45 cal as EDC and Personal Defense weapon?

[dben002]

Well, there really is not a "no" but I just do not like 1911s all that much. However, you said .45 caliber, you didn't say 1911, and while I admit this very pretty Model 25-5 does not get used much for home defense or EDC it certainly qualifies for home defense and field carry, .45 Colt being my idea of a REAL .45 caliber - - but .45 ACP cannot be gainsaid - - and the CS-45 in that latter caliber......well, YEAH! I used to carry that little puppy routinely. And I will carry it again - I have been considering it for awhile, now.

My mistake I guess.... Never meant to imply any model of 45 just the caliber as a viable edc weapon due to the fact I moved to 45 from 9mm with the new shield because it seemed so perfect for me at appendix carry in size and weight..some say 45 is over kill others say no it's not.. just looking for opinions....

 

[Muss Muggins]

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

I guess I don't understand how I'm supposed to load my pistol without touching the ammo . . . ?

 

[Rpg]

My mistake I guess.... Never meant to imply any model of 45 just the caliber as a viable edc weapon due to the fact I moved to 45 from 9mm with the new shield because it seemed so perfect for me at appendix carry in size and weight..some say 45 is over kill others say no it's not.. just looking for opinions....

No such thing as 'overkill' in a SD weapon.

It all has to do with skill in getting an adequate round into a SD target quickly and accurately.

This is adequately done with a skillful operator of a 1911.

Tiny guns in any caliber are tough to qualify with in terms of speed and accuracy.

If you can do center of mass hits from the leather in 1.5 seconds with a small pistol, that's great.

I haven't seen anyone who can meet that standard except those with skill using a 1911.

 

[kthom]

All of 'em get the job done some or most of the time. None of 'em, at least that we can carry very handily, will get it done all of the time. All we can do is choose what we think and feel is best and make our best shot(s). I'm kind of a firm believer that if one is good, one or two more if ya got 'em and don't need 'em somewhere else right away are even better!

 

[dben002]

No such thing as 'overkill' in a SD weapon.

It all has to do with skill in getting an adequate round into a SD target quickly and accurately.

This is adequately done with a skillful operator of a 1911.

Tiny guns in any caliber are tough to qualify with in terms of speed and accuracy.

If you can do center of mass hits from the leather in 1.5 seconds with a small pistol, that's great.

I haven't seen anyone who can meet that standard except those with skill using a 1911.

Well I know this will not sit well with you, but I am no big fan of the 1911...Why? IMHO...bulky & heavy and surely not the best option for all day, everyday concealed carry..but that is what makes this country great we can all agree to disagree and still respect each others choice......appreciate the shout out.....

 

[CQB27]

On the job I carry this for 40 hours a week, 9mm G17:



Most of the time, when off duty I carry the same pistol, appendix IWB in a Galco holster I have been using for 23 years:



But Sometimes.....I carry this around the house, or into town, when the mood strikes me, Colt 1917 cut down to 2.5 inches, 45acp goodness:





Carry what you shoot well, loaded with good defensive ammo, at your convenience.......just my thoughts, as always YMMV.

 

[Practical]

The major components of the Norinco guns are fully the equal of any domestic M1911. The small parts are garbage, but that's mere trivia.

I'd rather have a Norinco than an '80s Colt.

Aside from the finger collet bushing, what is wrong with a 1980's colt?

They can be tuned up as well as any gun and are forged?

The small sites are a detriment, but I have found the finger collet bushing to be snugly accurate and better than drop in replacements.

They are great guns to customize and not any more expensive than a new colt unless in pristine condition.

 

[Lee's Landing Billy]

No such thing as 'overkill' in a SD weapon.

It all has to do with skill in getting an adequate round into a SD target quickly and accurately.

This is adequately done with a skillful operator of a 1911.

Tiny guns in any caliber are tough to qualify with in terms of speed and accuracy.

If you can do center of mass hits from the leather in 1.5 seconds with a small pistol, that's great.

I haven't seen anyone who can meet that standard except those with skill using a 1911.

If you could be here tomorrow you could see 10 or more men who can do this EVERYTIME without fail. They can do it because it's important to them. They mean to be proficient, no excuses. I will give you this though, they are all good with 1911s. It's just that they choose to carry something else. This is done from concealment..That's the way we are mandated to carry.

