I'd like to get another .45 or ballistically similar caliber gun that has the benefits of the 1911 (the trigger, the reliability, the "pointability", the relative ease of concealability/slimness) but with a higher capacity and possibly lighter weight frame. Does such a gun even exist?
What's the best self defense .45 out there? I carry a 1911
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...if you want the best combat handgun in 45 ACP ever produced IMO...i would recomend a West German Sig 220...slim...light...well balanced and absolutely reliable !
...if you feel you need a few extra rounds a CZ 97 BD is hard to beat...
... http://cz-usa.com/products/view/cz-97-bd/
...if you want something light and compact in 40 Smith & Wesson...a CZ P06 is hard to beat ! ...BTW...i do own a Sig 229 in 40 Smith & Wesson...
... http://cz-usa.com/products/view/cz-p06/
...check out the CZ line...
... http://cz-usa.com/products/by-category/handguns/
...if you feel you need a few extra rounds a CZ 97 BD is hard to beat...
... http://cz-usa.com/products/view/cz-97-bd/
...if you want something light and compact in 40 Smith & Wesson...a CZ P06 is hard to beat ! ...BTW...i do own a Sig 229 in 40 Smith & Wesson...
... http://cz-usa.com/products/view/cz-p06/
...check out the CZ line...
... http://cz-usa.com/products/by-category/handguns/
I've always been a Colt fan but lately I've been carrying the Kimber Pro Carry II. It's has an aluminum frame and night sights. As for accuracy, it's dead on 
I did have a few problems at first but it now runs like a champ and I carry it every day.
And as usual Ullie is right the Sig 220 is a darn good .45. Also if your looking for a 40 Smith & Wesson the Sig 2022 is a real sleeper. For around $500.00 you get a very good carry gun in a poly frame, rails and night sights too 8) For the $$$ you really can't beat it :wink: But you better hurry, I think they are going to phase it out after completing a current large order of the 9mm model for a large South American country who's main export goes up your nose :roll:
I did have a few problems at first but it now runs like a champ and I carry it every day. And as usual Ullie is right the Sig 220 is a darn good .45. Also if your looking for a 40 Smith & Wesson the Sig 2022 is a real sleeper. For around $500.00 you get a very good carry gun
in a poly frame, rails and night sights too 8) For the $$$ you really can't beat it :wink: But you better hurry, I think they are going to phase it out after completing a current large order of the 9mm model for a large South American country who's main export goes up your nose :roll:
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If you insist on a .45, I like the 220, however I don't like the .45 in the first place.
I've done some high speed photography on a 1911 cycling, and the reality is that the case is so squat and short that it has difficulty ejecting. When you hold it by the rim, and pop it with an ejector, it tends to want to spin in place, rather than being projected to the side. In the 1911, the case will actually spin a little over 90 degrees in. the chamber, then bounce off the leading edge of the ejection port before clearing the gun. One wrong bounce, and you stovepipe.
I have not done similar photography on a 220, but assume that SIG added some improvements to a 100+ year old design.
If you do want the highest relaibility, I'd recommend a hammerless revolver. Revolvers don't typically jam, and you want the hammerless so it does not snag on your clothes.
In a defensive scenario, I don't believe you need a big ammunition supply. A 6-shooter will convince a guy he really did not want your wallet baly enough to let you take 5 more shots at him.
Art
I've done some high speed photography on a 1911 cycling, and the reality is that the case is so squat and short that it has difficulty ejecting. When you hold it by the rim, and pop it with an ejector, it tends to want to spin in place, rather than being projected to the side. In the 1911, the case will actually spin a little over 90 degrees in. the chamber, then bounce off the leading edge of the ejection port before clearing the gun. One wrong bounce, and you stovepipe.
I have not done similar photography on a 220, but assume that SIG added some improvements to a 100+ year old design.
If you do want the highest relaibility, I'd recommend a hammerless revolver. Revolvers don't typically jam, and you want the hammerless so it does not snag on your clothes.
In a defensive scenario, I don't believe you need a big ammunition supply. A 6-shooter will convince a guy he really did not want your wallet baly enough to let you take 5 more shots at him.
Art
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127 Posts
I really like the Colt 45, I have owned and competed with many custom and even just the standard mil spec models. I will not take that away from them. They have been around for a very long time and the caliber is one of the most efficient and reliable for knock down power without a doubt. Now that being said, If my life depended on it, which it does, and I wanted a tough as nails self defense and survival pistol, it would have to be a Glock 21 or 30. I have several of both and would grab either one way before I picked up any other. We ran (our department) so many test through the years on many models and types and the only other one I would consider is a Sig 220. But for cost, reliability and ease of repair/service. Glock is hands down the best. This is the pistol that won through the trials and is carried today by the SO.
