How short is too short for a .45?
I was looking for a small summer time concealable pistol in .45 caliber. Thanks to you all, I had narrowed my choice down to 3, okay 5, contenders. Anyway, all the contenders have barrels of 3.5". Then, my youngest brother tossed a wrench into the whole deal. He told me, and he is usually right, that a .45 in a 3.5" barrel would not be much good. He told me that the heavy .45 bullet of slower velocity pretty much needs about 4.5" or more of barrel to be effective and that 3.5" is too short. Does anyone have any comments on that? (yep, I'm hoping he is wrong but am pretty certain I am instead...).
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Define 'effective...'
A short .45 is going to be more 'effective' than any other caliber given the same velocity/barrel length.
Scrappy Doo is the Antichrist.0 -
Tell your brother to stand in front of your 3.5" barrel and demonstrate how ineffective it is. (THIS IS A JOKE, DO NOT TRY THIS)
A .45 out of a 3.5" barrel will pack plenty of punch.0 -
I hear those tiny 1911's are hard to shoot well and most have functioning issues. What type of 45 were you looking for?
Regards,
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I have a Kimber ProCDP with a 4.25" barrel. It's very accurate, and not unruly at all as far as recoil. I have friends that own the Ultra CDP (3.5" barrel) and thry're happy with theirs as well. The Ultra doesn't fit my hand well, but that's a matter of preference.
"For those who fought for it, freedom has a flavor the protected will never know."
Some of my pics
http://personal.swayzee.com/jayb/index.html0 -
I have a Para Ordnance in 40S&W that has the 3.5" barrel and i can guarantee that you do not want to stand in front of it , granted the 40 is a little faster than the 45 but still there's not that much difference 0 -
I tried a buddy's Detonics way back . found that seemed too short ... 3"?? Thereabouts. I have a P97 which is 4" and ideally I'd rather not go shorter.
"UNITED WE STAND"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"Never mind the dog - beware the owner""Growing old is mandatory, growing wise is optional"(aka Hollowbase)0 -
So let's see. A 45 in a 3.5" barrel is going to lose 10 FPS velocity from that same cartridge in a 4.5" barrel. Tell your brother to take a hike.[:)]
AlleninAlaska
Delta Firearms & Supplies
http://canadianfirearmsexchange.com
aglore@gci.net0 -
I have two .45's with 3.5" barrels, a Colt Officer's Model and a
S&W 4516. The reloads I fire through my Kimber Gold Match (5") Chrono around 890 FPS. They are about 30 FPS slower in the Colt and S&W. With the right ammo, I do not believe the difference is anything to get excited about.
Guns only have two enemies: Rust and Liberals....0 -
For CountryGunSmith:
You raise an excellent point. I would define it as a good self defense round, close quarters, in the summer. I do a lot of hiking and it gets hot and humid here in Missouri so I need something that is easy to conceal while wearing shorts/T-shirt but doesn't weight you down too much.
My brother would define "effective" only in terms of comparing it to a .45 say in a 5" barrel... He, and others, would argue that a .45 in a 3.5" barrel is less "effective" as a self defense round than a 9mm or 40 S$W in a 3.5" barrel. Not that the latter two rounds are more effective in general, only with barrels of that length.0 -
For SilverBox,
I understand and your point is well taken. I have often thought that these discussions of what is effective may not always be realistic. I for one am not willing to stand in front of any firearms to test this out. So why bother and ask? I like to examine these questions thoroughly and wanted to see if you all had any significant observations, pro or con, on this question to help me decide.0 -
For Drobs:
Yeah, I've heard that too. I was looking at:
1. Para Ordnance Companion
2. Glock
3. Smith & Wesson
4. New Bersa Firestorm
5. others...0 -
For 625:
Thanks for the reply. Yep, those Kimbers sure are nice. Would you consider the 3.5" one to be concealable in something as small as the pockets of a pair of shorts in the summer?0 -
For gskyhawk:
Thanks. That is the information I was looking for. I couldn't agree more. That .40 is a hot round. I guess I should have also mentioned that we have a bill, again, on the governor's desk ("Twice-Votin-Holden" or "If it wasn't for St. Louis folks having the courtesy to vote more than once, I might not be governor...) that IF he signs it, would finally allow conceal carry and I was thinking along those lines as well.0 -
For Aglore:
I might not tell my brother to take a hike but your point is very well taken. If that's the case, then you pretty much settled it for me. I appreciate you taking the time to answer. This has been a big help for me to make up my mind. I still like the Para Companion.0 -
For William81:
Again, your post is what I was hoping to read. I really appreciate you taking the time to post that information. Everyone, and gun magazines, have opinions, but facts like yours, and those of the other posters in the real world, are what really matter. This has been a real big help.0
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