I've been shooting .45 ACP more and more lately and am remembering that I do enjoy it.

I currently only have a full-size .45 and am considering a carry option.

Double stack is out of the question...... Compact or subcompact preferred

I have two thoughts off hand, but won't mention anything.

So, any input? All suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks,
Ski

And since threads are more fun with pictures.........

My full size SigP250 .45. It makes a great house gun. I also have the .40 subcompact exchange kit.



Time to break out the camera... cell phone pics don't cut it.

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- The Federalist #46 -

S&W PC 1911 or the E-Series SC 1911. Both guns are the same weight and the round butt will make them easy to carry.

Is a 45 CS one of them? Hmmmm? If not, sure ought'a be. Let's see what else comes up.
PS: love the Sig!

Sig P220. Doesn't get any better. They make it in full size, carry and compact. The difference between the full size and the carry size about 1/2" in barrel length. Both have 8 round capacity. The compact is 6 rounds. A very accurate and reliable model.

Been carrying a .45 for quite a few years. Here is my latest.
A Sig 1911 Ultra in its new TT Gunleather with shark trim.
I read about TT Gunleather on this forum, what a great holster, I love it.



Sorry it is a cell phone picture

Glock 36 will fit the bill.

Just bought a Springfield XDs 3.3 45.



Slimmest magazine fed 45ACP on the market

19oz w/o mag

Other than grip safety, no manual safeties to fool with

Fiber optic front sight is real nice, and it shoots quite well for me

Not punishing to shoot

Works flawlessly out of box



$430 on Net from GrabAgun

A 1911 with a 4" or 4-1/4" barrel has a quick balance for carry, yet no serious issues with reliability. An aluminum frame shaves 9 or 10 ounces from the weight, which is a welcome relieve from the saggy-pants syndrome.

I'm particularly fond of a SIG P220 Carry, with a DAK double-action trigger. It's a single-stack, .45 ACP, 8+1 capacity with a 3.9" barrel. The full-sized grip gives good control, yet is rounded for easy concealment.

I've got to go with Sodacan and Neumann. The 220 Carry and the SAO Carry are just about perfect.
I'm getting migraines trying to justify both a 226 sao and a 220 sao.

A few guys I know have the XDs, and really like them. Compact and reliable.

That said, when it comes to 45's, I'm a 1911 guy. When I am carrying a .45 for self defense, it usually my Kimber Ultra with the Crimson Trace laser grips. Nice and thin, weighs 25 ounces, and has been nothing but accurate and reliable with anything I feed it.

Larry

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Shorty 45, 4513TSW, or 457. All the same size and weight. Not as light as the polymers, to be sure, but well balanced (3 3/4" barrels) and substantial to handle the recoil. 7 plus one capacity except in the no-rail 4513TSW, which is 6 plus one.

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Ukraine -- now more than ever

Have you looked at Kahr?

They have the PM45 and CM45 which are nice options. 1" wide with an overall length of 5.8". Those two are 5+1. It's nearly the size of an xds just half an inch shorter. The height and width are nearly the same... The Kahr is .1" wider and .09" taller.

The CW45 is just a tad taller and longer and has an extra round.

I tried the new XDS 4.0 and really didn't like it. It had to go back to the factory for reliability issues and even though it works now, it's not very accurate and has a lot of muzzle flip because of the high bore axis. I found the Kahr P45 to be a dream to shoot. It's a bit pricey, but they do have an economy line out now.

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Loyalty Above All.. but Honor

Another vote for the 457, 4513 or Shorty 45. (MK1 or MK2)

My Shorty 45 MK2.

1911 Government Model. I prefer the Colt Series 80, but there are other good ones. Reasons? Hammer for guaranteed (by me) safe holstering. Slim. Easy to shoot because of proper weight. Barrel and slide proper length so that muzzle doesn't dig into my buttock when carried IWB in a Milt Sparks Summer Special.

If I were to use an OWB holster, a Commander would be just as good or better. Lighter weight, but recoil is still not a problem.

Obviously, this is a very personal choice based on my body shape and hand size (the 1911 definitely fits my hand well).

Colt combined the Commander barrel and slide with the Officers frame to create the CCO, a 45 ACP with the 4 1/4 barrel and six rounds of ammunition. Others have copied it and the Dan Wesson my brother has is a nice iteration.

Kevin

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Unshared knowledge is wasted.

I started out with Colt 1911s but in the mid 80s switched to a W. German Sig 220...mostly range use but some concealed carry....... the Sig will shoot cloverleafs at 50 ft.

