Handling the 45 ACP

B

BigG

New member
I saw that George Hill responded to my assertion in the Ayoob thread but he locked it down before I could address his slur.

From Big G

As to opinions, my opinion is still that the .45 ACP is too much for an average person to use without a lot of training.

This is utter BS... I took a little china girl from work who wanted to learn how to shoot... After just a few minutes she was firing a Springfield 1911A1 in .45 ACP loaded with Speer Lawman and Hornady Custom 230 grain loads with no problem. She was cutting the X rings outta the targets. She is a pretty little thing that weighed in at about 115 pounds wet. She handled the gun very well, shot recovery was quick and her follow up shots delivered in rapid succession.

ANYONE who puts their mind to it can handle the .45. A lot of training? You call 30 Minutes a lot?

I doubt you have ever fired the .45... Its just as easy to control as any other round. Easier than most.
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George, I think you doth protest too much. Simma and we'll have a decent discussion on our OPINIONS. I stand by my observation: Most people cannot handle the 45 ACP, despite your macho hairy chest beating. I bought my first one in 1968 from a man who couldn't wait to get it off his hands. Got two boxes of hardball SuperX with it. I remember when you got your first springfield and got rid of the HKs.

BTW: does your wife know you took the pretty little thing out? ;)
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I would say you're wrong also G. My wife, who is not a big woman by any means and has only limited experience shooting, can shoot 230 grain FMJ 45ACP loads on target with no problems. She doesn't LIKE it...after a couple mags, she starts to get a headache. But she CAN do it.
 
You're kidding, right? A very petite ladyfriend of mine (maybe 5'4", 100 lbs soaking wet) loves my Glock 30 (my carry gun). Crud, she likes my brother-in-law's snub 686 with Corbon .357 mags!

The .45 is easy to control compared to some rounds, like the .357 mag in a snubbie, or the .40 in a Glock 27.
 
I LIKE IT!

My first pistol was a Para-14.45. I tried shooting a browning High Power in 9mm and a Glock in 45 before I bought my first pistol to get a feel of the two different rounds. I actually preferred the slower "push" of the 45 to the snappy faster recoil of the 9mm. Of course much of the perceived recoil also depends on the type of gun you're firing from, padded grips etc...

Just my opinion. To each his own.
 
I'd have to agree with George

My wife (five foot, 110 lbs) had no problem with my 1911 series. My neighbor's wife has no problem with a 3 inch M13 with full loads. My GF (who is bigger and stronger than either) hates anything bigger than a nine. I didn't teach her how to shoot - I'm having to overcome someone elses input.

This is what modern training is about. The weaver/isocoles stances provide even small people a good basis for quick learning.

I too started in the days when sissy's wore ear plugs and real men used one hand. Thanks to Col. Cooper, we now have a great training tool with the two handed stance, regardless of flavor.

Once the shooter has built some skills, you can start teaching the nuances - either hand shooting, point shooting etc. But just like building a house, ya got to have a good foundation first.

Get with an NRA rep, get certified to teach handguns and you'll soon discover that the majority of new (especially female) shooters can handle almost any handgun. Those who can't (and that includes males) usually have a size problem with the grips. Recoil (once their shown how to deal with it) seems to be a non-isssue.

Gizmo99
 
My son started shooting a .45 when he was 9, started competing in local IPSC matches with the gun two or three months later. Handles the gun very safely and competently. The recoil has never bothered him.

I find that novices/children are more bothered by the sound than the recoil, even if they can't identify it as such. Having them wear plugs under muffs can do wonders in helping them to "handle the recoil" and shoot better.
 
My wife shoots .45, and prefers it to my .40 because it is less "snappy". The only reason she doesn't like my 1911 is because she finds the grip checkering to sharp for her tastes.

In all reality .45 is a pretty soft shooter. I've introduced quite a few people to basic shooting (I'm no real teacher by any means, more a dedicated plinker who likes to introduce new people to the sport). I have had very few people find the .45 that hard to control. A snub nosed small griped .357 on the other hand, that has gotten some complaints, but the .45, especially out of an all steel 1911 is a piece of cake.
 
I agree completely with George. I took my sister to the range several months ago. She's all of 4'11" 90 lbs. At first, she was shooting the .22 then the 9mm but she wanted the big boys. So I instructed her how to shoot the 1911 .45 ACP.

Not only did it feel more comfortable in her hand, she shot tighter groups too! AFter that, she didn't want to shoot the .22 or 9 mm anymore.

At the EOSM, one of very own TFL members (Miss Demeanors) shot several .45's with full power loads. She was knocking the x ring quite nicely. These are just two of the many examples of newbies shooting the .45 quite adequately.
 
My first gun was a Glock 17. My second was a ParaO P14. As you can tell, I'm still a fan of .45 in general and the M1911 in particular.

My wife is about 5' 2", 100 lbs and has short fingers. She can't shoot my Glock 17 at all -- her fingers are too short. But she can shoot my Kimber just fine (has trouble racking the slide against the 18 lb spring though). The recoil never bothered her. I find lots of .40 guns to recoil more than some .45s.

