Compact .45s for CCW

[gaijinsamurai]

I'm very happy with my Glock 30. If I were to buy another concealable pistol in .45 ACP (My usual CCW is a Glock 19), I would give serious consideration to the XDs.

 

[Kid@Heart]

1. Les Baer Thunder Ranch Comanche 45ACP with Crimson Trace laser grips.

2. Bill Wilson Carry

 

[Mbeef61]

kimber or colt 1911. i dont do .45s but that is what i would carry

 

[FourTeeFive]

I personally don't think recommending a single-action 1911 as someone's first carry gun is a great idea.

 

[2gr8dgs]

Like accessBob, I have a Glock 30 & a Glock 36.
the 36 slide on the 30 frame (aka 30s) is a heck of a CCW combo.
It is my 1st choice for a compact .45

 

[nastybynature]

<broken link removed>

 

[nastybynature]

I personally don't think recommending a single-action 1911 as someone's first carry gun is a great idea.

I used to think the same until I realized that if I am pulling it, 99.9% chance it isn't going back in holster unfired, otherwise I wouldn't pull it in the first place. Just my $.02.

 

[Charger]

FYI The XDs trigger is not great.
It is very gritty, tried cycling the slide and trigger several hundred times.
No Change so it is going back to Springfield.

 

[orygun]

I personally don't think recommending a single-action 1911 as someone's first carry gun is a great idea.

Just because it may be one's first carry gun, doesn't mean they are not familiar with firearms.
I didn't carry a gun until I was over 30. By that time I'd had over 20 years of experience with single action autos.
I've heard that 1911 called the best fighting handgun ever, but then other experts say why it's not the best defensive handgun...

Let me tell you, if I'm defending my life, it's a fight.

Ok, now you know that I'm a 1911 fan. It's not the only type of gun I own. But I've found that with a decent holster, belt and some planning ahead, I can almost always conceal my Commander sized 1911 with little trouble. I've owned officer's sized guns, too, and I'm kind of surprised I don't now. May have to change that...

 

[FourTeeFive]

Certainly understand the comments above. But I'm guessing if the guy is undecided and asking then he's not a 1911 expert. The carry issue has to do with cocked-and-locked carry, and dealing with dropping the safety after drawing. I used to carry a 1911, but I personally think that modern SA/DA and striker-fired weapons have an advantage in safe carry, especially for people less experienced in a particular way of operating a handgun.

 

[nastybynature]

FYI The XDs trigger is not great.
It is very gritty, tried cycling the slide and trigger several hundred times.
No Change so it is going back to Springfield.

I tried SOOOO hard to love my XDs and it came back from the recall with a better feeling trigger even. I just couldn't shoot it well without really working at it and that is not what I want for an EDC. Ended up getting rid of it. Traded it for an XDm9C and like that pistol much better for shooting although it is not what i carry.

 

[FourTeeFive]

Would be nice to find a solution for the XDs trigger pull. It is rough and heavy, but I'm still trying to give it a chance.

 

[Charger]

Would be nice to find a solution for the XDs trigger pull. It is rough and heavy, but I'm still trying to give it a chance.

Here is a trigger fix.
I have not tried it yet.
http://shop.powderriverprecision.net/product.sc?productId=87

 

[FourTeeFive]

Thanks Charger! That looks good and the price is right to try it.

 

[ZA_Survivalist]

I have a taurus millennium pro 45 put a lot of round through it so far and and work like a charm holds ten in the clip and one in the pipe great little gun for an in the waist band gun had mine for over 5 years now. View attachment 83106

.."clip"? Come on brother.
You had my full fellow Taurus owner support until you said "clip".

Back to the OP, Im in full favor of the XDS, its on my wish list.
For a .45, you cant get much more compact, slim and still retain a decent sized capacity like the XDS' do (for .45 acp)

 

[Mbeef61]

I personally don't think recommending a single-action 1911 as someone's first carry gun is a great idea.

Why? Harder to use? Maybe. Takes more training, which a first timer will need a lot of anyways. I wouldn't really recommend a .45 to a first time gun
owner either anyways.

Just trying to get him off on the right foot if he really wants a .45. Not an xd. If he really likes .45 he will end up at a 1911 someday. Xd sucks. Sorry. There is a reason so many used ones for sale, not because they are so good, it is because novices think they are cool. Then wise up and dump them off. Go big or go home.

 

[FourTeeFive]

In the .45ACP domain I would recommend a Sig P220. Slim and lightweight, although full size. There are more compact variants but I don't have much experience with them.

I had an XDs as a carry piece. Sold it and got an XDs-9 4.0 and the jury is still out on that one.

 

[Certaindeaf]

I wonder how long it'll be 'til all long arms'll have DAO yadda and no safety lever. dangerous!

 

[spectra]

Am looking for a .45 carry for myself. I have a FNX .45 it is huge so wanted a smaller .45 so stopped into Sportsmans today and looked at a few. Well the XDs are cheap and well do not hold a candle to the 1911s out there. I also looked at the Desert Eagle it was nice but the Kimbers just felt so much better in my hand... So out of the bunch my vote is for the Kimber UC II not cheap but a nice pistol.

 

[twowheels]

Lots of conflicting views here. Let me throw down. I've got a full size German sig 220, what a wonderful piece but its hardly carryable for most people day to day it certainly isn't for me. I've also got a CZ 97. that is also a wonderful firearm but again its too big to carry. I recently traded for a smith 325 ng, wow what a hoot it is to shoot an N frame with a 2 inch barrel but it really is not a piece for carrying around the city. I also have 2 legitimately packable .45s, a Kahr CW 45, I really like how it carries and shoots, and an XDs 45, which I just picked up and haven't had a chance to try yet but I do like how it feels. Finally, I recently traded off my kimber gold match mark 1 that I've owned since the late 90s. This is sa