[The Virginian]

There is too much sentimental attachment to the .45 Colt by a lot of folks. Even in the 5 shot snubbie, the .45 ACP with moon clips is clearly the better tactical choice. Better ammo for home defense and more available with a better tactical reloading system with the .45 ACP. Yet, there are people that just want to believe that .44 Special and .45 Colt are better for home defense. If they believe it and say it enough and talk about how well the .45 Colt and .44 Russian rounds did in the Old West (sssh, no better than many other rounds in gunfights), it will just be true. I would strongly recommend against using handloads for self defense. That is a whole different can of worms, but in factory ammo, the .44 Special and the .45 Colt come up short compared with the .45 ACP. Just the facts. Shot placement is also crucial.

PS: Moonclips are an advantage, that is why TK Custom and others actually convert .45 Colt. 44 Magnum, 357/38 guns to use moonclips.

 

[schromf]

i

 

[Dieselman]

Re: Taurs 45 Colt Snubbie...

I own one of those and it's a great little gun. It's quite light, pretty small, and hardly any recoil as it's ported. The grips are comfortable too. I don't like rubber on revolvers as it's typically finger grooved but these are just soft rubber and quite nice to the touch. All in all I love the little 45 Colt.

I had a Taurus 450 snubbie. It was a nice size gun. Not Much bigger than my Kimber Ultra Carry.
I traded mine for a CZ-75. I liked the idea of the 450 BUT it would lead up the barrel SO BAD that after about 30 rounds I could hardly see the rifling. Does yours do this?? My Ruger Vaquero in 45Colt does not and I shot the same ammo through both!

 

[BriGuy]

N3rday wrote "Hate to flame the really expensive 1911 dealers, but y'all need to get over yourselves, you just copied a 100 year old gun, I'm not payin an extra $500 for crap I don't need!"

I would suggest that, particulary when discusing matters which do not involve the violation of moral or statutory law, it might be best to avoid passing judgement on another person's choices.

If you have chosen to acquire and shoot a stock 1911 and seek out opinions and experiences with the various brands, that is your choice, and it is a perfectly valid choice. Seeking the opinions of those with first hand experiences is a good thing to do.

If you would like to ask those of us who have chosen to own and shoot Wilsons, Baers, and other expensive custom 1911s what benefits we feel we receive from these guns, that is certainly a fine question as well and is one most of us would be glad to answer.

I do not believe that telling us to get over ourselves as we just copied a 100 year old gun adds anything of value to our discussions on the board nor does it help you solicit information which you might find useful. Further, I believe such judgemental statements would often be interpreted as highly offensive by most people, whether on this board or in face to face conversation.

This is a great place to learn about the 1911. Welcome!

 

[1badmagnum]

been burned too many times

I'm done buying expensive firearms.
I pick up lots of deals from the used case at my local range.
I paid $500-$600 for my 1911 styl pistols and most other guns I buy are in the $400 range.
I like shooting my taurus 41 magnum tracker and 454 raging bull just as much as my 1911 style pistols.
you can definately tell the attention to detail on most custom guns,but the cost is a sticking point for me.
I have decided to stick to the easiest and quickest handloads for me,454 casull,45 colt,45 auto,41 magnum,40 s&w, and 10 mm.
with these straight walled cases I can pump out about 300 per hour at a cost of less than 10 cents each.
guns are cheap, ammo is expensive,In the few years I have been a avid shooter,I've spent more on componants and ammo than on guns.
the 45 colt seems like a 9mm round after shooting the 454,I bet it rocks in a snubbie.