Which is the best .45 caliber pistol for family protection and shooting practice?

Question

I'm new in the firearms world. I was looking to the 1911's and I really don't know much about them a liitle instruction would be appreciated

under a reasonable fight

sorry, under a reasonable price

I'm looking between S&W, Colt, Kimber, and Sigarms

Answer 1

I did not read through all of the answers and advice that others have given you, however just in the several I did read, noone gave you very solid advice in regards to anything other than the gun itself.
First off as others have stated if you are totally new to handling a firearm, I strongly suggest you contact a local range and try a few different types before you actually buy one. Also, a .45 is a "big" gun, as stated, it does take a lot of practice to be really profficent with a .45, actually any gun does.
My suggestion to you is to look at and try a revolver (double action) .38 caliber, OR a .357magnum using .38 cal rounds. A revolver is a very basic gun, if for some reason it doesn't fire, simply pull the trigger again, a semi-auto pistol has moving parts that can fail, jam, or just plain not cycle, ALL bad things if you actually have to use your weapon. I suggest a .357 using .38 rounds because a .357 is (typically) a heavier gun than a .38 thus absorbing some of the recoil and you will find that shooting in this manner is relatively easy to pick up. As for capacity of ammo, yes, you typically get 6 rounds in a revolver and up to 15 in an auto, the last thing you want to do is just spray lead all over the place sending it whever, if you have a gun and you know how to shoot it, any criminal is going to not want to test you, also, with a revolver you are not going to have the gun "double fire" meaning you shot once, but the gun recocked from the recoil and you just sent another round down range unexpectedly, to who knows where.

Regardless of what firearm you choose ammo is VERY important. For a civilian for home protection, you should look at either Frangible rounds, or a hollow point round. Frangible rounds are compressed copper powder and will "disintegrate" if they hit something hard like a wall in your house, thus not continuing on through into other rooms and potentially injuring or killing someone other than the intruder. They do have great stopping power as well. A hollow point wont disintegrate, but it does offer more stopping power than any "ball" ammo, any good gun shop would be more than happy to discuss this with you, the major draw back to "ball ammo" is that it can very easily go "through and through" your target and now poses a threat to anything behind it.

When you go to practice, use the same grain ammo you plan to keep in your firearm, say you do buy a .45 and you buy 230 grain Federal Hydra-shok hollow points, you want to practice with an ammo that is as close to 230 grains as possible, your "carry" ammo is going to be cost prohibitive to target shoot with, however I do recomend you shoot a few so you can see if they do shoot any different than your practice ammo, ball ammo works fine for practice as long as the grain is the same because it is cheap and the gun still functions the same. Feel free to contact em direct if you have any questions or didnt totally understand my rambling...

Here are a few web sites that may help

http://www.federalcartridge.com/default.asp?menu=1&s1=7

http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Firearms/FAFamily?type=Revolver&subtype=Double%20Action&famlst=9&variation=Satin%20Stainless

http://www.taurususa.com/products/gunselector-results.cfm?page=2

http://www.taurususa.com/products/products-pistols.cfm

Taurus makes good quality firearms and are reasonably priced, and you really can't beat a Ruger revolver.

Answer 2

Personally, I carry and use a Taurus 1911. Alot of people don't like Taurus. Myself, I'm ALWAYS behind a company that makes firearms that do not jam, are simple to maintain, and use commonly found calibres of ammo. Add into it that Taurus guarantees their firearms for the life of the firearm. Not just as long as the first buyer owns it. Check out Reminton and other websites. Their guarantees are not as wide-sweeping as Taurus'. Also, there is more checkering on a Taurus as well as a standard ambidextrous safety, extra magazine and a hard-case when you buy new. FOr around 600 dollars. Kimber can't do that. But...

As was said earlier, you might want to try something different for a first handgun. Or, if home defense is your primary concern, then go with a 12-guage (or even a 20-guge or .410). There are ALOT of things that come into play when you present a gun to an intruder. And ALOT of aftermath. A shotgun is intimidating and you MAY not have to fire the thing. If you shoot someone with a .45 ANYWHERE... it's going to be bad. You can use a small pelleted load in a shotgun (or rocksalt if you're like some old farmer I have had the misfortune to run afoul of) and save yourself the orge jump-suit and the slam time.

Carry on.

Answer 3

I must agree that the 1911 family is not the best defense gun for someone new to the gun world or someone with a family, its single action only meaning that if it needs to be used in a pinch it must be stored/carried with a round chambered and in order to fire the hammer must be pulled back by hand and safety disengaged, under stress the extra steps may cause trouble. a double action/single action or double action only is a better fit for this function, a long hard first pull followed by shorter lighter pulls. 1911s make great target pistols and are very reliable, but for tactical use there are better options. for 1911s the kimber's are top notch, the colts very in quality depending on model and Sig is new in the 1911 clone family and I'd rather go for a company with a history with that design, I'd stick with the kimber. the Sig p220 (not the gsr 1911 line) is highly accurate, reliable and combined with a safe or trigger lock would be safe in a house with children. I am however a little biased when it comes to Sig sauer, mine have been flawless.
you might want to also consider guns chambered in .40 S&W and .357 sig as this will open up your options. something to consider : sig p226,228,229,239,H&K USP series, Smith & Wesson M&P series, IMI baby eagle, springfield xd. I'd say glock but they've had some serious problems with .40 and .45 ACP although their .45 GAP has had few reported problems.
If you have no experiance with semi-autos, revolvers are easier to operate, clean and dont jam, just dont get a .38 special, get a .357 mag S&W as it will chamber both .357 and .38 special.

