45 Caliber Too Much

[bigbill]

I  ccw carried the ruger redhawks in 44mag for over 30years. On and off i carried a ruger security six in 357mag, a cz85db in 9mm luger and the 1911 in 45acp.  I been full circle power and weight wise. Right now i carry a S&W model58 with a 4"barrel in 41magnum in nickel finish.  I prefer the knock down power of the magnum. You need to pick a handgun that feels good in your hand too. If the grips need  to be changed the availability of the grips matters too. Then comes the caliber?  A great starter pistol is the military surplus cz82 in 9mm makarov or the newer cz83 in 380acp, or in 32acp, or in 9mm mak too. The cz82can be had for around $250.

[tubeman]

A 9mm is a man/woman stopper. With todays ammunition, the 9mm is a premier choice. I shoot 147grain Winchester Ranger T and the penetration and expansion are awesome. I also have two .45acp, one Ruger and the other Kimber, that caliber has a stellar reputation. I also have a .44 special, .380 Bersa, .357sig, and a few others. The 9mm, .40 and .45 all have ball ammo that, well used to be, inexpensive to target shoot with. Concealment, normally there are more 9mm concealment pistol models available. Too much gun? Never an issue when you or yours life depends on it.

[bigbill]

The 9mm luger round isnt the great stopper that most think it is. Over in the sand box right now it takes many shots to stop these bad guys in close quarters. The 1911 in 45acp is the better caliber for having more stopping power. This is why the spec ops and seals use the 45acp.  Again you need to buy what pistol feels good in your hand and one u can shoot accurately too.Start out small and work your way up.

[Hi Salenity]

The 9mm luger round isnt the great stopper that most think it is. Over in the sand box right now it takes many shots to stop these bad guys in close quarters. The 1911 in 45acp is the better caliber for having more stopping power. This is why the spec ops and seals use the 45acp. Again you need to buy what pistol feels good in your hand and one u can shoot accurately too.Start out small and work your way up.

They use ball ammo

[bigbill]

You need speed and power to make the hollow points perform correctly. But remember using hollow points were giving up penetration if the round isn't powerful enough. I pump up my 200gr JHP bullets in my 44mag to almost 1,500 FPS.  But with standard 9mm  fmj bullets you need to hit the vitals.

[das028]

45 acp is my favorite caliber. I like to shoot a lot of matches, so I have tons of experience shooting various caliber pistols.

The recoil on a 45 is different then a nine. Since its a low pressure round that shoots a heavy bullet it tends to push more when compared to the snappy recoil of a 9. A 40 is even more snappier. Personally, I can stay on target faster with a 45, but that my opinion.

But remember, felt recoil is a perceived thing. What's good for me may be to much for a other

[bigbill]

I installed the full length guide rod with the 18# recoil spring. It does tame down the recoil on the 1911. It's actually more fun to shoot and accurate too.

[destroyer350]

are you wantin double stack or single stack/ polymer pistol or steel framed?.i carry a sig 1911 scorpion 45acp it fits my hand well and I love shooting it. personal defense rounds are between 25 and 30 dollars  for 20 rounds,,thats for federal hydrashocks and Remington golden sabers.best thing to do is  go handle as many pistols as you can and see what fits you the best.

[bigbill]

Do you have an indoor range close by where you can rent handguns so you can see how they handle in each caliber before you purchase it to see if you like it or not?

[Topwaterspook]

I carry a .380 or a .40SW, depending on the clothing.

[JD96]

Better a .380 in your pocket than a .45 at home.

[bigbill]

It's good to have something than carrying nothing.

Ever think of a revolver? 357mag? Snubbie?

If I had to choose again right now and start over New I'd be between the 1911 in 45acp or the Cz 75 in 9mm luger for a full size pistol. The only compact I like is the CZ 82 in 9mm makarov.

[bigbill]

Lately I been interested in the 10mm auto. Either in the CZ or the colt 1911. Since the ballastics is close to the 41 magnum. The 357 SIG is another good round that's similarity to the 125gr JHP in the 357mag ballastics wise. The 357 Sig was copied

from the speedy Russian Tokarev 7,62x25 round. This is one very fast little light weight bullets. Reeds ammo offers these in

there line up of loaded ammo. I believe some of his ammo is

loaded around + or - 2,000fps. I believe it goes thru the vests too. For a 90gr bullet in a handgun that's flying. There are a few tokarev pistols around from different countries. China offers there norinco manufactured tokarevs in 7,62x25 tokarev

and in 9mm luger/parabellium.

That's enough of history for now. Bigbill