Poll: Better .45 for SHTF

[H2O MAN]

My choice is a pair of G21s with a pocketable G36

 

[Brutus57]

Have you ever seen what a .45 does to a zombie noggin?

I enjoyed shooting the 1911 one time in the service and qualifying with it. Don't ask me about the "worm killing" petty officer 4 shooters down the firing line. Let's just say it was her first date with a 1911 and it didn't go as briefed.

See, if they had to issue side arms to the intell spooks the Navy was having a REALLY BAD DAY.

 

[ch139]

Love the 1911, but the guns built today are NOT the same as the USGI 1911A1 built for the military some 70+ years ago. The 1911s these days seem to have gone in two different directions; the ultra tight, super guns that are simply amazing and very expensive and the obverse, cheap versions of the ole war horse with a lot of corners that have been cut. As much as I enjoy shooting 1911s I'd not want one as a carry piece nowadays (did carry em for a while many years ago). There was a time when there were not a lot of different offerings in semi-auto pistols and the 1911 was arguably the king of the hill then. In the last few decades there has been a bunch of new handguns to come to the market that are very good guns and offer the user quite a bit. With those newer guns on the market the 1911 seems to have lost some ground. There was an article about Larry Vicker's 1911 Operator's Class some time back and in it he said something akin to "if you treat your gun the way you treat your lawnmower, buy a Glock." Thinking all the other new guns would fit in there now too. Point being, the 1911s of today require some finesse and knowhow to keep them up and running, a Glock (or other new gun) not necessarily so. In WWII if a GI's 1911 went down there were others to be had. Nowadays, that might not be the case and with less and less of them being fielded I imagine spare parts might be a bit difficult to come by… then they would probably need to be fitted too. A Glock (or XD, or M&P, or whatever) probably won’t need those same fitted parts and know-how, and another might be more easy to come by.

So, a handguns is a handgun, there seems to be a lot of overthinking that goes into everything handgun. If a fight comes down to a handgun, things are REALLY bad and it really may not matter too much which gun/caliber you have. Some other thoughts on the 1911 vs. Glock though. The Marine Corps MEU(SOC) shooters have been using "custom" 1911s built by 2112 Marine Corps armorers in Quantico for some time now. Those 1911s are awesome! When they break though (and they do break) they have to be sent back to Quantico for the armorer to work on. The Marine Corps recently announced they’re moving away from the 2112 built guns and buying Colt "rail guns." The cost was something like $2800 per gun, but also came with Colt servicing and repairing the guns as needed. Sounds great. Thing is, now when a gun breaks it has to be sent to Hartford to be repaired (still can't be repaired out in the field). And they too break; IIRC something like half of the T&E guns sent to the Marines by Colt wound up with cracked frames or slides (and you would think of all the companies out there the ONE that should know how to build a proper 1911 would be...) Anyway, $2800/gun. How many Glocks (or XDs or M&Ps or whatever) could you have bought for $2800? And when one goes down you throw it in the "broken gun box" and grab a new one out of the "new gun box." And I don't buy all the BS about guys like the MEU(SOC) Marines not being able to shoot the Glock (or whatever) as well as the 1911.

Nowadays, the 1911 isn't the one to have.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Thing about a handgun is you can always have one on your person.. gardening, foraging, woodcutting, whatever. It's a way to fight your path back to your long gun, and on the street it's usually all you have.. better than a pointed stick

 

[bluesurf]

I would pick a Glock for that scenario. But, a 1911 is my favorite for range shooting. It puts a big smile on my face every time.

 

[Spray-n-pray]

Glad to see the debate continues.

Blitzkrieg makes the point I had in mind when I posed this question. You can't always carry a long gun, but a pistol is easily carried openly or concealed.

 

[mrblond]

For me atleast, If its a true, SHTF scenario, Like the world has gone all to hell and its Judgement day and all of that, I am not going anywhere without my long gun. If I have to drop a duce in the middle of the night, its coming with me. That being said im not sure how accurate i'll be with my pants down around my ankles. Of course though, having a sidearm is always desirable and now, I think I would swap my vote to the Glock just for ease of maintenance over my beloved 1911.

 

[HappyRoman]

take them both, add a mech-tec upper and now you have acarbine with up to 30rds when added to the gluck.