Since about 1990 my primary concealed carry has been some form of 3913/14............

I carried (off and on) a 4516 (too heavy) and a 4513TSW (too hard to find extra 6rd mags.)...... but in the mid 90s I switched to a Sig 245 ( today's 220 compact) as my primary carry .45......and haven't looked back!!!!

My carry combo is includes a Milt Sparks Summer Special and an extra 8 round 220 mag with x-grip...

A Smith that would be fun concealed carry; would be a 6 round 4513(alloy frame) mated to a longer 4566 slide/barrel........ a 3rd Gen CCO!!

Many will laugh at my selection.....a Star Firestar in .45!

Wow! What a great gun for not a lot of money when you can find one.....

Randy

Although a dyed in the wool .45 ACP Cooperite (read 1911), for the last few years my favorite concealed carry piece in said caliber in my SS Taurus PT-145.

It's light & compact. It weighs 21 oz., has a 3.5" barrel, is a narrow 1.2" wide, yet holds a respectable 10+1 rounds of .45 ACP.

It's been 100% reliable with anything I stuff in it's magazine.

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NULLI SECUNDUS

If you are a 1911 fan, then look into an alloy Comm. Mine is the 1911PD, 8+1, modified butt, but now available as the 1911SC version. Over 1000rds of mixed ammo, never once bobbled.

For a double stack, I love my XD45C, 10+1, same size as a G19. The 1911 carries more easily, a bit lighter & so thin I hardly know it's there in an IWB holster.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

In the single-stack compact carry .45 ACP category, my present gun is the SIG-Sauer P220 Compact Elite SAO. You can run the slide with the safety on (making this a particularly safe SA gun to own - the only time the safety comes off on mine is when the gun is either on target or unloaded), it's accurate and easy to shoot fast (despite speculation about the "high bore axis") and well, and it's been utterly reliable for me. It's also decently compact, has a 4" tube, factory tritium sights and is lightweight.

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Now go make God proud...

Colt Defender if like me you prefer single action autos.

For myself.I carry a glock 21 at work.On my own time I prefer my colt defender 3 inch barrel light and easy to carry.It has been accurate and reliable with everything I have put through it.One of the officers I work with swears by his kahr 45.Their are a lot of good choices out there.

Never knew you could "run the slide with the safety on"; truth be told never even seen a 220 SOA.

Do love my 245s ...I like the slightly longer 4" barrel for IWB carry and... as Erich said they shoot as well as a full size 220.

I like My Kimber UCII and Springfield Armory XDs. Both are very accurate pistols as long as you mind your Ps & Qs. Short barreled pistols are notorious for bringing out any of your bad habits but are usually the best choice for concealed carry as far as size and bulk.

It all comes down to where you want to compromise. Generally, with a compact pistol, it's capacity and inaccuracy issues if your form is sloppy.

Thanks for the input! There are some good options here. It looks like my homework will continue.

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- The Federalist #46 -

Depends what you really want and are willing to accept.

Personally, I've already got 9 pistols chambered in .45 ACP in my safe, so I've come to accept I probably won't be buying more of them.

All but one of mine are "single stacks", with the exception being the M&P 45 w/thumb safety.

The lightest of them to carry are all discontinued models, being a CS45, original 4513TSW & SW1911SC 5" stainless (slide).

I suppose if I were going to buy a new production .45 that was lightweight & slim (which doesn't necessarily mean 'single stack'), I'd give careful consideration to the following: M&P 45c; SIG (not 1911) with the current external pivoting extractor; a Colt lightweight XSE Commander; a SW1911E Commander-style (Scandium aluminum frame); or a Glock G36.

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Ret LE Firearms inst & armorer

I own and carry occasionally(wintertime) a Kimber Compact. It`s a steel frame pistol and I`ve had the front strap checkered and night sights installed. Also installed a Wilson flat recoil spring spring...I would recommend that for any of the shorter 1911s. I`m not sure anyone makes steel framed CCOs any more, but if you plan on shooting it a lot and you could get one, it might be the way to go. Otherwise, if I was looking today I would take a close look at the new Springfield Range Officer Compact. It doesn`t come in the final form I would like but I don`t consider it overpriced when compared to similar guns in the market.

There appears to be some "Sig Love" in this thread and once again if I was in the market and ran across a 245 somewhere I think that would be a good if not great choice. Good Luck, John

Lightweight Commander (regardless of the manufacturer) or a P220 would be my answer.

The G36 just never felt right to me.

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Even older, even crankier....

