[cwo4uscgret]

My Colt Combat Commander .45 with 8+1 in the gun and 2x8 round magazines should be enough…I say should be enough because I’m not a LEO anymore and my “job” is to use my gun to disengage from the bad guy quickly; not get into a sustained firefight.

I’d rather not remain stationary and try to trade shots.

 

[Kosh75287]

My Colt Combat Commander .45 with 8+1 in the gun and 2x8 round magazines should be enough…I say should be enough because I’m not a LEO anymore and my “job” is to use my gun to disengage from the bad guy quickly; not get into a sustained firefight.
I’d rather not remain stationary and try to trade shots.

YES! THIS!!!
THIS is why I carry 4 spare magazines. NOT to slug it out with "the crowd", but to assure my secure and uninterrupted flight to my house or vehicle, where the M1A and AR15 reside. THEN we can discuss the wisdom of trading shots.

 

[Gray Dood]

My Colt Combat Commander .45 with 8+1 in the gun and 2x8 round magazines should be enough…I say should be enough because I’m not a LEO anymore and my “job” is to use my gun to disengage from the bad guy quickly; not get into a sustained firefight.

I’d rather not remain stationary and try to trade shots.

^^^THIS ^^^

Except I carry usually 1 spare 10 (loaded with 9) round magazine to back up the 8 in the gun. That gun is frequently a stainless Combat Commander in 45 acp.

My job now is to break contact asap and protect myself and my loved ones, not to make an arrest.

There's a big difference between the two.

 

[Old Grumpy]

In my honest opinion, if you are afraid 17 rounds (one in the tube and two eight-round magazines) will not be enough for CCW, you need to hire a fully armed squad of Navy SEALS. Ask yourself, what if 9mm isn't powerful enough to penetrate your attackers' ballistic armor, what if there are 30 attackers, what if your weapon breaks, what if they have air support? What would be a reasonable threat be? One attacker, two, three? What distance will the threat come from, less than ten feet, less than twenty feet, long range 100+ yards? You are looking for an answer to a question without facts. No single weapon will protect you from every conceivable threat. You must be able to deploy, fire and hit your mark regardless of what weapon or amount of ammo you carry. I'm comfortable with 17 .45acp rounds in a 1911 I know I can hit my target with. I can't cover every possible threat.

Grumpy

(Edited to correct punctuation and spelling errors. OG)

 

[AtheistArmsAmerica]

Here is what I carry and what my position is on that....

I used to have a Springfield Armory "Loaded" 1911. At first I was kind of bummed about the low capacity on a 1911 because I thought "ok if i carry this then im putting myself at a disadvantage because of the few rounds, and possibly risking my life, just to feel like I look good" I just always made sure to carry extended magazines as my secondary magazine.
but I also own a Browning 1911 in .380 which is only an 8 round magazine and has no extended magazines that exist for it (major bummer).

BUT THEN.....

as I learned more and delved deeper into the 1911 world, I started looking for my next purchase. I was learning about many of the 1911 companies (the ones with acceptable quality and then the super coveted, super high quality, 1911s, I found a company (Alchemy Custom Weaponry) that makes BEAUTIFUL 1911s, one of which was a double stack in 9mm that I ended up buying (with the capacity being a major reason why). I was originally looking to buy a super classic O.G. looking 1911, but when I saw the 2011 on their website, I said "oh naaaaw....I'm going tactical style, emphasizing practicality." As such, I decided to get the Red Dot Sight mount on the rear part of the slide to let me mount either a Holosun or an SRO, and THAT is what changed my mind. Once I started shooting the 2011 using the red dot, it was mind blowing just how accurate I was able to be without trying! It was this accuracy that made me realize "If I have the ability to use a red dot, and practice with it, then I could maximize the probability of hitting my target almost guaranteed." because it truly does feel like you are cheating when you use a red dot, and if my life is going to depend on it then hell yea I would accept ANY kind of cheat code possible. Now I daily carry this 2011 with a 17 round magazine.

