I used 1911's during war in the 60's . Standard ball ammo . Always got the job done .

Issued a 1911a1 in 1967, used it with 100% One shot kills as a radio operator during the tet offensive in Hue City. It was my T O. Weapon Would have been more confident with an m- 16 a1; but couldn't confiscate one until another Marine was medivaced Radio Operators didn't live long back then, so the 1911a1 kept me alive through the bloodiest battle of the Vietnam War

_"Fast is fine but accuracy is final. You must learn to be slow in a hurry."_ - Wyatt Earp

My grandfather introduced me to the 1911 .45acp when i was 14,the Marine corps cemented my love for the round,i still carry it to this day.

My brother-in-laws dad was in brutal combat in Vietnam... He had high praise for his 1911..."one shot stops" he said....that was with ball ammo

I have been using a 45 every since 1962 in basic training too. I love that gun an it has saved my life in combat more then once

I agree with your assessment of the Sig 1911. I have a full size Sig Nightmare and it has been fully reliable. I've had no failures of any kind and very accurate. A very underrated 1911.

I started out shooting .357 (S&W6 inch 19) back in 1982. But developed a love for the .45 1911 too. To this day these two rounds are still my go to calibers.

Elmer Keith (godfather of the 44 and 41 mag) once said that when you shoot a man with a 45 and go don't go down, look behind him and see what's holding him up. A quote from his book, Hell, I was there.

Two World Wars!!! Grand Champion!!!

What I like about your presentations is they are clean, smooth and right to the point. You brief us on the rounds, testing protocols and get rolling. Great stuff

I've heard war vets say the 45 ACP lets in more light and lets out more blood .

You mention the hard hitting nature of the 45acp, that's called momentum and is a very real thing. In todays world of the high cap 9mm culture the value of momentum and bullet frontal area have been lost. Its a tragedy that since Jeff Cooper passed there has been no one to pick up the advocacy of those merrits in 45acp over 9mm. I believe that the large amout of bullet drop you experienced is more due to the high bore offset of your sites rather than the actual trajectory of the bullet. My WW2 GI issue 1911 with it's stock issue low profile sites only drops a few inches at 50 yards when shooting hardball. Thanks for this informative video.

I’ve been a 1911 shooter since Vietnam but I’m under no illusion that the 45ACP is anything other than a close-in weapon that packs a lot of punch. I also own a Sig Tac Ops 1911 that is a real pleasure to shoot. For us purists out there you just have to get used to the idea of the external extractor but in practice it means you don’t have to spend time tweaking the tension on legacy extractor design. My 45ACP round of choice is the 185 gr JHP +P from Buffalo Bore. My Colt Defender seems to like that round the best. Nice video.

I Love the 1911 .45 ACP! I also Love the .45 LC in a revolver!

I've been shooting the .45 ACP for over 40 years. You definately have to lob your shots at distance. Knowing your drop and compensation thereof always makes for a good shot.

Very good presentation! For many years I carried a Colt Combat Commander with 165 grain Federal Hydra-Skoks. Both firearm and Ammo were a good combination.

Not all ball ammo is the same in the real world. The round nose tends to go through smoothly and doesn’t shear blood vessels and nerves. A flat nose, the same weight has more damaging effect like a plow blade. Velocity on the 230 gr is relatively low , but Gold dot is designed well and dumps a lot of energy, and has momentum. For hollowpoints I like 200 gr that we’ll get 900 fps plus . Some will say that 45 only has 9 rounds. My feeling is you won’t need to use the last round. 1 45 is worth two smaller rounds. If I was dumped into a bad situation with only a handgun , it would be a 1911 with all the mags I could carry, especially if limited to ball ammo

So......the best gun for self defense, is the one you practice with!

I can't remember if he discussed this, but the size of the damage, especially in hollow point ammo is far more devastating than the other calibers discussed. Let me put this in layman's terms; the 45acp. is for close self-defence, and puts a big ol' hole in a human or animal, especially hollow point ammo. The internal destruction and exit wound are gnarly. P.S. For black bear country, you should load fmj, and maybe in the lighter 185 grain (might not be much difference), for better penetration.

