We had a guy in my American Legion post who had served as a medical attendant during WW2. Not too rear echelon as his unit was surrounded for a while during the Battle of the Bulge. He commented one time that he had help patch several people up who had taken a burst from a MP40 but couldn't remember anyone making it who had taken a burst with a Thompson or M3. I'm sure he worked on more American soldiers that German but he had an interesting collection of German collar insignia from former patients.
.45 ACP: What is it good for? Absolutely nothing?
- Thread starter Echo40
- Start date
I had little use for the 45acp until I discovered you could shoot them out of revolvers with moon clips.
They make really big holes so easy to see where you are hitting. Not much recoil when shot out of an N frame..not too loud...inexpensive..easy to find..VERY accurate..it does it all. Moon clips make for easy reloads.(I like Ezmoons..cuz they are EZ to use..)
What's not to like about the 45ACP???
They make really big holes so easy to see where you are hitting. Not much recoil when shot out of an N frame..not too loud...inexpensive..easy to find..VERY accurate..it does it all. Moon clips make for easy reloads.(I like Ezmoons..cuz they are EZ to use..)
What's not to like about the 45ACP???
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Ribwizzard
Member
The .45 leaves a bigger hole in paper targets than the 9mm. Thus it is easier to see your hits and that in turn makes it more fun at the range for elderly gentlemen.
The 9mm is cheaper to shoot, and easier on the wrist, that makes it more pleasurable to shoot for the younger , softer generation.
Other than that, either cartridge can be tweaked to be more effective than the other.
The 9mm is cheaper to shoot, and easier on the wrist, that makes it more pleasurable to shoot for the younger , softer generation.
Other than that, either cartridge can be tweaked to be more effective than the other.
whataboutbob
Member
I'll keep my scientific explanation on the 45acp brief; "Me likey"
joeintexas
US Veteran
I enjoy shooting and loading for several calibers but the 45 is by far my favorite. Loads easy, shoots smooth and accurate and makes big holes. Two world wars won should prove its effectiveness. A good friend of mine who's job is ballistic studies for police departments gave me a good comparison one time when we were discussing calibers. He said, "getting hit with a 9mm is like getting hit with a 90 mph baseball, getting hit with a 45 is like getting hit with a 75 mph bowling ball". Neither sounded pleasant to me.
I'd much rather reload 45 ACP ammo than 9x19 ammo and I have and continue to reload both. The 45 ACP has a bigger case, bigger primers, and bigger bullets, making it easier to handle them. That bigger bullet also makes a bigger hole in the target, which is much easier to see without magnification. So, is the 45 ACP worth nothing? If you think so, send all of your 45 ACP stuff, including firearms, to me. 
Rick_A
Member
The 9mm's of olde lacked penetration depth when expanded properly. Nowadays they have both, even in some non +P varieties. The differences between the common service calibers are down to literally fractions of an inch of expansion on paper. I frankly like to match the gun and cartridge rather than care about agency justifications or dogmatic beliefs about "stopping power."
My obsolete guns are still some of my favorites to shoot and carry.
lawandorder
Member
If folks worried less about caliber and more about anatomy and shot placement everyone would be more secure.
I think the .45 ACP round......
....is slightly more effective than the other common calibers, but it still takes at least 2 shots on average to stop a determined perp. Not me. I'd fall down if I felt the breeze of a bullet going by.
In a situation where there are multiple targets (a minority of the time for us civilians interested only in SD) the smaller calibers have an edge in capacity. But if you are in a situation such as police or military, you are going to have spare mags at the ready, as could a prepared civilian.
....is slightly more effective than the other common calibers, but it still takes at least 2 shots on average to stop a determined perp. Not me. I'd fall down if I felt the breeze of a bullet going by.
In a situation where there are multiple targets (a minority of the time for us civilians interested only in SD) the smaller calibers have an edge in capacity. But if you are in a situation such as police or military, you are going to have spare mags at the ready, as could a prepared civilian.
