Which 45acp for me

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frankie357

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:confused: Let me start by saying that I'm mostly a revolver guy. I practice alot with 357mag and 38sp+p so I'm not recoil shy. I've been wanting to add a 45acp to my collection. Mostly for target practice, plinking, possible bedside companion. I've owned a few 45's over the years, but don't want to spend a small fortune on getting a stock one tweaked. What's out there now that is a solid performer right out of the box, suggestions? Thanks for any help.
 
You may want to look at the Dan Wesson Patirot...Under $900, match barrel, handfitted slide ect ect ect. Goto the 1911Forum.com board and read about them on their forum.
Best deal/pistol I could find for the price...no tweaking needed...And just picked one up about two hours ago. Good Luck.

Art
 
Me, the 1st one I would recommend is the HK USP 45. If you're set on getting a 1911, look at the loaded Springfields. Big on value, low on expense & they're pretty nice guns.
 
Thanks for the info. The last 45 I had was a Colt Officer model. It shot well, and the size was ok for me. How about the fact that I shoot mostly revolvers as a factor in my decision? I've tried a glock 21, but it didn't work for me. Maybe something DAO? Or perhaps a model with decock only?
 
If you want a 1911 .45 then I don't really know what is out there that is relatively inexpensive and very reliable right out of the box.

I think that 1911's are damm near an industry of their own, why else would S&W jump in at this late stage???

But if you want an exquisite .45 gun then I would suggest you take a look at the H&K Compact .45.

Its not really that compact, but if you are used to revolvers the pointing character of the compact may not be that much different.

I have a 1911, started with a Colt and tweaked the heck out of it (as in put a ton of money and work into it). It was ok out of the box but would occasionally stove pipe or hiccup. It is now extraordinarily reliable and it now has thousands of rounds through it.

My H&K Compact .45 has had nothing done to it and it is out of the box fairly extraordinary. Very accurate and now with thousands of rounds through it that thing has never failed in any way with what ever I feed it. If you shop around you can pick one up for under $550 used.
 
Current production Colt Government Model. Retails for about $570.

These guns work right out of the box, feed JHP, are finished nicely and have good 3 dot sights.
 
A 1911 trigger is pretty close to a single-action revolver trigger. I really like my 686+, but my friend's Kimber Classic was pretty nice too. I also hear good things about the CZ 97 and P220.

Have fun shopping :)
 
Guy at the range let me shoot his Kimber, but I can't remember what model. I think it was a "Pro Target" or something. Very nice. He mentioned his adjustable sights were still off-center a little.. After nearly punching out the center of my taget, I didn't think so.

I've heard both good and bad stories about Kimber, but I've never owned one myself. Owned a Springfield Loaded Mil-Spec and I still regret having sold it - that was a nice pistol.

The Springfields are great for the money.

I imagine a Glock 21 would be great, too.

Each should cost you around $550 or so depending on what kind of deals you find.
 
Gun Fit

Gun fit is important, for any firearm IMO.
I would try before I buy. My usual speil is as follows-just disregard cal, since you've chosen, and this also is my CCW advice.
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Pick the largest caliber in a gun that fits in a platform that allows the most accurate consitent hits quickly.
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Me,I prefer no bells or whistles, simple 1911 style with a 4# crisp trigger are fine.

I use Kimber Stainless Target series I
Mil-Specs (shoot these a LOT), Colts, fit me better, but shoot SA also. I grew up with this platform, just fits me better than anything I have shot.

Most of my range work has been with Colt Mil-Spec, all its had done is trigger smoothed and 47D mags. I also CCW this gun.
 
Get a Kimber Stainless, or a Kimber Target, the only difference is adjustable sights on the Target model. but both will be very accurate, have a great trigger, and be very reliable.
 
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When I was looking for a .45 I narrowed it down to a Kimber and a SIG 220. Settled on the SIG because I got it at a great price. It really is a great gun. In the future I'll still look to acquire a 1911.
 
There are a lot of great 45acp's out there. All depends on what you want. AlaDan has offered his nod towards the Sig P220 already, so I will step into the batters box now and give the nod towards the Ruger P-90. Great gun. Stone cold reliable, accurate and a great buy.
 