Regarding the Glock 30, I've shot one side by side with my full size kimber, using the same ammo. Oddly enough, the Glock 30 seemed to recoil less than the Kimber.

At my last NRA basic pistol class, I had three students, none of whom had fired pistols much at all prior to the class. I had them shoot .22, .38, 9mm, and .45. None of them had any problems with the .45 in a 1911. One of the fellows commented that he was surprised at how much he disliked the Glock -- since they are so popular with law enforcement, he assumed he would like it.

Last weekend I supervised a fellow who had to pass a qualification shoot for one of his non-resident CCW permits. He wasn't doing all that well with his Beretta 92. I loaned him my Kimber and he ended up shooting better with that than his Beretta.

I will grant you that shooting 185 gr +p out of an alloy commanders model isn't going to be fun. But in a full size gun, standard pressure .45 ACP is not that big a deal. I've shot 400 rounds in a day through my Kimber. But I really don't enjoy full boat .357s through my 4" S&W Model 66.

Felt recoil is very subjective and depends a lot upon how well the gun fits your hand.

M1911
 
I have to agree with George on this one. I've shot .45 ACP loads from dozens of autoloaders -- 1911A1s and many others, full size to subcompact -- and more than a couple revolvers. Never had a recoil or handling problem with any of them. The fact is, due to its low pressure and concomitant low velocity, the .45 ACP round (standard pressure loading) is quite benign.
 
All machismo aside, I don't see that the .45 ACP requires any more training than that required for any handgun cartridge.

Just to add to what has already been said, my girlfriend who is new to firearms and is a very diminuative 5'2" actually prefers the .45, in fact she is quite proficient with my USP45.
 
The first gun my girlfriend shot was a full sized Glock 9mm (G17?)... She almost cried because she didn't like it so much and the 9mm was such "a soft shooter." Then she tried out my (former) Para P-13 (COMMANDER length 1911) and liked it much, much better. Was more accurate with it to boot...


Go figure, just anecdotal evidence. Maybe lower pressures of subsonic ammo makes it feel softer?
 
.45 ACP: What recoil?

In most well made .45 pistols, there is really not that much more recoil than 9mm IMO. I am not a macho type as most of you know (I have been accused of being recoil sensitive before from other posters) and IMO the .45 is a "soft" recoiling cartridge if anything. I honestly have total confidence in my ability to control .45's. I can't say the same thing about the .40!
 
45ACP is one of the MILDEST cartridges out there. sure it's more than a .38 or 9mm, but the pulse is so long it feels like a push instead of a snap, like .40S&W and .357SIG. What are you comparing it too? What is your idea of a easy shooting handgun, a .22? .38s or 44spcl in a 6" Dan Wesson?
 
A hundred and fifteen pound woman is macho hairy chest beating?

I'm glad you remember when I went to the .45... Then you should also remember me mentioning that I went BACK to the .45 1911 from other calibers and pistols. The 1911 was the FIRST centerfire pistol I have ever fired (12 years old?). I carried it when I used to wear ISSUED clothes. I've used it in defense of my life while enforcing US Policy... while feeling stark terror of losing my own life.
And I used it to good success as I am still here and breathing to prove it.

This isnt bravado Big G - these are facts. As facts, my previous comment wasnt ment to be slander. Sorry it sounded that way to you... The young woman, married and mother of 2 handled the .45 JUST FINE. I was surprised in fact as to how fast she took to it. This isn't my opinion alone, Cold Hearted Ninny a fellow TFL member was with us and he also was most impressed... Its a fact that she did very well!

And also since I am still alive and breathing - my wife (who handles her Springfield V-10 .45 very very well) knew of it well in advance! :D
 
My ex-wife (5-0 and 110 lbs.) handled a .45 with absolutely zero problems first time out of the corral.

She also did the same with my hard-kicking .357 Mag. loads out of my Model 19.

Same with a friend's wife who had never shot a handgun before I put a .22 in her hands. After 10 minutes of basic safety & use instruction, she wanted to shoot my .45.

I loaded one round so that if there were problems, it wouldn't be with a fully charged gun.

She fired that fine, as well as the rest of the box with no problems.

I personally think that it is the NON-average person who can't handle the .45 competently after just a few minutes.
 
Hmm...

I'd say my G30 and my 625 are the two most mild-recoiling handguns I own save for my Tomcat. The .44 Special Rossi 720 and 4 5/8" .44 Magnum Bisley Vaquero both kick harder than the .45 ACP N-frame and the 10mm Auto G29 and the .357 SIG G33 are both definitely more attention-getting than the .45 Glock compact.
 
My mother (5'4") not only shoots the M1911A1 Automatic Colt Pistol Calibre .45 quite well, but she learned to shoot it bullseye-style -- one handed -- because that's the way her dad taught her to shoot.

My little sister shoots her .45 Weaver-style, though.

As far as pure recoil goes, one of my ex-girlfriends shot my Ruger Vaquero .44 magnum exceedingly well, the fact that she's 5'1" and she fired it wearing high heels a time or two didn't seem to slow her down any.

LawDog
 
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