I carried a Block 36 which I purchased shortly after they were available. At that time it was the only smal 45 ACP carry pistol available. Now one has similar offereing from Springfield and Kahr. Recently I opted for pocket carry of a Kahr PM9.

Even though there are those who would say my middle name should be 1911, I would say give the XDs .45 a good look. It's lightweight, reasonably compact for a .45, accurate, and very moderate in the recoil department. As a plastic fantastic, I can't see that I would be broken-hearted if the worst thing happened and it ended up in police custody. My only complaint is the lack of a thumb safety. If it had a decent one I would consider it a ten for its intended purpose.

That falls under personal preference I guess. Since it has the grip and the trigger safety, it should be safe enough all around. IN some ways, it might be a bit superior to the 1911 grip and thumb safety arrangement. I have both and can't find fault with either. Though, since I carry the XDs more than the UCII, I may have "memory issues" with flipping the thumb safety off.

I carry a Colt Government series 70 IWB by Whitehat Holster. Never any complaint, and I carried a Model 36 before that. The 1911 is what I have the most confidence in.

+1 for an outstanding compact .45ACP ... My second choice would be a German-made SIG 220.

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I'm with the banned ...

Just wondering why double stack is out of the question?

I carry inside the waistband appendix, and doublestack handguns are a bit too bulky after a while.

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- The Federalist #46 -

Okay. Was just curious. Just as an aside, I sometimes carry a Glock 30S, 10 + 1, and it's pretty slim. I don't carry it for hours on end though, so don't know how it'd do in the long run.

Pretty happy with my Glock 36 but I'm not as accurate with it yet as I'd like, carries better than the 19 but fits the same holsters.

I'd recommend the Springfield Armory MicroCompact... if they still made them. A friend has had one for years, and it's a great little gun. It's accurate, reliable and controllable with everything from Aguila 117gr. IQ to 230gr. ball.

I'm thinking about the similar ATI compact .45.

I still favor the 1911 design, but the Sig P245 intrigues me. Since those are tough to come by, the P220 Compact is a possibility too.

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There is only one single stack handgun, chambered in .45ACP, that is worth considering, the 1911. It is God's gift to the defensive handgun world. The perfect combination of durability, reliability and accuracy. Why anyone would consider any of these obviously inferior guns is beyond me.

To add to that, the only correct version is the 5" barreled version. That is how it was originally designed by God's prophet, John Moses Browning, and that is how it should be used. The one acceptable deviation from that standard is the 4 1/4" barreled Commander version.



Why on God's green Earth would you even consider carrying anything else?


(For those of you that have had your sarcasm detector amputated, this was said largely tongue in cheek. There are many good guns out there. I am a 1911 fan, in case you couldn't tell. )

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Freedom isn't free.

What?!? No CCO?

I also vote for the 1911. I have a Desert Eagle 1911C with a 4.3" bbl. it carries well IWB or OWB with 8 round mags. It is all steel and a clone of the Colt Seris 70 Commander. A great CCW. I like the steel guns and do not mind the extra weight, with a good belt and holster configuration the weapon carries quite well.

I primarily carry the 1911 (above) and the 1076, but when I need a lower profile or don't want the weight, I have the third leg in my triad of carry defense, a Springfield XDs. Very accurate and concealable. Since it's not a 50 yard target gun, I put XS Big Dot sights on it and love them.

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Colt Combat Commander, satin nickel in .45ACP, extremely durable finish, handles like a dream, extremely reliable, can safely be carried in Condition 1. What more could you ask?

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be safe,enjoylife,journey well

The CCO might be considered acceptable, but the grip is too short. Because of this, full size mags cannot be used. Therefore, when in a gun fight, you cannot just borrow a mag from your companion who of course is carrying the requisite 1911. If both of you have CCOs then it might be considered acceptable.

Then again, you're not being considerate of your fellow man; the man on the street. What if he needs a mag? Of course he will also have a 1911. So to be truly a magnanimous defender, the full size 1911 is the only way to go.

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Freedom isn't free.

Given that +90% of the time I'm only carrying one spare magazine...... my "fellow man" is SOL...........LOL

You forgot to mention that it has to be the original Colt. There is no other acceptable substitutes. Colt is the only TRUE 1911. Some people's kids! *grumble, grumble, grumble....*

I bet a whole lot of people who talk up the 1911 on the internet also own S&W J-Frames that they actually throw in a pocket for normal daily carry.

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Loyalty Above All.. but Honor

Not me. I carried the 1911 Nightmare (cross-draw, open & concealed) all day yesterday while we were out (wal-mart, grocery store, restaurant, others) and will carrying it again tomorrow.