What is the toughest .45?

[ssbo]

Well the title just about says it all what is the best .45 that you don't need to spoil and can withstand a beating or two and fire like nothing happened. Don't have to be pretty just accuret and tough.

[Brian48]

Glock 21.

[bumpo628]

done in one

[jgcoastie]

It's a toss-up... Any number of makers offer reliable semi-auto's chambered in .45ACP... Sig/Glock/S&W M&P/Springfield XD/H&K (just to name a few of the tupperware variety) are all super-reliable makers with great reputations...

It's all about how well they fit in your hand and how well you shoot them...

All the reliability in the world won't matter worth diddly-squat if you can't put rounds on target.

[bumpo628]

Here is a link to a Glock 21 torture test that you may find interesting:
http://www.theprepared.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=90&Item

That being said, I bought an M&P45 because it fits in my hand better and I'm left handed. The M&P is ambidextrous and has adjustable backstraps.

Otherwise I would have gone for the Glock.

[jgcoastie]

Interesting? Yes. Practical? No.

[John Clum]

Agree on Glock 21, but in original configuration. Start swapping in aftermarket barrels and whatnot and then it's a different gun.

[riggins_83]

Glock 21 all the way

[jgcoastie]

Start swapping in aftermarket barrels and whatnot and then it's a different gun.

If I could only modify one thing on a Glock (of any caliber) it would be the factory barrel.

An EFK Firedragon National Match barrel has been riding in my G20SF for the better part of two years with no problems except for that pesky increased accuracy and ability to shoot lead handloads...:rolleyes:

[DAVE RICHHARDS]

Ruger P90 comes to mind. It is a tank. Accurate and reliable. Would also make an excellent club if need bee.

[Gav-n-Tn]

Ruger P90 comes to mind. It is a tank. Accurate and reliable. Would also make an excellent club if need bee.

Will eat anything and is cheap cost wise. The G21 is hard to scoff at too. Don't you wish you could just meet Mr. Browning and thank him for his contribution to the auto pistol? None of the above mentioned would even exist if not for him. www.southernoutdoorlife.com

[bdb benzino]

HK USP, the factory actually lodges a bullet in the barrel and shoots again:eek: making sure the rounds cleared the barrel and that the pistol can still function resonably for SD. I read this stuff on their web page, they really make tough stuff.:D

[lechiffre]

s&w 4506

[qwman68]

im gonna go out on a limb and say taurus pt-145.. best shooting compact ive ever owned..most accurate to.. have shot 200 rounds out of it at range without any issues whatsoever..easy to strip and clean.. just freakin awesome is what the gun is.... awesome!!!

[Double Naught Spy]

That is interesting. We have yet to have a Glock 21 finish one of our 1000 round matches without malfunctioning and in the last match, we had one break.

[rickyjames]

i have a taurus pt-145. it will never take the place of my colt, springer and taurus 1911's but i am happy with it. i don't know how the pt-145 compares to glocks and others but mine is accurate and reliable and a comfortable gun to shoot and carry. after about 3,000 rounds it has never malfunctioned, less finicky about ammo and cleaning than the 1911's.

[gun44]

I would have to go with the Ruger P-97. They are just plain tough, will fire anything, and never fails. Not very pretty, but dependable as you can get!

[Gav-n-Tn]

Don't you wish you could just meet Mr. Browning and thank him for his contribution to the auto pistol? None of the above mentioned would even exist if not for him. www.southernoutdoorlife.com

I just threw that out there to see how many "experts" would catch it. NONE as of yet. Wow.

[A-Roe]

Definitely the SW 4506. Its built like a brick, 100% stainless, you can put stronger recoil springs in it and it will fire 45 super, and probably the best part of all, it never faills to feed. It will cycle empty brass. Its a very solid 45, widely available, well priced, accurate as any 1911, and its goes bang everytime, without fail.

[Firepower!]

I think its a close call between P220 and Glock 21. However, from the torture tests I have read, Glock 21 seems to be near indestructable.

[roman3]

s&w 4506


Definitely the SW 4506. Its built like a brick, 100% stainless, you can put stronger recoil springs in it and it will fire 45 super, and probably the best part of all, it never faills to feed. It will cycle empty brass. Its a very solid 45, widely available, well priced, accurate as any 1911, and its goes bang everytime, without fail.

Yep this and the Ruger P90 are tanks!
Glock 21 is a good choice to.

[PSP]

What is the toughest .45?

HK MK23. None other built like it.

[Leejack]

Ruger P90:)

It's also good looking!:eek:

lee

[#18indycolts]

glock 30 or 36. But I'm really impressed with my glock 39, .45 gap.

[QBall45]

Sounds to me like you want to be able to abuse & neglect a firearm yet still expect to run flawlessly and retain tack driving accuracy. Good luck.

I believe a Glock or M&P or XD should likely do what ya want for a while.

