Best .45 handgun for the price(vanity)

[CCWoody]

I see some comments regarding the Ruger .45 pistols. They are a great value, but not so hot for concealed carry. ~ Eagle Eye

Precisely why I took my Ruger P97DC and my Ruger Redhawk .44mag and got myself a Para Ord P-13 Limited to carry. I didn't buy any reduction in frame size, but I am very happy with the distinctive features of a 1911 style for carrying.

Woody.

[Monty22]

FYI: CDNN is at www.cdnninvestments.com

[CCWoody]

Para Ordinance is the best of them all. ~ vetvetdoug

My experience as well. Though, I'm still wishing for a nice Springfield double-stack or a nice Wilson Combat for any future birthday or gift occation.

Woody.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Congratuations on the new members of the family. In a few years, you'll need to look at recreation activities for four. I raised one boy. He's 27 now, well out of the nest and no more are contemplated. Got him an Anschutz Woodchucker .22 bolt action clip-fed rifle at age 8 and have not regretted it. I liked to (slightly) tick off some of my neighbors when we lived in MN. I would take my son and a couple of his pals to gun shows at the fairgrounds in St. Paul. Once these kids saw all those tables, they were hooked.

[SAWTEX]

Golck 27 which is a .40 S&W with more stopping power than a .45. The 27 is allot easier to conseal than a 1911 style
and very acurate at a self defence range. They just DO NOT
JAM. Granted they are not pritty to look at but make up for
that in easy to use and conseal.

[oldcomputerguy]

For the price? Taurus Millenium P145. Less than $400 typcially.
I cannot speak to this particular gun but I can speak about
the .380 version. It is quite a gun, very, very accurate
and with a very smooth trigger. Muzzle flip is very
low due to the geometry of the barrel in relation to the
grip. This is a compact DA gun with an additional manual safety for those that want it. Lifetime warranty as I recall, not sure though. This is an impressive line of guns.

In a higher price gun I would probably buy a Paraordinance
LDA. It is a new gun with a light double action trigger
and a single stack magazine. The trigger stages at
3 pounds and pulls at 6 pounds, very much the feel of
a SA but not one. It is being adopted by some law
enforment agencies. I believe it is about $600 or a little
over.

[Eagle Eye]

Those Paras are nice. I wish they had the smaller versions when I bought mine.

[Shooter 2.5]

When price is a factor, it's difficult to advise a .45. You might try looking for a 9MM. With the new wonder cartridges, one shot stop factors aren't that far from a .45. A 9MM will also allow you to practice more for that placement issue.

As one poster said, check out CDNN's catalog. I usually buy my stuff from the Shotgun News and then have my local gunshop do the paperwork for around $25.

If you insist on a .45, I like Springfield Armory but you already said that you like Double Actions so I guess that's out.

[Shooter 2.5]

For more responses, put the gun threads on the *Bang_List. Don't forget the *.

[Richard Kimball]

I have owned maybe half a dozen Argentine military .45's.

Should we do the standard joke? (Never fired, only dropped once?)

Personally, I like a Glock 30 for carry, as it's fairly compact,still carries 10 rounds, and fits my hand well. There are some excellent weapons made by several manufacturers, and I think part of the reason I like my Glock far better than my old Colt Combat Commander is that it fits my hand better. That's where firearm purchase becomes a very personal thing. One thing about the Glock. If you have a round chambered and pull the trigger, it WILL fire. Several safeties, but these are strictly to keep it from firing if dropped. There is no trigger block. Either don't keep a round chambered or be d*mned sure it's out of your pants before putting your finger in the guard.

[MarkL]

The first question to ask is single action or double action?

If you're not sure, something to keep in mind is that SA pistols are more "battle handguns," where as DA are more for "peace officers." The reason for that is that a DA takes a more deliberate action to pull the trigger. And a SA handgun takes more practice to handle safely.

I'm partial to 1911-A1s, and I've got two Springfield Armorys, one a "race gun" for USPSA competition that I'd NEVER use for defense except as a last ditch emergency... It's perfectly reliable, but the 1.25 lb trigger pull would be an attourney's dream. Personally, for defense, I'd go with my S&W 625-5, which fires .45ACP from full moon clips, with a combat action job by Ron Power. Plus, I'm big enough to conceal an N frame revolver under a coat.

Mark

[BooBoo1000]

Stay away from Kimber, too much money for what you get. If you want a good pistol get a S/W 44 Special, stay away from the 44 Mag, 1/10 of an inch longer more powder, not that much more power. On the 45 get a Colt Gold Cup, guaranteed to win the match right out of the box. P;S if you spend 500 rounds through a 45 on a week end, be sure and call the boss, as you will have to take monday off. Went to a gun show in Kalispell Montana, and a young whippersnapper, of a yuppe asked Elmer Keith which pistol should he use for personal defense a 357 or 44 Elmer fired right back 44 and the young guy says why, and Elmer says because they don't make a 54. Elmer belived in big guns after a 38 caliber almost cost him his life in a shoot out in Helena Montana.

Cold Gold Cup, or S/W 44 Special, hand load it up to Elmers specs, and you will be set.

[Stew Padasso]

Oh yeah...Springfeild compact .45 bump.

[Billthedrill]

Uh, with respect, if you load a .44 up to Keith's specs, 500 rounds out of a .45 will seem like a walk in the park by comparison. The guy was certifiable. One heckuva pistol man, but certifiable.

[Stew Padasso]

Always strapped to the ankle:

Also, a nice fit if you have big hands and prefer something compact.

[yarddog]

Elmer was a genius and a great writer, but he was also full of it at times.

Has anyone ever noticed that he was about 5'5" tall and always wore a hat which added about 10 inches to his height. I am sure he was the genuine article but he was also not above embroidering on his stories, which btw were very intertaining.

Keith was one of my favorites but he was very closed minded, I think it had something to do with the fact he was only a couple of inches taller than Mini-me.

[Cpu]

If I hesitated to share opinions with "Intimidator", "skull stomper" shouldn't hurt a bit.

>>>BUT, Norinco is Communist Chinese, don't support slave labor, don't support bloody tyrants, don't support America's most dangerous long term enemy, boycott Norinco and all ChiCom products.


Buying a used Norinco sends no money to China. They got paid when it was new. The Norinco .45's shot fine and for a truck gun would work out OK. If you want to get fancy replace the sights an throw in a trigger job. John Browning's .45 flings hardball pretty good as designed.

cpu

[Cpu]

.........ammo slut.

Thank God for 'em.

cpu

[BOOTSTICK]

The 1911 .45 design is a poor choice for carry. A snub nosed revolver of at least .38 caliber is a better choice, since revolvers are simply more reliable, and one does not need to fumble with an unracked weapon, or clumsy safety levers like on the 1911. Then there is the issue of rigid arm shooting, as to not absorb recoil, and cause stove piping jams. And finally, many .45's out of the box will not properly feed some hollow point ammo, and thus the shooter must rely on less effective f.m.j. round nose ammo.
For carry I rely on a S & W ladysmith .357 magnum, with gold dot ammo.

[yarddog]

The Glocks are very effective guns but I have never liked them. As you said, the way a gun feels in the hand is personal, but the standard .45 auto feels pretty good to me. No gun has a better grip than the Browning HP.

Those Argentine .45's are first class guns in every way except possibly finish. The Ballester Molina's are also fine but are closer to the Star model P than the Colt. They are actually better than the Colt in a couple of ways imo.