What's a good .45 ACP Carry?
- Thread starter bang_bang
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Hunter0924
Member
For a small pistol the Colt New Agent is hard to beat.
CAPTAIN MIKE
Member
Daily Carry 1911
I like the Kimber 1911. Very reliable and enjoyable.
I like the Kimber 1911. Very reliable and enjoyable.
biggiesmalls
Member
+ 1 for the XD
bluetopper
Member
I like my 45acp snubbie revolver.
bluetopper
Member
I've also been wanting to get one like this one for a looong time. I just may sell 2 or 3 others to do it.
Another vote here for the HK USP 45 Compact !
I like mine alot. Good to go right out of the box !
That said, I am also interested in the new HK45 Compact that should be out some time in early '08. All the same good stuff as the USP45 Compact, but with some updated ergonomics and a milspec 1913 rail. Gonna cost more too....but I am going to give it a serious look......
I like mine alot. Good to go right out of the box !
That said, I am also interested in the new HK45 Compact that should be out some time in early '08. All the same good stuff as the USP45 Compact, but with some updated ergonomics and a milspec 1913 rail. Gonna cost more too....but I am going to give it a serious look......
Autolycus
Member
THe HK USPc in .45 is supposed to be great.
Ragnar Danneskjold
Member
Definitely The XD. Personally I don't like the way they look. But if you want a small .45 with a great capacity, the XD is hard to beat.
Ala Dan
Member in memoriam
Lots of good ones out there~! 
Among them, SIG P220 Carry (or full size), H&K Compact, Springfield Armory
Micro, Glock 30 & 36, Kimber Ultra's & Pro's, plus Para has several nice carry
models. Its up to the user, to see what fits and which one they shoot the
best~? 3" or 4" barrel guns usually make for an excellent choice. With that
said, my preference is a 3" Kimber Stainless Ultra Carry .45 ACP.
Also, check out Springfield Armory's Compact .45 ACP XD's, Colts New Agent,
Taurus Mil Pro PT 145 or 24/7. Even fat old farts, such as myself sometimes
can conceal the full size (5") 1911's without any problems~!
Among them, SIG P220 Carry (or full size), H&K Compact, Springfield Armory
Micro, Glock 30 & 36, Kimber Ultra's & Pro's, plus Para has several nice carry
models. Its up to the user, to see what fits and which one they shoot the
best~? 3" or 4" barrel guns usually make for an excellent choice. With that
said, my preference is a 3" Kimber Stainless Ultra Carry .45 ACP.
Also, check out Springfield Armory's Compact .45 ACP XD's, Colts New Agent,
Taurus Mil Pro PT 145 or 24/7. Even fat old farts, such as myself sometimes
can conceal the full size (5") 1911's without any problems~!
TimM
Member
A few months back when I was looking for a CC .45 - I was driving myself nuts (so many guns). After extensive research I finally narrowed it down to the Kimber Ultra Carry II or the Para Carry. After firing the two it was a close decision but I decided on the Kimber and have not regretted it.
I like the single action trigger (the proverbial glass rod) and I got the Kimber for under $700. A carry gun is a very personal thing that varies person to person, you should take time to shoot as many different ones as you can and see what suits you. In the end you probably won't carry a gun that you don't enjoy.
I like the single action trigger (the proverbial glass rod) and I got the Kimber for under $700. A carry gun is a very personal thing that varies person to person, you should take time to shoot as many different ones as you can and see what suits you. In the end you probably won't carry a gun that you don't enjoy.
JackOfAllTradesMasterAtNone
Member
I'm a small framed guy, 5' 8", 155 pounds, so as much as I love my full sized 1911's, I don't conceal one well without a coat. My SS Colt Officer's ACP packs plenty of punch if I had to defend myself or loved ones. 6+1 in the small of my back in an IWB holster. Some aftermarket mags allow single stack 7+1 in an Officer's sized frame. I've carried 'cocked and locked' for years without incident, (and hope to keep it that way).
