I recently heard from a good source, that while 9mm is of course the most popular caliber, 10mm is outselling .40 and .45.
I recently heard from a good source, that while 9mm is of course the most popular caliber, 10mm is outselling .40 and .45.
Likes pretty much everything in every caliber.
I still have a hard time thinking if you pop into a store there won’t be more 45 on the shelf than 10mm, Alaska may be the exception.Originally Posted by GJM
Last edited by sharps54; 12-14-2023 at 08:51 AM. Reason: Need more coffee
I probably won't even be bidding on it unless the final hours/minutes arrive and there is a remarkable lack of interest and bidding... which is a pipedream, but I will keep an eye on it. You do have me looking on GunsInternational at 25-2s now, though, and there is a 1955 25-2 NOS in box for $1600.
Not surprising with the recent 320 10mm, M&P 10mm, FN 510, G20 Gen 5, etc. Gun companies gotta sell something new.
That would be a pretty neat choice. And yes, a pair of them. I do want a .45 ACP S&W (not the Governor), particularly a prelock. The Model 25-2's seem the most available at less of a premium than comparable prelock 625s. My only concern with the 25-2's is a lack of factory support. I wonder how hard it would be to procure a good supply of spare parts and the ability or 'smith to install them as needed? I'd want to have at least a pair.
Edit: Apologies for the thread drift on S&W’s. I’ll keep that to the revolver section.
Last edited by SwampDweller; 12-14-2023 at 09:58 AM.
I feel like .45acp is in the same boat as .40S&W, just maybe not seated right next to eachother. The .45 does have the cool factor and the 1911 to keep it going but if we're being totally serious does anyone really NEED a .45? Is there something it can do that 9mm, .40, or 10mm can't? Yes but those things are very few and far between.
The M&P45 is a great 10-round handgun. If I lived in a 10-round state I would go all-in on M&P and forsake most others. Where JHPs are off-limits and 10 rounds is the max an M&P45 makes a whole lot of sense.
But I own 7 handguns in .45ACP so who am I to talk someone out of a gun purchase? And then to have an identical gun in 10mm, you already have holsters and mag carriers for it. Is there a compelling reason NOT to get it?
Lately I've seen a lot of Winchester and Federal 10mm ball ammo advertised at around $20/50.
The .45 ACP, even the +P versions are simply low drama setups in my experience.
They just tend to run and run. As compared to the 10mm, they are substantially less finicky. When discussing non 9mm platforms, the Glock 21, or HK USP simply will function under a wide variety of conditions and will hold up to an extremely high round count.
Most my experience (in .45 ACP) outside the 1911 centers around the G21 (with a good bit of time on the G30 series). The various G21s will handle a substantial round count, are accurate beyond most people's ability or reasonable expectations, and require extremely little in terms of maintenance.
As far as field performance, the heavy .45 slug is one that has been getting it done for well over a century. Essentially the formula of a heavy for caliber .44 or .45 from the low 900s to around 1,000 FPS has been killing all manner of man and beast since the Indian Wars, the Philippine war in the late 1800-early 1900s , the Pancho Villa Expedition, etc. The formula has been killing American Buffalo (Bison), mounted soldiers and their horses, Grizzlies, you name it.
It was used in the original U.S. Army issued .45 Colt revolvers as a black powder load. Now you can get essentially the same performance in a semi auto pistol that is easier to shoot, and has a substantially higher on board capacity, with a much faster reload, though I don't think reloading is overly important in most field incidents.
My own personal experience has shown that the heavy slugs will punch right though heavy bones and muscle. It does not rely on expansion and penetrates in feet rather than inches. It does not get the press these days as most don't know anything about high performance .45 ammo. They simply know the old 230 grain ball ammo which is usually doing 750-800 FPS. Heavy 250 flat point hard casts at over 900 FPS are a whole other animal.
They are by far my favorite field load, as they are right at that "Goldilocks" sweet spot in terms of recoil and fast, accurate shooting. More often than not these days, when I grab a handgun for carrying in Grizzly country, it is a .45 with heavy loads.
45 ACP does not have the high recoil velocity "snap" the .40 and 10mm typically have . For those of us with wrist/hand injuries its a very noticeable difference . Its slower "push" and lower pressure is one of its best features if one needs to go bigger than 9mm. YMMV.
Based on absolutely zero evidence I can state unequivocally the following:
.45 ACP is objectively superior to all other semi-auto pistol cartridges.
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Because it just is. So, you don't have to ask for a reason to buy a .45 ACP anything - just buy it, no one will question you what so ever.
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