Accurate but not-too-expensive .45

I worked a gun show a couple of years ago as a favor for a friend to fill in for a no-show employee.

I was surprised by the amount of people asking if we had the K2 .45 you mentioned (I had never heard of it at the time)

When I got home that evening I did only the most cursory "investigation" on it and it got great reviews for the short time it had been on the market.

Downsides being extremely limited aftermarket, mag availability is very hit or miss and very little resale value but if those things aren't high on your list of priorities (they a not on mine), for the right price it looks like a fun pistol.

Of course, I'm also a sucker for all things CZ-ish.

Check out the Colt Competition 1911. They come with an adjustable rear sight. Mine has been very reliable and has even reliably fed several types of hollow points. The picture shows me shooting it soon after buying it at our indoor range at work. Ammo was Speer Lawman 155 frangible which isnt the best for groups. Range was 15 yards I believe.

**edit** My Colt Competition was around 970 dollars when I bought it in 2020.

Another option you should really consider is the Sig P220, especially the single action only model. I was VERY impressed with the one I got to shoot.

20200915_085332 by chase, on Flickr

Smaug said:

Beretta CX4 Storm - For a Beretta, it's not very pretty, is it? It's out because it's ugly to me. I shot one once in 9mm and it was wonderful; couldn't believe how accurate and soft-recoiling it was, but I just kind of make the "yeesh face" whenever I look at it. I really like that they were willing to do something besides Browning's old tilting barrel arrangement!

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As far as pistols go, the Beretta CX4 Storm isn't very attractive, it almost looks like a carbine. https://www.beretta.com/en-us/cx4-storm/

The PX4 Storm is a better looking pistol.

My preferred service pistols: CZ's and clones, 1911, Sig P-series, and I do like my PPQ a lot.

The two Turkish SAR CZ75 compact clones I've had have been great. So are the five Italian clones full-sized clones (Tanfoglio).

You no longer have to pay much for a 1911 that runs. The Turkish and Filipino ones are inexpensive and run out of the box. You can pay more for a prettier one if you want.

Sig P-series are amazing. Can't go wrong.

I like my PPQ a lot. The trigger is sublime.

I like the S&W M&P a little better than the Glock.

Quality over quantity = Sig P-series

Quantity over quality = a nice Filipino 1911 and a nice Turkish CZ

A USP Elite 9mm is one of the best shooting pistols I've ever fired (a friend has one), easily the equal of my Walther Q5 Match. An Elite has been on my short list for too long.

I was surprised to see the 45 version is around $1K; the 9mm's are substantially more. If it shoots anywhere near the 9mm version it's an easy "buy" from me.

I have one sitting in my shopping cart @ Bud's right now...

HTH!

[/QUOTE]The second HK I'm looking at is the USP45 Elite.

I'm leaning toward the USP45 Elite now. Is there anything else I should consider in this price range?[/QUOTE]

Smaug said:

I also shot an HK USP .45 and was shocked to find I shot it as accurately as the Gold Cup, even though it is more of a combat pistol.
.......
The second HK I'm looking at is the USP45 Elite. I like the longer sight radius on this as well as the adjustable rear sight. I see that it has 12 round mags, which makes me wonder if it'll be too big for my hand, like the Glock 21 was. (I have a medium sized palm, but short fingers) LINK

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The Elites grip is no different than the one you shot.. There is no size difference between the 12rd and 10rd magazines. The Expert is also similar with. slightly shorter barrel length.

The first 3 rounds fired from this Remington 1911 R1s at 25 yards. Accurate? I’d say so. IIRC I gave about $6C for it but Rem threw in 200 rounds of ammo that was probably worth $150.

I think there is only one obvious choice.

Hi-Point JHP 45.

Less than $200. If you don't like it, toss it in the lake.

eddiememphis said:

I think there is only one obvious choice.

Hi-Point JHP 45.

Less than $200. If you don't like it, toss it in the lake.

