# Opinion on a new gun



## LaytonArcher (Jul 13, 2009)

I would like some opinions on a new handgun. I have a 9 mm and 40...I have been saving for a 45 for some time now. I really the XD and Rugers version of the 45.

What would your choice be?

Thanks,
LA


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

XD's rock... but if you want the .45 caliber, you just have to go with a 1911.


-DallanC


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## LaytonArcher (Jul 13, 2009)

Thank Dallan!

I have looked at the XDs at CalRanch and they seemed to be priced better than other places.

I will have to go look at the 1911 and see if they are within the budget.

Thanks


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## Al Hansen (Sep 7, 2007)

What ya gunna use it for ? Carry ? Paper punching ? Lots of different 1911's . The 1911's have more after market goodies than most all the other pistols. A friend bought the full size XD .45 and it wouldn't shoot my wad-cutters. But it would take the 230grn. RN's well. But still a great gun. You won't be sorry for any .45 you buy.


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

I agree with the 1911. I have a Pro Carry II and love the way it balances and feels. You have a lot of options for 1911s out there. Take a look at www.galleryofguns.com and see what would fit your budget, odds are you'll find something fun.

My father in law has a XD and it's not a bad gun, and it dismantles wonderfully easily for cleaning. I wouldn't call it my favorite gun, but it definitely has it's place.

Now if only Ruger would start making a 1911...


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## wirehair (Aug 2, 2010)

Lots of really nice .45's out there. Still, 1911 is the one with the most goodies. I have the Kimber custom tactical. Very nice shooter, but too big to carry easily. And you can get the .22 conversion kit and shoot it a lot without the expense of .45 bullets.


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## .45 (Sep 21, 2007)

Nothing wrong with owning a .45 !!

I've been dreaming of trying out a Smith & Wesson, or a Browning.


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## Gee LeDouche (Sep 21, 2007)

Yup. get a nice 1911 and you'll never regret it! dont cheap out and get a "Lama". Spend the extra couple bucks and get a nice "loaded" springfield or Kimber. Just stay with a name brand.. and not a G.I. model. you'll be tickled pink!


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## Doc (Sep 11, 2007)

Gee LeDouche said:


> Yup. get a nice 1911 ....... Just stay with a name brand.. and not a G.I. model. you'll be tickled pink!


I agree with what you said with the caveat I have the Springfield G.I. model my kids gave me for Father's Day several years ago. They also bought several "GI spec" magazines to go with it. I also have a 1911 Dan Wesson CBOB (not cheap) and a Springfield compact XD 45. I shoot that GI the most!! (Grandkids and I love shooting .22s using the Kimber conversion). I will say I "had" to replace the GI trigger with something a little less than the "25 lb" stock trigger it came with. The stock magazines don't feed hollow points reliably for "personal defense" but work great for the ball ammo. Better magazines will feed hollowpoints reliably. This is the least accurate of the three guns but accurate enough for plinking fun. It is also the 1911 with the trademark slidestop scratch that signifies a new 1911 owner. Much to my wife's chagrin it was this cheap 1911 GI that re-awakened my obession with handguns after being dormant for many many years.

I like the XD because it has a very similar grip angle as the 1911 and I can use two different capacity magazines depending on what I want to do with it. It has been completely reliable. It is a little easier to take down and clean but neither are difficult. The Springfield XDm in .45 looks interesting but I don't really like the grip length on it.

Can't go wrong with a good 1911 or the XD. Heft a few up and buy what feels the best in your hand.


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## Frisco Pete (Sep 22, 2007)

I have both an XD45 and a couple of 1911s. So I think I am a little less biased that some here and can give SPECIFIC pros & cons.

Personally, I would forget the Ruger .45 - I think you will like the XD45 better. Noted firearm trainer Clint Smith (Thunder Ranch) says the XD is his favorite polymer handgun and he sees a lot of different types go through his training facility. While he is a 1911 proponent, he personally carries an XD45 as well. When he talks, I would tend to listen - he is a little smarter than me. First of all, you need to decide what is it that you want to do with your new .45 - plinking, target, and range work? Concealed carry? Self defense, "service" and SHTF? How much are you going to shoot it? What climatic conditions will it be subjected to in use and in storage?

