What's the best small conceal carry 45?

I like my Para CCW. It is small, reliable, does NOT have to be carried cocked and locked. Excellent choice.

Doc
 
S&W M&P 45 Compact is the size of the Glock mid-frames. It is very concealable and you get 8+1 capacity. You can also tune the trigger.
 
Let me add another vote for the ParaOrd Companion. Better accuracy than I ever expected from a 3.5" barrel. Best out of the box D/A trigger pull you will find. Heavy enough to attenuate recoil somewhat. Something no one else has mentioned, full size, 8 round single stack magazines fit the gun and function perfectly. Your current 1911 mags will probably fit. Saves money.
 
RogueJSK said:
Don't forget about the S&W Chief Special 45. It's similar in size to your 3913 (a bit smaller, but a bit wider), with the same slide decocker/safety system so retraining would be minimal.
cs45.jpg

One of the big distributors is clearing out their remaining 3rd Gens, so I've heard of quite a few NIB CS45s popping up lately. There are 5 NIB on GunBroker right now.

Other than that, the DAO Kahr PM45 is just as small (actually a bit thinner), and has gotten pretty decent reviews.
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Since you said no for the cocked and locked - I say the S&W CS45 too. I have had one for years. Great little shooter.
 
new kimber...

Zilmo said:
This little beauty just rocks. Never a hiccup, easy to conceal, and accurate as hell.
DSC_0504.jpg

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Beauty! I really like this!

Anyway, I'll stop drooling & get on w/the topic @ hand!

I carried a Kimber Ultra Carry (all black, .45) for about 10 years until I decided to switch to a S&W Airweight w/.38 +P... I always carry small of back, horizontal holster & it works for me... I've tried everything, ankle, hip, pocket, etc..., but, w/both of these pistols, I just found my best comfort w/a small of back, horizontal holster...

Anyway, my dealer calls me up yesterday to let me know he just got in a brand new Kimber Crimson Ultra Carry & "put it under the counter" until I could take a look at it...

Went by this morning & about 20 minutes later, walked out with her. Also picked up another horizontal small of back holster for it & can't wait to take it out tomorrow & put some rounds through it...
 
A lighter version of my 4516 would be great, such as 4513 or 457. The cream of the crop would be the scarce CS45, I'm keeping my eyes open for one. I wouldn't want to get any smaller. I'm also considering the M&P45c.
 
Kanewpadle said:
Personally I would stay away from 3 and 4 inch 1911's anyway. I've owned three and had nothing but problems. But that's me.

The best is hard to say depending on how compact you want and other features.
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This was my experience too. I owned three also. Each one of them had reliability problems, FTFs and FTEs primarily.Could never trust any of them to perform as a carry gun.

The absolute worst of the three was a Springfield Armory Micro .45 - I don't think they make them anymore because they never got it right. I think the biggest micro they make now is the .40.

Anyway, there were constant, and I mean CONSTANT feeding and ejection problems. I very rarely got through a full mag without some type of malfunction. Very, very frustrating to say the least.

I called SA to ask if I could have it looked at under the warranty and they asked how many rounds had been fired. I told them 300 more or less.

"Oh, that's the problem," they said. "You've got to put AT LEAST (their emphasis on "at least") 500 round through these before they are broken in."

That's a lot of expensive ammo but I grudgingly ran the 200 extra rounds and more through it and the problems never subsided, not the least.

I sent it back 3 times to them and the thing was never right.

I traded it in at a shop where I've done a lot of business and told the owner of the problem and he said not to worry, they would straighten it out.

My opinion is .45s were designed big and loose for a reason. Cramming big .45 cartridges into real small packages just doesn't work.

I know some of the smaller types are OK but I'd never do the "Micro" thing again.

There are probably some happy micro .45 1911 owners out there but I wasn't one of them. I went 0-3. Never again.
 
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Springfield is still making them in .45 ACP. They can't keep 'em on the shelves around here when they get 'em.

It indeed took about 500 rounds (I reload, no big deal) to get mine smoothed out. I also polished the ramp and breech face. Now have about 5,000 rounds through it and love the little bugger. It does prefer non plus P stuff though and it even says so in the manual.

I personally know of several other owners of the Micro's whose experience ruins the same as mine.

Like many auto's they don't much like limp wristing.
 
elcruisr said:
Springfield is still making them in .45 ACP. They can't keep 'em on the shelves around here when they get 'em.

