"Best" 45 ACP maker?

[mc5aw]

You can't qualify "best" without including a budget. The top of the line .45s are well over $5K, which is world's apart from a really nice $1,500 pistol. If I was going to spend ~$1,500, I'd go with a PC Miculek model, and spend the change on a custom rig and ammo.

 

[A10]

Defining "Best" is important here.....my definition could easily include RIA. They work well, are accurate, and won't break your bank. Also, they won't be coveted by all your buddies or admired at the range.

My current favorite is my Sig Traditonal. Accurate and reliable, and it has night sights and no rail.

If I had 3 grand to drop on one, well, I probably would buy a Dan Wesson and save 1500 bucks.....

 

[Road Rat]

The "best" 1911 in 45 ACP?

Have you checked out the total list??


A.J. Savage (US gov't contract slides only)
American Classic
American Tactical
A&R Sales
AMT
Armi Dallera Custom (ADC)
Armscor
Astra
ATI
Australian Precision Arms
Auto Ordnance
Briley
Brolin Arms
Cabot
Caspian (slides and frames only)
Charles Daly
Christensen Arms
Cimarron
Citadel
CO Arms
Colt (commercial and US/foreign gov't contract)
Chiappa (.22LR 1911 copy)
Crown City
Cylinder & Slide
Dan Wesson
Detonics
Devel
Dlask Arms
D&L Sports
Double Star
Ed Brown
EMF
Essex (slides and frames only)
Federal Ordnance
Falcon
Firestorm
Freedom Arms
Fusion
Gemini Custom
Griffon Combat
GSG (.22LR 1911 copy)
Guncrafter Industries
Gunsite
Hero Guns
High Standard
Imbel
Imperial Defense
Infinity
Interstate Arms (Regent)
Irwindale Arms Industries (IAI)
Israeli Arms Industries (also called IAI)
Ithaca (new business located in Sandusky, OH)
Ithaca (old NY-based company, US gov't contract only)
Iver Johnson
Karl Lippard
Kimber
Kongsberg (M/1914 pistol manufactured in Norway under Colt license)
LAR
Les Baer
Llama
Lone Star
Magnum Research (Bul)
Maximus Custom
Metro Arms
Mitchell
MP Express
Nighthawk
Norinco
North American Arms Co. Ltd.
Nowlin
Para Ordnance
Pistol Dynamics
Olympic Arms
Omega Defense
Peter Stahl
Randall
Ranger
Reeder Custom
Regent
Remington Arms (current business)
Remington Rand (US gov't contract only)
Remington-UMC (US gov't contract only)
Rock Island Armory
Rock River Arms
Ruger
Safari Arms
S.A.M
Sarco
Sig Sauer
Singer (US gov't contract only)
Sistema (aka D.G.F.M.-F.M.A.P.) (M1927 pistol manufactured in Argentina under Colt license)
Smith & Wesson
South Fork Arms/Perkins Custom
Springfield Armory (former military arsenal in MA, made 1911s from 1914-1917 under US gov't contract)
Springfield Armory (commercial business established in 1974, not associated with above)
STI
SVI
Tanfoglio
Taurus
Taylor & Co.
TİSAŞ
Turnbull Mfg.
Unertl
Union Switch & Signal (US gov't contract only)
Uselton Arms
USFA
Walther/Umarex (.22LR 1911 copy)
Wilson Combat
Vega (frames only)
Valtro
Victory Arms
Volkman
_________

 

[35Rem]

Colt is the priemier 45 acp.

Everyone else makes copies of the Colt.

Maybe this was true 30 years ago. Look at the list of makers above. Colt makes some dogs, too. They seem to prefer the .gov market, anyway.

Need a budget...

 

[Alpo]

Y'all notice how everyone assumed he meant 1911?

He said "45 ACP", not "1911".

Glock and the other plastic wonders, S&W DA autos, Ruger P-series, H&K, and don't forget the Smith revolvers.

What kind of 45 ACP are you looking for?

 

[35Rem]

Not a lot of "high end" plastic guns.

 

[wbraswell]

Kinda depends on what you like. If you like plastic, there's a bunch out there. Do you want standard size, Commander size or compact? Do you want a original looking 1911 or a "hot rod" with a bunch of accessories? Me, I'm a standard 1911 type. My 70 series Gov't with a throated barrel, and aftermarket fixed sights, suits me fine. I see no reason for anything else. Spend a grand, for a Colt. If it doesn't work, you can always get your money out of it.

 

[goldenlight]

I have a series 80 Colt Gold Cup National Match. I did have to spend a bit of money to get it to run properly. Shell cases were hitting my forehead. I installed an extended ejector, and had a good 1911 'smith install and hand fit a Wilson, IIRC, extractor, and an extended safety. I later added an extended slide stop and magazine release. My hands are on the smaller side.