Swiftflyer
Member
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My edc and night stand weapons are 45's. I believe my ears are more apt to forgive me using the lower pressure round especially if fired indoors. For what its worth.
An issue that will probable never be resolved,.... but tats ok too. Carry whichever caliber YOU are the most comfortable with and shoot well. From my readings the Moro's,.. a rather fanatical bunch of lads seemed to be calmed best with the 97 Winchester with Buckshot. Not sure if accurate but that is what I have read.
spad124
Member
I have three .45 ACP handguns, two are 1911s and one is a S&W M1917. What’s the .45 ACP good for? It’s just a fun cartridge to shoot-more push than snap. And, as others have said, because of the size of its components it’s easy to reload. Finally, I like history and the .45 ACP is a great historical cartridge.
I recently watched a series on Netflix on training Churchill’s spies. The series took several people from different walks of today’s life and put them through the same saboteur training the Brits used in WWII. During the handgun training part they used 1911s instead of P35s or German handguns. It was interesting and entertaining to watch a grandma theater teacher hip shooting with a 1911! (Note: she did very well-as did the very petite scientific analyst!)
We’ve had this .38/9mm vs .44/.45 since the adoption of revolvers. Another member mentioned that the Army was satisfied with .36 cal Colt’s blackpowder pistols-and they certainly used them. But the standard US Army caliber from the adoption of revolvers until the late 1890s was either a .44 or .45 beginning with the Walker .44 through the 1860 Army and the SAA. Even the Scholfield’s were a .45 Colt “light” cartridge, but still a .45. My opinion is that when smokeless powder was developed and ballistic performance increased over the old BP loads, pistol cartridge developers explored using the same formula as rifle cartridge developers found effective—faster reduced caliber bullets of 150gr at 2700 FPS are flatter shooting and more effective than the .45-70 round. But at handgun distances in those early smokeless powder development days the BP .45 Colt was still more effective. The .45 ACP is pretty much the 1900 standard .45 Colt blackpowder round “modernized” (for 1910) into a smokeless powder round and adapted for a semi automatic pistol. Because of smokeless powder the case volume of the .45 Colt isn’t needed, so reduce the case substantially while keeping the same ballistics. Plus remember that we still had cavalry in 1911. The .45 ACP is more effective to humanely dispatch a 900 pound wounded or injured horse.
Yes, I like my three ACPs as well as my two .45 Colt handguns.
I recently watched a series on Netflix on training Churchill’s spies. The series took several people from different walks of today’s life and put them through the same saboteur training the Brits used in WWII. During the handgun training part they used 1911s instead of P35s or German handguns. It was interesting and entertaining to watch a grandma theater teacher hip shooting with a 1911! (Note: she did very well-as did the very petite scientific analyst!)
We’ve had this .38/9mm vs .44/.45 since the adoption of revolvers. Another member mentioned that the Army was satisfied with .36 cal Colt’s blackpowder pistols-and they certainly used them. But the standard US Army caliber from the adoption of revolvers until the late 1890s was either a .44 or .45 beginning with the Walker .44 through the 1860 Army and the SAA. Even the Scholfield’s were a .45 Colt “light” cartridge, but still a .45. My opinion is that when smokeless powder was developed and ballistic performance increased over the old BP loads, pistol cartridge developers explored using the same formula as rifle cartridge developers found effective—faster reduced caliber bullets of 150gr at 2700 FPS are flatter shooting and more effective than the .45-70 round. But at handgun distances in those early smokeless powder development days the BP .45 Colt was still more effective. The .45 ACP is pretty much the 1900 standard .45 Colt blackpowder round “modernized” (for 1910) into a smokeless powder round and adapted for a semi automatic pistol. Because of smokeless powder the case volume of the .45 Colt isn’t needed, so reduce the case substantially while keeping the same ballistics. Plus remember that we still had cavalry in 1911. The .45 ACP is more effective to humanely dispatch a 900 pound wounded or injured horse.
Yes, I like my three ACPs as well as my two .45 Colt handguns.
