45ACP popularity .

[k1dude]

I took a class last weekend as was the only person with a .45, and people were surprised but pretty excited about the bigger shells being flung around.

I think in my mind, if we're limited to 10 round in CA, may as well bring 10 bigger bullets.

That's why I have a .45 on my carry permit. When I go to places like San Francisco and Sunnyvale where I'm limited to 10 round mags, I carry a big bore.

[naz]

I agree. There a lot of newer shooters out there. Most do not reload, heck even a lot of old guys don?t either. Now days 9mm is half the cost and most newbies just want capacity. That?s why you sweep so many 9s. I current own 3 guns in 9 and 4 in 45 acp. I almost never shoot my 9s these days. I much prefer the 45.

I?m the opposite? I shot something like 30k of pistol round last year and it?s almost all 9.

If I shot 45 at that volume I would be the only one shooting it most of the time and would need to chase down all my brass or see my costs spike from having to buy brass and more expensive 45 cal projectiles

9mm brass is essentially free and it?s $0.07 or less per projo buying at today?s prices.

[rhodesengr]

I use a brass catcher bag on my CZ SP-01 and there is no reason why it won't work on my P220. It clips on the the rail where a light would go. A few cases bounce and miss but it gets most of them.

[JTROKS]

I prefer 45 and 40 for self defense, but I will pack 9mm and 380 for better concealment. When outdoors open carrying I pick 10mm and 45ACP+p.

[Maltese Falcon]

What is the that old bromide?

/9mm will kill you, but /45 also takes your soul.

.

[rodralig]

I?m the opposite? I shot something like 30k of pistol round last year and it?s almost all 9.

Whoa!?! 30K~~~!?!?!
#hailAllMaster


This was mine last year





_

[stormvet]

I’m the opposite, I shot something like 30k of pistol round last year and it’s almost all 9.

If I shot 45 at that volume I would be the only one shooting it most of the time and would need to chase down all my brass or see my costs spike from having to buy brass and more expensive 45 cal projectiles

9mm brass is essentially free and it?s $0.07 or less per projo buying at today?s prices.

Darn that’s outstanding, I didn’t shoot that much everything combined. I was a hair under 29,000.

Handgun numbers were
45-2270
40-2130
9-5730
38/357-890
380-500
22-14490, but that’s a combination rifle and handgun.

2023 is on pace to be a stellar shooting year, already at 9,490 rounds fired. I will say that I have bumped up my 22lr shooting considerably in the last couple years. With a Glock 44 and an M&P 15/22 it’s almost like training with the real thing…almost.

[FNGGlock]

Holy crap, some of you guys get a lot of shooting time in. I definitely shoot 9 the most, 22 probably the second most. However I enjoy shooting the 45 and 357 mag the most.

At any rate, 45 is going to be around for quite some time. Even with declining popularity it is still the 2nd most bought pistol round.

[ZirconJohn]

.45 in decline ??? Does not will not effect me if true, or not.

I have always carried .45 for my CCW and always will.

My EDC is .357 mag, but carry .38 in it - .357 HURTS too much in the little SW-340PD!

[Cowboy T]

Of the semi-auto handguns, I find that I enjoy shooting .45 ACP the most. These would be the Glock 21 (my favorite, due to its ergonomics), the 1911, and the Ruger SR45.

There was a party of two who came to our range, both young-ish women. The brunette is originally from New Jersey and moved here to Virginia due to work. For her first gun, she'd bought a Glock 21 in .45 ACP. I noted this and asked her about it, and she said that she *LOVED* that gun, due to how it felt in her hand under recoil. I shared my similar experience. She got this big smile on her face and said, "yep, I agree!"

She then taught her friend how to shoot, starting with our rental Glock 44 in .22LR, then moving to a Glock 19 (same physical form factor as the Glock 44), and finally her Glock 21. Her friend had a blast and they do come back to the range every now and then.

However, .45 ACP ammo cost is a factor. So, I suggested to them that they consider reloading their own. I let them know what it costs me to make a box of 50...and both pairs of eyes went wide. They are now considering the hobby.

While 9mm certainly is the most popular, we continue to sell plenty of .45 ACP ammo. What we don't sell as much of anymore is .40 S&W.