I was so much against the idea of a plastic gun when they came out, but now, I have traded every pistol I ever owned many years ago on Glocks and have yet to find any better, even in the companies who try to mimic the idea that Glock brought to the table. The design is solid, this is why they have been trying to copy the design for many years. Ask S&W how that went.
My 2 pennies worth....
I was so much against the idea of a plastic gun when they came out, but now, I have traded every pistol I ever owned many years ago on Glocks and have yet to find any better, even in the companies who try to mimic the idea that Glock brought to the table. The design is solid, this is why they have been trying to copy the design for many years. Ask S&W how that went.
My 2 pennies worth....
What's the trigger like on the West German 220 and the XD? I don't like Glock triggers...all "squishy" feeling----I carried a G20 for years, but never really liked it. Plus, they're so wide at the grip, the butt was always profiling like a mofo on me, it seemed.
...on the "West German" Sig 220...the double action pull is where it should be with a carry pistol...smooth at about 12 pounds...the single action pull is crisp and light at about 4.5 pounds...but not so light that you'll fire the gun unintentially under stress...a very important consideration...i've carried a 220 for years before i switched over to a 228...i still carry a 220 while walking in the woods...IMO...you can't beat a West German Sig 220 for a carry pistol in 45 ACP...it's light about 28 ounces "with" an empty magazine...relatively slim...very accurate...naturally pointable and utterly reliable...owenb01 said:
I have a p220 Dark Elite. She's extremely accurate. I really only have 2 complaints - I had to locktight the elevation adjustment of the rear sight to keep it from moving when firing, and every Sig 10 round mag I've got tends to come apart when dropped on a hard surface. Kind of annoying, but both were easy to correct. She's outfitted with a Houge grip and a TLR-2 laser/light, and sleeps in a Safariland 6287 holster.
Here's my last trip to the range (11/28/09). Fired 50 rounds at 50 yards using irons with Magtech 230gr target ammo:
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Here's my last trip to the range (11/28/09). Fired 50 rounds at 50 yards using irons with Magtech 230gr target ammo:
P220 1st choice, XD 45 2nd choice
My first choice is the SIG P220 (I own a Platimum Elite with SIG tritium gas night sights and short reset trigger). It fits me like it was made for me, and the aluminum grips are really excellent. You can get 10 round mags for it, although they do stick out past the mag well if you do....
For high capacity, I'd pick an XD45 Tactical (long slide) with night sights. I own one of those, and it is a great self-defense gun and range weapon.
I am anxiously awaiting the new XDM-45 - that, with a long slide...drool....
My first choice is the SIG P220 (I own a Platimum Elite with SIG tritium gas night sights and short reset trigger). It fits me like it was made for me, and the aluminum grips are really excellent. You can get 10 round mags for it, although they do stick out past the mag well if you do....
For high capacity, I'd pick an XD45 Tactical (long slide) with night sights. I own one of those, and it is a great self-defense gun and range weapon.
I am anxiously awaiting the new XDM-45 - that, with a long slide...drool....
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60 Posts
I'm thinking about getting this Kimber for my first pistol. I like the 1911 and I havn't heard anything bad about Kimber.
http://www.kimberamerica.com/products/p ... _Entry_II/
http://www.kimberamerica.com/products/p ... _Entry_II/
hatteresguy, that is a nice pistol but a lot of weight for a concealed carry gun. As for Kimber, I had to send my Carry Pro II back twice to Kimber to work out few failure to go in to battery. Turned out the slide was not to spec. Now it's a nice shooting little piece So I still recommend them.
Ullie is right though, ( what a shock :wink: ) the older P220 are great find and good carry. Something changed when Sig switched to the external ejector, because the trigger and balance of the older Sig just seems right. Not knocking thier current pistols but I like the feel of the older Sigs
I just picked up a P228 and what a tac driver and lighter than the P229( and yes I know I am comparing 9mm to 45 acp)
Good Luck
and
Keep us posted on your puchase
So I still recommend them.Ullie is right though, ( what a shock :wink: ) the older P220 are great find and good carry. Something changed when Sig switched to the external ejector, because the trigger and balance of the older Sig just seems right. Not knocking thier current pistols but I like the feel of the older Sigs
I just picked up a P228 and what a tac driver and lighter than the P229( and yes I know I am comparing 9mm to 45 acp)
Good Luck
and
Keep us posted on your puchase
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6 Posts
I carry my P245.. Its actually more accurate than my P220.
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