 

[RBid]

For me atleast, If its a true, SHTF scenario, Like the world has gone all to hell and its Judgement day and all of that, I am not going anywhere without my long gun. If I have to drop a duce in the middle of the night, its coming with me. That being said im not sure how accurate i'll be with my pants down around my ankles. Of course though, having a sidearm is always desirable and now, I think I would swap my vote to the Glock just for ease of maintenance over my beloved 1911.

...but BEFORE a true collapse, in a current state SHTF scenario (katrina, sandy, broad scope power outage, riots, etc), you won't go anywhere with your long gun. Point of fact: you'll only carry a long gun if emergency services go down in so dramatic a fashion that you needn't fear legal trouble for carrying it.

While I am a big believer that a carbine is the best tool for the job if things go Mad Max, I am also strongly of the opinion that they are toys unless that happens*.


*unless you use one for hunting, predator control, duty/service use, etc. Most people do not.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

On that note to fill the gap I am about to have a custom HK 32 pistol built.. AK 47 power in a 8.3 inch barrel, and it can be carried just like any other pistol. I'm going to single point sling it and carry it in a soft sided attache case

 

[mrblond]

...but BEFORE a true collapse, in a current state SHTF scenario (katrina, sandy, broad scope power outage, riots, etc), you won't go anywhere with your long gun. Point of fact: you'll only carry a long gun if emergency services go down in so dramatic a fashion that you needn't fear legal trouble for carrying it.

While I am a big believer that a carbine is the best tool for the job if things go Mad Max, I am also strongly of the opinion that they are toys unless that happens*.


*unless you use one for hunting, predator control, duty/service use, etc. Most people do not.

I agree with you to a point. If a major earthquake or a riot happens then yes, a handgun is what you will carry if you need to head out. I suppose our definition of SHTF is different and I will leave that for another topic.

 

[Spray-n-pray]

Yes, the SHTF can take many forms.

If it's full-on zombie infestation, then by all means, get the rifles out. If it's something like a natural disaster or contagion, the concealed pistol might be the way to go.

 

[deen_ad]

Either of my Kimber .45's. They're both tack drivers as attested to by the NRA instructor that I shot with. He put 13,000 rds downrange last year so I think he can judge targets!

 

[Dan1477]

The glock is lighter, has greater capacity, and less needy than a 1911.

Honestly the 1911 is an excellent gun...for the range. I shoot excellent groups with 1911's, and the groups are almost always tighter than with a glock.

However, am I really worried about a slight group improvement for SHTF? Nope. I am far more concerned with weight and reliability. When SHTF happens, do you want to worry about where your Hoppe's oil is for your 1911? No? Glock.

 

[Hawaiian]

While the HK45c would be my choice, between the Glock and the 1911, I would take the Glock. In a SHTF situation, you want a reliable combat gun that will shot under most any condition. The modern stock 1911's are not as reliable after being drug through the dirt, rain, and mud. the Glock will still fire. Not so sure about the 1911. IMHO.

 

[unklekippy]

1911

I own a Ruger KP345 and 1911's. I have owned many fine 1911', but my favorite, the one I'd use for my fightin' pistol, is a RIA with a match barrel. It's beat to hell, but the one I want when something serious is happening. The Ruger is the Mrs. carry piece. I own a G17 and really am only considering a 20. Glock is a fine maker, but I am covered in the defense category. I just moved to Sprague River. I've got little use for "city guns" these days.

A .44 Special or .357 Mag(S&W doubles, Ruger single actions) would be the best SHTF sidearms, but that wasn't the question posed, was it?

 

[Netspirit]

A suppressed .22 is a better SHTF firearm. You do not need a bigger caliber in a SHTF situation, you need ammo that lasts, that does not make much noise, that works in both pistols and rifles (and even 12ga with an adapter, lol), that is cheap to practice with and stockpile, that is easy to carry and find.

If I had to pick from these two .45s I would pick Glock.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

On the issue of 45 ACP I picked up a new Kahr PM 45 this weekend, if it's reliable It will be a hideout/BUG. Really small

 

[rdt]

1911 cause thats what i have. But all the discussion about glock reliability, on the heels of seeing those new glock mag AR carbines has my wheels spinning.

 

[unklekippy]

357...yeah, 44 mag...yeah, 44spl...no so much.

When you learn a thing or two about ballistic's, the 44 Special is an obvious choice. The fact that 550 pounds of muzzle energy isn't enough shows some lack of understanding. It is a fine cartridge for anything you may encounter. Especially when you load your own.