Why I like the 45 ACP

When you talk about handgun calibers with some people, it's difficult not to get into a pissing contest when their choice in caliber is different from your own.  We've all been there.....  This post is about my preferences and opinions, and why I have them.  If your opinions are different, super.....shoot what ya want.

The scope and direction of this post is intended to pertain to defensive pistol calibers, not hunting or target guns.  Although I own and love the 44 Magnum (and other calibers), and have had a number of them over the years, it is a hunting caliber and as such will not be brought up here.

What will be discussed is the 45 ACP, as designed and chambered in the timeless M1911 pattern pistol, courtesy of the late, great John Moses Browning.  If ever there were a perfect pair made in heaven, the 1911 in 45 ACP is it.



Although this is a cartridge story, it is hard to get through it without giving appropriate credit where it is due, and with proven, distinguished service in four major wars the M1911 has assisted this cartridge and enhanced its popularity with thousands of servicemen and civilian shooters over the years.

So, we know that I'm a 45 kind of guy and that the 1911 was a venerable pistol that helped it through the years.....what are some of the other reasons why it is a great defensive pistol caliber?

Well, bore size plays a huge role in performance when non-expanding FMJ ammo is being fired, and to a lesser degree when hollow point ammunition is used.  This may be overstating a basic point, but bigger bore sizes make bigger holes, causing bigger wound channels with a greater loss of blood and faster incapacitation.  The faster the bad guy(s) drop from their wounds, the sooner you are out of danger.  Get it?  The 45 ACP is the largest common bore size available in a fighting-sized pistol.  The Agents in The Matrix may carry 50 cal Desert Eagles, but you and I are living in the real world, not on a movie set.  In the real world, the 45 ACP is it.

The 45 ACP is also considered to be an accurate cartridge, with many match winning scores attributed to it.  Although it is more accurate than it needs to be for a defensive round, greater accuracy always trumps lesser accuracy, all other things being equal.

Another overlooked benefit of shooting the 45 ACP is that it operates at a significantly lower chamber pressures than other popular defensive pistol cartridges.  This means far less abuse during cycling and longer life for the operating parts of your pistol, hence greater durability.  The 45 Auto functions at a standard pressure of 21,000 PSI, compared to the 9mm Parabellum at 34,000 PSI, the 40 S&W at 35,000 PSI, or the 357 SIG at 40,000 PSI.  The recoil pulse from a 45 will have more of a rolling, gentle feel to it compared to the whip-snap-crack feel of the higher pressure rounds, and brass will tend to last longer if you are a reloader, as well.

Detractors of the 45 ACP seem to love pointing out that the M1911 only has an 8+1 round capacity, so any superiority of the 45 cartridge is moot compared to a double stack pistol capable of  pelting you with a fusillade of 9mm or 40 S&W rounds.  Although that is an popular statement, it overlooks several key points.  One of which is that the M1911 is the most ergonomic, natural pointing pistol on the market, with the best trigger design to ever come down the pike, making accurate placement of rounds on target much more likely than with other pistol designs.  You don't need as many rounds of ammo with a 1911.  Also, if 1911's simply aren't your cup of tea, you can pick up a modern, double stack, polymer frame pistol in 45 ACP such as a Glock 21 or Springfield Armory XDM with a 13+1 capacity.  If 14 rounds of 45 ACP won't make your problem go away, you either need marksmanship training lessons or you should've brought a rifle.

Another item that naysayers like to point out is that 9mm ammo is way cheaper than 45 ACP.  Yep, it should be.....you're only getting half the amount of lead (115 grains vs 230 grains) to send down range.  Guess what?  22 Long Rifles are even cheaper yet!  If cost were that important, we would all shoot 22's for our defensive caliber.  We are talking about defending your life here....if shooting a 45 costs me a few more pennies per round, I would submit to you that is a small price to pay for the added performance.  When you are throwing better than a half ounce of lead down range per trigger pull, it will cost you more money whether you buy or load your own ammo.  Fact.

Some people seem to associate 45 shooters as an old American anachronism....that they only choose it because it is All-American and goes well with Mom and apple pie.  Well, I hate to break the news to you all, but the reputation, hype, and venerability of the 45 ACP didn't make the cartridge......the  45 ACP created its own reputation and hype based on its performance and combat record saving American lives.  That is a record I can live with, and that is why I choose the 45 to defend my life.




LWM out..............