Affordable .45 pistol suggestions?

Hi all!

I am interested in a good reliable pistol, Got any recommendations? I am interested in either .45 or .40, I have read about Glocks and S&W's, just want to know what else is good out there, I plan to go and rent some of the guns to test fire them and see fit and feel in my hand, I prefer semiauto than revolver.

My price range is around $400 more or less, what do you recommend? I plan to use it for home defense but concealed carry is an option, want something easy to use under stress and reliable.

Do you have any gun forums you recommend?

Thanks!
AlexGT

Glock. Period.

There are other fantastic guns out there, including, but not limited to, Sig Sauer, Smith and Wesson, Springfield, Kimber, HK etc but they won't be as inexpensive as the Glock.

At $400, it's possible to purchase one new, depending on where you live. If not, a used glock is also a good option. Glocks have been through hell and back, undergoing extremely strenuous tests by multiple federal, state and local agencies, including being dropped from several stories, going underwater, and being dunked in mud and sand - all of which resulted in the glock still being able to function flawlessly. I've fired about three thousand or so rounds through mine, without it needing anything but a good cleaning. I've never had a misfire, double feed or "stovetop" malfunction either.

And no, I don't work for Glock, just a big fan. Hopefully you will be too.

A Glock will cost you 400 - 600 new like Jeff said. I actually found a G21 (.45) for 450 today new.

A Glock will do everything you ask of it and more. It is easily cleaned and will work when you need it too.

If you want to spend a little more money on something more concealable I would go with a 1911. Springfield Armory has good models for a good price (around 1100 - 1200).

I wouldn't get a compact 1911 though. They have a world of problems with malfunctions.

If you want something more compact go back to Glock.

Glock.:twothumbs
http://glocktalk.com/forums/

Do go to the range and test fire a few it is important that you are comfortable with the weapon u intend to purchase.

A Glock 30 (with a Glock 21 magazine) will suffice with your requirements for a simple, reliable home defence weapon which you can conceal carry as well.

I seen all of those tests done on the Glock, and it's true. A Glock is the AK-47 of pistols:thumbsup:...virtually indestructable. The quote below is the best advice given though. Everybody likes something different. Personally Glocks don't feel right in my hand. I don't get the natural aiming I like with a Glock.

ARA said:

Do go to the range and test fire a few it is important that you are comfortable with the weapon u intend to purchase.

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If you buy a quality firearm you'll get a good one, but you have to be comfortable using it. I'm aslo looking for a .45ACP. I'll probally end up with a Springfield XD. Reasonable price and easy for me to shoot. CPF motto aplies to guns too.... buy both:twothumbs

If you are only going to have one you need to consider safety carefully. I have several and they each have different safety considerations. The Glock has no safety so you have to be very vigilant keeping close control of it. My Kimber Match 1911 outshoots them all and is my choice when in a stressfull environment but carrying it locked and loaded and having a 3# trigger requires practice to not shoot when you don't want it to.

I tried a S&W for EDC but quality and reliablility issues forced me to get rid of that one.

I have been carrying a Taurus PT 145 for a while now and is my preference for carry. It is small but not to small for a good grip. It has a thumb safety and an integral lock. It is still double action like the Glock but the safety gives a little more control in stressful situations - it is in the same location and function as a 1911 safety which has proven over may years to be effective. The feature that drives me the most to carry this weapon is the easy to use integral lock, the key goes on your key chain and is very easy to use. You can run your finger down the side and tell if the lock is engaged and if there is a loaded round. With kids around I like to know that when the gun is not in my control it is safe. I also lock it when I leave it in a vehicle to reduce risks to others if it is stolen. It quickly becomes habit to check and unlock before carry.

The Taurus solid copper hollow point rounds are a good complement. These are the Barnes -X bullets.

I'm fond of CZ.

+1 for Taurus. Good warranty, too.

I would go with the Glock 39 .45. If you want something smaller and lighter or if you have small hands check out, the Glock 36 single-stack .45. I would also suggest that you go to a gun store that has range guns available for rental so you can try the gun out before you buy. This is a better way to go since not only does it give you an idea of what the guns characteristics are like but also range guns get 10,000s of round thru them and you get an understanding of what the gun will be like once it gets used a bit. The gun store I go to offers this service and they will reimburse the cost of the rental if you buy a new gun from them. I have quite a few automatics but the only two that I actually carry are Glocks, although of the .357 sig cal variety. If you get a little more money together or in the future you want a metal automatic, like Arkrokon said get the Kimber. I have shot a Kimber a few times and not to sound like a braggard but at 25' the target had a half dollar sized hole in it. I am a good shot but the Kimber is better. Not in the scope of this thread but the problem with carrying a gun is weight and size. Alot of us buy full frame guns and find that they are at times difficult to carry. That is why I suggested the Glock 36. Good shooting to you!

Arkrokon said:

The Glock has no safety so you have to be very vigilant keeping close control of it.

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Not true at all. The Glock has no manually operated safety. All Glock pistols have 3 different safe locks built in that are automatically disengaged as you pull the trigger. In other words, it doesn't have a safety switch that can be accidentally released causing you to think it's still engaged.