It indeed took about 500 rounds (I reload, no big deal) to get mine smoothed out. I also polished the ramp and breech face. Now have about 5,000 rounds through it and love the little bugger. It does prefer non plus P stuff though and it even says so in the manual.

I personally know of several other owners of the Micro's whose experience ruins the same as mine.

Like many auto's they don't much like limp wristing.
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I suppose if I had kept it, did the fluff and buff routine and kept pouring ammo out the barrel (I don't reload) it might have been a fine little semi-auto.

But I spent close to a grand for it and after all that ammo to "break it in" it was well over a grand.

Maybe I was a little unhappy with the fact that a $900 pistol needs 500 or more rounds to break-in. Those, by necessity, close tolerances in the mini-.45s are to blame I suspect for the FTFs and FTEs.

Maybe I should have been more patient with it. But I got so frustrated with almost never getting a full mag to fire without a problem, I decided to get rid of it.

This experience more than a few years ago too. It occurs to me that maybe SA has ironed out a few bugs in the interim.

The only pleasant surprise involved with it was that the recoil was not bad at all considering the round and the small size of the package.

I thought at first that limp wristing might have been part of the problem though I have never been prone to it. So I was real conscious of it when I was shooting it. That was not the problem.
 
Off duty I carry a Para P-12 loaded with 13 230gr cast ball ammo clocking at just over 900fps from a 3.5" tube. Very sweet gun and packs a ton of boolits. :)
 
Already put in my vote for the ParaOrd Companion. This is how I carry it. (Dressed for Home Depot shopping) Admittedly not the smallest, but it meets all your other requirements.
 

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JamesArthur60 said:
Currently I carry the slim 9mm 3913. If I were to switch to the larger 45 caliber round, what would be the smallest manufactured auto available? One final thing. I do not like "cocked and locked" carry. Never have, it's a personal thing with me. Does like eliminate any ideas for 45 carry?
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I've been on a quest for a tiny big-bore auto since the 80s. My first was a Detonics .45. It was totally reliable, but the special recoil springs required replacing regularly, and it shot very, very low from where the sights were pointed.

As far as modern guns which fit within your described parameters, I think you really have three choices:

The Glock 36 is a single stack, plastic frame, safe-action (striker-fired version of DAO) 6+1 45ACP. It's very accurate and very light. dano1200r has a set-up that is as minimalist as you will find. A belt clip and glock-block (trigger block to keep the trigger from inadvertently getting pulled - something imperative when not carrying a Glock in a holster) means no holster and NO BULK. This is the easiest-to-conceal set up and my preference.

The Kahr PM45 is something that has intrigued me, but I haven't gotten one yet. Since I've not shot or carried one, I'll defer to Catshooter, whom I know you can trust. If he says it works and works well, I'd take that to the bank.

The last option is a Para-Ordnance LDA Compact. I don't own one of these yet, but I have one on order for my wife in 9mm. I've also handled and shot the LDA extensively, and I can tell you that for a NON-single-action trigger it must be tried to be believed. It is the lightest, smoothest Double-Action trigger I've ever felt, and I never thought I'd say that a DA trigger would beat a tuned S&W revolver, but the LDA trigger does so. I've attached a pic of the LDA Compact 45 below, just so you can compare.

CWX645Bphoto.gif


Most of the rest of the compact 45s are generally not something I would bet my life on. They're either cheaply-made or unreliable or both.

I will say, that if deep concealment is not an issue, such as in the winter or Spring/Fall jacket weather, I'd prefer something a tiny bit bigger than these micro 45s, just because they are significantly easier to shoot and generally a little more reliable. I like the CCO from Para, which is an Officer's size frame with a Commander sized slide.
 
If either the Glock 30 or 36 works as well as my G27, I would not hesitate to get one. Be advised though, some have called em' ugly.
 
I ask this question to Ken Hackathorn many years ago. His advice for a small 45 were:

1. It has to go bang everytime you press the trigger
2. It has to have a 4" barrel or longer.
3. If you have to have a shorter barrel than 4" go with a 40 or 9.

He said the shorter barrel 45's give up to much velocity.

If you don't know who Ken Hackathorn is just google his name. When it comes to firearms, shooting and self defense if he is not the top man he is in the top 3. After years of shooting, carrying, training and reading I carry a 45 and it has a 4 inch barrel.

By the way. When I don't carry my 45 I carry a 3913/3914/908. Have been for almost 20 years now. I own all three guns and have had 2 3914's.
 
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