The XD45 comes in several standard versions that include 4" Service, 5" Tactical, and a 4" Compact (same as Service but with a short butt/10 rd mag). They hold 13 rounds in an amazingly small grip. That is a big reason I was initially attracted to the XD over the G21. The ergonomics are really good and the gun is a real shooter. As mentioned, they don't like SWC style bullets, but shoot everything else fine. Finish is Melonite, which is more corrosion-resistant than stainless steel. The polymer frame seems to absorb recoil well. My XD45 is considered "soft shooting" by everyone who has tried it.

Recently they offer an upgraded version, the XD(M) 4.5. It has a 4.5" barrel which nicely splits the difference between the standard 4" & 5" XD versions. It also offers interchangeable backstrap inserts for different hands, a nice smooth match trigger, and a match barrel. Slide and other contours are a bit different. For the price of a good trigger job on a standard XD by Springer Precision, you can get the XD(M) with the same match trigger and all the other upgrades. If I were doing it all over, I would get the new XD(M) 4.5. I do have the XD(M) in .40 S&W.

IMO the XD45 or even XD(M) 4.5 gives you more for your money than a similar-priced (or even costlier) 1911. They have Glock or SIG-like reliability, are lighter than the usual 1911 but hold 13 rounds (_although an aluminum-frame Commander-size 1911 like the Kimber Pro-Carry weighs the same_). They field strip much easier and are much simpler, with less to go wrong. They were engineered not to need a lot of hand-fitting at the factory. They don't need all the lube a 1911 needs to keep running. Even though I own good 1911s, I guarantee that if I were deployed, or the SHTF, I would grab my XD45 first. There is a lot to be said for a tough, accurate, reliable low-maintenance, corrosion-resistant 13-round .45 with a light rail. However, though some swear by the Compact model, the XD45 is a little large for concealed carry for me (_don't tell Clint - "a concealed carry gun should be comforting, not comfortable" - Smith I said that!_)

The XD45 and XD(M) 4.5 are priced with the entry level 1911s. That means cast-frame RIAs and the lower end of forged-frames - and guns with bluing and no stainless or Melonite finish. You may get basic G.I. stuff and not get some of the nicer controls like match triggers, easy-to-see sights, extended beavertails, larger controls, lowered and flared ejector port etc. You also have more MIM parts in a gun that has a lot of parts that require some hand-fitting. Most entry-level 1911s run fine, but some require fine tuning. Quality of mags is something that is important.

For target shooting, plinking, range work and even CC, I do like my 1911s. When I go to the range, the first pistol I want to pick up is my Taurus PT1911. Although an entry-level 1911, it has a nice forged frame and all the upgraded stuff I like on a 1911, like the Commander-style hammer, good trigger, lowered and flared ejector port, extended beavertail, speed bump grip safety and larger controls. It shoots very well, and the 1911 has excellent ergonomics for most people. JM Browning just plain made the gun to shoot and that is why so many people here say to get a 1911 - they are just great to shoot with an undefinable something that makes it just more... sensual? than a plain XD45 - at least if you have a halfway decent upgraded 1911. My light Pro-Carry is great to shoot, but the light weight becomes a factor. For guns with the same empty weight, the XD is better in long shooting sessions - if you can afford the ammo :roll:

Obviously 1911s have a great history as a combat weapon. Be aware that G.I. 1911s tended to be very loose and as a result, inaccurate. There was a lot of clearance for dirt etc. because of that. Most handgun combat was last-ditch and close, so that was okay. The parts in them were well-made forged/machined stuff. They, and their magazines, were made to feed RN ball ammo.

