Why is the .45 ACP so Accurate?

[jlh26oo]

Lots of good answers. Bigger holes make for better looking groups.

L.O.L. yeah that's a great illusion. It's easier to punch .45 holes that connect than with smaller calibers, getting that one ragged hole target. But when you get down to measuring centers to centers, the difference is sometimes not as big as it appears.

I'm not sure that .45acp isn't more accurate per platform, although GLOCK 10mm guys might take exception to that. And of course across platforms it means nothing. You can find 9's more accurate than .45's and vice versa.

 

[Shung]

No handgun has a better trigger when they are set up correctly.
And no other gun is as easy to tighten or build tight and set up for accuracy as the 1911

mmmm for having used both, i'd say that the Sig P210 does even better.. and out of the box..

Anyway, I dont think that a gun is more accurate than another.. neither that an ammunition is..

It's the conjunction of a barrel and an ammo that makes it more accurate or not..

that's why reloading can be so interessant..

For example the 210 works perfectly with its own swiss military ammo.. Try it with magtech or Sellier&bellot and you will see worse results.. Of course, you have to go to 50m... at 25 or less, you wont see any difference.-

 

[FEG]

Many years ago I read a magazine writers comment that the difference is because the .45 ACP chambers on the case mouth, while the 9MM chambers on the rim. I don't know if it's true or not

I believe you are confusing .38 ACP/.38 Super Auto with 9mm. Not only does 9x19mm chamber on the case mouth, it doesn't have a rim, period.

.38 ACP/.38 Super Auto are semi-rimmed, and some of the pistols that headspace using the rim are notoriously inaccurate.

 

[Harley Quinn]

Being accurate in the hands of folks who take the time to learn shooting it. Basicly it is a hard pistol/revolver to learn to shoot for 80% of the people who will try to shoot it let alone the ones who won't shoot it because it is hard to shoot

Why the 9mm is the most popular in the world it is easy to shoot, and accurate.

 

[SubSolar]

I remember reading that in the FBI test the 10mm was more accurate than the .45 which was more accurate than the 9mm.

As for regular shooters, the .45 may be more accurate for them because of the push back recoil and perhaps because the .45 guns are usually heavier (both the actual gun itself with bigger frame and slide and a full magazine with cartridges).

Although this doesn't explain why .45's from a ransom rest are usually more accurate. I know that Sig 220's (.45) can group in or under 1" at 25 yards while Sig 226 9mm's are about 1.5."

 

[Slamfire]

I am not a Bullseye pistol shooter, but I have seen pictures of a Bullseye Champ with a 9mm Beretta. These Bullseye M92s, like ones built by David Sams, http://www.samscustomgunworksusa.com/, are extremely accurate, and built to the same accuracy standards as bullseye 45's.

The Bullseye shooters I know, choose their service pistol on what fits their hand better. Usually that is a M1911.

I don't think there is a measurable difference between the accuracy of a 9mm and a 45ACP, not in cartridge terms.

 

[BlindJustice]

I shoot my S&W 1911 & Model 625 5" Bbl. about equally well, &
better than my other pistols, although my newest, a CZ 75B, is #3
#4 617 6" Bbl.
#5 60 3" Bbl. .38 Special +P in a .357 Chamber
#6 686P 4" Bbl. 140 gr. Hornady XTP JHP @ 1425 fps

Some days I shoot the 1911 better, other days it's the
big 625 easy to shoot double taps, or just SA off a bag
Leadhead hardcast 200 gr. SWC @ 1,025 fps verra accurate

I think the S&W .45 ACP/Auto Rim revolvers are also an
additional factor in that they are top of the line DA revolvers
having a fair rep. for being accurate.

Randall
.

 

[FEG]

I think the S&W .45 ACP/Auto Rim revolvers are also an
additional factor in that they are top of the line DA revolvers
having a fair rep. for being accurate.

I wish I had said that myself. I have found that my 625 (has a lock, forget the dash) is also a real tackdriver with mil spec ammo or almost anything else in moonclips. I have never had good results with .45 Auto Rim, though.

I also suspect that some of the foreign autos are made to a higher spec. in .45 ACP, because they know they are competing with better products than your typical U.S. made 9mm.

 

[Dobe]

I believe you are confusing .38 ACP/.38 Super Auto with 9mm. Not only does 9x19mm chamber on the case mouth, it doesn't have a rim, period.

I'm sure you meant to say that it is rimless, and not that it doesn't have a rim. Rimless is just a classification for a cartridge, which has a rim that is approximately the diameter of the body of the case. A rebated rim would be less than the forementioned.

 

[FEG]

A ha! On the days I don't learn something new, I am reminded of something I had forgotten. I had gotten used to thinking of the "rim" as part of the extraction groove.

 

[chubbmann]

I find my shooting is good from both my 9mm and my .45acp. But, I would say the .45 is more true. I think in my case it is the recoil. The slide seem to work well with the kick. It is a Rock Island 1911 .45acp.

 

[Ascot500]

I believe that in a recent Rifleman issue, the newest FN pistol was tested in all three calibers and the 45 was the clear winner. You can also look at the Gunblast test of the SW99 and see how accurate it was. I don't recall the 9 or 40 being in the same league.

Perhaps when two manufactured items are made to the same tolerance the larger item is less affected by the tolerance?

 

[steelyblue]

I shoot my 45acp Kimber better than I shoot my 9mm Kimber. That may be because the 45acp is a 5" barrel gun vs a 4" in the 9. I don't think that recoil is a factor in the 1911 platform. I definitely don't like the recoil on a G30. I had one for a couple of weeks. As for accuracy, I think it is a state of mind, mostly, Also, the care taken to ensure the gun is accurate, plays a huge role.

 

[esq_stu]

I think it's also cultural. The U.S. has always had a very vibrant gun culture. When the 1911 came out, individuals bought them too. After all, it was our standard Army sidearm, and many G.I.s (and doughboys) wanted to own them. They bought them (because they had the right) and started making improvements in both the guns and the ammo., as hobbysts do.

Before long, there was a lively bullseye competition involving .45 ACP. And the race was on to make them more and more accurate. Any hobby or sport would go that way.

Now that the U.S. has adopted 9mm as standard (since the '80s, anyway), just give us another 80 years and we'll make 9mm much more accurate as well.

I'm not saying it will catch up with .45 - after all, it's had a 70+ year head start.