With that knowledge I was no longer "bummed about the low capacity". Now I was thinking, "dayum, 5 rounds of .45 ACP to the chest of an attacker....? eeeesh that would be lights out". In other words, I didn't feel like the capacity was a disadvantage, I was instead, thinking of how the red dot gives me almost surgical precision, making me more effective, and reducing(not eliminating) my need for extra capacity). Soooooo, I went and ordered a Government size 1911, in .45 ACP, with the RED DOT cut/mount. This means that I will have 8 +1 shots to hand out with extreme precision before I have to reload. Although the absolute classic style is a 1911 with no red dot, any 1911 that I am going to carry concealed will MOST DEFINITELY have a red dot, they are just so damn good to have.

Hope you get something out of my experience 🤙🤙🤙

 

[45ofcourse]

Just one issue with ball - over penetration. I don't care to chance killing someone I can't see behind the perp. It isn't a battlefield, and I'd use Glazers if I could get them.

You may like federal (?) Gaurd Dog if its still made. Think of it as a crushing on impact to expand bullet instead of a fill and expand traditional hp. Over penetration was reduced. I didnt trust them for winter clothing though.

 

[Grandpas50AE]

In my honest opinion, if you are afraid 17 rounds (one in the tube and two eight-round magazines) will not be enough for CCW, you need to hire a fully armed squad of Navy SEALS. Ask yourself, what if 9mm isn't powerful enough to penetrate your attackers' ballistic armor, what if there are 30 attackers, what if your weapon breaks, what if they have air support? What would be a reasonable threat be? One attacker, two, three? What distance will the threat come from, less than ten feet, less than twenty feet, long range 100+ yards? You are looking for an answer to a question without facts. No single weapon will protect you from every conceivable threat. You must be able to deploy, fire and hit your mark regardless of what weapon or amount of ammo you carry. I'm comfortable with 17 .45acp rounds in a 1911 I know I can hit my target with. I can't cover every possible threat.

Grumpy

(Edited to correct punctuation and spelling errors. OG)

I think this is the crux of it, and spot on. No weapon system will give you guaranteed success in all conditions even if you are an expert with it - too many variables to calculate. If you train and practice, you will know what your limits are; stay within those if possible when trouble comes your way, and it is likely you will prevail. Having said that, no matter what you carry on you, you can be screwed if a situation arises that is outside your capabilities, that's just the way it is.

 

[Kosh75287]

You can have both y'know. No trade off required.

How?

 

[fnfalman]

I just carry an AK pistol with a 75-rd drum mag and two banana clips for reload.

 

[Levian]

How?

Marksmanship doesn't change just because magazine capacity has increased. I can make any shot with either of my M&Ps that I can with my 1911. I can't say the same for the CSX, but that's more a matter of me needing practice with it's short sight radius than anything else.

 

[Kosh75287]

Marksmanship doesn't change just because magazine capacity has increased.

ACTUALLY, for ME it did. I REALLY TRIED to shoot a Glock 21 as well as I shoot my other .45s, but I couldn't make it happen. It's the stupid trigger & fat receiver area. Even the 2011s don't shoot as well for me as the "original" 1911. Too old to learn new tricks, I guess.

 

[dsk]

Citizens and law enforcement use hollow points not to ensure "a clean kill", but to control the penetration of the bullet. When a JHP bullet expands in tissue it does two things: it is more likely to stop inside the tissue and transfer maximum energy on impact, and by doing so it reduces the risk of an overpenetrating round continuing in flight in search of something else to hit. FMJ ammo is among the worst choices for self defense, as it wastes energy going right through the perp and endangers anyone on the other side.

Having said that, it's also important to understand that the "mighty .45" isn't much more assured of a fight-stopping impact than a 9mm is. Yes it's more powerful than a 9mm, but how much is highly debatable. The reason why .45 ball had a better reputation in combat than 9mm FMJ was because the slower .45 bullet was more likely to stop inside the other guy and transfer all of its energy into the target. The speedy 9mm was nearly as powerful on paper, but shooting someone with it was like stabbing them with an ice pick.

