Best .45 ACP Pistol?

[CDR_Glock]

For the money, a Glock 30 is as good as it gets. It's captured double spring guide rod helps with recoil. It holds enough ammo. It's a great target pistol and it is reliable.

Bad ammo causes a Kaboom, not a bad gun.

I have the following 45 ACP pistols:
Glock 30/36
Wilson Combat CQB
Ed Brown Special Forces 1911
Guncrafter No Name 1911
Mars T.H.U.G. 1911
Detonics Combat Master V 1911
H&K Mark 23
H&K USP
Sig Sauer P220

The Mark 23 is a great gun but it's pretty big. It's highly accurate, feeds anything, it's reliable and it's comfortable. It might not be affordable to most, though. To me, it's the ultimate 45 ACP pistol.

1911s are good if you find a good budget model or higher level model that works or if you have some coin, then bump it up to a semi custom or custom. Government and Commander sized 1911s are inherently more reliable than the Officer's model.

Sig P220 and H&K USP are great guns. Accurate and reliable. Point well. Pricey but worth it. To me, at least.

Glocks are as simple as they come. Easy to shoot and easy to maintain. Reliability second to none, except for my H&K Mark 23. The Glock is a no frills pistol. I will always love mine. For the money, I out shoots and is more reliable than guns twice its price.

[KyJim]

WVSig --

I like your taste in guns. I most often carry a Les Baer Stinger, Dan Wesson CCO, or Ed Brown Special Forces Carry.

DW CCO:


Baer Stinger:


Brown SF Carry:

[OldSchool59]

WVSig, those are three fine examples of the 1911 species right there. Though I covet all three, that CBOB is making my "want" bone ache. Don't know if you heard the rumor that those grips can cause all kinds of skin allergies. If you don't want to tempt fate, I'll do you a solid and give you what you paid for her.

(I've copied the picture of that trio and it will be my wallpaper on my phone.)

[chrisp51]

I have a bunch of .45's by a bunch of manufacuters but if I could only pick one to trust to get me through any situation it would be the Ruger P345. It seems to be the timex of .45's. It takes a licking but keeps on ticking. It is the gun I keep in my night stand.

[arthury]

> I've owned several 1911's, none were reliable enough to trust my life to

hmmm ... FBI Hostage Rescue Team, SEAL, Marines Special Op, LAPD, etc... have trusted their lives on it and they still are.

What kind of 1911 do you own?

[Jeep Driver]

Glock 30sf hands down.

[smokehouse4444]

SIG P220. period.

[ESI Agent]

My Ruger P345 will do what any of the higher priced firearms will do but do it for less. Durable,reliable and made in the U.S.A.

[Sgt.207]

Smith and Wesson 4506 or Sig P220. The S&W 4516 is also great, though heavy.

[Microgunner]

For EDC I've become a big fan of the Kahr P45.
Small enough, big enough, reliable, potent.
It's as close to perfect as I've come across in awhile.

[BIG P]

Glock 21
old 70 serious gold cup. If theyre better than these I aint seen them.

[GaryH]

Go find a used Series 70 Colt. Don't bubba it up and you'll have all the reliability you want.

I agree.

I've had a Ruger P90 for nearly 20 years that has only failed to feed one batch of SWC reloads that were out of spec. Other than that it's ALWAYS fired.

My Combat Commander, owned by me since '95, has NEVER failed to feed, fire or eject.

The newest .45 I have is a Baby Eagle, all steel, and it has been completely reliable.

I smooth up my moving parts and ramps, and do regular maintenance. I don't go dicking with my pistols trying to make a hotrod out of 'em. They are accurate enough for my purposes...paper punching...and they are reliable.

If I was going to be dragging it thru dirt and mud, I'd probably opt for a Glock 21.

[ripnbst]

It is unbelievable to me that no one mentions CZ pistols. I can honestly say I have never read a bad review of any CZ pistol. They make the CZ 97 chambered in .45ACP. Check it out. Highly recommend CZ pistols. Good luck finding one though. The new ones are wait listed and almost no one with one is willing to part with it for a reasonable price.

