Do you like your .45 acp?

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OP moans:
I wish they made a 1911 that didn't jam.
<Heavy sigh>
I own ... let's just say, considerably more than 20 1911s of every stripe (including Colt's, Kimbers and Springfield Armory pistols), more than half of 'em purchased new within the past 10 years. Been collecting 1911s since the '70s, shootin' 1911s since the '60s. NONE of my 1911s jam.

If you believe everything you read on the internet, can't be bothered to learn how the platform operates, how to maintain the platform, and what type of magazines, parts, accessories and ammunition to use, by all means, stay the hell away from 1911s and quit making statements such as the one I quoted.

Oh, and to stay on topic: yes, I like my .45 ACP pistols, every one of 'em -- and with the exception of a lone SIG P-220 (a worthy pistol in its own right) and the wife's Taurus PT-145s, ALL of my .45s are 1911s.
 
I did not out shoot my dad I outshot the ed brown as I was firing both. Off hand, no bench resting, at serveral distances. The P90 he has (I had) really is a tackdriver.

Believe me when I say I believe you. A friend of mine is a 1911 fanatic and has several high end 1911's (Ed Brown's, Springfield Trophy Match, Custom jobbed Kimber's and others that I can't remember). I've shot with him numerous times with him shooting my Rugers (P90 mostly, but recently the 97 and 345). He gets mad every time as my guns consistently outshoot his in both my hands and his.

I'm not knocking 1911's by any means. They are fine weapons and they have a following for a reason. What I am saying is that in the world of .45 Autos Rugers are the Dark Horse that will shoot with guns and in some cases outshoot guns costing 2-3 times as much.

The biggest problem the P90 has is it's size and weight of course. There's no getting beyond that. It's not the "ideal" concealed carry piece, though I have done it and still do when I'm feeling squirrelly and I live in the hot, humid, hell that is known as North Carolina. It can be done with the right rig and the right mindset when it comes to your mode of dress.

If you're looking for something specifically for concealed carry take a look at the P345. It is much slimmer and lighter than the P90 and is almost every bit as accurate. Sizewise it compares nicely to a commander sized 1911 or a Glock 19. It has some lawyer features that some people (me included, sorta) detest, but if you can get beyond that it is a great weapon. I picked mine up in stainless for around 400.00 about 4 months ago. I've seen them priced much higher than that (especially at Gander Mtn. where they are very proud of their firearms :banghead:) but you can get them for that price or close to it.

If you can't get beyond the lawyer features look around for a good condition P97 (not made anymore so you'll most likely have to go used). I picked one up in decock only configuration for 290.00 at a gunshow recently (actually I picked it up for $250 worth of trade on a Taurus revolver plus 40 bucks but let's not split hairs). It looked a bit rough when I first picked it up and I almost laid it back down again and walked away, then I realized that whoever had shot it last just hadn't cleaned it. I stripped it down (with the dealer's permission of course) and examined the internals closely. Looked like it only had a few hundred rounds at most through it in it's lifespan. These things usually go 10-20K rounds before you need parts and Ruger stands behind their stuff. It is very rare that you hear complaints about their customer service (though there is the isolated disgruntled customer here and there). The P97 falls between the P90 and P345 in size and is much more easily CCW'd than the P90.

Overall accuracy between the three weapons is splitting hairs. I'd give a slight edge to the P90 but the other two are very close.

OK if I haven't sounded enough like a Ruger .45 fanboy yet I haven't been trying very hard and will try harder the next time this question comes up :D
 
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Yes I like it, and fyi it's one of those terrible pos full size Kimbers :rolleyes: . From what I read here it must be a real rare one though so I better keep it. :D
 
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I've owned two 45 acp's. They were both 1911 Colts. Both jammed a few times. The first one a Series 70, Government Model choked a few times, on my reloaded ammo. I never fired a round of factory ammo in that gun, and even with my cheap, "Lee Loader" reloads, I could probably count the jams on one hand. Nothing but round nosed lead bullets mind you, but I never tried to shoot anything else.

The second one is a 1991A1 Commander I've got now. It has jammed a few times since I had it. All from the same magazine. (I got the gun used.) With the other two magazines, it's never jammed. I've never fired anything but factory FMJ ammo in this one.

Now, I'm pretty sure that any gun will jam with crappy ammo, and bad magazines so yea, I'm pretty happy with my experience with 1911's and the 45 acp cartridge.

