45 cal as EDC and Personal Defense weapon?

[MauserMusicMan]

.45 In Guns Other Than A 1911

I posted below that I carry a Kahr CW45 among other guns; several others have replied that they carry a .45ACP in a variety of platforms other than the venerable 1911. What really blows me away (well, not literally...!) are the number of folks carrying revolvers in .45ACP...for a cartridge designed for a semiauto, to be fired in a revolver involves some pretty decent engineering and extra effort. Don't get me wrong-.45 wheelguns are great! I'm just really impressed with the versatility of the round. I DO like 1911s...it's just that, being a lefty, I have to have pieces-parts on my gun that were not designed into the original. I've owned several; for me, the striker-fired (or DOA hammer) pistols are easier for me to manipulate and shoot. Would I like a .45 Colt/.45ACP Blackhawk? Sure...wouldn't carry it concealed but it would come in handy in the woods and on the range. The .45ACP is a wonderfully versatile cartridge.

 

[kthom]

"a gun that I can shoot exceptionally well."

I can definitely agree wholeheartedly with this statement. I don't care what you carry. You gotta be able to do this! And it will help a lot if you are familiar enough with whatever you carry to do this without much conscious thought. A guy who's been shootin' and carryin' the same heater for many years is a guy to be reckoned with! But we all gotta start somewhere and find out what is best for ME, and then try to wear it out practicing with it!

 

[Goblin]

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




.

Come on, you can't post a rig like that without telling us what it is.

 

[muzzleblast]

Come on, you can't post a rig like that without telling us what it is.

Iffin you are talkin' 'bout the gunleather, he made it his self. Nice horizontal mag pouch BTW.

 

[SAFireman]

Come on, you can't post a rig like that without telling us what it is.

His post ID'd the gun as a Colt Lightweight Commander.

And if I was a bettin kind o'man...I would say that the leather is his own creation

 

[hoc9sw]

I carried my service issue .45 (1911) at different times as a sidearm or concealed from 1969-1986. From !987-2000 I lived in a 9mm part of the world. Then 2001 up to 2014, when my cancer and arthritis got the upper hand, it was either the service issue or a Kimber Ultra TLE. Then the docs won by holding xrays of what is left of my shoulders in my face. These days I carry a Shield 9 or an EMP 9. Depends on what state I'm in. Some states seize your CC for years, with only marginal hope of getting it back unscathed.

 

[jrw113]

1911 in 45 and 38 Super Great EDC

Have an Ed Brown Kobra in 45 that is great. Also use a Taurus and a Colt LW Commander, both in 38 Super that are also secondary EDCs. 38 super is great for additional capacity and less recoil.

 

[sodacan]

Is there anything else besides 45acp?

 

[Triathloncoach]

I have a 4516-1, a 5906, etc. I carry a LCP.

 

[Valmet]

I CCW'd a LW Commander for a few years (a long time ago). Still love the gun but never gets carried as the sights are lacking and although a LW, it is bulky for what it is, only holding 7+1.

 

[Iggy]

His post ID'd the gun as a Colt Lightweight Commander.

And if I was a bettin kind o'man...I would say that the leather is his own creation

There's a goodly number on this forum who are packin' rigs made by that feller.

Dave won't post a link, but I'll risk it.

Red River Custom Leather - Home

 

[petepeterson]

S&W 4506 in a shoulder rig with 2 spare mags on the other side....

All day every day.... don't leave home without it!!

View attachment 248863

That, sir, is commitment to concealed carry. My hat is off to you.

 

[Kid44]

This is very interesting. Its the Ford vs Chevy thing. In my opinion if you don't want to carry a gun, for God's sake don't have one. 22, 25, 32, 380, 9mm, 40 S&W, 357 mag, 45 ACP or the 45 LC... they all will shoot and hit the paper target just fine.

But how will you do in a cramped 7-11 store, gas station next to a pump, 11 PM at the cash machine, walking down a busy sidewalk downtown or when some thug waving his gun sideways in your face. Yes it is different with paper targets, they don't yell and fire back. Shoot or don't shoot.

Will you or wont you? That is up to you, that inner guy who's screaming HIDE- GET DOWN- OH ****!

Full disclosure.... I have never shot anyone or an animal. But four time I have pulled my gun to stop an aggressive person or persons. One was a black bear. And I was ready to kill, or shoot my gun at them. However each episode ended with no blood.

With that in mind, I know where I am. I carry a Colt Defender 45 or a S&W 686-4 Plus 2.5 357 mag. Right or wrong that is what I am comfortable with. And you should be to, confident with your choice.

