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.





.

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.

 

[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.