No firearm is going to withstand the ultimate tourture test conditions for extended periods without failure. All mechanical devices require attention/maintance in order to function properly.

Good luck to you.

[hoytinak]

Easy, H&K USP.

[espnazi]

+1

To HK USP 45 It is the only mass produced 45 that is able to fire 45 Super without changing anything.

[azredhawk44]

Glock 21 is a great choice. The one I used to have withstood some extended "lack of cleaning" periods with good grace.

Judging from my friend's Ruger P series in .40, the P90 is another good bet. I've seen him have problems with reloads in it, but nothing beyond cases that were too long for the chamber or too tight of a crimp that stopped it from headspacing properly. They all still fed from the magazine into the chamber. Never seen it stovepipe or fail to eject.

[Skans]

....45 that you don't need to spoil and can withstand a beating or two and fire like nothing happened. Don't have to be pretty just accuret and tough.
M-10 (Mac 10) in .45. Sustained full-auto fire....no problem. Glock can only say that with 9mm.

runner up...UZI .45 Pistol.

If you want a perty-boy pistol, try one of them Glocks or 1911's.

[MrClean]

If you want a perty-boy pistol, try one of them Glocks or 1911's.

First time I have ever seen the word "pretty" and "Glock" in the same sentence without something like NOT in there too. :D

I'd grab my HK and then my Glock.

[P97]

I don't have any need for any gun tougher than the Ruger P90.

[madmag]

Ruger P90.

[jgcoastie]

Don't you wish you could just meet Mr. Browning and thank him for his contribution to the auto pistol? None of the above mentioned would even exist if not for him.

I just threw that out there to see how many "experts" would catch it. NONE as of yet. Wow.

Umm... Not sure exactly what the test was... If it weren't for JMB then we wouldn't be discussing anything but wheelguns for the most part... If it weren't for JMB's innovations with semi-autos then companies like Glock likely would not have existed for a few more decades...

So in a roundabout way, I guess JMB is kinda, sorta, in part, responsible for Glocks... Sorta... (I just :barf: in my mouth a little when I said that...)

[Skans]

So in a roundabout way, I guess JMB is kinda, sorta, in part, responsible for Glocks... Sorta...


No "sorta" about it. Browning's original Hi-Power design a striker-fired pistol that used a double column 16 round magazine. Other than the Glock's trigger and improved polymer (HK was the first to make a plastic-fantasitc pistol), it's not a far stretch from one of Browning's original 1927 designs.

[Uncle Buck]

I know I am going to catch heck for this one, but: Hi-point is a low cost, easy to maintain pistol that does not require a lot of babying and is accurate enough for target shooting.
If I am going to have a knock-around .45 that I know is not going to be cleaned regularly, can withstand a quick drop in the mud or a puddle, or even a mud-puddle, I do not want it to be my $500+ pistol.

http://www.hi-pointfirearms.com/handguns/45acp/hi_point_45acp.html

[AJD21]

John Browning invented the pistol slide...so yes basically almost all modern handguns are a copy of a critical component of something he invented.

[jgcoastie]

No "sorta" about it. Browning's original Hi-Power design a striker-fired pistol that used a double column 16 round magazine. Other than the Glock's trigger and improved polymer (HK was the first to make a plastic-fantasitc pistol), it's not a far stretch from one of Browning's original 1927 designs.

I know, but it pains me to say it...

I'm a proud Glock owner, but it still just irrks me...

[AZAK]

it's not a far stretch from one of Browning's original 1927 designs

JMB died in 1926. Browning Hi-Power was introduced in 1935. JMB did contribute to the design; however, only nine years later, with alterations/contributions to his design primarily by Dieudonné Saive, was the design finalized.

JMB designs are the "grandfathers" to all of the existing semi-autos of today.

Now you would not even be here if it weren't for your own grandfather, now would you?

And some of the grandfathers are still alive and kicking (as in still can kick your ...) for example, the 1911.

[dgludwig]

Kind of pricey, maybe but in terms of toughness my vote is for the most evolved Smith "third generation" series of fine pistols: the Model 945.

[Wleoff]

Ruger 90. I've had this one since they first came out. Will eat anything. Anything that can ride under my truck seat for years is tough and some of that time was in trucks without carpet. Ruger did refinish it, several years ago, to make it pretty again.

http://s416.photobucket.com/albums/pp244/wleoff/P40III.jpg

[Officer's Match]

Tie: MK23 and P90.

[MilsurpMakesMeHappy]

Hey everyone, I'm brand new here, and I'm planning on a .45 as my next pistol, so I found this thread to be useful. I was checking out some Philippine made GI 1911's that seemed to be pretty well made, and not expensive at all. I also like the Springfield Armory. I currently have an LCP, a S&W 6904 (9mm), a .40 USP, and a .44 Redhawk, so naturally I need to add a .45 ACP to the stable. ;)

[Micropterus]

Another vote for the Glock 21. I bought one years ago and shot the heck out of it. I lost count but know it was well over 20,000 rounds. I don't ever remembering any malfunction. I regret selling it now, but have a nice G21SF to replace it. It's a fantastic gun.