[TrappedinCalifornia]

My thoughts on the shooting "question of the Ages"...

Modern defensive bullet design over the last 15 years has significantly narrowed the terminal ballistics performance gap between .45ACP and 9mm.

If forced to use FMJ, the .45 is FAR superior to the 9mm, without question. But with modern bullets like the Federal HST and Winchester Ranger-T, the difference between the .45 and the 9 narrows enough that the higher capacity, smaller weapons designs for CCW and controllability for the average shooter give the 9mm the overall advantage.

From a LE point of view, cheaper ammo, smaller handguns for smaller hands and ease of training the average cop on it makes 9mm the choice over .45

I guess I'm a narrow minded, old school kind of guy. Started shooting .45 ACP when I was 18 years old and wearing green.

If I ever need to stop a bad guy, I want a large heavy bullet.

As noted, it is the "unanswerable to everyone's satisfaction" question and why both calibers are still around after over a century.

While, technically speaking, 9 mm has closed the gap in terms of hollowpoints, it's still difficult to argue about hitting someone with about a 1/2 oz. of lead vs. a 1/4 oz. of lead and not acknowledging the 'margin of error' it allows for. Likewise, for many of us, we came up during a period where hollowpoints weren't as reliable in the gun or even in their terminal ballistics as FMJ and it's tough to ignore that as it became ingrained. (Whereas a good number of the 'younger' crowd have had, more or less, 'reliable' HP's, scratch the surface with 'older' shooters and you'll find those who still insist that HP's don't work in .45 ACP as the round is 'too slow.') On top of all that is the continuing perception that 9 mm punches neat little holes through (not just "in") the target while .45 ACP knocks the target down; a perception created at matches as well as on the battlefield.

I'm still of the school of thought that 9 mm does it's 'best' work in HP and .45 ACP does it's 'best' work in FMJ; but, I'm not as dug in on that thinking as I once was. However, it does go to the 'cost' issue in that FMJ is far less expensive than HP. Then again, if you are of the triple tap tradition - two to the body, one to the lighthouse as anymore to the body is a wasted effort - either is likely to get 'er done.

Personally, I find .45 ACP 'easier' to shoot; but, I've shot A LOT more of it over the years. I find a 1911 to be ergonomically superior (for my hands) to just about any 9 mm save the Browning High Power, which, itself, has a smaller, more ergonomically 'comfortable' grip to most 'higher capacity' 9 mm's out there. All of that recognizing when speaking to the size of a 'carry' gun, by today's perceptions, many of the 9 mm handguns perceived as more 'concealable' these days don't have much, if any, real 'advantage' in terms of capacity over a 1911. (Remember, the S&W Shield is one of the more popular choices currently.)

In the end, the demise of .45 ACP has been 'predicted and announced' for decades, but it's still here and doing the job it was intended to do as well, maybe even better in some cases, as it always has. So, is the popularity of .45 ACP really declining that much? I don't think so. I think it's just part of the normal ebb and flow.

[newbie1234]

Back then, when I bought ammo, I shoot mostly 9mm.
Then I learn to reload, I don't shoot 9mm no more, I shoot mostly 45ACP, 38SPL, 44SPL (high price ammo).

[rhodesengr]

first results

I shot my new P220 for the first time this weekend.
The listed load is 230gr JHP (I used Zero brad)
AA#5 6.6gr to 7.7gr
751 to 869 fps tested in a 5" barrel

My actual drops were about 7.3 gr.
I did two, ten-shots series.
Series 1 715fps average 15.1 fps std dev
Series 2 724fps average 14.6 fps std dev.

So a little lower than the listed load.


I was used to the trigger on my CZ 75 and the P220 seems to be much closer the the back when it goes bang. Seemed to have a tendency to pinch when I used the second pad on my finger. Felt like I had to use more like the tip of my finger.

[TrailerparkTrash]

Hurts my hands/wrists to shoot 45. Also more expensive

What????

[deckhandmike]

10mm for the win!

I know this is crazy but I‘ve never desired a .45. The 10mm made it kinda obsolete. 15+1 in a Glock 20 vs 8 rounds of .45? 45 is a nostalgia cartridge.