Best .45 ACP for Concealed Carry (Striker Fired)

Wethepeople01

New member
Sorry 1911 fans.. You have every right to live your 1911 and loathe any striker fired pistol. But, I am interested in recommendations from our community on the right single or double stack .45 ACP for concealed carry. Barrel length must exceed 3.5" (4.0" max). Height must be no taller than 5.5". $600 max purchase price. I'm familiar with the following Springfield Armory and Glock models (I carry only Springfield and Glock) These are my top picks in no particular order.. XDM Compact (too heavy?), Springfield XD 4.0 Compact (discontinued model), Glock 36, Glock 30S, Glock 30SF. Now go! And, thanks!!
 
M&P 45C (plus Apex DCAEK).

Violates a number of my prejudices, but: easy to carry, easy to shoot, easy to maintain.
 
I think you already know your answer.

FWIW, the G30SF is without peer right out of the box. It's Glock simple and reliable, and the extra-thick magazine base pad makes it fit very comfortably in the hand (as opposed to the G29's thin base pad). The only downside is the OEM barrel has a generous feed ramp...and I do mean generous, like landing a Boeing 757 generous! This isn't an oversight on the part of Glock, they built the gun to chamber a 19,500 psi cartridge and within that parameter, the ACP easily survives lack of case head support, BUT if I were planning to pump up the volume I'd opt to install a barrel with less ramp exposure.

The XD has two advantages over the Glock. Grip and trigger ergonomics. For this it pays in having a high slide height. The Glock striker is only partially cocked, and the trigger take-up is finishing up that cocking just before left off. The reason is because the trigger bar rests atop a frame ledge that positively CANNOT allow the striker to release unless the trigger is pulled to the rear....a great system! The XD trigger is fully cocked by slide movement so of course the trigger has almost no take-up or movement before let-off, resulting in a short, more crisp feel. The downside is they had to add the grip safety to compensate for the internal safety ledge inside the Glock, but the end result is that when you are holding either pistol with a round chambered, it's live and ready to fire.

the real advantage to the Glock is that every part is available in the aftermarket including barrels, slides, connectors, triggers, safety systems etc., AND a Glock can be completely stripped to it's smallest component in seconds with the use of only a simple punch tool. The XD requires pulling out the hammer and punches just to get started.
 
If you don't have an issue concealing it (I can't imagine how people do myself) it is almost impossible to beat the G30 (SF or Gen 4) in a compact, striker fired .45 ACP.

I like my 30S with the 9 round mag and a pearce +0 baseplate and a G21 13 round mag as backup.

The backup mag is harder to conceal than the gun, IMO.
 
I very much like the 30S also.

I found the hard way that every shot would cause the magazine to rise up just enough to pinch my pinky. Adding the Pearce Grip mag bottom and sanding the edges took care of that.

May I mention that the XD-S comes in two sizes. The barrel lengths are 3.3 and 4.0 inches. And while I sold my 3.3-inch XD-S (9mm but the description is the same) I'm keeping the 4.0-inch XD-S.

Since there are 3 sizes of magazines for it, you can have a small one (5 in .45) for concealed carry and a full one (7 in .45) for reloading. And more rounds if you buy the gun in 9mm :D Yeah, I'm trying to get a caliber war going here. Naughty me.

The 4-inch XD-S with a large magazine is the same size as a Colt Commander yet slimmer.

Bart Noir
 
Thank you my friends! You have all given excellent advice here. I wish I could buy 'em all! But, the Glock 30S, Glock 36 and Springfield XDS 45 4" have all grabbed my attention even more so. I prefer a barrel length 3.5" to 4.0". This rules out the Shield I believe. But, the S&W M&P Compact also is attractive in size. An Apex trigger would be a necessity. Also, it's similar enough to my EDC Glock 23 & Springfield XDS 3.3" 9mm. Yes, I want to rotate the big three calibers - although I truly favor the .40. Still, the big three calibers allow us to maximize the size of the preferred carry weapon: 9mm (Pocket), .40 cal (Medium Frame/Double Stack) & 45 ACP (Medium/Large Frame)..
 
if you can get a Kahr to run properly within a few magazine tries youll have a winner. their problem is that one often spends more money in "break-in" ammo than the gun costs, and even then its finicky.
 
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