I have to be honest, I am not a huge fan of 45ACPs. Maybe it is better said I don't own a lot of 45ACPs. I have probably owned twenty five or so 45ACPs over the years. There are just some things about 45ACPs that generally don't work for me. They are often too big or too heavy for daily carry. Many, 1911s in particular, lack magazine capacity; the size/weight to firepower ratio just doesn't add up for me. The question "Eight rounds in a full size 39 oz gun?" always runs through my mind when I find myself attracted to high-end 1911.

Another issue is the stiff recoil in the lighter weight 45s, which hinders accurate and quick follow-up shots. By comparison, the mild recoil of my lightweight 9MMs allow for much quicker and more accurate follow-up shots. My 9s also generally weigh less, hold more ammo, and are smaller in comparison. With modern bonded hollowpoint ammo, there is little difference in performance in soft targets between the two rounds. So many of my pistols are 9mm.

I have, however, kept three 45ACPs that I will probably pass on to my daughter when I depart. She is 2.5 years old and I am 48, so I hope I will have them for a while Two of them happen to be revolvers.If you have never shot a full size 45ACP revolver, you should. For some reason, I prefer 45ACP out of a revolver. I will shed a little light on that below.

I usually try to slip out of the office once a week to hit one of two local indoor ranges. I have been very busy the last bunch of weeks and I my range attendance has slipped. But I made it out one day last week and today! Over the weekend I started to think what guns I should bring with me. My main carry gun these days is an FN Five seveN. I have three Five seveNs, and one is a dedicated range gun that is always in my range bag. It gets 50 to 100 rounds through it every time I visit the range. Since I have not shot them in a while, I decided it would be fun to bring out a couple of 45s. Better yet, I thought, why not bring one 45 revolver and one 45 semi and see how they stack up.

Last night I packed up my S&W 625 Jerry Miculek and my FN FNX 45 Tactical. It wasn't a tough decision since I only own one other 45, a S&W 22 Thunder Ranch. Both revolvers are N Frames, but the 22 TR has a slim profile barrel and underlug. I though the heavy barreled 625 JM made more sense up against the full sized plus FNX.

[ul]All shooting was done at 10 yards.Ammo was American Eagle 230gr.The FNX was fired Single Action onlyThe 625JM was fired DOUBLE ACTION only. I emphasize that because the trigger pull is over 12 lbs!All shooting was done offhand.[/ul]

I shot the FNX first. In an attempt to mimic the capacity of the revolver, the first two groups were 6 rounds. By the third group I thought "the hell with it" and shot 12 rounds.

The FNX is a hell of a gun. Not only is it inherently accurate because of the excellent design and engineering behind it, it is one of the easiest guns to shoot well. Of all the guns I own, no gun come up more naturally on target than the FNX. You pick up the FNX and raise it to your eye and it is dead on target. I can't say that about all the guns I own, especially my Glocks. Plus the tall and stout Suppressor Night Sights on the FNX stand up proud and are super easy to pick up quickly. It takes more effort to not be on target; the sights are like a magnet pulling the gun right to the bullseye. It is the most naturally pointing pistol I have ever held. Check one out next time you are at the gun store, and you will see what I mean.

The only complaint I have about the gun is the recoil. No it is not awful. But keep in mind for such a large gun, it is pretty light weight. A good 12 ozs less than an all steel 1911. Because of the light weight, I struggle with rapid follow up shots in the sense that I cannot bring this gun back on target as quick as I can any of my 9mms. Even my little S&W Shield 9mm snaps right back on target pretty darn quick. But when you do get this monster back on target, it's light out!

I'm also not a big fan of SA/DA semi-autos in general. I prefer the same exact trigger pull each time I pull the trigger. The idea of shooting the first shot DA and the subsequent shots SA, does not appeal to me. But in the case of the FNX I am willing to overlook that. The FNX is really just a very well made, well designed, and super accurate gun. I will never sell this gun.

It serves to mention that I normally run the FNX with a Trijicon RMR. For purposes of this comparison I decided the irons made more sense.





I packed up my FNX and loaded up my 625. Though this gun is heavy, it so well balanced it does NOT feel heavy at all when you are pointing it at the target. The amazing thing is, the gun has very little recoil. It drops right back down on target rafter each shot. It is a real *****cat compared to the FNX and truly a joy to shoot. While the DA trigger is quite heavy (12lbs), it is super smooth and consistent through the long pull. If you do your job, it will stay right on target when that trigger breaks. For those who have never shot a 625...beg, borrow, or steal. You will find yourself figuring out a way to get one past your wife. The 625 is another example of a great naturally pointing gun that is insanely accurate. I know this gun is completely capable of putting all the rounds in one hole.

One of the features I love about the 625JM is the quick change front sight blade. The blade it came with had a gold bead. I swap it out with the green fiber optic blade from time to time. I used the fiber optic blade today. I like both, but I give a slight edge to the fiber optic sight. It contrasts nicely with the target. Another great feature are the moonclips. There is no faster way to load and unload a revolver than moonclips.






I don't foresee the situation where I would be carrying either one of these guns. These are target guns to me. Most of the handguns I own tend to be suited to carry. But I do have a nice hand full of target guns in my collection. And that is where these two live.

Which do I prefer? It is a very tough call. If I had to part with one of them, I would be very hard pressed to pick one. If you are a 45 fan and have not tried either of these, you will be as impressed as I am. I have owned 45s made by HK, high-end 1911s, Sigs, Glocks, etc. I played around with them for a short time and sold them because of the reasons I stated earlier. Aside from the S&W Thunder Ranch 22, these are the only other 45s I have kept in the stable over the years. They are not going anywhere