[sks]

My favorite is the P220 but my carry is the G36. Both are reliable and have run flawless except with my "bad" reloads. The Glock is on me and the SIG is loaded in a safe in my kitchen cabinet.

[tulsamal]

I own most of those mentioned.

Nobody is going to argue against a fine 1911. Each one is a bit different and sometimes they need some tuning by a gunsmith but it is usually worth it. Don't give up on the design. There is a reason they are still around in such numbers.

That being said... out of all the various .45 ACP's I own... my favorite overall design is the HK45. I especially like it now that I converted mine to LEM. I like the full size version as a range gun and for IDPA. Lots of people like the HK45C for a carry gun.

Gregg

[Amsdorf]

Here's my take on your question.

Asking which .45ACP Semi-Auto is "best" is one of those questions that can not be answered properly, for you, unless you phrase it:

"Which .45ACP is best for me?"

And then, of course, I think you have decide

Do I want to go the "classic" route and get a 1911?
If the answer is "yes" then you have a world of options to explore.

If you decide not to go 1911...you have a world of options!

The higher end polymer semi-autos: HK, Sig, etc. are great pistols, really pretty much impossible to answer "best" ...

Best advice I would offer is to find a gun shop with a firing range that will let you rent, try out a number of handguns.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide to do.

Cheers!

[buffalo]

I have owned many guns in .45acp over the years and hands down my favorites are the S&W 1911PD,Glock 30 and Glock 21 for the full size version. I have had no issues with either of those and they all have had well over 5k rounds through them,they are 3 guns that i will never get rid of and most likely will get brothers for them. I also have to add that the Glocks are very accurate,i have heard some say Glocks are not accurate but i have always found mine to be very accurate and that includes my 9mm ones also. Just my opinion.

[osageid]

This my two favorite 45's! Excuse the Halloween stuff, my wife is all about decorations
<a href="http://s277.photobucket.com/albums/kk63/osageid/?action=view&current=EC0ADDA7-54DA-4B02-A419-F563A8A62CCE-3222-0000017ED341C079.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk63/osageid/EC0ADDA7-54DA-4B02-A419-F563A8A62CCE-3222-0000017ED341C079.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos" /></a>



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[GaryOlson]

Beretta Cougar 8045. All metal construction, reliable, parts are still available. Good used Cougar 8045 are available; and NIB Cougar 8045 keep showing up on the various auction sites. Not as big as your full size .45; not so small the recoil is a problem.
Then you could also get a used Beretta mini Cougar 8045 for concealed carry for consistency. Fun little shooter; and can use the same mags (with an adapter) as the full size Cougar 8045.

What's this 1911 number y'all keep talking about?!

[rickmelear]

Wow, I have 2 1911s, a Colt Combat Commander that I bought new in 1980 and a Smith that I have had for 5 or so years and both have been flawless. However if your 1911 experience has not been good then I would defiantly go with the Sig 220, I dont like double stack 45s but that's a personal taste.

[CharlieDeltaJuliet]

Sig P220, add another vote...


Trust my life to mine. If I am out of bed it is by my side or in my Galco, tucked at the 4 o'clock position.

[tomrkba]

Nobody is going to argue against a fine 1911. Each one is a bit different and sometimes they need some tuning by a gunsmith but it is usually worth it. Don't give up on the design. There is a reason they are still around in such numbers.

The reason is culture. American men like their 1911's. There is nothing wrong with this and I hope we continue to buy 1911's in record numbers every year.

Many current production implementations have serious deficiencies that preclude them from duty use. The 1911 has specific maintenance requirements that must be adhered to. A casual user is better served by a different gun. Hilton Yam talks about these topics in various articles on 10-8performance.com and on his blog.

[pete2]

Have you considered a revolver?

[CharlieDeltaJuliet]

Please don't think I won't carry a 1911, I love them. The Sig P220 I carry is DA/SA so it is a little more convenient. I used to keep a Colt MkIV or a Sig C3 on my side at all times. I trust my 1911's unconditionally, but the Sig just suites my everyday carry a little better.

[BGutzman]

Sig P220 is superb, that other all caps brand isnt even in the same class... well at least not until it gets the e2 grip...