.45 ACP: What is it good for? Absolutely nothing?

I like the 45 due to the push rather than the flip recoil and the boom instead of the "KARACK" of the 9. I would like to carry a 1911 45 ACP but I just don't like cocked and locked carry with a light 1911 trigger. We each have to go with what we are most comfortable with.

I carry a 44 spl most of the time. I would like to shoot a 45 ACP revolver to compare the two. Just looking at the two the 45 bullet seems to look much bigger for some reason.
 
Over 50 years ago I was introduced to the M1911A1 in .45 ACP. I was taught bullseye shooting for qualification. I was taught combat shooting which came from Cooper's school at Gunsite. The M1911 is my fallback handgun.

Don't get me wrong, I like other handguns. I have N frames, SIG's, COlt revolvers and Browning Auto's in my safes. I like them all. And all are in various calibers.

Others may like different calibers, but .45 ACP is my favorite and the M1911 handgun is what I am use to using. I don't have to think about it. the gun fits my hand and it's mechanics are ingrained into my memory banks. I don't have to think about the operation, reloading or shooting of the piece, it becomes an extension of me.

The FBI found in 1986 that the 9MM got two of their agents killed in a shootout in Miami (will be glad to discuss this fact in PM's with anyone that cares to do so). They went to the 10 MM and then found it was to much gun for some of their agents, hence the .40 cal. They felt the .45 ACP was to much gun for their smaller agents and now I guess they feel the same about the .40 cal. Maybe they need to re-evaluate their agents. As the old saying goes "if you want to be a lumberjack, you must handle your end of the log".

Signed the Neanderthal Marine..........
 
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My 2¢ worth.

Hi, All:

I don't believe 'anything' undocumented, that I read, hear, or see. That being said, this is my opinion of the .45 ACP cartridge.

I've been a shooter for 82 years. the cartridges that I've shot, and used, range in size & calibers, from .22 short, through .45-70 Gov. I've hand loaded for more than thirty calibers, and still have loading dies, bullet molds, and sizing dies for most of them.

The .45 ACP is my all-time favorite cartridge. The good old USA comes to mind when it's mentioned. Brass is readily available, and easy to reload. I have a big supply on hand. A .45 ACP, can be reloaded for less than a .22 LR, cartridge costs to buy, and the .22 LR, can't be economically reloaded. The .22 LR, is my second favorite cartridge, and my third choice is the .38 special. The only shooting that I can take an active part in now, is 'shooting the breeze'. Thanks for allowing me to do that.

Chubbo
 
Talking about the merits of the .45 ACP cartridge is easy. I load for it so it's inexpensive to shoot; it's a big fat bullet that leaves a big hole, with or without JHP rounds; I enjoy shooting it and can hit what I'm aiming at; I can carry it large or carry it small depending on my mood, clothing, or the weather.

It's not a zero sum game. Cartridge wars are unproductive. I love 9mm too and can carry it with more rounds when the mood strikes me.
 
Well, it's good for pleasing me, every time I shoot one of mine. And that's all it has to be, at least as far as I'm concerned!!
 
The .45 ACP is "American" as anything, plus I usually don't have to squint to see if I hit the X-ring, and if I am shooting at something other than paper, I'll still know if I hit it.
 
gman51 said:
I like the 45 due to the push rather than the flip recoil and the boom instead of the "KARACK" of the 9. I would like to carry a 1911 45 ACP but I just don't like cocked and locked carry with a light 1911 trigger. We each have to go with what we are most comfortable with.

I carry a 44 spl most of the time. I would like to shoot a 45 ACP revolver to compare the two. Just looking at the two the 45 bullet seems to look much bigger for some reason.
Click to expand...

I recently bought a .CA Pitbull in 45 ACP Very pleased with it. I haven't carried it yet. Haven't found the right holster yet. The cylinder being just over 1.6" in diameter is not going to be conducive to IWB carry. But I'm having fun shooting it. Recoil is brisk but manageable.
 
