45ACP Pistol - NOT 1911

wintermute

wintermute

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Oct 18, 2007
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Blasphemy!!!!!!

But I got to thinking the other day. God forbid there comes a situation where my wife has to use the pistol. She's awesome, but she's not going to learn the manual of arms on a 1911 or anything like that, and I just could imagine her not being able to fire it at a moment's notice. I keep my 1911 in Condition 3 (hammer down, nothing in chamber). So my thoughts drifted to a DA/SA type pistol. Springfield Armory XD(M)? Not a big fan of polymers. CZ 97 (definite possibility, seems like people who own them love them, and I can't carry, so size is not an issue - maybe it would be for my wife though?)? Sig 220 - pricey? Anything else I should look at?

Or forget all that silliness and just get an m1917?
 
Glock 21 or 30. Either SF or Gen 4s. S&W MPs.

Why .45 ACP? Without getting into the whole silly caliber war. Plenty of 9mm pistol designs out there with women in mind. The S&W MP Shield seems to attract a lot of attention right now.

Good luck!
 
Sufler said:
Glock 21 or 30. Either SF or Gen 4s. S&W MPs.

Why .45 ACP? Without getting into the whole silly caliber war. Plenty of 9mm pistol designs out there with women in mind. The S&W MP Shield seems to attract a lot of attention right now.

Good luck!
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No offense to Glock lovers, but I HATE Glock triggers. Too much take-up and I don't like how they break.

.45 ACP for ammo commonality. Wifey's tough and you can't have a mag that holds over 10 rounds in NYS - so it just doesn't make sense to me. Somewhere other than NYS - it would be a definite option.
 
Weight an issue? If not, you already made my recommendation in your original post. CZ 97. I prefer steel framed handguns myself. I just don't own any currently.

Otherwise, HK45 (my personal choice) in DA/SA or LEM or M&P 45 (my brother's choice). I do like the XD line especially the grip safety, but know too many people find grip safeties to be a flaw.

Also, I hate the Glock trigger and grip angle myself. I have shot them and can tolerate them, but I do not like them.
 
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I'd say Glock SF or Springfield Armory XD because realistically, for your use, there isn't any reason to avoid "polymers."
These two pistols carry a ton of rounds (unlike the 220), are easy to shoot, and don't require a lot of thought process to make them work. I'd put a light on it and stick it in an easy to draw holster to prevent rogue fingers from entering the trigger guard during night stand digging or purse searching etc. I'd also find a low grain self defense round that won't recoil too much for her lady-wrists, such as the Double Tap 160 gr Barnes Tac-Xp.
Also, make her practice with it.
 
Sig P220 or a revolver.
There are a number of .45acp revolvers out there. A DA-only STEEL revolver is a great choice for a non-enthusiast.
 
wintermute said:
No offense to Glock lovers, but I HATE Glock triggers. Too much take-up and I don't like how they break.

.45 ACP for ammo commonality. Wifey's tough and you can't have a mag that holds over 10 rounds in NYS - so it just doesn't make sense to me. Somewhere other than NYS - it would be a definite option.
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I should have looked at your location before replying.

I'd say pick your flavor at this point. S&W's MP. Even Ruger's P-series might work for her. You know what I'm gonna say next? Stop by a gun shop together if you can and have her try some out. Maybe even FN's FNX-45, although it seems to want to imitate functions of the 1911.

Or, like Drudge said... a revolver. Even a 625.

Btw, I'm the Stig's BF cousin.
 
Sig P220 would be my second choice after a 1911, but I also like the H&K USP in 45acp
 
Yeah, you really have to get an aftermarket trigger group to make Glocks good target guns.

The CZ97 and Sig P220 are both amazing choices.

I have a Ruger P90 made in the early 90's. I highly reccomend it if you can find one. It has an aluminum alloy frame, which was originally designed to handle the full bore 10mm auto cartridge, not the FBI downloaded version.
 
wintermute said:
No offense to Glock lovers, but I HATE Glock triggers. Too much take-up and I don't like how they break.

.45 ACP for ammo commonality. Wifey's tough and you can't have a mag that holds over 10 rounds in NYS - so it just doesn't make sense to me. Somewhere other than NYS - it would be a definite option.
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If you don't care for a long DA trigger pull then you might not like CZ either. I own 1911's as well as .45's from Glock and Springfield XD. For a large cap home weapon, I use the XD-M with 5 inch barrel. Light and laser attached. 13+1 cap. YMMV

In your situation, I would like my G-36. On the other hand, take a look at the LDA options offered by Para-Ordanance.
 
New York State limitations include no more than 10 round capacity and no carry unless you're Howard Stern (will be kept in a speed safe). So hi cap capability and weight are not concerns.
 
CZ 97 in that case. If you're carrying in condition three, who cares about the double action? It'll go into single action mode once he chambers a round. I suspect if he's carrying in condition 3, he's probably taught his wife the same thing.
 
I carry an XDm 3.8" barrel in 9mm. I carry what is basically condition 0/1. Chamber loaded and gun is obviously cocked. XDm's technically have a SA trigger and the stock trigger feel on my pistol is very good. It measured about 6lbs. even.

Condition 3 is a tough pill to swallow. In my modest 60 or so hours of class time/training I have never heard anything good about it. I would highly recommend a polymer pistol, even one of the new single stack XDs guns or a Kahr brand.

But, the best thing you can do is find a place to rent pistols and try everything you can find.
 
wintermute said:
No offense to Glock lovers, but I HATE Glock triggers. Too much take-up and I don't like how they break.

.45 ACP for ammo commonality. Wifey's tough and you can't have a mag that holds over 10 rounds in NYS - so it just doesn't make sense to me. Somewhere other than NYS - it would be a definite option.
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Yeah, but it's her gun, right? Bad guy coming at you, she's not even going to notice the trigger. Point gun, pull trigger, gun goes boom. Done. Nothing simpler than a Glock or a DA revolver. Either one would work just fine.
 
The sig220 is sweet, love mine and highly recommend that firearm. The H&KUSP 45 is a beast of a gun and even pricier than the Sig. I have my eyeball on a Beretta PX4 .45, I already own the .40 version and it a very nice gun. They come in SA/DA with a simple ambidextrous decocker and hold 10 rounds plus one in the pipe. They can be found in the $600-$650 range.
 
[This is going down the wrong path. Let me simplify this.

I want a DA/SA semi-auto on 45 ACP with a metal frame. Won't be carried and can't hold more than 10 rounds. Will be used at the range and for HD
 
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wintermute said:
No offense to Glock lovers, but I HATE Glock triggers. Too much take-up and I don't like how they break.

.45 ACP for ammo commonality. Wifey's tough and you can't have a mag that holds over 10 rounds in NYS - so it just doesn't make sense to me. Somewhere other than NYS - it would be a definite option.
Click to expand...

Me too, but nither matter.

If you really need ammo commonality, then the common magazine compatibility of the glock makes sense too.
Let her pick her own caliber and gun.

Why not a short and handy 20 gauge ?
 
FN FNP 45. All new guns are polymer... so its going to be hard to get around that.
Revolver is always a good choice, but I don't have any...
 
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