[Bigjim3]

COLT 1911 Proven more than a time or two:D:D

[shortwave]

+10 on the Colt 1911

[Gixerman1000]

There are a few that come to mind
S&W 4506
Ruger P90
Glock G21
HK USP

But IMO the absolute toughest 45acp ever built is the HK Mk23, it it will even handel 45 super without changing anything.

http://www.remtek.com/arms/hk/civ/mark23/mark23.htm

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/Gixerman1000/Handguns/HkMk23.jpg

Here are a few photos I took showing the differences in size and construction between my MK23 and my USP45 Tactical, also notice the different 3 coat finish of the slide and the plated corrosion resistant pins and small parts of the MK23

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/Gixer1000/Handguns/Mark23vsUSP45Tactical01.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/Gixer1000/Handguns/Mark23vsUSP45Tactical02.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/Gixer1000/Handguns/Mark23vsUSP45Tactical03.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/Gixer1000/Handguns/Mark23vsUSP45Tactical04.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/Gixer1000/Handguns/Mark23vsUSP45Tactical05.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/Gixer1000/Handguns/Mark23vsUSP45Tactical06.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/Gixer1000/Handguns/Mark23vsUSP45Tactical07.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/Gixer1000/Handguns/Mark23vsUSP45Tactical08.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/Gixer1000/Handguns/Mark23vsUSP45Tactical09.jpg

[mavracer]

JMB died in 1926. Browning Hi-Power was introduced in 1935. JMB did contribute to the design; however, only nine years later, with alterations/contributions to his design primarily by Dieudonné Saive, was the design finalized.
Funny thing about that some of the alterations/contrabutions by Saive were to include designs JBM had sold to Colt that the patents had expired.

[James K]

Hi, bdb benzino,

I am willing to bet at least a small coffee that the "bullet lodged in the barrel" claim is a trick, and that they lodge the bullet just ahead of and touching the bullet of the chambered round. When the gun is fired, both bullets exit and the barrel is not damaged. Makes a neat claim, but in fact about any .45 pistol will pass that test. Now if they lodge the bullet, say, 1 1/2" in from the muzzle, then I will give them the prize for the toughest .45 barrel of all time.

Jim

[espnazi]

The USP 45 will also handle 45 Super fine but if you plan on shooting a lot of it just change the recoil spring to one with more pounds.

[sks]

Jim Keenan: This is a bit off subject but your reference to H&K's claim of shooting a bullet out of the barrel made me think of a little accident we had last year. My wife was shooting my Ruger Vaquero .45lc with a 7.5" barrel when one bullet lodged in the barrel, (bad reload), she then immediately shot another one as she did not notice what had happened. I was not present when she did this but came upon it right after. She said it sounded funny when she shot it.

I checked and saw that the barrel was obstructed so we unloaded the gun. When I got it home and began to get the bullet out, to my utter dismay there were two. That set me back for a few minutes. I have both of those bullets in my reloading room as a reminder of 1) The Lord watches out for fools, 2) I had better be CAREFUL with my reloads.

That being said, the second bullet did not dislodge the first one. :D

[DocDizz]

The toughest .45 is the one you just bought. The worst is the one you traded off because you couldn't stand it. End of story.

[gyvel]

Other than the Glock's trigger...

And THAT was copied directly from the Austro-Hungarian Model 1907 8mm Roth-Steyr cavalry pistol.

[booker_t]

How reliable are the Ed Hardy 1911s? Do people put 1000s of rounds through them or are they mostly show-pieces?

[nitetrane98]

I've always wondered what the criteria is for "tough", "rugged" etc, in a gun.
Most people strive to take care of their weapons especially in a combat environment. Are folks wanting a gun that can withstand being dropped on concrete several times, or thrown across a parking lot, etc. Who does this with a gun? Do they want to be able to do this and not be able to tell that it's been done? I guess most of us have dropped one at sometime in our lives. I dropped an old Govt model once and other than the nick on the slide, it was fine.

All I want is one rugged enough to withstand the shock of being fired and have no adverse effects for the first 50K rounds.

[ESI Agent]

Hands down the Ruger P90! The P90 was built for the 10mm but chambered for the 45. It is overbuilt and test were done in terms of reliability and the P90 beat out all double action semi's. Check it out on "Combat handguns" This firearm also has competition accuracy.

[collector rob]

Not an auto, but what about the Ruger Blackhawk 45colt/45acp convertible? That thing is pretty darn tough.

Other wise it would be my P90.

[EnoughGUN]

FNP .45 Built like someone chambered a tank for .45 and bolted a handle to the bottom.