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I'm sure you mentioned as a bit of a joke but, 25 or more years ago a friend (definitely not a gun guy) picked one up at a local hardware store (back then the were branded "Haskell" not Hi-Point" in .45ACP.

We all laughed at him and made jokes about that huge, ugly chunk of a hand gun...

... Then we shot it and shot it an shot it.
That damn thing, as ugly and cheap as it appeared to be just kept chugging along, no malfunctions, ever. Period. for as long as he owned it (he's since moved so I don't know if he still has it)

Laugh all you want (I admit that I still get a chuckle from how damn ugly they are) but they work

My .45 USP Elite is effortlessly accurate. My first five shots out of that gun punched one ragged hole at 15 yards, and that's the result more often than not. I'm not generally much of a polymer pistol fan for range toys, but the Elite is an exception.

I owned a PX4 in .45, and it also shot like the bullets were laser guided. I know you've already ruled out the PX4 for aesthetic reasons, but I can't recommend them highly enough. I'm of the opinion that all polymer pistols are ugly, but that the PX4 is among the least ugly. For some reason, it seems like most people have been conditioned to think that a polymer pistol needs to be boxy and squared-off like a Glock, which is about as ugly as a modern, high-quality pistol can get, at least to my eyes.

I’m still in the 1911 camp here, and it’s difficult not to always give a nod the the HK but…it seems you’ve been disappointed by fitment issues in the past which is one thing I feel the 1911 is advantaged with over all other pistols on the market.

Grip material from smooth ivory to wraparound rubber or wood, G10, checkered, aluminum, palmswell, thin, options for ambi-controls, trigger lengths, flat or arched or bobbed mainspring housings, front strap treatments, magwells, a plethora of springs to configure for task, enlarged safeties and magazine buttons: surely some configuration could be made to work in near bespoke fashion.

The accuracy is pretty well documented as well, tho it will vary from maker to maker or model to model. Below is one I picked up a month or so ago, NIB for under $800.

Reasonably well fit.


Not outlandishly styled.





Didn’t love the fit of the OEM stocks


Adjustable rear sight.


Lowered and flared port with extended ejector to reliably fire anything.


As it currently sits, with a few parts swaps to come based solely on my own preferences.

I'd buy a $400 Turkish or Filipino 1911 over any HK USP. I was issued this pistol and still hate it.

But a 1911 or a SIG 220 would be the only thing I'd consider if I was looking for a decently accurate .45 ACP pistol solely for range use. NOTHING with a polymer frame or striker-fired.

Ruger Lightweight Commanders are awesome, love mine in 9mm. But I'd have to go with my new Springfield Armory Ronin Commander 45acp. lightweight, accurate, relatively inexpensive.

1st target 10 yards

Y-T71 said:

I'm sure you mentioned as a bit of a joke but, 25 or more years ago a friend (definitely not a gun guy) picked one up at a local hardware store (back then the were branded "Haskell" not Hi-Point" in .45ACP.

We all laughed at him and made jokes about that huge, ugly chunk of a hand gun...

... Then we shot it and shot it an shot it.
That damn thing, as ugly and cheap as it appeared to be just kept chugging along, no malfunctions, ever. Period. for as long as he owned it (he's since moved so I don't know if he still has it)

Laugh all you want (I admit that I still get a chuckle from how damn ugly they are) but they work

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Not really.

I too have a buddy that has had one for two decades with no problems. It's ugly but it works. Kinda like him...

eddiememphis said:

Not really.

I too have a buddy that has had one for two decades with no problems. It's ugly but it works. Kinda like him...

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Ha!

Another pitch for the Colt Competition. Picked up a lightly used one a year ago, and couldn't be more pleased. The fiber optic front/adjustable rear are a great combination. (Full disclosure; the rear is drift adjustable for windage; screw adjust for elevation, but it offers compact, sturdy, but excellent sights.) It also offers a trigger adjustable for overtravel, and is Series 70. MSRP should be around a grand.
Moon

You'll want a thin fiberoptic front sight and a plain black rear for optimal accuracy. Fat night sights arent so hot, but some are capable.

