Carry/Full size .45 recommendations

[Black Majik]

Well I guess I will give my obvious answer and tell you to get a gov't size 1911. Choosing one will open up a whole new can of worms from the forum members I'm sure. I carry a Wilson CQB in a Milt Sparks VMII. It carries comfortably, easily and I feel there is no other pistol design more confidence inspiring than a full size 1911 on my hip. The 1911 is very flat so that it lays close to the body and in a VMII the grip is angled and hidden well. In an IWB setup you don't really need to worry about the barrel/slide length.

+1 to everything above, well... except the CBQ and VMII part.

Something to also consider. When carrying IWB, depending on your build the longer barrel can also provide additional support.

[MontClaire]

kimber carry light is the winner. it's ad in NRA's american rifleman magazine.

[tmuller]

... It is more about the holster/belt combo and careful selection of your clothing

Agreed. I carried a Sig 220 and full size USP(in AZ) and have no problem doing so.

[Sicarius]

Funny thing... the Taurus pt145 is not a bad carry gun IMO. It is small... like really small for a gun that carries 10 rounds of .45. Its cheap and shoots straight.
Kevin

[grunz]

USP45C

[WFAInc]

Either Colt Gov't or Commander is a good choice also along with the
H&K USP 45

[draconianruler]

Sig220, G21, HK45 or USP, 1911. Those are the .45s I recommend.

[M. Sage]

Fullsize: Sig P220. Carry size: XD in .45.

Carrying an all-metal pistol all day can get old, but Sig does make a compact P220.

[Sam]

+1 to everything above, well... except the CBQ and VMII part.

Something to also consider. When carrying IWB, depending on your build the longer barrel can also provide additional support.

Oh, you know the CQB tucked in a VMII is a winning combo!

[Sam]

I don't carry a spare magazine, but I'm considering of a single carrier.

You really should, it'll give you extra ammo and the ability to clear certain malfunctions.

[bsg]

sig p220 with milt sparks vmII

[farmerjoe]

HK USP Compact in .45. Done and done.

[B Strong]

If you're not going to carry a Gov. size (5") pistol, imo the best out-of-the-box CC pistol would be an HK USP compact.

You can also check out the Glock 30 or 36, but I'd put the HK ahead of the Glocks.

[bsg]

my son has a new glock 21; nice gun but grip is too big for my smaller hands; my w german p220 is just right. the ergonomics of the thing is very important.

[Bill92869]

I own 5 Colt 1911 variations from full size to officers model. I love the 1911 family. Having said that I just bought a Ruger P345 and am very impressed with it. The design strongly favors concealment as the safety is darn near flat against the slide, it is light weight, has a somewhat bobbed hammer, and the muzzle area has rounded edges. Until now, I've not been a fan of double action semi-autos because of the first shot being hard to put on target, then transition to single-action mode. I do not find this to be the case with the Ruger. In fact for drills, I have shot all 8 rounds in the mag on double action and each shot is dead-on. Lessening the danger of accidental firing (under stress) by eliminating the cocked and locked condition and without sacrificing accuracy or speed is huge. My first time shooting it was a surprise as the muzzle flip seemed more pronounced than with my Colts. But more surprising was how fast I was able to recover for subsequent shots! I find it is a very reliable, low-cost, concealable, multi-safety featured, accurate, durable personal defense gun! So since you asked, I would at least take a look at it.