 

[cmort666]

And no magazine safety. And a better thumb safety. And better designed and placed slide stop. And...

I was referring to the ONE thing you can't fix yourself at home.

 

[cmort666]

Aside from the finger collet bushing, what is wrong with a 1980's colt?

1. Colt's quality took a nose dive in the '80s. I remember seeing ARs back then with finishes so bad they looked liked they'd been made on somebody's front stoop in Peshawar.
2. I've heard that the collet bushings sometimes broke, tying up the gun. I've never seen it myself and I never worried about it until I had my Series 70 Colt (my first handgun) rebuilt into a bullseye wadcutter gun. Along with everything else that was done, the smith put in a fitted match bushing.

 

[cmort666]

I guess I don't understand how I'm supposed to load my pistol without touching the ammo . . . ?

Get somebody else to load it!

"Never hurts to have a second set of prints on a gun."

 

[keith44spl]

Not for the faint of heart..............


Cocked, unlocked and the grip safety pinned down.

 

[BAM-BAM]

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

LOL...well put!!!!!!

In the 80s I went through a number of Colts...... Full size, Commanders and Combat Commanders.............. never liked carrying "Cocked and Locked" (I was on and off with my cc 3-4 times a day; and could never find the right "easy on/off" holster with a thumb break safety strap between gun and hammer like Kieth44's above) .......

about 1988/89 traded "my Colt 1911" for a W. German made Sig 220........that gun can shoot cloverleafs at 50 ft............ in about 199? I got my first Sig 245 a compact version of the 220 w/ 6+1 of .45.

Haven't looked back.............................

Did try a couple of Smiths;... the 4516.....heavy as "a brick".... and an early Tactical 4513 w/ the chopped butt .....IIRC 6+1..... but extra mags. were too hard to find.....

Do have a 4566 and a bunch of mags.......just in case!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[cmort666]

Not for the faint of heart..............


Cocked, unlocked and the grip safety pinned down.

At least the trigger's covered...

 

[CQB27]

Not for the faint of heart..............


Cocked, unlocked and the grip safety pinned down.

There aint a pistol made with a grip safety that I would carry for self defense unless that grip safety was pinned/dogged/strapped down. Too many times (read more than once) I have drawn quickly, or been doing support hand only presentations and found the grip safety not fully engaged and the pistol unable to fire without re-gripping. Not a circumstance I want to deal with in real life. As always, YMMY.

 

[Old Arkansawyer]

My EDC is an all steel Springfield 45 acp with 4.25in barrel or a S&W
N frame in 44 special. Both backed up with a 22 mag 5 shot. In summer
a aloha shirt or large t shirt is needed except for the pocket revolver.

 

[ContinentalOp]

Not for the faint of heart..............


Cocked, unlocked and the grip safety pinned down.

 

[Lee's Landing Billy]

To steal a line from a Jack Nicholson movie..I'll have you know in my home town I am thought of as a thoroughly dangerous man! Keith44 fits this right down to the ground!

 

[Andrew2105]

FWIW I have come to the conclusion that anything .38 spl/9mm & up will do the job with proper shot placement. Smaller will too but you know about belts + suspenders kind of folks. You need to be GOOD with your piece & have it with you. I believe that the larger & heavier a weapon is the more likely the owner will be to forgo carrying it. Any gun is better than none.
For a .45 auto I have to believe that the newer SA/DA style is more in keeping with the DA revolvers that some of us used for many years & have heavily imprinted in our brains and fine muscles in our hands.

 

[Rastoff]

Why anyone would choose any other caliber is completely beyond me. The .45ACP is a gift from the Almighty Himself. The only thing that makes it better is delivering it by using the tool brought to us by His prophet JM Browning; the 1911.

Source please?

Why only everyone on the internet, duh. Haven't you been paying attention?

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

Lot's of people use this quote, but they're wrong. The .46Rowland is a viable cartridge and still made.



All kidding aside, the gun you should carry is the one you can shoot best under stress. Not necessarily 5 rounds through one hole, but a controlled pair, in the thoracic cavity, about a fist from each other and under 2.3 seconds from 7 yards, starting from concealment. That is the gun that will save your life.

If you can do that with a .22LR, but none of your other guns, carry the .22LR.

Those that say the 1911 is too heavy don't have the right belt.