To copy something I read a long time ago on another forum, "Keep your booger hook of the bang button and it will not fire."

Treat any gun Glock, Springfield, or 1911 with the respect it deserves and as if it were loaded at all times regardless if you know it is or isn't. If you don't want to destroy something, don't aim at it. You are the #1 safety on any firearm, never forget it.

mwaldron said:

Not true at all. The Glock has no manually operated safety. All Glock pistols have 3 different safe locks built in that are automatically disengaged as you pull the trigger. In other words, it doesn't have a safety switch that can be accidentally released causing you to think it's still engaged.

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I don't have any experience with guns but doesn't that sort of defeats the purpose of a safety?

Illum said:

I don't have any experience with guns but doesn't that sort of defeats the purpose of a safety?

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No, actually it doesn't. I am not the best person to explain this, but I will try. I may get some details wrong.

A safety is designed to prevent accidental discharge of a firearm. It's primarily there to protect the person carrying the gun. There are many different designs and they work different ways. When the first semi-automatic pistols were designed, there were no safetys at all. Any jostling, jarring or sudden bump could cause the firing pin to impact the primer and the gun would go off. Essentially, something as small as dropping the gun on the ground or getting kicked in the gun could cause it to go off.

The most common kind of semi-automatic pistols are generically lumped into a category called 1911s because their design hasn't really changed much since around 1911 when they were first mass produced. The design of this pistol is inherently unsafe due to the above. In the last couple decades manufacturers and engineers have retrofitted additional types of safeties into these guns such as grip safeties (won't fire unless you are holding the grip) and mechanical safeties that you disengage with your thumb prior to shooting. They're good, they generally work well.

Now, modern designed firearms, they designed them with this level of safety from the ground up. There are a number of ways to accomplish this often involving physically removing the firing pin until the very last part of the trigger stroke. The firing pin is the part that actually strikes the primer (very small explosive charge on the rear of the round that ignites the gunpowder) and fires the bullet. If it's not physically there, nothing can hit that primer and this the gun cannot fire. No amount of jostling or jarring can make it hit or resale the tension on the spring if it's not there.

There are several other methods as well, Glock uses 3 different ones on their pistols. Most manufacturers with modern designs use several different independent methods.

The other aspect of gun safety is preventing someone else from using your gun. That's what most people think of when you say gun safety.

For that, there is an archaic device known as a safe. You buy a very large one and then you have a place to store your McGizmo collection as well. On a smaller scale there are various trigger locks and steel cables that prevent a round from being put into the chamber until they are unlocked and removed.

I had a Glock 27 but it was unreliable, for some reason and broke shortly after I bought it. I got a Springfield XD to replace it and it has been much better--no malfunctions that I recall. I carry it every day.

mwaldron said:

No, actually it doesn't. I am not the best person to explain this, but I will try. I may get some details wrong.

A safety is designed to prevent accidental discharge of a firearm. It's primarily there to protect the person carrying the gun. There are many different designs and they work different ways. When the first semi-automatic pistols were designed, there were no safetys at all. Any jostling, jarring or sudden bump could cause the firing pin to impact the primer and the gun would go off. Essentially, something as small as dropping the gun on the ground or getting kicked in the gun could cause it to go off.

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thats interesting to know:candle:
Although without looking at the internal mechanisms I wouldn't have a clue why the firing pin would travel if the hammer is not in the open position.

I thought this sudden bump misfire business got eliminated after pinfires were replaced by rimfires but guess not.

ya learn something everyday

There's no beating any Kahr pistol for CC.

mwaldron said:

To copy something I read a long time ago on another forum, "Keep your booger hook of the bang button and it will not fire."

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I always heard it as, "The safety is between the ears--keep your booger hook off the trigger until you want to fire."

The only safety is your finger.

Glocks are desgined to not accidentally go off. If you misfire one it's because you pulled the trigger, period.

That's a pretty good safety

mwaldron said:

The most common kind of semi-automatic pistols are generically lumped into a category called 1911s because their design hasn't really changed much since around 1911 when they were first mass produced. The design of this pistol is inherently unsafe due to the above. In the last couple decades manufacturers and engineers have retrofitted additional types of safeties into these guns such as grip safeties (won't fire unless you are holding the grip) and mechanical safeties that you disengage with your thumb prior to shooting. They're good, they generally work well.

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The grip safety was on 1911's since well before the 1960's and as far as I know was always there. There is also a manual one, the floating firing pin, and one that (is supposed to) prevent the weapon from firing if you push on the front of the weapon.
The barrel moves back and depresses something. However after a few thousand to tens of thousands that feature tends to stop working as an MP in Germany found out when he demonstrated it with a live round...
Mine rattled when you shook it but always went bang.
The only time I ever saw one jam was when somebody left out the part that attaches the barrel to the stock, and even then it fired twice.

\I've always wished I pulled a Radar and mailed one home to me one piece at a time.

What about this guy;



The Taurus Tracker .45 ACP; I'd wager with the heavy/ported barrel and rubber grip it's a bit easier to manage than a 1911 (as long as you don't want to carry it), plus revolver reliability..