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spad124
Member
As a sidebar: yes, by 1910 smokeless powder cartridge development was making the .303 obsolete. Smokeless powder ballistic development at the turn of the 20th century was rapid, like communication technology today. By 1910 the Brits we’re developing a .276 round to replace the .303. And their P1914 rifle in .276, basically our M1917, was to replace the SMLE. But WWI put paid to that. Not a good idea to roll out a whole new rifle/cartridge in the second year of a world war. And by war’s end there were huge stocks of SMLEs and .303 so no sense in changing then either.
As to the .45ACP being too large and impeding the design of smaller lighter firearms, seven or eight .45s weigh about the same as fifteen 9mms. The trade off is simply more 9mms for the weight It’s only when you reduce the payload to seven or eight 9mms that you see any weight savings. As far as pistol size, the overall size difference for small .45s and small 9mms is minimal. But I’m not a fan of small handguns-just personal preference- from the sales figures I think I’m in the minority. I really don’t care for anything smaller than a Commander/Sig P6/CZ PCR sized handgun so caliber becomes a matter of what I like to shoot, not what fits in the weapon.
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Speaking as a shooter and reloader, the .45acp is very easy to reload and shoots extremely well with cast lead bullets. I recently reloaded my 25,000th .45 and have enjoyed it for over 40 years.
I shoot a lot of 9mm lately as factory ammo is cheap and I don't have to bother with the cases or reloading. I have typically reloaded 9 with fmj rounds.
I carry daily and I carry a Smith 669 as I think the 9mm is equal to the .45 and I like the idea of a DA auto with a safety. I also have a Smith 457, but the 9 holds more rounds.
I shoot a lot of 9mm lately as factory ammo is cheap and I don't have to bother with the cases or reloading. I have typically reloaded 9 with fmj rounds.
I carry daily and I carry a Smith 669 as I think the 9mm is equal to the .45 and I like the idea of a DA auto with a safety. I also have a Smith 457, but the 9 holds more rounds.
bigwheelzip
Absent Comrade
45 handguns don't like me, because it seems I am structurally unsuited to them. Shooting 45 ACP and Colt, from a 1911 and SAA platform, both created an uncomfortable vibration pulse in my arm.
CAJUNLAWYER
Member
When I'm at the range shooting my S&W 1911 I pull the trigger, the gun goes BOOM, the slide goes clackity clack and then you hear the "ping" when the bullet hits the 25 yard plate. I like that. It's not just one big b-o-o-m where all you hear is the gun going off. Same thing when shooting the model 64-everything nice and sedate. almost like in slow motion. I enjoy that.
I'm past the point of dumping magazines of 9mm just to see how fast I can do it-but I must confess I do like the occasional dumping a 30 from my choppa or my mini 14 holding it at waist level screaming "die you filthy swine" or words to that effect(when nobody is looking of course)
I'm past the point of dumping magazines of 9mm just to see how fast I can do it-but I must confess I do like the occasional dumping a 30 from my choppa or my mini 14 holding it at waist level screaming "die you filthy swine" or words to that effect(when nobody is looking of course
)
I like the .45 because it is a low pressure cartridge that is easy to load, and is accurate. It can be used for every purpose from defense to target shooting.
It is also the most common chambering for the best semi-auto pistol ever made, the 1911. Likewise, it works well for the entire range from defense to bullseye.
It is also the most common chambering for the best semi-auto pistol ever made, the 1911. Likewise, it works well for the entire range from defense to bullseye.
4barrel
Member
I like to punch holes in paper with a 1911 45 but carry a plastic 9mm.
nachogrande
Member
BOWLING PINS
YUP, 45 acp's work well whether fired from a semi OR REVOLVER. IMO several calibers using heavy, large flat meplat, bullets moving slow work best. After much use, each pin is weighted down & has a different balance & sweet spot to hit.
YUP, 45 acp's work well whether fired from a semi OR REVOLVER. IMO several calibers using heavy, large flat meplat, bullets moving slow work best. After much use, each pin is weighted down & has a different balance & sweet spot to hit.
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