Sometimes the old standby is hard to beat. Here is why the grand old school .45 ACP cartridge is sticking around for a really long time.
Just how far back does the iconic .45 ACP. cartridge go? Well in 1904 a prototype .45 ACP. pistol was created by the famous firearms inventor John Moses Browning. With a few changes that pistol became the Model 1911. Add even a few more modifications and the Model 1911 A1 pistol that we all know (and many of us love) was created.
What was the original load you ask? How about a 200 grain full metal jacket projectile moving along at around 900 feet per second? That was changed later to the heavier 230 grain projectile sailing along at 850 fps. in velocity. That became the official military load for the .45 ACP. cartridge.
While a full metal jacket projectile with plenty of knock down power was great for the military due to the Hague Convention, good “ole hardball” ammunition was not great for the city streets or self defense. The over penetration could cause collateral damage passed your intended target. Hollow points and other various expanding and fragmenting projectiles were the way to go.
While the 1911 platform continues to be a favorite for the big .45 ACP. cartridge, many other handguns have become quite popular in it too. For capacity, a Glock 21 with a standard magazine capacity of 13 cartridges plus one in the chamber is incredible. The original Colt 1911 magazines only held 7 rounds in the single stack configuration. In this modern day though, there are double stack 1911 pistols that add more rounds to your daily carry.
Did you know there are birdshot loads loaded by CCI for the .45 ACP. pistol? This turns your favorite .45 into a close range pest getter for barn duties and beyond. In my testing, they function in 1911 style handguns with no problems due to their unique aluminum casing.
The selections of .45 ACP. ammo doesn’t stop at the above offerings. How about a hard cast wide meplat load for hunting or defense in big predator wilderness areas? Loaded at +P (plus pressure) velocities they penetrate much better than convention projectiles do.
Fragmenting projectiles as such from Glaser have become very popular. This is especially true where over penetration of the target would be very hazardous to others beyond that target.
The .45 ACP has been chambered in everything from the traditional 1911 style pistols, double stack magazine style pistols, single shot handguns, revolvers using moon or half moon clips, sub-machine guns and even rifles and carbines. The Thompson Sub-Machine Gun is a great example of a non-pistol format that was very popular in World War Two along with the M3A1 “Grease Gun”. AR-15 variants and carbines offered give shooters a long gun for better accuracy and quite a bit of fun too. For competition shooting the .45 ACP knocks over steel targets with massive authority. How about the classic Marlin Camp .45 carbine? That is a handy little shooter for around the homestead.
The great .45 ACP cartridge is here to stay along with hot rod versions such as the .460 Rowland and .45 Super cartridges. It indeed may be the Goldilocks caliber of power and control-ability with great history. It will still be around long after we are history. You just can’t beat the ‘ole .45 for what it was meant to do, offer knockdown power and it is a lot of fun to shoot!