Answer 4

Well i dont really recommend a 1911 for a new shooter or someone new to firearms.There a little more complacated then other pistols that fire the .45cal.I would look into something in a .45cal thats a little more simple like a ruger p-series or a glock or the new springfield xd.
But if your going with a 1911 i like the springfields myself i own several and thats what i carry since i have a permit.The thing you have to remember about 1911s is that not all of them will shoot all the hollowpoints and self defense ammo made today.Each one has its own taste,for example one of my 1911s will shoot the cor-bon ammo fine,the other one will jam every single time with that same ammo.You may have to spend some money on different brands and weights to find which one shoots the best and feeds the best.I always first thing take my new 1911s to a gunsmith and have them polish the ramps and do anything that will help the feeding process.Now with any other type of .45cal pistol you shouldnt have any of these problems it should be good to go right out of the box.I like the 1911 because you can customize them just about anyway you want and have anykind of work done you want done on it to make it as accurate and as reliable as possible.Its really about personal opinon when it comes to brand.Some people like Kimbers,i dont, i think the trigger pull is way to stiff to be accurate with.i encourage you to read up and do your home work before making a purchase on one so when you do you will be happy with the one you get.Good Shooting Bro.

Answer 5

.45 is too EXPENSIVE to practice. Get a 1911 then get a .22 Conversion Kit. Practice with the .22 then when you want to HURT your Hands change back to the .45. Personally I do believe a .45 has the best knock down power for any firearm you can CONTROL. I carried one for many years and had taken out many targets. BUT.. for common carry it is a heavy firearm and odds are you will leave it in the car when tired because it will drag your pants down. A sig pocket sized 9 mm is a good compromise. As far as protection around the home, I prefer my stage coach shotgun loaded with #4. A Pump with an 18 inch barrel is probably better. Caliber is meaningless if you cannot hit your intended target. I Practice head shots only. I am very good. I carry either a Beretta.BP 950 a baby browning .25 or my Taurus PT-22. In my back pocket. I do now carry a Taser Pulse just to ward the aggressive panhandlers and drunks away.

Answer 6

1911's (of course this is my opinion) are great firearms! I love the nostalgia and history behind this weapon! The reason I bought a G.I. replica. Now when you say "family protection" I'm wondering are you talking "concealed carry" or a weapon for protection around the home. Plus you stated you're new to the firearms world so a semi-auto might not be the best choice for a CCW. There are "phase I & phase II" malfunctions you must know how to deal with in semi-autos
which without experience could get you killed! Around the house weapon a good ole 18" barreled pump 12 ga shotgun "riot gun type" with a 7+1 or 8+1 mag loaded with #4's or 6's will do fine. You don't have to be as skilled to hit your target and at distances the length of a hallway *ouch* it'll get the job done!! Carry weapon my first choice would be a revolver. Most "failsafe" system you can carry no worries about "poor ammo" feed or dropped mags, when you pull the trigger a revolver goes BANG every time! Good carry choice and dependable!! Good Luck!!

Answer 7

Well, you've received so many answers this is probably just a waste of time. Here goes...

The .45 acp is a top-notch defensive handgun in any configuration. The most popular is the old 1911 but if this is your choice, learn to use it. It is NOT for beginners but anyone can become proficient in its use with a little dedication. You should probably take the gun safety course, anyway.

I didn't think the S & W Sigma series was availble in .45 acp, in any case the Sigma would be my very last choice. In S & W you're better off with one of their 'other' automatics including their 1911 version.

About the Sig 220 .45 acp: The magazines are extremely hard to load. Otherwise, it is a good double-action .45.

Consider also the Para Ordinance in .45 acp regular or high cap model. They also offer a 1911 in their line-up, but I would pick one of the double-action models myself.

Another model I can recommend for you to consider, but it is high dollar: The USP .45; this one is usually even higher priced than the Sig and Para.

Last but not least, the Glock Model 21, a high capacity, durable, dependable, accurate double-action only .45 originally made for the magnum-class .10mm (so in the lower pressure .45 acp you will NEVER wear it out). This is a good choice and lower-priced than the Sig or USP.

Good luck.

H

Answer 8

Bound's hubby here:

First, if you are not that familiar with firearms, a .45 may not be the best FIRST pistol for you, but more about that later.

For self defense and plinking, any of the entry level Springfield Armory M1911s would be more than satisfactory. Recoil will be the same, and .45 hardball is potent with a fair amount of recoil. Many people that have difficulty mastering the .45 have this problem because of the recoil. A Springfield GI .45 runs a little below $600. If that is too steep, Taurus makes a nice looking (from the pictures) M1911, but I do not have personal experience with it.

If you are looking at self-defense and formal target shooting, you would need a target grade pistol (tuned, tightened, and target sights) which will cost over $1000. Target grade .45s shoot wadcutters, which are more controllable but not as potent as hardball.

In a stress situation with any semi-auto, especially a M1911 .45, they can be touchy and dangerous. A revolver would be much safer and reliable for a novice in a stress situation. For that reason alone I would strongly suggest looking at a 6 shot Smith & Wesson revolver in .38 Special. It will be safer, be more controllable because of less recoil, and it will more afforable to shoot. Plus it is easier to collect your brass to reload if you choose to reload your practice ammunition.

Good luck.

Answer 9

Definately go with a 1911 frame. I have a Kimber Stainless II and it is a great gun. It costs me just under $1000 with all the fees and tax. I've shot about 1500 rounds out of it without one malfunction, and the groupings are consistant and tight.

Answer 10

I answered the other question and suggested a Ruger P345 model.

Rock Island Armory also makes the cheapest 1911 for about $350-400.

If you are new to shooting, then I suggest considering a 9mm. They are much cheaper to shoot. They don't have the knock down power, but they are easy and cheap to use at the range. The .45 is much more expensive to shoot.