Best .45 Auto Pistol?

Thank you everbody for all of your input so far. I am very appreciative of it. I am really leaning towards a government model. Probably $600 or less. Keep the good info coming...thanks a lot!!

Joel Slate
Slate & Associates, LLC
The Safari Specialists
www.slatesafaris.com
 
Hey, Joel. I think the best .45ACP pistol for carry is the Glock 30. It is reliable, durable, accurate, lightweight, it holds ten + 1 rounds. I also occasionally carry my Glock 21 but that is only in the winter due to its size. Price for a 30 around here is about $525 +/-.

For about $650 +/- you could get a Springfield Loaded 1911-A1 which is also a reliable and accurate and holds 7 +1.

Good luck!
 
Why not Ruger?

Why not check out a Ruger P97? .45 ACP, 8+1 Capacity, and there's one at Gunbroker.com for $346, and Gunfinder.net has 'em for $354.

Course then again, if your money is something you pick off the trees in the back yard, you could pay nearly twice as much for a Sig, or USP or Kimber. :rolleyes:
 
Hey Rammer,

I think there are some people around here who do have money growing on trees...but I am guessing you are like me and don't...

I have heard a lot of good things about the Ruger P97. It looks like an interesting pistol.

What about the best self-defense ammunition. I am a handloader, but I have been told not to use handloads in a defense pistol. I am more concerned with defense from 2-legged creatures, rather than 4-legged.

Thanks for the advice everyone...

Joel Slate
Slate & Associates, LLC
The Safari Specialists
www.slatesafaris.com
 
Joel, as far as SD ammo, I have been using Federal HydraShok 230 grain JHP for about $18 per box of 25. However, I am seriously thinking of switching to Winchester USA brand 230gr JHP which sells at Walmart for $17 box of 50.

As far as SD ammo, I would test out some of the major brands and use whatever is most reliable and accurate in the pistol you choose. I think any of the major brands of HP ammo will serve you well.
 
Not saying this is THE best, but the HK-P9S merits consideration in 45 cal. Besides it sets you apart from the rest of the crowd..:D
 
I've had and have 1911's. Great pistol. A real mans gun with history, sex appeal and capability. My testosterone level goes up just handling one. However, if I knew I was going into a fight, and had a choice, I would take along my Sig P220 .45. Could care less about the rest of Sigs line but they got that 220 down right!
 
Hi Joel,

Like you, I carry a Smith & Wesson N-frame a lot except mine is a .41 Magnum. Just as a brief aside, with a good shoulder or belt holster the S&W N-frame with a four inch barrel can be comfortably carried for many hours quite comfortably. In fact, some of these .45s being suggested weight as much or more loaded as a S&W N-frame with a four inch barrel. Maybe you should consider buying a box of Winchester 210-grain Silvertips in .44 Magnum (1250 fps) and a good belt or shoulder holster. Just food for thought.

Onto the .45 ACP...

SIG-Sauer P-220 - a modern classic dating from the mid-1970s. For comparison purposes its size and weight are almost identical to the alloy framed Lightweight Commander or many of its clones. Massad Ayoob told me at LFI-I that until very recently he felt it was the only mass produced .45 ACP that could not have its accuracy improved by the installation of a Bar-Sto match grade barrel. It conceals very well inside the waistband, belt holster, or shoulder rig. One of my favorite .45s.

Glock 30 - the short but fat Glock is very close to the SIG in accuracy and it conceals very very well. It carries 9 or 10 rounds in the magazines. The 9-shot mag is flush with the frame for concealment purposes and the 10-shot mag sticks out a bit and gives a better grip that you can get all three fingers on.

Kimber, Colt, and Springfield 1911s - all of these models are reputed to be very good. My experience is mostly with two Colt I had customized by Jon Tank (a former Cylinder & Slide Shop member) that does wonderful work. I've fired and examined several Springfield and Kimbers. Both seems to be excellent. I strongly prefer the full size all steel models in a well designed holster.

With respect to ammunition, I prefer the Federal 230-grain Hydra-Shok and Remington 230-grain Golden Sabers. Both have excellent street records and you can use cheap 230-grain FMJ for practice and it will approximate the same point of aim.

One little tidbit that might be of use to you. I've found that if I zero the fixed sights on my 1911s for 230-grain Hydra-Shoks or Golden Sabers it will be on target at 100 yards with the high velocity Remington 185-grain +P (1140 fps) Golden Sabers. So if you're anticipating a long shot for some reason you might keep a mag of +P handy. The same trajectory seems to hold true to other makes of 185-grain +P loads in .45 ACP.

Good luck with your search.

- Anthony
 
Here it is, the SIG P220ST!!!!

THE BEST .45!
220ST-1.jpg
 
12-34hom

To claim that one brand of firearm is the best is merely the opinion of one person, just as saying one particular caliber is above all the rest is pure folly.


END

They are the best and 70% of LEO's and a large segment of civilian CCW holders also agree.
PAT
 
Ugh .355, you are frustrating: 70% of law enforcement officers are TOLD what to carry - - they didn't CHOOSE Glock!

Stay away from the Ruger P97. Many have posted about problems. I have one with problems and it is on the sale block. I have studied the design a great deal. IMHO, it is the first Ruger that has truly been a crummy design and I am generally a huge Ruger fan.
 
jrslate...don't be misled by....

some of these lost souls...the best you can own is a government model 1911! BUT..... only if it's a Colt!:)
 
I second the Ruger P97. I have a P95 and the thing is boringly trouble free. I pull trigger, gun goes bang, bullet hits target. Each and every time. All for under $300.

I hear the P97 is just like that, except a little more expensive.
 
...which quite often chokes on anything but hardball.

How many times has it been stated on this forum that someone's Colt 1911 has had to have the feed ramp polished, etc, etc, etc, to make it reliable with all sorts of hollowpoint fodder? Sure, the high-priced models brag about reliability out of the box, but why pay a bundle for a reliable pistol when there are other less expensive models that are out of the box reliable (i.e. Glock, Ruger, CZ, Browning, Walther, Makarov, ad infintum, ad nauseum)?

You wanna spend a ton on a Colt, be my guest. I'll buy something ugly, and less expensive, that goes bang every time I pull the trigger without having to pay for modifications...
 
....BUT THAN ALL THE PLEASURE IS...

taken away if a 1911 is ready and ugly right out ofthe box. That's like buying a Jeep Wrangler and being told that it's incapab;e...not ready unless you get a 6 mile high lift, or if you don't get a set of gums that are atleast 995x99x88's... The 1911, just like the loosely compared to Jeep are READY right out of the box! A few enhancements determined by one's needs and or wants is just adding icing to the cake.

I'll pray for you infidels ....when it's time to knock on the pearly gates, you'll be asked."...where's your Colt, son...?;)
 
I NEED and WANT a gun that goes bang every time the trigger is pulled. I don't consider that an "enhancement", that's an essential.

If you consider that an "enhancement", so be it. I'll take the money saved on "enhancements" and buy more ammo, magazines, etc.

BTW, when I knock on the Pearly Gates and St Peter asks me where my Colt is, I'll tell him that it choked on Flying Ashtrays, which is the reason I'm here now!
 
In my (limited) personal experience, the new Colt Government Models are actually good guns. Not just "for a Colt," but good period. Not in the market for a .45 (more of a 10mm man, heh heh :D ) but if I was I'd actually lean towards a new Colt... something I wouldn't have seriously suggested a couple of years ago.
 
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