With that old iron mentioned, (absolutely nothing plastic or mim within my Officer's ACP), the new Colt Agent should be sweet to carry, but the Kimber Ultra line or Para's Carry should not be ignored.
-Steve
With that old iron mentioned, (absolutely nothing plastic or mim within my Officer's ACP), the new Colt Agent should be sweet to carry, but the Kimber Ultra line or Para's Carry should not be ignored.
-Steve
bl4ckd0g
Member
The USPc .45 kicks ass.
DHart
Member
I have to say, I've given a hell of a lot of time and thought to defense weaponry/carry guns and I strongly believe that these days, especially, after reliability, capacity is extremely important. Let's face it, you can empty a 1911 of it's 8 or 9 rounds in a couple of seconds. Semi autos drain fast. And more and more it seems that evil doers like to travel in twos, threes, packs. During the heat of a defensive situation, it's typical to have as many rounds miss as those that hit, perhaps moreso. Given these considerations, I think having high capacity before a reload is very important. And given the fact that the stopping ability between .45 and .40 is negligible, the scales tip heavily over to .40 caliber for me. And at that, I think the Glock 23 is arguably the finest carry defense gun on the planet when you factor in the combination of reliability, potency, capacity, durability, compact size, light weight, accuracy, consistent trigger pull from first to last, and price. DANG, the Glock 23 with 14 rounds of 180 gr. Gold Dots on board before a reload is a screamingly great choice.
That said, though I am a huge 1911 fan and lover and own a great many of them, I think if you gotta have .45 instead of forty, the Glock 30 with 11 rounds on board of .45 acp is a top choice - IF you can handle the beefiness of the grip. The Glock 30 is very soft shooting, has great reliability, excellent accuracy, durability, 11-round capacity, compact size.
HK USP Compact would get a vote from me as well... I really like the ability to carry cocked and locked (like a 1911) and have a consistent SA trigger pull for every shot, including the first!
Many like the XD-45. I'm not a big fan of the XD myself, but they have their supporters.
If you gotta have a 1911, you're giving up some very important capacity in my mind, but the platform is superb... go with a bobtailed Commander. Best 1911 carry gun there is.
That said, though I am a huge 1911 fan and lover and own a great many of them, I think if you gotta have .45 instead of forty, the Glock 30 with 11 rounds on board of .45 acp is a top choice - IF you can handle the beefiness of the grip. The Glock 30 is very soft shooting, has great reliability, excellent accuracy, durability, 11-round capacity, compact size.
HK USP Compact would get a vote from me as well... I really like the ability to carry cocked and locked (like a 1911) and have a consistent SA trigger pull for every shot, including the first!
Many like the XD-45. I'm not a big fan of the XD myself, but they have their supporters.
If you gotta have a 1911, you're giving up some very important capacity in my mind, but the platform is superb... go with a bobtailed Commander. Best 1911 carry gun there is.
Mad Magyar
Member
The LW Commander gets my vote for the "best handgun for continuous concealed carry" that has ever been made.
1911 guy
Member
My top two choices.
Personally, I prefer the 5" 1911. It's relatively flat and a good holster keeps it close to your body for good concealment.
My next choice would be the Springfield XD. It's not much wider than the 1911. I don't like the Compact versions because the grip is a bit too short for my hand. Four or five inch would be good. Three is a bit short to get reliable expansion from .45acp H.P. loads.
Personally, I prefer the 5" 1911. It's relatively flat and a good holster keeps it close to your body for good concealment.
My next choice would be the Springfield XD. It's not much wider than the 1911. I don't like the Compact versions because the grip is a bit too short for my hand. Four or five inch would be good. Three is a bit short to get reliable expansion from .45acp H.P. loads.
lance22
Member
Personally, my first choice would be the Kimber CDP 4 inch. Any of the Ultra / Micro's will serve you well.
drforsythe
Member
- Joined
- Jul 19, 2007
- Messages
- 14
Kimber is my choice
I carry a Kimber Ultra CDP. The size is perfect. I use an inside the waistband holster and can easily conceal it with jeans and a t-shirt. The action is smooth and the 'melt' treatment Kimber's custom shop gives it makes it smooth to draw and re-holster. No matter what you carry, practice, practice, practice and then practice more. Carry it even when you don't need to and soon you will not even realize you are carrying, but you will feel naked without it.