Thanks for all of the suggestions. It seems that trips to gunshops in my area is in order. The fact that it won't be for concealed carry means that size is not important, just reliability. The models you mentioned all seem to have pretty good track records so I'll be looking at those. Thanks again for the input, it's appreciated. :)
 
A few last points:

As you said you are a revolver guy, I know that there are a few DAO offerings out there to consider. There is the Ruger KP97DAO. There is the Beretta 8045D, of which there are a few positive gun rag write-ups on the 'net. The HK USP has some DAO variants. S&W also has a variety of .45ACP DAOs.
 
Considering your desired uses for a .45 ACP pistol, and that you're experienced with revolvers ...

I'd suggest you rent a S&W .45 stainless steel frame 4566TSW (DA/SA) and a 4586TSW (DAO). The stainless frame will make range & plinking a pleasure, and make recovery fast for defensive use as a "home defense" weapon. Weight of the all stainless pistols probably wouldn't be an issue if you're used to medium sized .357 Magnum revolvers. S&W .45 ACP pistols are NOT ammunition sensitive, and as long as they're reasonably maintained they're about as reliable as the atomic clock ... ;)

The Ruger P-Series are great choices, too, although the aluminum & polymer frames don't offer the "perceived" recoil absorption the stainless frames do. Polymer actually does absorb a significant amount of the recoil impulse, but it "feels" differently than the heavier metal frames in this regard. Again, you'd have to shoot them to decide for yourself. Ruger isn't known for their "competitive" triggers. Hey, I can say that because I've shot a lot of them, and currently own an older P-90 that's digested a LOT of rounds. Big, boxy, reliable as you'd ever desire, but with a long and "less precise" trigger in both DA & SA mode. Great "work horse" pistol. My S&W .45's are a lot more fun, though, because of the triggers.

HK USP's are great pistols, but the triggers aren't ... unless you want to invest in one of the Tactical or Expert models ... Long travel, with unpredictable creep & staging from one pistol of the same model to another ... longer reset, too. Nicely produced, good accuracy ...

SIG's are great pistols. Been shooting them since Browning imported the early BDA version. Used to be very finicky about bullet shape. Better now. The early extractor & breech block roll pin breakage issues have apparently been resolved, as has the magazine fabrication (seam welds) issues, and the current models have benefitted from other improvements, as well. Triggers are different in "feel" from other designs mentioned so far, but generally popular among a wide spectrum of shooters, and apparently fit those with medium to small hands much better than they used to ...

Lighter pistols may not be as pleasureable for extended range use, although you'd have to be the judge of that ...

Single action 1911 design pistols often require a lot of user familiarization before many first time owners are comfortable with their manual of arms ...

Striker fired pistols are offered in a variety of designs regarding their cycle of operation ... DA/SA, partially compressed striker spring when chambered, completely compressed striker spring when chambered ... Aside from the mechanical advantages or disadvantages of these different designs, you'd again have to try them and see if you preferred a particular one over any other.

Even the "traditional" DA/SA pistol designs vary quite a bit from one to another, especially when it comes to trigger travel, "stacking", reset and weight ...

If you're near a public range that offers rental privileges, I'd invest in renting and shooting a different pistol every day you can visit the range. I'd also invest in only shooting quality major manufacturer ammuntion, too, as reloads can sometimes have an adverse impact on your shooting experience. This may cost you some money ... but range time can be fun, especially shooting different and new (to you) handguns ... and you may be glad you didn't buy one or more of them after a rental range session ...

Also, shooting rental pistols will give you a chance to learn how well the various pistols operate after receiving a lot of use, and ocacsional abuse ... and often very little in the way of consistent cleaning and maintenance. While there are naturally ranges that are better about their maintenance and cleaning of rental guns ... about the only worse maintained pistols are those in L/E holsters ... ;)

Take your time ... shoot a lot of them ... great caliber and a lot of great pistols offered out there ... You should find at least one you'll like.
 
Thanks again. I'll take my time and make sure to try some of the models you've suggested out at the range. It helps to have narrowed the field down a bit already.
 
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