SR45 vs 1911

[Quoheleth]

Decisions, decisions... I have been toying with the idea of getting an SR45. I already own a Springfield MilSpec 1911. Love the 1911 platform, but I don't carry my 1911 often - in part because my holster isn't tuckable and I wear dress slacks and tucked shirts at work; in part because it's a heavy rig. So, my Springer is carried only occassionally on my day off.

I had the SR9c a couple years ago that was my EDC. I sold it and have been gradually downsizing from it to a Kahr CW9 to a Sig P238.

I know the SR45 is still a big gun. Ruger's website lists it just over 30oz, but that's a full 9oz lighter than my Springer. Some of that difference is offset by the additional 3 rounds of .45 the SR carries (10 rounds adds about 1.5oz vs. 8 in the 1911).

So, does that weight difference make the SR a more viable carry gun than the 1911? As a southpaw, I appreciate the more ambi-friendly thumb safety of the SR (my 1911 is not so equipped).

Thoughts?

(Option B is to go a different direction - instead of a handgun, get a pistol-cartridge carbine, either a HiPoint in .45 or a Rossi 92 in .357.)

Thanks,
Q

 

[deadduck357]

They are both good pistols. A 1911 is heavy and the SR45 is a little lighter but you do get the additional rounds.

Not a comparison but I just recently did a review of the SR45, maybe it will help in one way or another. - http://lead-slinger.com/ruger-sr45

 

[Walkalong]

A Colt Lightweight Commander is 27 ounces. Add an ambi safety.

Does 8 ounces make a difference? Sure, but not a huge difference.

How thin is the SR45 compared to a 1911?

 

[Quoheleth]

Walkalong - it depends on the thickness of the 1911 grips, but this was posted yesterday:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=8842712&postcount=3

5/64" difference.

My biggest issue with any gun is distance from backstrap to front of trigger. With short fingers, this has been a problem with some guns, e.g.. Beretta/Taurus 92s, CZ75s, and most large frame Sigs.

Q

 

[Zaydok Allen]

XDs man. 21 oz empty. Holds 8 with one in the chamber and an extended mag. Or 6 with the regular mag.

It has solved a lot of carry problems for me. Does it stand up to a full size gun? Pretty close. Is it easier to carry than a full size? Hell yes. It's a great compromise.

 

[Walkalong]

Walkalong - it depends on the thickness of the 1911 grips, but this was posted yesterday:

I just measured the SR45 and my Ruger SR1911 at the middle of each grip. SR45: 1.7656" dia. / SR1911: 1.6875" dia. So 0.0781" (or 5/64") dia. diff. between the two, not much for a double stack .45.

I don't know where he gets 1.6875 from. It isn't a diameter at the grip.

My Kimber just measured 1.300 at the widest point, which is the grip at the middle. The thumb safety does not stick out farther than the grip. Perhaps he measured a fat ambi safety. They make thin ones if he did. What I would look at is the width as an average on the gun. The 1911 is thin in most places.

 

[deadduck357]

I don't know where he gets 1.6875 from. It isn't a diameter at the grip.

My Kimber just measured 1.300 at the widest point, which is the grip at the middle. The thumb safety does not stick out farther than the grip. Perhaps he measured a fat ambi safety. They make thin ones if he did. What I would look at is the width as an average on the gun. The 1911 is thin in most places.

How I came up with my results was by measuring the diameter around the grip, not from the widest point. Measuring from the widest points won't give a realistic measurement of how it would fit in a human hand.