I carry a Kimber Ultra CDP. The size is perfect. I use an inside the waistband holster and can easily conceal it with jeans and a t-shirt. The action is smooth and the 'melt' treatment Kimber's custom shop gives it makes it smooth to draw and re-holster. No matter what you carry, practice, practice, practice and then practice more. Carry it even when you don't need to and soon you will not even realize you are carrying, but you will feel naked without it.
+1 for what drforsythe said!
Nothing is as flat and concealable as a single stack, officer's sized 1911 (frame and slide). In the "lightweight" type (aluminum frame) officer's style, I don't think anything is nicer STOCK than the Kimber Ultra CDP.
Rounded corners and edges, ambi safety (I'm a lefty), nightsights, checkered frontstrap, great single action trigger pull, grip safety, dual recoil spring system with full-length guide rod, match grade barrel, GREAT accuracy . . .
the works.
They ain't cheap . . . but then if one's life is valued and worth it to a person, what's a few extra bucks to protect it better.
Sorry, but I can't warm up to the Tupperware. I bought a like new G23 this time last year. Great, light little gun but with a fat grip and NO safeties. To me, it felt dangerous to tote it so I quickly went back to my Ultra CDP and GAVE the G23 to my son, who'd always wanted a Glock! He loves the Glock and, "To each, his own."
Nawww . . . all those extra rounds of ammo add a lot of weight, make the grips fat (which makes 'em harder to conceal), and frankly should NEVER be needed by a civilian for self-defense. High round counts and high body counts are the stuff of Hollywood.
Heck, even against that nut at VA Tech, just one well-placed round from my Kimber would have put that boy down as fast as the shot he took himself to his own head.
MOST IMPORTANT . . .
It does NOT matter how many rounds a person ejaculates out of his barrel.
What DOES count is fast, ACCURATE HITS on the vital areas of the target.
The best three ways to guarantee this are:
1. A GREAT TRIGGER that can be operated with great precision at speed . . .
2. GREAT ACCURACY POTENTIAL from the firearm (and a lot of that is attributable to a treat trigger job).
and most important . . .
3. GREAT REAL WORLD ACCURACY from the OPERATOR of the weapon.
--If a person is a novice gun handler and currently a poor shot, then I recommend a cheap plastic gun with lots of bullets to spray around and increase your risks of liability due to hitting unintended targets with those extra rounds.
--However, if a person is a seasoned and skilled shot, reduce your liabilities AND save toting as much ammo by going with a single action, cocked and locked .45ACP with a lightweight officer's sized frame. Back it up with a few loaded spare magazines and you should be able to use the gun to get OUT of any bad situation you'll ever encounter.
An experienced shooter with decent skill WILL shoot a few LESS rounds, and in much LESS time . . . AND with a much higher vital hit ratio vs. the average Joe on the street with a high cap. bottom feeder shooting too fast and not using proper shooting skills.
AND . . . if the other guy is as good as you are with his high cap., one of you will be dead LONG before either magazine is emptied. Food for thought. The average gun fight is over in under three seconds. Me? I ain't planning on standing around . . . are you?
Make mine an Ultra CDP . . .
Mine is a first year, "1st generation-type" Ultra CDP, and it has NEVER hiccupped or caused even a moment of grief. It is an "ultra"-reliable little thing capable of getting the job done FAST!
AND . . . as another experienced poster has already stated, an N-frame .45ACP revolver is also something to drool over and desire. Mine is a tack-driving 25-2 6" target revolver, chopped to a 3 1/4" barrel and a trigger that has to be experienced to believe. It will roll coke cans all day long at 75 yards . . . STANDING.
I feel extremely well armed with EITHER!
