.45ACP - Is It Viable On Cost Grounds ?

Originally posted by Mike H:

I have never really looked seriously at .45ACP as an all round caliber, target/competition work, personal defense, plinker, whatever....

I've done some pin shooting at my old club in SW Pa with a 9mm and found that it was only suitable for shooting pins off the back of the tables. It simply didn't have the power to despatch pins set on the spots which are further forward. I don't want to go up to a .45 though because my wife needs to shoot it too and prefers 9mm over heavier calibers.
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For the kind of shooting you want to do, I think that it would be hard to beat a quality, 1911-style, .45 ACP pistol.
I hear that the current Colt 1991-A1 pistols are reliable right out of the box.

I would rather fire 7 rounds from my Colt than 15 rounds from a 9mm. (You could let your wife keep your 9mm.)
I normally buy quality, U.S. made, factory, 230 grain, .45 ACP hardball ammo when I see it at $10.00 to $11.00 per box.

If you were to shoot 3 boxes of .45 ACP per week, instead of 4 boxes of 9mm per week, then you would spend only $20.00 more per month on factory ammo. You would also have a handgun caliber that meets all of your requirements.

The .45 ACP pistol does everything that I need a centerfire handgun to do.

-Mk.IV
 
If you go 1911 for the .45acp,,,

http://www.22lrconversions.com

Not to rehash the old 9mm vs .45 tune, but the .45acp in 230 gr ball is worlds better at stopping than a FMJ 9mm. A .22 Conversion unit on a 1911 lets you spend more trigger time on the same frame. Check out Dave McC's post over in shotguns about getting comfortable with the "feel" of something.

S&B at $7.99 is pretty effective as target and defensive use.

Let me also second 444's recomendation of the Lee loader if you have the time to go that route. If not, a cheap C press is faster and not that much more.
 
Before I reloaded, I bought my bulk ammo from www.ammoman.com. They have outstanding prices (no extra charge for shipping or credit card usage) and service. Then I started to reload … JUST for .45 ACP. HA!!!

Now I reload rifle, pistol and shotgun calibers. I can reload a box of (50) 200 gr. LSWC for around $2.50-3.00. When I hit the range, I don’t even think twice when 300-500 rounds go downrange.
 
When I went from 9mm to .45 ACP, I knew I would have to reload (there's no way I'm gonna spend $12 a box for target ammo). Although the initial outlay cost me some bucks, my reloads cost less than $4 a box, and after a year, I'm way ahead. For example, I sometimes shoot 200 rounds in a day, which would cost around $50 rather than $16. If not for reloading, I wouldn't shoot .45's.
 
.45ammo cost

I have been buying my .45 acp from Claflin Cartridge for
7.99 a box plus shipping. THis is the cheapest of have found anywhere. I called in the last time on a Monday
and had the ammo Wed.

http://www.ammodeal.com/
 
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