if your results start bad and only continue to be bad, just know it happens.
 
KarateHottie93 said:
is the recoil really THAT bad though? I have one arm so I have absolutely no idea what shooting two handed feels like. To me though, the 45 XDS feels about like an Air Weight with standard pressure 38. It’s jumpy but not uncontrollable, and it doesn’t hurt like a big bore revolver. I personally enjoy a gun with noticeable kick when at the range. I have more metal frame 9mm’s than anything and I love them. I just don’t really enjoy shooting them the same way though.
Click to expand...
I’ve shot the XDs a couple times and the recoil was not bad at all. Nothing like shooting a 158gr magnum in a small gun. I could shoot the XDs all day, my model 60, 357 magnum and 15 rounds is enough I don’t care for the grip texturing at all though. The mod 2 version is a lot more comfortable. I find them lass snappy than a 40 shield
 
If my memory serves the day I got my PM45 I shot 550 rounds with it. Many of which were name brand defense ammo, want to say about 200 rounds of it was Gold Dot’s and lot of it was +P.
It was an expensive day, but I had been eager for it and wanted to carry it bad. So I had enough ammo for the “break in” and a couple hindered rounds of my carry ammo which was the Gold Dots.

The point, recoil isn’t that bad.
 
N555
The ideal load for that gun likely would have been 185gr or lighter bullet with just enough fast burning powder to cycle it.
Click to expand...

I figured that out some years ago when I found my Colt Officer's Model ACP and Colt Commanders performed much better when I went with lighter loads using 185 gr. and 200 gr. bullets.
 
I have a M&P Shield 45 PC that I love. It shoots well. Holds 6+1 or 7+1, High Vis sights. The only thing I don’t like is probably one of the reasons it shoots well. It’s ported, so god forbid I have to use it in a self defense event everyone involved will be deaf. Honestly I got it because I reload for 45 ACP.
 
I wanted to get a small 45acp pistol.

The choices are limited: the smallest 1911 (not very small), the smallest Springfield (XDS?), the various models of the Kahr, and Taurus made a 45acp version of their "G2C" type pistol for a while. Maybe there were some others that I missed. Did AMT make a 45acp Backup? I think they did. I don't think I'd want to try one.

I preferred the Kahr (I already have a 40 caliber one), so I settled in for a long wait until I saw a likely one on GB for a price I was willing to pay.

After a month or two a finish-challenged Taurus showed up and I won it for next to nothing.

It's the same size as a Glock 26. It holds 12, IIRC. My friend who doesn't like recoil shot it and didn't like it much. He said it was like shooting my 45acp snub-nose revolver, which I am fine with. I don't expect to have any trouble shooting it on my next range visit. It's not a tiny micro pistol, though.

45acp is just kind of big for a "micro pistol". I think the Kahr is the smallest one. The 40 caliber Kahr I have is okay for the bib pocket of overalls, or a cargo pocket. It's kind of on the borderline of "pocket pistol". Basically 6-7 rounds of 45acp has a fair amount of mass, then you have to add a whole pistol apparatus to that, so it's not going to be the size of an LCP. And if you make it absolutely as small and light as possible, some people may find the recoil to be objectionable.

I still like the little Kahrs, and if I ever run across a 45acp one for cheap enough, I'll probably scoop it up. I guess it's kind of a niche market.

Taurus PT145 45acp

Taurus PT145 45acp

 
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Tallball said:
I wanted to get a small 45acp pistol.

The choices are limited: the smallest 1911 (not very small), the smallest Springfield (XDS?), the various models of the Kahr, and Taurus made a 45acp version of their "G2C" type pistol for a while. Maybe there were some others that I missed. Did AMT make a 45acp Backup? I think they did. I don't think I'd want to try one.

I preferred the Kahr (I already have a 40 caliber one), so I settled in for a long wait until I saw a likely one on GB for a price I was willing to pay.

After a month or two a finish-challenged Taurus showed up and I won it for next to nothing.

It's the same size as a Glock 26. It holds 12, IIRC. My friend who doesn't like recoil shot it and didn't like it much. He said it was like shooting my 45acp snub-nose revolver, which I am fine with. I don't expect to have any trouble shooting it on my next range visit. It's not a tiny micro pistol, though.

45acp is just kind of big for a "micro pistol". I think the Kahr is the smallest one. The 40 caliber Kahr I have is okay for the bib pocket of overalls, or a cargo pocket. It's kind of on the borderline of "pocket pistol". Basically 6-7 rounds of 45acp has a fair amount of mass, then you have to add a whole pistol apparatus to that, so it's not going to be the size of an LCP. And if you make it absolutely as small and light as possible, some people may find the recoil to be objectionable.

