how did the myth of the .45 acp come about?

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Flat out.... it's bigger thus leaving a bigger wound channel, thus the argument that it's better.

Not always. Go look at some videos using Speer's loadings for thier gold dot hollow points in the respective rounds. Ive seen the 165gr 10mm hollow point expand to the same size as the .45, and it delivers much more energy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZKxB8GATLU
 
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10mm is a good round and transfers more energy into the target. Can you shoot it as well?

The main thing is shot placement

I shoot my 45 really well...better than a 10mm
 
"...Basic physics, if the shot person goes flying backwards, so would the shooter..." Exactly.
"...how did myths like this come about?..." Old gun rag writers used to say the .45 1911 pistol was a monster. The movie and TV FX guys didn't help either. Actors who were shot with anything, were attached to a machine that pulled 'em off their feet. Looks good on film, but has nothing to do with reality. Shot and killed people just drop.
"...for one thing, and one thing only...killin' Nazis..." Don't be daft. No Nazi's in 1915 Mexico or W. W. I.
"...guess you don't think "yall" is a word either..." It isn't. However, 'ya'll' is a vernacular contraction. Still sounds a whole lot(alot is definitely not a word. Bad typing.) better than 'you all'. 'Grits', despite appearances, is a 3 syllable word. Ger-it-s. Or so I've been told.
"...it's bigger thus..." Nope. A .45 ACP ball round isn't made to expand. No HP bullet gives 100% reliable expansion either.
 
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I cant see how it is a myth, it was proven against native tribesmen a hundred years ago when they survived and lived to kill American soldiers armed with .38s I believe, after the .45 came in, dead enemy in their tracks. I carried an old .45 in the early 70s, inaccurate, like chunking a rock almost but it was one helluva big rock.. the 9mm pales in comparison to an experienced battle proven G.I.
 
I've heard all sorts of 45 myths, from it'll stop a Mack Truck to it'll kick like a mule to its an out dated hunk o' junk, and every thing in between. But I know the real-world strengths and weaknesses of the 45, and know that no handgun round is perfect, and no handgun round can fill every niche, and I still feel that the 45 is the best compromise of all of the possible scenarios. So, I think that all myths aside, that the 45 is the best round for me... because I shoot it the fastest, most accurately, and feel the most comfortable with it. That said... you may find your experience differs. For instance, my brother is a HUGE fan of the 40 S&W in a SIG 229. I would rather hit mt hand with a claw hammer than shoot a 40, but different strokes for different folks I guess....
 
The original and still standard 'saami' approved Loadings for the M1911 .45 ACP offer Ballistics which are/were very close to the 1870s Smith & Wesson .44 Russian Cartridge, and ( in Standard Loadings, ) is not on par with the .45 ( 'Long') Colt Cartridge ( which the US Military apparently did not use, prefering a compromise .45 Ct'g of lesser power interchangeable with the by now somewhat obscure .45 S&W Ct'g for length).


.45 Colt, in the Long Barrel SA Revolvers the Cavalry carried, originally had ballistics quite heavier than .45 ACP, or in the civillian version of the Cartridge, continued to by far...Heavier Bullet, rather higher FPS ( 1000+).


I am not up on the details of the Morow troubles in the Phillipines, but, I thought they were over by 1913? Which would not have seen much time for the M1911 ( unavailable to anyone till Spring of 1912, and slow initial production for a while thereafter,) to get tried out very much.


The .38 ACP Colt Automatics were used somewhat in the early 1900s ( 1903? ) Phillipine troubles as a prospective successor to the disappointing .38 Long Colt Revolvers, and were ( 130 Grain, 1050 fps as standard Loading ) found to be much better than the .38 LC...if still of course not so satisfying as .45 Colt SA with a long Barrel, even with the Frankfurt Arsenal Ct'gs.


Anyway, I never particularly thought of the Colt Model of 1911, and it's .45 ACP Cartridge as having any particular 'Myth' associated with them, even if they do.

Rather, I took it that the Arm and it's Cartridge enjoyed the high esteem and good reputation they had earned, among Soldiers of all sides of those conflicts in which it was used, as well as among practical men and women of whatever walk of life, who had occasion to become familiar and practiced with them.



If I could only have or own only one Hand Gun, it'd be a plain, earlyish, Colt Model 1911.

No matter how meritorios other Arms may be, the M1911 to me represents the most practical blend of power, Capacity of Rounds held, ease of re-Loading a fresh Magazine, ease and sureness of use or operation, and a snug reasonable size thickness and weight, all tolled...and they look good, too...they look 'right' somehow.
 
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I think I figured out how "John Smith" was able to fire almost infinite amounts of ammo from his 1911's in "Last Man Standing....

"John Smith" is the alias of a renegade Time Lord who more commonly goes by the name of Doctor Who, Time Lords hail from the planet of Galifrey, and have mastered the art of both space *AND* time travel, the vehicle they use is called a TARDIS, which is an acronym for Time And Relative Dimensions In Space, The Doctor's Tardis, an old Type 41 with a damaged Chameleon Circuit, is stuck in the form of a blue British Police Box, from the outside, it looks to be about the size of a phone booth, but inside, it's *MASSIVE*, housing multiple floors, a library, a swimming pool, a wardrobe, etc...