Nothing is as flat and concealable as a single stack, officer's sized 1911 (frame and slide). In the "lightweight" type (aluminum frame) officer's style, I don't think anything is nicer STOCK than the Kimber Ultra CDP.
Rounded corners and edges, ambi safety (I'm a lefty), nightsights, checkered frontstrap, great single action trigger pull, grip safety, dual recoil spring system with full-length guide rod, match grade barrel, GREAT accuracy . . .
the works.
They ain't cheap . . . but then if one's life is valued and worth it to a person, what's a few extra bucks to protect it better.
Sorry, but I can't warm up to the Tupperware. I bought a like new G23 this time last year. Great, light little gun but with a fat grip and NO safeties. To me, it felt dangerous to tote it so I quickly went back to my Ultra CDP and GAVE the G23 to my son, who'd always wanted a Glock! He loves the Glock and, "To each, his own."
Nawww . . . all those extra rounds of ammo add a lot of weight, make the grips fat (which makes 'em harder to conceal), and frankly should NEVER be needed by a civilian for self-defense. High round counts and high body counts are the stuff of Hollywood.
Heck, even against that nut at VA Tech, just one well-placed round from my Kimber would have put that boy down as fast as the shot he took himself to his own head.
MOST IMPORTANT . . .
It does NOT matter how many rounds a person ejaculates out of his barrel.
What DOES count is fast, ACCURATE HITS on the vital areas of the target.
The best three ways to guarantee this are:
1. A GREAT TRIGGER that can be operated with great precision at speed . . .
2. GREAT ACCURACY POTENTIAL from the firearm (and a lot of that is attributable to a treat trigger job).
and most important . . .
3. GREAT REAL WORLD ACCURACY from the OPERATOR of the weapon.
--If a person is a novice gun handler and currently a poor shot, then I recommend a cheap plastic gun with lots of bullets to spray around and increase your risks of liability due to hitting unintended targets with those extra rounds.
--However, if a person is a seasoned and skilled shot, reduce your liabilities AND save toting as much ammo by going with a single action, cocked and locked .45ACP with a lightweight officer's sized frame. Back it up with a few loaded spare magazines and you should be able to use the gun to get OUT of any bad situation you'll ever encounter.
An experienced shooter with decent skill WILL shoot a few LESS rounds, and in much LESS time . . . AND with a much higher vital hit ratio vs. the average Joe on the street with a high cap. bottom feeder shooting too fast and not using proper shooting skills.
AND . . . if the other guy is as good as you are with his high cap., one of you will be dead LONG before either magazine is emptied. Food for thought. The average gun fight is over in under three seconds. Me? I ain't planning on standing around . . . are you?
Make mine an Ultra CDP . . .
Mine is a first year, "1st generation-type" Ultra CDP, and it has NEVER hiccupped or caused even a moment of grief. It is an "ultra"-reliable little thing capable of getting the job done FAST!
AND . . . as another experienced poster has already stated, an N-frame .45ACP revolver is also something to drool over and desire. Mine is a tack-driving 25-2 6" target revolver, chopped to a 3 1/4" barrel and a trigger that has to be experienced to believe. It will roll coke cans all day long at 75 yards . . . STANDING.
I feel extremely well armed with EITHER!
Gila Jorge
Member
I have the Kimber Ultra CDP and love it....also have a Wilson Sentinel Compact Round Butt 3.6 inch barrel on order to carry also...it is also in Stainless....and have a Talon 2 BobTail which has the 4.25 inch barrel...any of these would be good...
The Lone Haranguer
Member
Worthy of consideration: the Smith & Wesson 457, 4513 TSW and 4516. (I don't believe the 4516 - an all steel but compact gun - is in current production and would have to be used.) These have 7-round magazines. The Kahr P and PM45s look promising but I have never tried one.
When dealing with .45 caliber, if you want a physically small gun and a slender grip, you have to realize that you are giving up sheer number of rounds in the gun.
When dealing with .45 caliber, if you want a physically small gun and a slender grip, you have to realize that you are giving up sheer number of rounds in the gun.
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