I still like the little Kahrs, and if I ever run across a 45acp one for cheap enough, I'll probably scoop it up, I guess it's kind of a niche market.

Taurus PT145 45acp

Taurus PT145 45acp

Click to expand...

I'd like to get the Heizer PKO but can't find one in person. Feel like if I don't just buy one sight unseen already I'll lose our for good. The AMT is another I've been looking for but can't find a 45 anywhere. It's the same with the Semmerling LM4. Plus it got the Forgotten Weapons treatment and is worth a fortune now.

upload_2022-6-15_12-47-53.png
 
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I owned this 45 Shield from 2016 until just recently, when I sold it off.
20170525_101158.jpg
I carried it a lot, I shot it well, and it was reliable for me. But, during the time I owned this, the 9mm Shield versions only held 1 more round. I considered the good'ol 45 to be the better of the two.

However, once S&W released the Shield Plus, the difference in capacity is now 4 more rounds. The big 45 was starting to feel outdated to me, and I sold it off to replace it with a Shield 9 Plus. I have confidence in a 9mm loaded with a 147gr Federal HST, and those 4 additional rounds sure are nice!
 
They just aren’t popular. The shield one is pretty decent.

Size, recoil, capacity and the drop off for .45 with extremely short barrels are all negatives. Add that to the relative unpopularity of the .45 compared to 9mm and engineering costs of making a tiny .45.

Not that I don’t love to try them all, and love the .45, but it’s a tough one to make.
 
I have a Shield 2.0 in 45. It seems to be about the smallest reliable 45 on the market. Recoil, capacity and inherent design of the 45 limit the reduction in size for 45s
 
I’ve carried an AMT Back up .45 acp for years. Pretty much the smallest.45 acp autoloader made.

Lots of folks didn’t have the upper body / arm strength to properly handle the firearm. Some complained about the trigger. Every one of those I met had purchased it put a magazine through it and because it is a demanding handgun to learn how to handle never broke it in.

This isn’t a handgun for folks lacking arm strength. But like every handgun you need to practice
 
Let's not forget that corporate bean counters and marketing departments determine what is manufactured.

Anyhow, my "micro-45's" are the Shield 45 and Taurus PT145 Mil Pro. My not so micros are the RIA GI Series Officer Model, Kahr CW45 and Springfield XD Mod-2 45/Compact. I was at the range yesterday with the PT145 which unloaded a couple of magazines stuffed with 200 grain RN's with Alliant Red Dot, my go-to 45 power. The PT145 is a small 45 double stacked package (10+1), OAL 6.1", probably as "micro" as you will get in a 45ACP other than a 5+1 PM45. For "deep" CCW purposes, the Shield 45 and CW45 are my go-to 45's.
 
Recoil. Just another case of different folks experiencing the same things differently sometimes ...

To me my XDses(?) are wonderful carry pistols. Accurate, comfortable, natural shooters (but not as natural as my 30S which is sweeeeeet ;)), recoil neither too much nor painful.

I do not know how well/accurately I can shoot them at 50yds because I have never shot them at 50yds (that I can recall). I figure if the BG is that far away I won't be shooting, I will have already completed the separation phase and will be engaged in enthusiastically extending. :)

At 25yds, though, they are accurate enough in my hand to efficiently stop a Threat.

I bought a 3.3" .45acp XDs in Aug'13 and daily carried that more than any other handgun for 6 years.

Aug'19 I jumped at the chance to buy a 3.3" .45acp XDs Mod2 (no pineapple-grade grip treatment ... Yay!) for $125 less (Sale!) than I paid for the first one. And, as a bonus, when I reached Cabelas I discovered that it came with a Tritium front sight. Very nice!
 
I have carried an XDS-45 since about 2013 loaded with Hornady XTP 230 grain & 6.0 grains of Unique. I do not think the recoil is bad at all. Noticeable, yes. Full disclosure, I have been shooting magnum revolvers since the early 1960s. Also I admit to being a fan of Elmer Keith and have had the pleasure of shaking his hand twice.
 
I had a XDs 45 acp that I carried in weak hand front pocket (as a 2nd option/"back-up") to another gun on belt.
Traded the XDs last year to a Sig 365 which importantly is easier to shoot one hand weak hand and has 11 rounds vs 6.

Beyond my specific example:
Glock 26 / Sig 365 versus Glock 30 (not micro, I know) gives the edge to 45 acp - equal capacity and the 30 is fairly easy to shoot quick.
XDs 45 versus Glock 26 / Sig 365 - its not just capacity but speed of follow up shots too.
 
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