The way the TARDIS works is quite simple, the exterior of the TARDIS (the part that appears to be a Police Box) is in our dimension, our reality, the *interior* of the TARDIS is in another dimension entirely, plainly put, "it's bigger on the inside"

(Time Lords also use this dimension-folding technology in the production of their garments, their pockets are also "bigger on the inside")

So, basically, to sum up, the "John Smith" in the linked video clips is one of the regenerations of The Doctor, and is using 1911 magazines he had manufactured especially for him on Galifrey, these mags use TARDIS-based dimension-folding technology allowing near infinite capacity, because the interior of the mags are in a completely different dimension, plainly put, Smith's 1911 mags are "bigger on the inside"...

Now, if we could only open trading agreements with Galifrey and have them produce our 1911 mags....

;)
 
A lot of people seem to think the .45ACP has some sort of magical powers. :rolleyes:
I'll stick with my Glock 20SF 10mm, loaded with 135gr. Nosler Jacketed Hollow Points any day of the week.

Ballistics : 1600fps / 767 ft.lbs.
 
A lot of people seem to think the .45ACP has some sort of magical powers. :rolleyes:
I'll stick with my Glock 20SF 10mm, loaded with 135gr. Nosler Jacketed Hollow Points any day of the week.

Ballistics : 1600fps / 767 ft.lbs.
Well golly; I think I'll stick then with my 460 S&W.
.460 S&W® Mag FMC Flat nose: 260grain: 2,001fps / 2,312 ft/lbs.

What? That's about as logical as saying your 10mm is a better choice than the 45acp. And FWIW, both your 10mm and the 460s&w probably have the same odds of finding ammo at a local retailer. But that 45acp will always be able to find ammo. Oh, and FWIW; your 1600/767 is no where near normal factory loads. Even Corbon at 135 grain is around 1400fps and 588ft/lbs. Not that you can't get it that hot; just that it's not normal over the counter ammo.
 
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You do realize that's spelled "y'all", don't you?

Thank you! Finally, someone spelled it correctly. I'm from South Carolina, and most of the people here that do bother to include the apostrophe place it (incorrectly) thus: "ya'll." For those who do not know, y'all is a contraction for "you all." Since "all" is not abbreviated, the apostrophe is placed after the "y."

Back on topic:

When the .45 ACP was invented, the .45 colt was one of the most powerful commonly available handgun calibers. Next to the .45 colt, there were a few other contenders like the .44 russian and .44-40.

When autoloading pistols became popular, most designs were weak and unreliable. They also shot relatively puny, under-powered calibers compared to revolvers of the time. The .32 and .380 Auto were not scoffed at as mouse-guns in their time but instead were chambered in medium-sized handguns and considered adequate for most purposes. Next to these cartridges, the .45 ACP is a LOT more powerful.

You get a couple generations of shooters and veterans started talking about the .45 auto being the most powerful (autoloading) round and its reputation sticks.
 
Well golly; I think I'll stick then with my 460 S&W.
.460 S&W® Mag FMC Flat nose: 260grain: 2,001fps / 2,312 ft/lbs.

What? That's about as logical as saying your 10mm is a better choice than the 45acp. And FWIW, both your 10mm and the 460s&w probably have the same odds of finding ammo at a local retailer. But that 45acp will always be able to find ammo. Oh, and FWIW; your 1600/767 is no where near normal factory loads. Even Corbon at 135 grain is around 1400fps and 588ft/lbs. Not that you can't get it that hot; just that it's not normal over the counter ammo.

A .460 for humans ? Now you're being silly.:rolleyes:

The 10mm ammo I listed is made by Double Tap. I also reload my own.
 
It would be possible to lift a small frame man off its feet, we say that in order to knock someone off their feet, you the shooter would also fall over. But we forget about all the energy being used to eject the round cycle the slide and chamber a new one, and all the energy we absorb into our wrist through our arm, elbow bicep and then into our shoulders. A .45 hollow point will stop in a person and take all the energy and transfer it striaght to that person, it doesnt waste an energy cycle a gun and flipping his wrist when they meet..... :)
 
have you ever tried to shove somebody without bracing yourself its easy to push someone over when they are standing with their feet shoulders width apart adjacent to each other and you put one foot infront of the other and lean your weight to keep you falling from back. right?
 
The 'knockdown' power is more of a 'fall over laughing' power when I hear these tales or see the movies where men fly across rooms from being shot.
 
I remember reading about a robbery in LA in the 70's. A man and his girlfriend robbed a grocery store and the cops got there just as they were leaving. A firefight started. The cops shot the woman in the chest with a 12 ga slug. It did not knock her "off her feet".

She managed to fire a few more rounds before she laid down herself.

If a 12 ga slug will not do it a .45 damn sure will not.

A local man was shot four times in the belly and chest area by his drunken father with a 1911. He managed to beat his father almost to death after he was shot.

They are both still alive today and he stayed on his feet after four rounds of hardball.
 
how did the myth of the .45 ACP come about?

Back in the turn of the century, during the Philippine Pacification, the .38 caliber revolver that the U.S soldiers carried would not stop the charging Phillipino warriors.

The U.S. Govt. then adopted the .45ACP in the hopes that it would become a "manstopper" - thus a legend is born!
 
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