45 Cal as EDC/Personal Defense Weapon

Am Shooting Journal ^ | 9/6/2016 | J Hines

[w1n1]

There are many pros and cons on carrying a 45 cal handgun for your everyday carry as a personal defense weapon. Experts and common Joe’s like us choose brands and models based on afford ability, gender, hand size and functionality. (stopping power) Most of us will agree the 45 has good stopping power and yet there are some school of thoughts a 10mm will have the same effect. Then there are debates on the stopping power versus accuracy, the later being more important to focus on. And yes, last the bullet itself, the reloaders will talk about the best amount of grains for personal defense loads.

Regardless of the arguments here’s an excerpt of this conversation on Reddit and Smith and Wesson Forum.
Rpg: In my view, the 45acp in a 1911 is the ultimate edc and home defense handgun. Nothing works as well for the purpose as a 45 acp. The Commander (aluminum frame, 4 1/2″ barrel) is very comfortable for edc.

cmort666: I went from a 5″ Norinco M1911 in .45acp (when I had to sell it to pay the rent) to a Glock 19, to a 3 1/2″ Citadel 3.5CS M1911 in .45acp. There are self-defense handguns almost as good as an M1911 in .45acp. There’s nothing BETTER.

Muss Muggins: Advances in ammunition have been the great equalizer in recent years. Nowadays, pretty much any caliber will suffice. Choose a pistol you shoot well and run with it . . .

exile0514: The relative stopping power between 9, 45, 40, and the commercially under-powered 10mm (not full pressure) is nearly identical. Use whatever you shoot better with.

BeforetheRobots: When it comes to handguns, stopping power is a myth. Shot placement is everything. Read the rest of the sentiments here. What about you all, what's your thoughts on the 45 cal handgun for EDC?

[Reno89519]

My 380 is Kimber Micro. Very accurate. I have S&W M&P Shield 40 and also Bodyguard 380, selling both as no fun to shoot and not as accurate. The 40 is narrow, though, and easy to carry. Prefer the Sig Sauer P320C for the 9mm. Wider, very accurate, easy to shoot.

[Reno89519]

I don’t object to open carry and do so on very rare occasions. I prefer to not advertise that I do carry. Why make myself a target?

[Reno89519]

No, the Hawaiian shirts are for eating habits!

[pabianice]

Or...

[showme_the_Glory]

My daily carry is a .45 Colt XSE Lt Wt Commander. I can’t say enough good about that gun.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I like any handgun with a hammer.

[MNnice]

I’m a .357 revolver guy (S&W 686). Semi-automatics have too many moving parts and leave their shell casings behind.

[Celerity]

Predators are a greater risk for suburbia than many realize.

When, in my old neighborhood in CT, a couple dog packs were reported, I decided to carry large.

I didn’t carry large for it’s affect on people, I did it because of pit bulls. Because of course, the dog packs were just pit bulls roaming the streets.

A dog doesn’t know what a gun is. They don’t understand the muzzle or the action of it. They don’t even understand the bang. They are designed for forward motion and nothing will stop that motion until you start breaking the muscles that produce that motion.

People know to fall when they get shot. Dogs have no idea and I’ve seen many cases where a charging pit bull has taken x number of rounds and still charges. You have to actually break the dog so it can’t move forward.

It’s a sad scenario, but it’s reality. I carry large in suburbs and near cities. You know, where “Pitbull americans” congregate.

Out here in the woods, I can carry pretty much anything but I carry a rather remarkable .357 magnum round. IT’s 180 grain, SJHP which is just odd. But it’s case of bears because they don’t know when to stop attacking either. They have no concept of being shot.

I’ve encountered a coyote that I just wanted to go away. I shot at the ground and it did the trick. Bangs make wild animals go away but packs of dogs don’t seem to be effected.

[JudgemAll]

45 is ideal for suppressed, if not the 9mm is more powerful and thus can take advantage of expansion more.

[tumblindice]

“If you are carrying a 45, how do you do so with summer or warm weather attire?”

