.45 acp in 2023/24

[JRV]

Part of me has always wondered about treating .45 ACP the same as .38 special and using low velocity wadcutters as an option for CCW.

Assuming a 200gr LSWC at 770 fps will penetrate adequate depth, it's a hellaciously accurate round, it's still a .45 caliber hole, and the recoil is extremely easy to manage.

As of this moment, I still prefer the 230gr HST +P because it's awesome...but a soft .45 SWC would seem to have a lot to recommend for itself.

Well, since 148gr .38 WCs going 700ish penetrate right around the 18-21” mark in 10% gelatin, I can’t imagine the .45 would underpenetrate… but I also think there’s a difference between proper WCs, real Keith-style SWCs, and tapered SWCs designed to feed in a semiauto. It’s not a true “big flat meplat, tends to destabilize in wet mediums” bullet.

[Malamute]

... advancing eye issues at age 64 with cataract surgery looming are problematic with my 1911, but I’m managing...

I get you what you mean with the eyeball issues. If I am not in perfect light, I can’t shoot irons without a Gehmann iris anymore.

Rich, did you catch the part about the Gehmann iris thing? Do you know what it is?

It will sharpen your vision. Its almost magic. You really should try one and see what you think. I have one of the older Merit attachment things that works the same, it gives me back the kind of vision where i can easily see both pistol sights and the plate at 300 yards in sharp focus and know how to split the plate with the front sight. Some may tell you such a thing isnt possible, but it is. Ive had that sort of vision most of my life until fairly recently, the diopter/iris thing helps bring it back.


https://www.creedmoorsports.com/prod...asses/-Gehmann


Another thing id suggest, if you want to get better on paper or shooting in general, its really hard to beat a good quality target grade (not full competition grade) 22 pistol for practice. Ammo is vastly cheaper and easier to deal with, shooting 500 or 1000 rds at a session isnt a big deal fatigue or cost wise.

[Jim Watson]

Part of me has always wondered about treating .45 ACP the same as .38 special and using low velocity wadcutters as an option for CCW.

Assuming a 200gr LSWC at 770 fps will penetrate adequate depth, it's a hellaciously accurate round, it's still a .45 caliber hole, and the recoil is extremely easy to manage.

I think it was Charles Petty who got a gunzine article off the ".45 Lite." He wanted a soft 185 gr JHP at 800 fps, he asked his contact at Speer to run off a batch of 185 gr Gold Dots with the 230 gr hollow. They said that would go clear through the bullet so they made him some 200 gr bullets with the 230's hollow. I don't recall whether he loaded them to 800 fps or 740 for the same power factor, but still pretty mild.

I have shot 200 gr .45s from 650 fps (minor) to 750 fps (Lite) to 850 fps (Major) to 900 fps (1905 spec).
My old Commander will feed XTPs, so on the rare occasion when it goes to town now, it gets the 200 gr Hornady factory load at 912 fps. If I could talk myself into carrying reloads, they would be slower.

[RJ]

Rich, did you catch the part about the Gehmann iris thing? Do you know what it is?

It will sharpen your vision. Its almost magic. You really should try one and see what you think. I have one of the older Merit attachment things that works the same, it gives me back the kind of vision where i can easily see both pistol sights and the plate at 300 yards in sharp focus and know how to split the plate with the front sight. Some may tell you such a thing isnt possible, but it is. Ive had that sort of vision most of my life until fairly recently, the diopter/iris thing helps bring it back.


https://www.creedmoorsports.com/prod...asses/-Gehmann


Another thing id suggest, if you want to get better on paper or shooting in general, its really hard to beat a good quality target grade (not full competition grade) 22 pistol for practice. Ammo is vastly cheaper and easier to deal with, shooting 500 or 1000 rds at a session isnt a big deal fatigue or cost wise.

No to the lens thing, but I’ll look it up. I have cataract surgery planned for later in Feb or March, first visit is Feb, so I’m holding off anything new till after all that settles out.

