Al about the .45

[model 70]

so i am looking at getting a semi-auto pistol. what's up with the .45?

now i know the cowboys shoot the .45colt. what cartridge is fired from the 1911's? like the ones from WW2.

my buddy has a springfield .45 that i've shot. i like that gun alot. is that the .45acp?

i like the idea of hurling a big, heavy chunk of lead at someone who is trying to do me harm. so why isn't the .45 as popular as the .40cal for home protection?

any downsides/upsides would be appreciated. thanks.

[gregarat]

my buddy has a springfield .45 that i've shot. i like that gun alot. is that the .45acp?

It sure is! I love the Springfield myself.

As for the second question.

so why isn't the .45 as popular as the .40cal for home protection?

The downside is.
1. Clip capasity, wich isnt that huge of a issue. Its just a nice thing to have.

2. recoil. I know the recoil from a .45acp isnt that bad. But W.T.S.H.T.F. having a quick, and accurate second shot is an issue.

The upside

the idea of hurling a big, heavy chunk of lead at someone who is trying to do me harm

Enough said!

The more I talk to L.E.O.s, combat soldiers who have been in shootouts. The more I belive the best weppon is your focus, and drive to do what needs to be done. Everything else is just acidemic and theoretical.

[PJgunner]

OK, the cartridge fired from the .45 automatic is the .45 ACP.
What's wrong with the .45 ACP for home defense? Not a darn thing.
A standard magazine holds 7 rounds and one up the spout makes 8. You can get 8 round magazines from Wilson that work just fine, and he also makes a 10 rounder, which, with one up the spout gives you 11 rounds.
If you want more rounds, Para-Ordnance make their P-14, with a 14 round mag and one up the spout, that's the same as the average 9mm with 15 round mag and a heck of a lot better round.
Handicap? Think about this. When cops got into gunfights and were carrying 6 shot revolvers, you didn't hear about 40 or more rounds fired at the bad guy. The cop usually got it done within the 6 rounds.
Now if there is a scenario at my house where the BG breaks in, the wife and I hole up in the bedroom with the door locked, the cell phone dialed to 911. Once contact is made with 911, I state loudly so the bad guy can hear me, that I have 911 on the line, I am armed, and if you enter the locked bedroom, I will shoot. The longest distance from me to the bedroom door in 22 feet. I do seroius practice with a Plain Jane Colt all steel Combat Commander stoked with 230 gr. Federal Hydra-shocks. The gun is no target gun by any means, but at 22 feet, I can do double taps that group within three inches. Most practice is with white box 230 gr. hardball, brass is reloaded with 200 gr. cast lead semi-wadcutters or 230 gr. cast round nose bullets.
There ain't no flies on the good old 1911 .45 ACP.
If you prefer a double action semi, take a look at the Sig-Sauer P-220. It outshoots my targer grade 1911 out of the box. Even Ruger makes a P90 in .45, if money is an issue.
Paul B.

[Mickey Rat]

45 ACP (automatic Colt pistol) is a designation for all John Browning designed pistol cartridges:

25acp
32acp
380acp (also 9mm kurtz)
45 acp

All were new cartridges designed to work in the newly invented semiautomatic pistols in the very early 1900's.

45 Colt (often called Long Colt) is the cartridge used by the 1873 Colt Peacemaker, a black powder round.

Many of the older black powder cartridges are rather large compaired to more modern cartridges. This is because black powder has much greater volume than smokeless (modern) powders. A 45 Colt cartridge is almost full of black powder. A full case of most smokeless powders would cause the gun to explode.

Guns and Ammo recently ran an article compairing the 44-40 (a black powder round) and the 40 Smith & Wesson (a modern smokeless powder round). Although over a 100 years difference in their introduction, they are balistically identical.

I personally love the 45acp. I have at least 7 pistols in that caliber. I have a Ruger New Model revolver and a Stainless Steel Copy of the 1892 Winchester lever action rifle. I enjoy shooting both.

Either the 40 S&W or the 45acp are wonderfull self defense rounds. Pick the gun you like best, and buy it. Then shoot it untill you become proficient with it.

[GoodOlBoy]

there ain't a thing in the world wrong with a good 1911a1 sprinfield. Yes it shoots 45 auto (45acp) which is a danged fine round. If you ever get into reloading you can also load 230grain Remington Golden Sabers for it. . . . IMHO they are a very impressive HP. The flip side is there ain't a dang thing wrong with ball ammo, it has been taken care of buisness for alot of years now.