Note: Never give up, never surrender your weapon to the bad guys, and never touch your defensive ammo, ever.

Now go outside and have fun.

So you're saying that if someone does not want to carry a gun they should not even own one?? Also, why never touch your self defense ammo?

 

[cp2146]

How well I understand your response...Had the Shield 9 with Magguts springs until I saw the Shield 45....Desire overtook reason and the next thing I knew was the 45 followed me home....It even took over my 9 holsters as it fit perfectly (well almost...about a 1/4 inch sticks out the bottom)....So I may be trying to justify my decision with external support from others....LOL..........................................................

I understand perfectly. I went to the LGS with every intention of coming home with something in a .45 (I have a Shield 40, which I love). I almost pulled the trigger (rhetorically speaking) on a Ruger 1911. It was a beautiful gun, but as they say...it just didn't quite fit my hand like I wanted. Plus, I was looking for something I could decock with a round chambered so that I wouldn't accidentally shoot myself in the foot. So, what did I end up with...a Beretta PX4 Storm Compact in .40s&w. It's a great gun...shoots really smooth, can be decocked with a round chambered, and I don't have to buy a bunch of additional ammo. Having said all that...I will just add that if you find a .45 that you like...by all means go for it.

 

[Muss Muggins]

Depending on any pistol round is not in your best interest. When I went through the LE academy I was told by a FBI instructor that if you want to be sure of knocking a person down ever time they are hit nothing short of a garbage truck will do it. That is still true.

I'm not trying to knock them down. I'm just trying to make them lose interest in their present course of action . . .

 

[Lee's Landing Billy]

If the system you choose will send a bullet [of ANY caliber] deep enough to hit a hydraulic [heart-lung] or electrical [brain-spine] target from any angle that can be faced. Your system will work. The 2 things that matter for handgun systems in self defense situations are..Penetration and Placement. If you don't get in deep enough, you can't get to what you need to get to. If you get in deep enough and don't get something that SHOULD stop the attack, your shot was wasted. We had a home invasion in this county fairly recently where a man was shot 17 times with a .223. The shooter did not hit anything and the guy finally leaked down outside in the yard. The young murderer who killed 11 out of 13 people with one shot from a .223 shooting from the trunk of the car in the Washington area was quite successful with the same round. Julian Hatcher wrote about being called to 2 crime scenes..One where a Border Patrolman and a smuggler shot each other from across a room in an adobe house. The Border Patrolman was shot in the center of the forehead and the smuggler shot dead center of the chest. The 2 firearms were a Colt 1911 in 45 acp and a Colt SAA in 45 Colt. When he arrived on scene both men were up walking around! The acp was under the scalp on the back of the head on one and the other was stuck in the sternum. The other case was a boy who Hatcher attended that was shot with a .22 short in the head at a measured 500+ yards. He was DRT! His point to the story was that these were the extremes in his career, so you must believe that anything between these extremes is possible. Choose Placement and Penetration above all else.

 

[keith44spl]

Come on, you can't post a rig like that without telling us what it is.

Well, thar ain't much to tell...

When working the road, I carried a 5" Colt Gov't model for a bunch of years.

Then this plainclothes job came along I switch to something a lit'l lighter.
Have had this Lwt Commander for several years,
jest cobbled up a holster for her and away we went.

BTW, the hammer strap is fixed to the front of the holster and
in reality it's a thumb break design.

I tried the 3" Colt Defender for a spell, but have found the 4 1/4"
Commander length to be a good compromise in retained energy between the 5" and 3" pistols.

The range master had set up some of those full size 'pepper-popper' steel knock down targets....
When set hard, the 5" Gov't would knock em over right now.
The 3" defender with the same ammunition would just ring the steel.

The Commander length did topple the steel with enough authority that
I was satisfied with it's performance to carry it with confidence.

And so, that's purty much the long and short of how I chose the Lwt Commander.


Su Amigo,
Dave


.

 

[keith44spl]

Although I fancy myself as a revolver man....Especially in the 44 Special chambering.

Sometimes, I do take up the 45 ACP and others.





.

 

[Mehutch]

So you're saying that if someone does not want to carry a gun they should not even own one?? Also, why never touch your self defense ammo?

Over stated, my mistake. I was typing on a iPad with a stylis pen, it is a hassle to do.

"why never touch your self defense ammo?" Think about that for a while.

 

[Lee's Landing Billy]

Although I fancy myself as a revolver man....Especially in the 44 Special chambering.

Sometimes, I do take up the 45 ACP and others.





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He does NOT need this from me to make his life complete BUT I have been collecting and USING fine leather good for half a century. I do not own any better work than David Keith's.