Yes to the .22, and that’s a great suggestion. I’ve so far not had ‘the .22 experience’, but don’t want to derail the thread further, so I’ll put that into the hopper to ponder.

[UNK]

No to the lens thing, but I’ll look it up. I have cataract surgery planned for later in Feb or March, first visit is Feb, so I’m holding off anything new till after all that settles out.

Yes to the .22, and that’s a great suggestion. I’ve so far not had ‘the .22 experience’, but don’t want to derail the thread further, so I’ll put that into the hopper to ponder.

Id guess the S&W 41 will be under consideration Id recommend also taking a look at the Hammerli Xesse.

[mmc45414]

Yes to the .22, and that’s a great suggestion. I’ve so far not had ‘the .22 experience’, but don’t want to derail the thread further, so I’ll put that into the hopper to ponder.

Yee gads man, if you are not busy tomorrow you should go buy one!
Something as simple as a Ruger 22/45 Target is cheap and a ton of fun, with and without a RDO. They come with rails that would be ready to take a SIG Romeo5.

shooting 500 or 1000 rds at a session isnt a big deal fatigue or cost wise.

My club used to host the Chevy Truck Challenge and had a range with the targets left setup, I think there were about 100-115 plates at various ranges I could shoot before resetting. A couple times I went out with my selection of rifles and pistols and just dumped 500 rounds in a pile and threw the boxes in the trash barrel, good times!!!

[SecondsCount]

Yee gads man, if you are not busy tomorrow you should go buy one!
Something as simple as a Ruger 22/45 Target is cheap and a ton of fun, with and without a RDO. They come with rails that would be ready to take a SIG Romeo5.


My club used to host the Chevy Truck Challenge and had a range with the targets left setup, I think there were about 100-115 plates at various ranges I could shoot before resetting. A couple times I went out with my selection of rifles and pistols and just dumped 500 rounds in a pile and threw the boxes in the trash barrel, good times!!!

Or a quality 22 conversion kit for the 1911. I have the Kimber conversion. It runs well with hotter ammo, but if I were going to do it again, it would be the Marvel.

[Malamute]

Id guess the S&W 41 will be under consideration Id recommend also taking a look at the Hammerli Xesse.

The Smith 41 is pretty high class, id love to have another one. I didnt actually have one, but found one for dad and had custody of it for a while, shot it a bit, and shot his more when I visited. Absolutely awesome pistols. I suggested to rich a Ruger 22 target as a gateway drug, reasonable cost, high reliability, they shoot very well for the cost and basic format without anything special being done. Theres a lot of aftermarket stuff one can pursue, but the basic guns just work out of the box in my experience.

The gun, a few mags, a carton or two of 22 bulk ammo, and a lot of grins will follow. Makes one feel like an ace when shooting a 22 target pistol.

[revchuck38]

Back when I could see well enough to do it, my Ruger MKII with the factory 5-1/2” bull barrel would shoot 1-1/2” to 2” groups at 50 yards. I’d like to find a UIT match somewhere so I could get back into it (Sport Pistol).

[UNK]

The Smith 41 is pretty high class, id love to have another one. I didnt actually have one, but found one for dad and had custody of it for a while, shot it a bit, and shot his more when I visited. Absolutely awesome pistols. I suggested to rich a Ruger 22 target as a gateway drug, reasonable cost, high reliability, they shoot very well for the cost and basic format without anything special being done. Theres a lot of aftermarket stuff one can pursue, but the basic guns just work out of the box in my experience.

The gun, a few mags, a carton or two of 22 bulk ammo, and a lot of grins will follow. Makes one feel like an ace when shooting a 22 target pistol.

I get it. Ive shot all three and my personsal choice would be the 41. Ive got the hammerli with a custom 2 stage trigger and a 22/45 with a tac sol upper. Quite a few of the bullseye guys prefer the xesse over the 41.