45 cal as EDC and Personal Defense weapon?

[kthom]

You MUST be able to hit consistently well with whatever you carry! With the improvements made in the ammo available today, there is not much difference between calibers suitable for the purpose. But there is always a difference between a good solid hit and a very loud noise!!! That also applies to the second and third round fired immediately after the first one! Whatever you choose, the gun must fit YOUR hand well, not somebody else's, and you MUST be able to handle and fire it well consistently. Otherwise, you just make a lot of racket! Or hit something or someone that you did not intend to hit ...

 

[cmort666]

Actually, since soft tissue stretches, you most likely won't see a difference between 9 or 45.

If the soft tissue isn't TEARING, you're using the wrong bullet.

 

[federali]

My Thoughts?

There are enough threads on this topic to keep you reading for the rest of your life, and then some. All someone needs to do is suggest an alternate caliber and we're off to the races.

The .45 ACP: hard to say anything bad about it. Place a contemporary hollow point in the 10-ring and you generally win.
Recoil is manageable. Many prefer a slimmer cartridge that offers greater ammunition capacity in a given handgun when compared to the .45 ACP.

 

[dben002]

If you don't mind carrying the size and weight there is nothing better.

Well, in honesty, I find the size and weight of the new Shield 45 to be perfect for this purpose. And in all honesty, this is the first 45 I have ever owned/carried.

 

[Smoke]

Nothing works as well for the purpose as a 45 acp.

Source please?

 

[Donn]

I'm never sure if a thread like this is square business or a troll trying to start a caliber war. I EDC a 9mm or 38spl. I lose no sleep over either of those choices. They'll continue being my sidearm of choice until my LGS gets a shipment of Shields in 45acp. From what I've heard, that won't happen any time soon.

 

[dben002]

I'm never sure if a thread like this is square business or a troll trying to start a caliber war. I EDC a 9mm or 38spl. I lose no sleep over either of those choices. They'll continue being my sidearm of choice until my LGS gets a shipment of Shields in 45acp. From what I've heard, that won't happen any time soon.

I started this due to my always carrying a 9 and switching to a 45 which I never owned before. Really just interested in others thoughts yours included..no trolling here

 

[therewolf]

I carry 45ACP for it's legendary stopping power.

Sometimes I carry 9mm for the extra rounds.

Love the 45ACP. Just got an old Ruger P90. It rocks,

very accurate and dependable.

 

[Arik]

I'll add this before I sound like I'm bashing the 45. I own quite a few 45s.

Sig P220
HK USP 45
HK USP compact 45
Glock 21
Glock 21 (yes two)
Springfield 1911 TRP

That's 6 guns in 45acp. I bought them because they were excellent guns at excellent prices. Some are fairly recent purchases while others are much older, dating back to when I was searching for a "perfect" handgun/caliber combo to carry.

The caliber works.... obviously. But so does the 9mm. By the way, the 9 is older. It predates the 45 by three years.(1901 vs 1904).

When it comes down to it Uncle Sam DOES NOT supply me with ammo. I have to pay for that. 9mm is cheaper (by about $100/case) for practice and carry. It has good results, the guns it's chambered in are typically smaller, lighter and carry more ammo. I can practice with it longer and there for I shoot it faster with better accuracy. In the end this is what counts.

If hollow points become illegal or for whatever reason we have only fmj I'll go to the 45 but as long as i have quality self defense 9mm I'll stick with that


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[ContinentalOp]

If it works for you, go for it.

 

[petepeterson]

I really enjoy shooting .45. and did so a good bit a few years back.

When my lady-friend bought a 9mm Shield (which she traded for one of those Austrian thingies) and decided she likes to shoot, I switched to carrying and practicing with a 9mm. Mostly due to the cost of ammo. She likes to shoot alot!

Put a .380 and up in my hand, in a pistol I shoot well, and I feel adequately protected.

 

[Muss Muggins]

Source please?

There's not one. If there was, everybody would be carrying .45 ACP. Doesn't mean he/she is wrong, but it's strictly an opinion . . .

 

[armorer951]

I'd be willing to bet you saw at least an equal number of victims of the lowly .22 LR . . .

Unfortunately, yes sir......over 40+ years, every projectile imaginable, from a nail gun to a 10 gauge shotgun and almost everything in between.

 

[old tanker]

The 1911 in .45 ACP is my choice. After carrying one off and on for over fifty years, I am used to it. The past occasions where I really needed it, it worked! Granted that is a very small sample from quite a while ago, I am betting it will prove just as satisfactory should it be needed again.

 

[Kanewpadle]

I once carried a 1911 everyday. But after a couple years of doing so it just got to heavy. I love the 1911. There may never be a better fighting hand gun. But these days a Glock 19 is used for both home and street. My hands aren't as strong as they used to be. With the Glock, I can put at least three accurate rounds on target much faster than I can with a 1911.

As Dave Spaulding put it, there is merely a few millimeters difference in expansion between 9, 40, and 45. Not enough to make a difference.

I believe bigger holes are better. But I also believe that several smaller holes are even better.

 

[JK-linux]

I think it's a great caliber for defense. I carry a Colt CCO when it's practical to do so because it's light, conceals easily and I shoot it comparatively well. I like 45 ACP because for many reasons, not the least of which is that its mass displaces a lot of whatever was there before it entered, even if it doesn't expand. That said, I feel just fine carrying my S&W 442 in 38 as well, and 90% of the time that's probably what I have. It's just an opinion, but the probability that I ever need to shoot an attacker is fairly small, and the probability that it all comes down to having a 45 vs a 38 or 8rds vs 5rds is even smaller, so I don't worry too much about it.

 

[keith44spl]

I carry a LWT Commander quite a bit, in 45....cause they don't make a 46





I also like the newer ammunition available now in days as well.

Winchester Ranger 230gr.




.

 

[BUFF]

I have never talked to a gunfight survivor who said, "Gee, next time I want to have a smaller, less powerful cartridge."

I carry a lightweight Colt Commander in .45 ACP and got to admire it's handiwork one morning. All four bullets I fired expanded into the classic mushroom shape and wound up about .75 inch in diameter.

Anything you can do to make a 9mm a better stopper, such as a lighter bullet pushed to a higher velocity to help it's expansion, you can also do to the .45.

Since I retired, I only carry the Colt when it is cool enough to wear more clothing to cover it up or wear a suit or sport coat. When it's warm, I carry a Model 642. Both are loaded with state-of-the-art expanding bullets at Plus-P velocities and pressures.

No handgun is very powerful and nothing can guaranty you a one-shot stop.

 

[KSDeputy]

After we changed from .357 revolvers, we had model 645's. Then we changed to the model 4506. I always carry a CS 45. off duty, and after retirement, anywhere off of my farm. I count on the .45 caliber when I did my job, and to protect me now. Best caliber for a pistol.

 

[Rick_A]

Blurry and out of focus ?

You're gonna be a-tremblin' lookin' down that barrel!


45's are good.
20140815_134250_LLS by Slick_Rick77, on Flickr

Not my best work, but that's shootin' fast at free targets on a free range pass. It doesn't get better than that.

Whatever you're comfortable with.