GoodOlBoy

[model 70]

so what's the main difference in performance between the .40 and the .45?

[Mickey Rat]

The 40 S&W is a high pressure, high performance round. The 45 ACP is a low pressure round firing a large slow bullet. The 45 ACP will do the job, even with hardball. It is a really dependable stopper. I actually spoke to a guy that was accidentially shot with a 45ACP. It penetrated his hand, one arm, his complete torso, the chair he was sitting in, richochetted and ruined an M-16. He was completely non-functional. He survived only because he was 5 blocks from a hospital, and it was still iffy. After 6 weeks, he was still in a wheelchair.

The military is going BACK to the 45 from the 9mm. Wonder why they don't go to the 40?

It lacks the dependable knock down of the 45.

[Esox357]

The round you want is the 45 acp. The 40 is more popular now only because the police use it. Most civillians will pick up what the most recent trend is in calibers, and think if it is good enough for the police then it must be good. The 45 is alot easier to shoot in my opinion. I have always worried about if it would penetrate enough though? The 45 acp costs more to shoot then the 40 or 9mm. The 45 is also used usually in a bigger frame firearm which people sometimes complain about. The 40 is snappy and can be hard for follow up shots. It is the middle ground between the 9mm and 45acp. It provides 16 rounds and a little more power than the 9mm. Overall shot placement is the key and most calibers 9mm and above are acceptable for self-defense. The 45 would be a excellent firearm and has a excellent street record. I prefer the glock 21 over the 1911's but thats just me. Esox357

[Skinny Shooter]

Originally posted by model 70
so why isn't the .45 as popular as the .40cal for home protection?

It might be because gun rags and other folks claim that the 45acp has tremondous recoil. Who knows.
Have always liked the 45acp in a 1911 pistol and use a full-sized model for CCW and home defense. Along with a S&W 686+ 357mag 7 shot snubbie. Having that extra round should fool 'em.
I've had a Glock 23 and a Beretta Centurion in 40S&W. They got sold for another 1911.
Some folks are real good with a 9mm or a 40S&W and that's ok but those cartridges aren't for me.
An advantage to a 1911 style pistol is the single-action only trigger. The Beretta was a double-action first shot and then single-action each shot afterwards. Could never get used to that loooong trigger pull after the first shot.
The 1911 is meant to be carried with the hammer back and the safety on which is AKA "cocked and locked".
The Springys are nice guns like the others mentoned above.
Mine is loaded with 230 gr. Federal Hydra-shocks in an 8rnd mag + 1 in the chamber and keep 2 extra 10rnd mags loaded with 230gr ball ammo.
All mags made by Chip McCormick.
Allen

[Mickey Rat]

When my son was at Ft. Bragg, NC, he practiced with the 9mm a lot. They teach the "double tap" method when shooting. Double tap? Ever notice that a double tap puts (hopefully) 2 115 grain bullets (230 grains) in the target. A 45acp hardball is 230 grains. Isn't that interesting?

The 40 S&W was an attempt to put 45acp firepower into a 9mm weapon. The case head is rebated to be the same size as a 9mm. Kel-Tec made their 9mm in 40 S&W for a short while, untill they saw frames start cracking.

In 100 years, will the 40 S&W still be in use? I'll bet the 45 acp will be.

[model 70]

what about magazine capacity?

[gregarat]

The issue with the military is that they adhere to the Hague Convention IV Respecting the Laws and Customs of War on Land of 18 October 1907, which prohibits the employment of "arms, projectiles, or material of a nature to cause superfluous injury."

Wich means that they cant use expanding or fragmentable rounds. Dont ask me how a holowpoint or a fragmentable would cause superfluous injury over a solid FMJ?

Giving that fact using a .45 makes a heck of alot more sense than a 9mm anyday.

[Skinny Shooter]

Originally posted by model 70
what about magazine capacity?

See the posts in this thread by PJgunner and myself.

[xwing]

Guess what I would suggest?
I too love the .45 ACP cartridge and while I own a few 1911 type guns I prefer the Glock 21 .
Glock is easier for new shooters, Less felt recoil, 13+1 capacity. lifetime guaranty. LOTS of Accessories! and best of all...drop -dead reliability!
Hey R.A. Steele ....I'm still alive