Oh, both guns were "stock out of the box."
 
I have been shooting the 1911 style pistols for over 4 decades. I have experienced very few jams or malfunctions, that weren't human error, ammunition or magazine related and I can count those malfunctions on one hand. I have two 1911's that have never jammed, in several thousand rounds each. I have been carrying one of these two guns for over 3 years.

About a year ago I picked up a Springfield XD45 Service. It has functioned perfectly since I took it out of the box. It is accurate and a hoot to shoot. I have started carrying it almost as much as my 4" 1911. The grip angle is almost identical and about the same dimensions as the 1911. The 45acp has and always will be my favorite cartridge.

bigmike45
 
OP moans:

I wish they made a 1911 that didn't jam.

<Heavy sigh>
I own ... let's just say, considerably more than 20 1911s of every stripe (including Colt's, Kimbers and Springfield Armory pistols), more than half of 'em purchased new within the past 10 years. Been collecting 1911s since the '70s, shootin' 1911s since the '60s. NONE of my 1911s jam.

Beat me to it, Old Dog :D

I don't have 20+ 1911's, but I have been shootin' em since the 70's as well and have had the same results: They work. (I have had and still have, Kimbers, Colts, & Springfields)
 
I've had 9mm, 10mm, 40S&W, 38Super and 45acp pistols at one time or another. I've NEVER had one that couldn't be jammed by bad ammo, bad handling, butchered gun smithing or lack of cleaning and maintenance. That said, the most reliable high cap 45 I own now or have ever owned is my SA XD45. I've got a near new Glock 21 and Taurus 24/7 in 45acp but neither of them hold a candle to the XD for digesting cast bullet 255gr keith type square nose reloads and any and all hp ammo regardless of make or model. I have never had a reliability problem with the 1911 platform and competed with more than one of them in IPSC where a gun related problem can cost you big time. I have never owned a high cap 1911. When they came out from Para Ord. years ago they were famous for reliability problems and so I steered clear of them. In the past twenty years I have pretty much settled on 45 and 10mm as my pistols of choice and high capacity was also important. Therefore, I no longer own any 1911 style pistols. I may not be able to say that next month.:)
 
No, I don't use 45autorim. I use common 45acp with or without the Taurus stellar clips. It has a 5-shot cylinder which makes for a smaller frame. A hoot to shoot and quite surprisingly accurate.
 
I went through several .45 autos and settled on the USP .45 full size, but that may be too big or too expensive for you.

Of your choices, I would go with the XD.

Every XD I've shot has been very impressive.
 
I like the the 1911 45 ACP for several reasons, accuracy and power for two.
When they work, they are wonderful.

My experiece with them has been mixed. USGIs and Sistema worked well.
I have owned about 25 series 70 Colts. Of those, five were stone cold reliable, the rest were a problem and either fixed and sold or just sold. Another poster correctly stated a properly dimensioned 1911 is reliable, and it is. The design is the best. The problem is there are a lot of out of spec guns that are not reliable and I have had more than my share.
 
I've spent alot of time researching and shooting 45acp. I currently have a G21SF, a H&K USP45F, and a SW1911. All are very accurate and 100% reliable so far. I'll have to admit to having several 1911's in the past that were either unreliable out of the box or turned out to be unreliable with enough use. This SW1911 has been the only trouble free 1911 I've had. I've had trouble with Wilson, SA, ParaOrd, and a few others. Back on topic. Other 45's I've tried and failed the test include: XD45 since it can't reliably feed and eject SWC which is my reload preferance. Ruger since I can't stand slide safeties. Taurus 24/7 and SW MP45 for QC issues. Hope that helps.
 
Ruger since I can't stand slide safeties.

If I didn't have such big hands and long fingers/thumbs I'd probably be bothered by that too. It is a part of the design that I'd prefer to be otherwise. Until I picked up that P97 all my Ruger autos (had a P89 9mm to until recently) were manual safety models. The P97 I picked up is Decock only. I've started to like that configuration since buying that gun. May end up swapping my other two (90 and 345) out for DC models if I can find them. Ruger is phasing those out in the name of political correctness.