Newer 1911s vary considerably from the G.I. or Colt original in detail. Much of this is good, some not so good. Some use investment-cast, rather than forged frames (RIA). CNC makes machining stuff cheaper and often with better tolerances, Small parts may be MIM cast which save money, but runs the risk of a _slightly higher_ failure rate at times. Even guns as expensive as Kimber are forced to use MIM to deliver a 1911 at affordable mass-production prices. Wilson Combat and similar small makers don't, but are very pricey! Springfield Armory has gone to Imbel in Brazil for forged stuff to hold down cost. Taurus is Brazilian and is why you get what you get for the price. RIA and others are Filipino - which cuts costs. 
This is unlike the single-manufacturer XD. So to say "1911" doesn't mean we are all talking the same thing specifically - there are huge variations in quality, build, specs, options, etc. You need to keep this in mind. 
1911s, even the same model, from the same manufacturer vary a lot more in out-of-the-box reliability and QC than simple guns like the XD. That is why some will complain that their new S&W/Kimber/Springfield whatever gave problems and had to be sent back for work, and others have no complaints whatsoever. The odds are just greater that a complex, hand-fitted 1911 under $1000 may have issues than with modern guns. Still, I have had good luck myself - given the fact that I expect a couple of minor issues during break-in.

The better new guns, in fact most new 1911s, are tight. So accuracy is pretty good compared to G.I. Mine sure impress me. The 1911 needs a lot of lube to run right - especially the new, tight ones. Remember that. They also need magazines specifically engineered for HP ammo if that is what you want to run. G.I. mags can be hit and miss here. So don't go cheap. At one time you needed to have a G.I./Colt worked on to feed HP. Most feed it okay now.

The 1911 has a million options in every single part on the gun - so upgrading is simple. However, many parts to require hand-fitting - that is just the way it was done in John Browning's day of cheap, skilled labor. Anyway, you can customize it to your particular needs as much as your wallet can afford.

My light Kimber Pro-Carry 4" (aluminum blued, not steel/stainless version) isn't too bad to carry concealed. This early Kimber has been real reliable for me and is very accurate. While I would go for my XD45 or other modern handgun for serious extended-combat conditions use first, I still don't rule this Commander-size gun out for that. It just requires more maintenance that is harder to do. Personally, I think the Glock 36 is the best CC .45.

As a civilian for normal stuff that I do here in the non-combat zone, dry climate Utah, the 1911 is a terrific historic handgun to own. I just realize its limits and realize that for some purposes you can do better for less money with a modern design, than a comparable 1911. While the option wasn't available to me, _if I were starting out_, I would get a XD(M) 4.5 and then get a nice 1911 .45 Auto. I really like to shoot both, and love my 1911s, but I have to think realistically about their various strengths and weaknesses.

BTW - Those Dan Wesson 1911s are really terrific. 
And no - a Ruger-made 1911 wouldn't be any better than the stuff we have out there. There is no Ruger magic on any existing design. Bet it would come with ugly grips though :twisted:


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## .45 (Sep 21, 2007)

Another .45 I've been looking at is the Sig Sauer 1911 Compact....for me, this is one of the most comfortable semi-auto's made. I guess they're hard to get a hold of and seem awfully pricey. 

Good luck with whatever you buy and let us know.... o-||


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## LaytonArcher (Jul 13, 2009)

Thanks guys...I appreciate the advice and comments. I think I have more to think about before making a purchase.

I will let you know the outcome shortly. I hope to have the toy by end of Jan.

LA


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## Gee LeDouche (Sep 21, 2007)

+1 on the Dan Wesson 1911's! I have one that is a stainless "pointman" and I LOOOOOOVE that sucker! I'm pretty sure it had some work done to it before I bought it, but it is really smooth!


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## timberbuck (May 19, 2010)

If you have a good 9mm and .40 there is no real reason to go to a .45 unless its a platform change you want (want a completely different type of pistol). The 1911 happens to be a .45 and is capable of the best trigger pull and shortest reset of any auto platform. Save up and buy a nice high end Kimber, Wesson or Springfield or even better buy a used Les Baer,Ed Brown,Wilson.

Also the 1911 is what some consider a real gun (steel and wood).


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