It has a wonderful 3.25lb. trigger pull, and is far more accurate than my senior citizen eyes. It is, without a doubt, the most fun to shoot of all the handguns I now own, or have ever owned.

I REALLY want to buy a semi custom Les Baer. but, I doubt if I would be able to shoot any better than I can with my Gold Cup. But, they do make NICE handguns, that is for certain.

 

[Krell1]

I like Colt. I had a really nice Gold Cup at one time that I sold and purchased a custom Colt from John Giles. The Giles is so tight, excellent trigger and the accuracy is phenomenal. I'm sure there are other custom guns out there but John Giles made some of the best.
At the time I sold the Gold Cup I didn't have a lot of $$$$$. If I wanted another gun I had to sell something. Now I would never sell any. I'd buy though if I find what I want.

 

[Waywatcher]

Y'all notice how everyone assumed he meant 1911?

He said "45 ACP", not "1911".

Glock and the other plastic wonders, S&W DA autos, Ruger P-series, H&K, and don't forget the Smith revolvers.

What kind of 45 ACP are you looking for?

.45 ACP literally means Automatic Colt Pistol. Technically it refers to the 1911 pattern Colt. It's actually a misnomer to apply the ACP term to the cartridge--that is properly referred to as .45 Auto according to SAAMI and CIP.

 

[LostintheOzone]

About all you can do here is choose the most popular. Best is a subjective term. Go over to the 1911 forum and check out how many people are on each individual sub forum. Kimber, Colt and Springfield get the most hits. Colt has a slow repair turn around but they build a good product. Springfield has excellent, fast, service. Kimber, I don't know what they have but people like them.

Good place to start, anyway.

Polymer? They're all the same. Cheap thrills.

Thanks for your service and good luck. It's deep.

 

[DeadAye]

*Best* is highly subjective
A Ruger Vaquero Bird's Head in 45ACP only is pretty *best* too

 

[Alpo]

.45 ACP literally means Automatic Colt Pistol. Technically it refers to the 1911 pattern Colt. It's actually a misnomer to apply the ACP term to the cartridge--that is properly referred to as .45 Auto according to SAAMI and CIP.

If "45 ACP" is a gun, and not a cartridge, then it would only refer to an "Automatic COLT Pistol", and and Springfield, Kimber, Baer, SIG, Ruger, RIA, et al, are not "45 ACP", since they are NOT Colts.

45 ACP is a cartridge. Just as 32 ACP, 308 Winchester, 38 Smith and Wesson, and 327 Federal are cartridges.

 

[Waywatcher]

If "45 ACP" is a gun, and not a cartridge, then it would only refer to an "Automatic COLT Pistol", and and Springfield, Kimber, Baer, SIG, Ruger, RIA, et al, are not "45 ACP", since they are NOT Colts.

They are chambered in .45 Auto. As is the Colt. The barrel hood on a Colt shows this, SAAMI shows this, CIP shows this, and reloading manuals show this. It's a popular and prevalent misconception.

 

[LouisianaJoe]

The description of cartridges changes over time and .45 Auto is sometimes called .45 ACP.

I have a book "Textbook of Pistols and Revolvers" written in 1935 by then Major Julian S. Hatcher, Ordinance Department, U. S. Army. He referred to the cartridge as ".45 Automatic Colt". He also referred to the pistol as "Colt Automatic Pistol, Government Model". The Army referred to the pistol as "Model of 1911". This is what is stamped on the original Army Pistols. Over the years, the pistols have been stamped differently such as "M1911A1".

Some people use different names for the .45 Colt which is sometime referred incorrectly as the .45 Long Colt.

Also see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.45_ACP

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

Y'all notice how everyone assumed he meant 1911?

He said "45 ACP", not "1911".

He asked what was the best. That folks posted a variety of 1911s was not based on assumption but rather a reflection of intelligence.

 

[LouisianaJoe]

Glock referrers to the caliber as the.45 Auto.
Glock 21 | G21 | .45 Caliber Pistol | GLOCK USA

S&W site used .45 ACP
http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...4_750001_750051_757782_-1_757781_757781_image

Pick your poison.

 

[Waywatcher]

Glock referrers to the caliber as the.45 Auto.
Glock 21 | G21 | .45 Caliber Pistol | GLOCK USA

In your wiki link, did you notice what the official designation of the cartridge, according to CIP and SAAMI, was?

 

[LouisianaJoe]

In your wiki link, did you notice what the official designation of the cartridge, according to CIP and SAAMI, was?

I did. My point was that different folks use different designations.

I updated my quote with a link to S&W and they use .45 ACP.

Also from the Wiki:
"The cartridge/pistol combination was quite successful but not satisfactory for U.S. military purposes. Over the next few years a series of improved designs were offered, culminating in the adoption in 1911 of the "Cal. .45 Automatic Pistol Ball Cartridge, Model of 1911", a 1.273 in (32.3 mm) long round with a bullet weight of 230 grains."

 

[35Rem]

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