Corporal Alvin York (later promoted to Sergeant) was charged by a
German officer and five soldiers with fixed bayonets. He picked them
off from rear to front with his .45 ACP. If you saw the movie he used
a Luger. The story is the .45 would not handle blanks, so they had him
liberate a Luger to use.

I wonder what went through that officer's mind if he glanced around
and saw his 5 soldiers all knocked down? He probably thought Oh s---!
Or something similar.

Well, Sgt. York liked the 1911 .45. Another good reason for us to like it.
 
I like 1911's, but I'm not a huge fan. That being said, I'm a huge fan of the 45acp round. I own five revolvers in the caliber and a couple of Sig P220's. I shoot 230 grain ball ammo almost exclusively. I've destroyed a lot of paper with it and have no qualms about using it for home defense. If a caliber can be a good fit for a shooter, the 45acp is mine. I'm well aware of how ammunition has advanced over the years, but I have confidence in the original design. As an aside, I also like 9mm, 357 magnum, and 22lr.
 
crazyphil said:
Corporal Alvin York (later promoted to Sergeant) was charged by a
German officer and five soldiers with fixed bayonets. He picked them
off from rear to front with his .45 ACP. If you saw the movie he used
a Luger. The story is the .45 would not handle blanks, so they had him
liberate a Luger to use.

I wonder what went through that officer's mind if he glanced around
and saw his 5 soldiers all knocked down? He probably thought Oh s---!
Or something similar.

Well, Sgt. York liked the 1911 .45. Another good reason for us to like it.
Click to expand...

I heard he hung it from his left hand pinky finger while grasping and shooting his rifle. Then when the rifle went dry he grabbed onto the pistol and kept on firing.
 
Groo here
Most forget one basic fact.....
Most PD ammo is built to FBI spec...
That they perform the same should be no supprise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Farmer17 said:
If a 9m/m is just as good as a .45 or .40 then why isn't a .380 as good as a 9m/m?
Click to expand...
Seriously?

Shorter case length, shorter overall length, and lower pressure limit means lower sectional density projectiles at lower velocity means that .380 cannot use effective expanding projectiles or perform well against barriers.
 
45 ACP

I have enjoyed reloading the 45 for the various platforms in which it can excel. Typically everyone thinks of the 1911 as the only platform. While I love that historical platform, we often forget some great old platforms like the S&W 645, or revolvers like the S&W 1917, Model 25, or even the Colt SAA. Just because the FBI might seemingly like to bury it, doesn't mean it's dead.
 
What is the .45 ACP good for?

How about winning WW1, WW2, Korea, Vietnam, and even GW1? It’s fought in and won every war America has ever fought since 1916... isn’t that enough of a track record???
 
V0OBWxZS16 said:
Seriously?

Shorter case length, shorter overall length, and lower pressure limit means lower sectional density projectiles at lower velocity means that .380 cannot use effective expanding projectiles or perform well against barriers.
Click to expand...

Actually, modern JHPs such as Hornady's XTP bullet design are known to be reliable performers in .380 ACP, they expand reliably and typically penetrate 12" in FBI Calibrated Ballistics Gel.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the .380 ACP got a bad reputation due to the fact that domestic ammo was downloaded for decades out of concern for all the straight blowback operated Saturday Night Specials/Ring of Fire guns made of cheap pot metal.
Meanwhile, in Europe the .380 ACP remained in use by various Law Enforcement agencies well into the 1980s because it wasn't downloaded.

Thankfully, with all of the high quality short recoil operated .380 Pocket Pistols on the market today, ammo is no longer downloaded here in the States and now offers performance on par with Standard Pressure .38 Special loads, which is completely adequate for self-defense.

Ironically, a somewhat lesser known fact is that when John Moses Browning designed the .380 ACP cartridge he did so by scaling down his .45 ACP cartridge design.
 
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