So make sure you have a game plan for sights before you make your choice. OEM sights on most pistols, suck.

I was going to recomend a Glock 41. But it seems that you're against those. Despite my fondness for 1911's, I'd rather pick up my G41 for a gun fight. If you have size 11+ feet, the "too large grip" is usually operator error. If you're smaller than that, then OK.

Consider a CZ Ts2 in .40. Far more accurate than anything listed here, and still has a major caliber. Not really a CCW though.

It somewhat depends on what you define as accurate.

With a little TLC, I've been able to make even budget priced 1911's accurate, for my purposes. With a used Colt Mk IV, Series 70 barrel, the accuracy improvement of a Thompson 1911 was dramatic.

$700-$900 priced 1911's tend to shoot well out of the box.

Of course, high end 1911's shoot well.

They are not ammunition sensitive to a point. All of mine of mine chambered for 45 ACP shoot 230 FMJ ammunition well. Sometimes, designer hollow points, not so well.

I do not have any, and I mean ANY, experience with non-1911 pistols chambered in 45 ACP.

I do have some S&W revolvers chambered in 45 ACP, Model 25-2, Model 625-8, and Model 22-4 (1917 Classic). All shoot reasonably accurately.

Moon clips are the way to go for revolvers shooting semi-auto pistol ammunition. I like the BMT Equipped moon clip loaders/unloaders. A bit pricey for some folks it makes using moon clips a dream.

http://bmtequipped.com

Spats McGee said:

S&W M&P?

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Another vote for M&P45. While out of the box trigger pull was heavy and gritty, after a trigger job, it became an accurate shooter - http://www.burwellguns.com/misc/M&Ptriggerjob.pdf

Spats McGee said:

Smaug said:

How about this: Range pistol, chambered in .45ACP, not too ammo-finnicky. Should be able to shoot groups at 25 yards.

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Something in 1911, then.

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Agree and I suggest OP check out RIA 1911. They have generous chamber mouths for more reliable feeding/chambering that I consider them "Glock" of 1911s. Tactical models I shot produced comparable size groups as my railed Sig 1911 at 10-15 yards of 1" and produced slightly larger than 2" groups at 25 yards.

If you want smaller groups, I recommend Sig 1911 as they come with match barrel/bushing for tighter lock up and tightest chamber I have seen. Even with tight chamber, it reliably fed LSWC reloads all day. I shot over 12,000 rounds in my railed model and it maintained accuracy with no parts breakage.

I would take a look at the walther ppq 45. Trigger is amazing for a striker and shoots like a good 1911. amd is VERY accurate.

https://waltherarms.com/ppq-45/

1911 would get my vote. The single action trigger makes it a better range/target pistol. They still make Gold Cups but a new one will be more than 1K. I have one and also an HK45. I like my HK but I like my GC more because of the SA trigger. I had a plain jane Colt Government model that was very accurate but the sites were hard to use and weren't adjustable. The HK45 was the replacement for the 1911 or that was the goal of HK when they designed it. The military decided they would stick with 9mm and it became a civilian offering. If I had to go into combat that would be my choice because they can go 20-30K rds without a glitch. Mines proven to be exceptionally robust.

If all I had was 1K I would try to find one of these.
https://www.springfield-armory.com/...target-45-acp-handgun-stainless-ca-compliant/

I've been more than happy with my $400 AO Gi 1911A1
Your Mileage May Vary

Smaug said:

Will it feed semi wadcutters?

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Don't have any to try. It digested brass Blazer 200gr "flying ashtrays" well enough. Also 185ge HydraShoks with their truncated cone shape, too.
GI-dimension ejection port will "chomp" the occasional brass case. If that really bothered me, I'd get 2mm milled off the EP, which generally makes them behave.