I forgot to mention above in my admitted Ruger fanboy gushing that I've never had a failure at all with factory ammo in any of my Rugers. I did have an early batch of very light reloads that would function fine in my P90, but would not cycle the slide in my 345. It has a heavier recoil spring and the loads were starting loads in the Lee manual so you know they were light. I used the last 10 rounds of that batch for malfunction drills. It was kinda fun :). Once I went to a few tenths more of 231 they ran and run fine.
 
rantingredneck,

Don't get me wrong. If Ruger put the safety on the frame or removed it all together, I'd buy one in a heart beat. The P90 and P345 are very good shooter in my opinion.
 
You will end up buying them all. Start with the one you like the most and go from there.

FYI, the Springfield XD (non-compact) and Glock 21/21SF are huge. The XD Compact 45 is about the size of a Glock 19, which makes it great for carry.
 
rantingredneck,

Don't get me wrong. If Ruger put the safety on the frame or removed it all together, I'd buy one in a heart beat. The P90 and P345 are very good shooter in my opinion.

Yeah I understood what you meant. I'm not a big fan of the safety on the slide myself but I've got big hands and have just learned to live with it. I am falling in love with the DC only models recently though and may start doing some horsetrading to try to swap my manual safety models out. Haven't decided on that one yet though. I've got a P90 and P345 that are insanely accurate and I'd hate to end up with a DC model of the same weapons that doesn't shoot as well.
 
Very good information. Thank you, I appreciate ya'll taking time to inform me.

Sorry to offend about the 1911 jamming. I was drawing on albeit limited personal experience ad looking for clues of how to make the 1911 platform a reliable one. Seems I got my answer.

Bud's gun shop has Ruger P90 ss decokers for about $369. That is looking promising right now. I know it is big but, I can always conceal carry my .357 magnums and home/auto defense plus range fun gun with the .45.

You are right about wanting to own them all. The SA XD/45 sounds promising too. I guess a trip to the range with about 400 rounds of ammo should help me decide which one would be best for me.
 
Bud's gun shop has Ruger P90 ss decokers for about $369. That is looking promising right now. I know it is big but, I can always conceal carry my .357 magnums and home/auto defense plus range fun gun with the .45.

If you do decide to go with the P90 and want to carry it, take a look at the Bianchi Minimalist holster. I got mine for 45.00 at Gander Mtn, they can be found cheaper online but once you factor shipping it works out to about the same. It makes the gun ride high and nice and tight to the body. I can get away with my P90 in shorts and a slightly larger than normal T-shirt or undershirt and untucked buttondown.

and as always a good belt makes all the difference in the world.
 
Old Dog said:
I own ... let's just say, considerably more than 20 1911s of every stripe (including Colt's, Kimbers and Springfield Armory pistols), more than half of 'em purchased new within the past 10 years. Been collecting 1911s since the '70s, shootin' 1911s since the '60s. NONE of my 1911s jam.

I may be close to Old Dog in the age category, since I got my first 1911 about 1962 and have owned a dozen more since then. I agree with his opinion that the 1911 design is sound and that jamming is not usually a problem in a properly-maintained gun with quality ammo. Most of mine are Colts.

But if you simply want a .45 caliber semiauto and are not stuck on having a 1911, there are many good alternatives in the market. Based on experience I can recommend the H&K USP in that caliber, either full size or compact models. I have the full size in .45 and the compact in .40, and they are wonderful guns - sturdy and reliable. For carry I would get the compact, but the full size is a good range or home defense choice. Here is my full size:

HKUSP45F15.gif
 
I love all of my .45s. They also all happen to be 1911s.

I used to own a USP45 fullsize, which was a fine weapon, but it just didn't fit my hands very well so I ended up selling it.
 
Speaking of H&Ks ... and I do believe H&K makes high-quality pistols 'though they don't really fit me either (in my experience, the USP being my department issue, though I have no experience with any of the company's offerings in .45 ACP) ... I was wondering ...

Has anyone around here picked up (or at least tried out) the new HK45? Anyone? Looks as though it might be a worthy offering (10+1, and allegedly designed with input from Ken Hackathorn and Larry Vickers).
 
Bud's gun shop has Ruger P90 ss decokers for about $369. That is looking promising right now. I know it is big but, I can always conceal carry my .357 magnums and home/auto defense plus range fun gun with the .45.

I would pick one up at that price. Add on $20 for the Hogue wrap around grips. The grips are worth every penny IMO, and in that of many other owners. My P90 is dead on all the time. It also eats any ammo I put through it.
 
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