At your service.
I’m not that good a pistol shot so I carry something of a boat anchor, a CZ 97B (11 round .45) in a Black Arch IWB (which I didn’t find for years, btw, CZs, esp. the 97, are hard to find holsters) and a Springfield XDS .45 in a left hip pocket holster. in denim Carhartt shorts using a Perry belt clip-on suspenders from Walmart.
But the polyester—basically woven plastic strands—is a little rough on skin. If you search `Dutch suspenders’ you can get some nice surplus military cotton ones on Sportsmans Guide.
And with an oversize, stiff OCC black shirt, no printing.

[fireman15]

If you are carrying a 45, how do you do so with summer or warm weather attire?

Obviously, the 45 is a great caliber for putting bigger holes in your target, and bigger holes tend to bleed more profusely. But most 45s are more inconvenient to carry and the gun you don't have with you isn't going to be making any holes at all.

We collect vintage firearms and have several Nagant revolvers. They are an ancient design and do not stack up to modern guns by any measure. They are heavy, bulky, throw out a little 30 caliber projectile at less than 900 fps and more typically closer to 800 fps. Yet they were used to kill more people than probably any other hand gun in history, and because they are still one of the only revolvers that can be effectively silenced, the KGB used them for political assassinations until relatively modern times.

So it just goes to show you something, I am not quite sure what, but I think it shows that it is the individual pulling the trigger that decides the ultimate effectiveness of any firearm.

[Mogger]

If you are carrying a 45, how do you do so with summer or warm weather attire?

Drop polymer .45 Long Colt in pocket.

Carry.

Fits fine in a front blue jeans pocket.

[Chuckster]

There are self-defense handguns almost as good as an M1911 in .45acp. There’s nothing BETTER.

Amen.

[fireman15]

A dog doesn’t know what a gun is. They don’t understand the muzzle or the action of it. They don’t even understand the bang. They are designed for forward motion and nothing will stop that motion until you start breaking the muscles that produce that motion.

I think that you might be misstating the actual mechanics of what is taking place when a charging animal or human is shot. I suppose if you were able to actually shoot the limbs off of a charging dog that this would stop its forward momentum. But in the vast majority of cases what stops any animal which is charging at you is not “breaking the muscles”, it is either destroying the brain with a projectile, or a brain that has been deprived of oxygen by lack of blood flow.

A projectile that destroys the heart or one of the vessels into or out of the heart will do this quickly, otherwise you must hope that the holes you made will cause blood to leak out of the circulatory system quick enough to cause the brain to be deprived of oxygen. Muscles can function without oxygen by anaerobic means for some time, but the brain stops functioning almost immediately without adequate perfusion.

[CrazyIvan]

“That’s why they make Hawaiian shirts.”

I’ve started a collection since CC passed in Illinois. I carry a Ruger LCS9 IWB and can get away with just a loose T shirt.

[wardaddy]

I concur and I like the casings observation

Why leave a mess if prudence dictates moving on

[Chuckster]

If you are carrying a 45, how do you do so with summer or warm weather attire?

Easy. Wear a shirt over shorts with a sturdy belt securing a Colt Commander, IWB, and two spare magazines. I usually wear an Aloha shirt, but a loose t-shirt works just fine. I am 5'10" and 160 lbs. Not a big guy and I have no trouble concealing even a full size 1911. Just wear your shirt tails out. I am near 70 so I don't go around with my shirt off much anymore, nor do I wear "skinny jeans". The only real inconvenience is the weight. A good belt is a necessity.

[Comment Not Approved]

I carry an XDs in .45 and use an Alien Gear IWB holster. Forget it’s there sometimes it is so comfortable.

[Wilhelm Tell]

I have been wondering what handgun to carry in the woods where bears could be a remote threat. Would a .357 or .45 be enough with a lucky shot or would it just make the bear angry?

[Mr Rogers]

I’ve got a Beretta Pico (380). I shoot better with a J-frame, but I’ve got a few thousand rounds in the J-frame and only a few hundred in the Pico. If I don’t mind dressing around it, I can carry my 686+ with 7 rounds of 357 goodness...but the Pico is sure easier to carry, and I doubt it will make that much difference to most people getting shot.