 

[Bedford]

Being the internet I think a lot of people have visions of a 40-60 round gunfight like in a movie. If I carry the 9mm 1911 I have at least 20 rounds on me. The 45 ACP narrows it down to 18. I have never felt underarmed with either mainly because I shoot them far more accurately than a G19. When I was a kid I told my grandfather about a 30-30 that only held 6 rounds. He nodded his head and said "well, if you make those 6 count you will be fine."

 

[dsk]

Let's consider the mall hero's example for a second. He fired 10 shots, 8 of which connected with the mass shooter. We will probably never know if it really took 8 hits to bring him down or if they simply hit in such rapid succession he was already dead before the last ones struck him. What we do know is that there were two misses, and our hero is very lucky they didn't strike anything living. Something to think about when you're feeling warm and cozy about having 18+1 rounds in your gun and another 36 in spare mags. That's a lot of bullets for you and your attorney to account for if you ever end up in a situation where you fire off most of them.

 

[toodeepsam]

When not at home on the farm, but at work in the capitol city, it's a Sig P220, a 1911, or a Smith Model 66.
Each with a reload.

Same for road trips, and except I carry a longer barreled pistol with 30 round mags in a case.

Carried a version of these three handguns, off and on, for 40 years.

 

[Old Grumpy]

Let's consider the mall hero's example for a second. He fired 10 shots, 8 of which connected with the mass shooter. We will probably never know if it really took 8 hits to bring him down or if they simply hit in such rapid succession he was already dead before the last ones struck him. What we do know is that there were two misses, and our hero is very lucky they didn't strike anything living.

Absolutely. Of course, the background behind the mass shooter could have been a brick wall for all we know. We don't know what type of ammo the hero was using (FMJ, HP, frangible). We do know 8 of the 10 hit the target. Nice shooting regardless.

Grumpy

 

[James]

When I carry a 1911 I have 11 + 10 rounds and statistically it is probably enough capacity about 85% of the time. From what I can gather, 9mm, 10mm, 45 doesn't matter, the ability to shoot is what matters.

Since someone brought it up, as much as I like it, I typically don't see any reason to choose the 1911 over 16 + 17 in a lighter smaller less snaggy gun so I guess I am trading accuracy for capacity and some other stuff but I figure even though the 1911 is much easier to slow fire accurately, my EDC is more than adequate at speed well past typical self defense ranges.

I carry a revolver even less because 5-7 rounds seems way too little although statistically it is probably good for 60% of the time , I have too many thumbs for speedloaders, and I am way less accurate at speed with a revolver double action pull.

I think regardless of the capacity laws, I would rarely carry more than one spare magazine at this point in my life. Not saying that is more right or better than 2 or 3.

 

[James]

ACTUALLY, for ME it did. I REALLY TRIED to shoot a Glock 21 as well as I shoot my other .45s, but I couldn't make it happen. It's the stupid trigger & fat receiver area. Even the 2011s don't shoot as well for me as the "original" 1911. Too old to learn new tricks, I guess.

I agree, I never took a liking to the big frame Glocks

 

[Levian]

ACTUALLY, for ME it did. I REALLY TRIED to shoot a Glock 21 as well as I shoot my other .45s, but I couldn't make it happen. It's the stupid trigger & fat receiver area. Even the 2011s don't shoot as well for me as the "original" 1911. Too old to learn new tricks, I guess.

I suppose there is a little bit of YMMV involved. And maybe some luck of the draw. I will concede it's hard to match a 1911. There's a reason my Springfield is my go-to in spite of it's capacity limitations. 2011s and fatter pistols do require acclimation. They feel ungainly at first, and I still prefer the 1911 profile over all.

 

[G22Dude]

If you can hit your target, a .45 1911 will serve you well. All you have to do is one good shot and the games over.

We own every round that misses the target