.357 SIG or .45 GAP?

[JTQ]

The 1911 is one of the best pistols for those with small hands. They come in a variety of sizes and weights.

If you prefer double action (DA)/single action (SA), a Ruger P345 has a slim grip and should work for small hands.

As mentioned earlier by ATAShooter, the XD45 is a pretty good choice for those with small hands looking for a double column magazine, as is the S&W M&P.

I would still recommend including 9MM from your search. There are more choices in handguns available, and ammo is inexpensive. The 9MM is an effective personal defense round.

Go to a gun show, gun shop, or shooting range and try and handle or shoot as many as you can. They only way to find the one that is right for you, it to try them out.

 

[jsg]

Small hands and .45, look at the M&P 45c or a CCO 1911 with thin grips.

 

[LawofThirds]

I enjoy my M&P 45c, 9 rounds of .45, a grip that fits my hands, my wife's hands and even my tiny mother's hands and it's much more handsome than a glock.

 

[Fremmer]

I'm not sure that a colt commander is too much larger, but I like the .45 ACP a lot better than the gap.

 

[m2steven]

After thinking about your personal dimensions (same as mine other than the thin part), I can tell you that in the winter conceiling a full size 1911 is not that hard under a jacket. Your problem is going to be when you take your jacket off. You might want to consider a Walther PPS in either 9mm or 40cal. If you practice enough, you will be able to make followup shots with a smaller weight pistol with relative ease. Plus, and it's a big one, you will more likely carry the thin, smallish Walther as opposed to a larger less concealable lump in your clothing. Don't let recoil nor muzzle flip pose that much of a concern to you. The cost of 9mm and 40cal at Walmart being what it is, you will be able to afford lots of practice with either.

As someone wisely pointed out, penetrating an apartment or condo wall is no problem for most pistols/revolvers. Your best defense against that is to hit your target and the best way to do that is to practice. If you're really worried get a 380. But to be honest, most 380s are harder to follow up with than larger calibers.

I have had great experience with the metal Kahr pistols. They are small yet are easy to control for follow up in part because of their superb triggers. I recently obtained an EMP 9mm 1911 and it's a wonderful pistol with all the bells and whistles of a 1911 but smaller. Shortened 45 cal 1911's seem to have feeding issues depending upon the make and model. The 9mm petite 1911's don't suffer such problems(generally). The full size 9mm 1911's have their own set of concerns.

 

[Kylaen]

My continuing research has me liking the .45 ACP's power, but I admit I have no idea as to its case dimensions. Now the best reason I was considering the .357 SIG was its bottleneck shape. I don't trust the .40 to feed every time, and I will need my gun to be 100% reliable. Is the .45 bottleneck shaped, or is there such a thing available? Sorry, I know that's a stupid question.

 

[AK103K]

The 357SIG is one of the few bottle neck pistol calibers and the only one currently chambered in more recent and readily available designs.

With a good gun, all the others are just as reliable, and the feed issue is probably more of a marketing strategy than anything else. I doubt you'll find any actual proof that the 357SIG, or any of the other bottle necks feed any better than any of the others.

If you looking to wring a little more power out of any of them, a full size gun is where you want to be looking. Going smaller just reduces velocity, and often makes the gun harder to shoot well with to boot. Most of the "smaller" guns really arent all that much smaller when you compare them side by side with their bigger counterparts, and the big guns really are not all that hard to hide when you get down to it. They are generally easier to shoot well with too.

 

[mongo4567]

Kylaen - I don't trust the .40 to feed every time, and I will need my gun to be 100% reliable.

I've never had a problem with a Glock feeding with any straight case (9mm, .40, 10mm, or .45) and I've shot a lot of them. I've never had a malfunction with a Glock. I love 7.62x25, but couldn't care less that it is bottleneck. A reliable firearm will shoot whatever it it designed to shoot. I would recommend that you pick a caliber that you can find in any Walmart.

 

[oasis618]

I won't get into trying to dissuade you from either cartridge but I personally find the .357 Sig a bit more...interesting...and available...and more common among pistols than the .45 GAP. Just my .02.

 

[Boats]

Should I learn to speak Rapa Nui or Manx Gaelic?

 

[1911HOP]

I am not aGlock Fan but you look at a model 36

 

[JEB]

i have fired the .45 GAP and it was a very easy to shoot caliber. if the ammo would become more available i would really consider buying one. however, since the ammo is very scarce i would start looking for something in .45 ACP. any of the smaller 1911s from a reputable manufacture would be a good choice. if you really want to stick with the glock platform then look at the G36.

 

[JEB]

I am not aGlock Fan but you look at a model 36

ahhh! ya just beat me!

 

[19-3Ben]

I don't trust the .40 to feed every time, and I will need my gun to be 100% reliable.

The number of police forces that use .40cal has to outnumber those that use .357sig by oh, i dunno... 20 to 1*? And that's being conservative in favor of the .357sig.
Cops need their guns to be reliable and wouldn't pick a round that was inherently not reliable.

Seriously, people do some insane torture tests with guns that are 9mm and .45. Neither of them are bottlenecked rounds, and they work just fine. Don't let a bottleneck design be the thing that sways you one way or another.



*SWAG.

 

[JTQ]

The .45ACP is a straight walled case.

However, the .400 Cor-bon is a bottle necked case based on the .45ACP. Get a 1911 in .45 ACP, a .400 Cor-bon barrel fitted and there you are. You can even use the same magazines. Les Baer even sells pistols pre-fit with both barrels.

