45 Cal as EDC and Personal Defense Weapon

There are many pros and cons on carrying a 45 cal handgun for your everyday carry as a personal defense weapon. Experts and common Joe’s like us choose brands and models based on afford ability, gender, hand size and functionality. (stopping power) Most of us will agree the 45 has good stopping power and yet there are some school of thoughts a 10mm will have the same effect.

Then there are debates on the stopping power versus accuracy, the later being more important to focus on. And yes, last the bullet itself, the reloaders will talk about the best amount of grains for personal defense. Regardless of the arguments here’s an excerpt of this conversation on Reddit and Smith and Wesson Forum.

Rpg: In my view, the 45acp in a 1911 is the ultimate edc and home defense handgun. Nothing works as well for the purpose as a 45 acp. The Commander (aluminum frame, 4 1/2″ barrel) is very comfortable for edc.

cmort666: I went from a 5″ Norinco M1911 in .45acp (when I had to sell it to pay the rent) to a Glock 19, to a 3 1/2″ Citadel 3.5CS M1911 in .45acp. There are self-defense handguns almost as good as an M1911 in .45acp. There’s nothing BETTER.

Muss Muggins: Advances in ammunition have been the great equalizer in recent years. Nowadays, pretty much any caliber will suffice. Choose a pistol you shoot well and run with it . . .

quinn: Short, fat & slow does the job. I have one WWI model 1911 in that caliber and about 7 revolvers. However, I will admit that for home security they are not quite up to a nice 10 gauge.

JD Boardman: In reference to the claims of ammunition superiority nowadays, the 9mm MAY expand, but the .45 will NEVER shrink. John Moses Browning got it just about perfect with the 1911, only the sights needed improvement to bring it into its second century.

dben002: I have retired and active duty LEO friends who say they favor the 45. I have other friends who say the 45 is “overkill” and not needed…

For me personally, I want the knock down power as you may not always have the time, advantage, and nerves to make that exact placement shot you need to make…..

Anyway…just wanted to hear other thoughts about the 45 versus all the other edc/personal defense calibers….thanks to all who comment.

Arik: No such thing as knock down power. Plenty of people have been ventilated by a 45 and lived to tell. In some cases even overpowered and killed the other guy. One good example is of a MN cop who was shot 7 times with a 45, including two times in the face only to get up and kill his attacker with a 9mm.

Iggy: Makes a decent hole without nasty recoil and muzzle blast in close quarters situations.

armorer951: Caution….opinion: The .45 makes a large hole, and has the power to reach vital organs. Those facts, coupled with the advancements in the Federal 230 grain HST ammo make it a good, or arguably, the best choise for personal defense.

kthom: You MUST be able to hit consistently well with whatever you carry! With the improvements made in the ammo available today, there is not much difference between calibers suitable for the purpose. But there is always a difference between a good solid hit and a very loud noise!!! That also applies to the second and third round fired immediately after the first one! Whatever you choose, the gun must fit YOUR hand well, not somebody else’s, and you MUST be able to handle and fire it well consistently. Otherwise, you just make a lot of racket! Or hit something or someone that you did not intend to hit …

federali: The .45 ACP: hard to say anything bad about it. Place a contemporary hollow point in the 10-ring and you generally win. Recoil is manageable. Many prefer a slimmer cartridge that offers greater ammunition capacity in a given handgun when compared to the .45 ACP.

Here are some folks on Reddit on their thoughts:

darthrio: I have the XDS .45 and the recoil feels like a 9mm it’s amazing.

coffeenima: XDS .45 If you like it, get it. great platform, Good shooter, ultra reliable, is a Goddamn pocket cannon.

metengineer: I had the XDS in .45acp for a bit. I had a problem with light primer strikes. That turned out to be oil in the striker channel. I cleaned it out and had no further issues. It handled the .45acp round well for such a small gun. However, if I were buying one again, I would get the 4″ 9mm.

exile0514: If it was the XDs 9, then I’d give you a thumbs up. If you really truly shoot better with 45, then go with the 45 but don’t lie to yourself to go with the bigger caliber. 9mm has faster follow up shots and more capacity with similar wound ballistics to 45.

nicadimos: Refer to my post above. 45 doesn’t really give you much of an advantage as far as “stopping power” is concerned.

exile0514: The relative stopping power between 9, 45, 40, and the commercially under-powered 10mm (not full pressure) is nearly identical. Use whatever you shoot better with.

BeforetheRobots: When it comes to handguns, stopping power is a myth. Shot placement is everything.

chaumiester: This is really down to the user and preference. I carry a Government sized 1911, chambered in .45 with 10 round mags, I like it, it’s comfortable, I’m used to the weight, I like the grip, and I’m accurate with it.

So what about you, do you carry a 45 for EDC and your thoughts?