Would I do it? No. I don't have that much spare cash for the pistol/barrel. .400 Cor-bon is even harder to find and more expensive than .357 Sig. I am not concerned about problems with .45ACP (or any straight walled cases) feeding.

You are waaaaaay over thinking this problem. 9MM, .40S&W, .45ACP are the most common semi-auto pistol rounds because they work. They are also the most common semi-auto pistols.

If you want something different, well thats OK to.

 

[Kylaen]

Overthinking allows me to choose which calibers to ignore; the SIG and GAP for example. When I go to a range, I will see if I can handle up to a .45. If not, I'll choose the heaviest I can shoot. But my whole point was to understand the calibers to determine the perfect one for my needs. Maybe I am overthinking, but it's for a reason.

 

[ar10]

No matter what gun you choose for HD you have to practice, then more practice. You need to base your purchase not only on the gun you buy but also the bullets and how much you can afford. Ammunition costs will eventually exceed the cost of the gun.

 

[woad_yurt]

Please don't yell at me folks. Anyway....

Kylaen:

If you go 9MM, you can get some easily carry-able pistols. My friend has a Kel-Tec PF9 and it's a pretty good, functional, small 9MM for about $300 new. Yeah, it could be finished a little less crudely but they're small & thin, affordable, lightweight and they most certainly work. They also have a lifetime guarantee and are made right here in the U.S.A.

When I first got into handguns in a serious way, I didn't know what I liked as I had no experience from which to draw. Get yourself something that is affordable, easy to carry and cheap to shoot. Your tastes will/maybe change a bit in time. Why dump a load now?

If you really want my honest, deep down opinion, I recommend a Makarov or a Feg P-63. 9X18 ammo's cheap and is kinda equivalent to a .38 SPL in muzzle energy; cheap-o Fiocchi FMJ is 267 ft lbs. The Makarov is the superior gun but the Feg is much lighter. The Feg must get Wolf springs, though. I carry a P-63 a lot. For someone new to handguns, though, the Mak is the one that's been best with newbies I've brought to the range. Very quickly, everyone shoots that gun well.

Folks above have spoken wisdom when they've said to get something cheap to shoot. It takes practice (many rounds) to make one comfortable and proficient with one's gun.

Anyway, after reading your posts, the PF9 will do everything you're looking for if it must be a 9X19. Good luck and have fun!

 

[harmon rabb]

for a small .45, you're probably looking at a single stack compact 1911.

 

[harmon rabb]

My continuing research has me liking the .45 ACP's power, but I admit I have no idea as to its case dimensions. Now the best reason I was considering the .357 SIG was its bottleneck shape. I don't trust the .40 to feed every time, and I will need my gun to be 100% reliable. Is the .45 bottleneck shaped, or is there such a thing available? Sorry, I know that's a stupid question.

lol. you do NOT need to worry about a .40 feeding properly in a g27, xd40c, m&p40c, etc.

btw, nobody has mentioned it, but if you buy a glock 27, all you need to fire .357sig out of it is a barrel swap. it is the EXACT same gun as the glock 33. the only difference between the two is the barrel. this way you'd get .40 and .357sig in one gun.

 

[Enachos]

+1 harmon rabb,

He nailed it!

Like I said b4 I reccommend the .40 but if you really want to get either the .357 SIG or the .45 GAP then I'd reccommend the .357! Good luck finding .45 GAP ammo and then regretting it after not being able to afford much ammo due to it's prices. BTW I went to Bass Pro yesterday to pick up some hollowpoints for my Glock 27 and i was taking a look at the prices... and well... .40 S&W winchester Bonded went for $22 and .357 SIG winchester bonded went for $28. IMHO, $6 a box is a big difference in price.... Hope that helps!

 

[DFW1911]

I'd get a G33 in .357 Sig. Mine has been excellent and is great to carry.

I like the caliber's performance.

Just my $.02, YMMV.

Thanks,
DFW1911

 

[Sox]

Don't dismiss the GAP till you try it side by side with the .357. Take the same platform i.e. a G38 vs. G32 and shoot them both. You will be amazed. The GAP is more comfortable to shoot.

I would also urge you to look at the XD line. Their .45 ACP in "compact" is the same size as the G38, but with a more narrow slide, and I do like the idea of the grip safety.

The GAP offers essential .45 ACP +P ballistics. The caliber would do much better if companies would embrace it and realize it gives .45 performance in 9mm sized platforms. Therefore, they could save a ****load on manufacturing different frames-duh.

The argument that "it's on its way out..., and an answer to a question no body asked," is flat stupid."

Just try it before you go down the .357 road.

 

[LRS_Ranger]

.40 reliablility

I've never heard anything about the 40 not feeding right. If this were so I imagine that the MANY law enforcement agencies that use this caliber wouldn't. The internet is a great place to get info and share ideas, but I would be very careful about buying a gun based on it alone. Many stores in my area allow you to try a used gun.. Go get some range time and find out what fits you best, and go with that. Happy blasting!

 

[m2steven]

40 cal pistols feed at least as well as any other caliber. It's also quite a bit less expensive to purchase than 45 for practice. I have a Glock 22C and it's simply a great pistol. Compared to my 1911, if there is any big difference in impact energy it's really hard to tell. Having said that, my 357 sig G32 gets the job done in a smaller package, and I can really tell the difference in accuracy when shooting past 40 - 50 yards. I really like the 357 sig and it destroys concrete blocks at least as well as my 1911 and I can do it from a greater distance. Plus, it's small enough to easily conceal carry.