I like that .45 has less penetration. Great carry option for extremely sensitive areas.

I live in southwest Colorado and it’s a pretty rural area. Several times a year I have to dispatch a wounded deer and an occasional elk that has been vehicle struck and still on the roadway and still alive. For a multitude of reasons I carried several different handguns. Each time I dispatch an animal I put myself into the position to put one in the back of the head I guess you could call it movie mafia execution style. I have never had a problem with the .45 ACP, 9 mm, 38 or 357. They have always been one shot for the coup de grace to dispatch the animal. One evening the only fire arm I had with me was a 380 ACP. I put one round into the back of the head of a buck deer and it turned around and looked at me with the expression of “you’re pissing me off!“ I fired again, then again, then again. I emptied all eight rounds into the back of his head and it still kept trying to get up. It was very disheartening and troubling to me. I mention this because you said something to the effect of it’s not so much the caliber but bullet placement. I will only carry that 380 as a pocket pistol or a back up now. I will not. As my primary concealed weapon firearm. Caliber, foot pounds, energy, and bullet weight absolutely do make a difference.

I like these videos a lot. I like to think of the .45 as an already expanded 9 mm.

I will always be a believer in the "Big, relatively slow-moving, bullets make bigger holes down range....Even if they DON'T expand much if at all." theory of saving your own bacon with a handgun.

My Glock 21 Gen 3 is a sweet shooting beast! Keep your 9mm! I love shooting 230 grain on the range!

Shot my first handgun during army officers training in 1980. It was the 1911. I have owned some 11 1911s since then..I have other pistols and revolvers but that 1911 still fits my hand the best and nothing beats that trigger. I had a Colt 1911 next to me during ghr Rodney King Riots. Had it near me during all.those BLM peaceful protesting, along with my Remington 870. I have 5 1911s currently and when the world ends ill have one in my hand.

I think everyone fails to see why Police and such used the 45 for so long....was the sub sonic.... as in no ear plugs, you can shoot the gun and not ruin your ears, but still get the job done. Great show.

A round that is also a great defense round in 45 ACP is the 150 grain DRT JHP it fragments at 4" in and continues for about 12"

I would love to see a side-by-side comparison looking at force of impact and size of the affected area of impact over the wound channel/penetration standard test. I believe the 45 regardless round type has a special place as a round that carries a severe punch. The goal is to stop the threat and I've seen far too many LEO videos showing an assailant coming even though there is a magazine worth of 9 blowing through him. I think the velocity and small size of the 9 makes it a good killing round but doesn't carry the wake up call a 45 hitting center mass would. I also see the 45, simply because of it's velocity and mass being a safer round around innocent bystanders. There is little chance of this round over-penetrating and hitting another. As a side note, Judging from where you aimed on the long range shot, aiming at the head still places this round center mass and does the job rather effectively with overwhelming force. I'm sure if you aimed center mass, there would be a very effective castration occurring as well. Good presentation!

I 100% agree with ya on the wasted energy comment on a shot exiting the cavity. Iron sights looked very hard to use at longer range. Great closing remarks Thanks for a great video.👍

Here about 25 miles NE of Central Ohio, so good to know there are other Ohioans here doing KZfaq !

My go to war handgun has been and will always be my 45 Colt combat commander! Period!

Ammunition has been so vastly improved over the years. Even .380 has been vastly improved. In real world encounters almost all of them will suffice. I personally prefer 9mm. My favorite carry gun when in a combat zone such as my old hometown of Houston texas is a glock 19. When in oklahoma where I know reside I am comfortable with my glock model 42.i am 76 years old it amazes me how times have changed.

The 230g is the most common. First let me say I don't want to get shot with anything, and most crimes are stopped just by you showing your gun, but for stopping power I like the 45. Put simply I would rather get hit with a BB than a baseball shot at the same speed as the baseball has more surface area and will do more damage. Oh and now days due to age, I carry a Micro 9 and love it, but still around the house I like my 45acp. Oh and also any gun you carry is way better than the one you left at home or in the truck. Thanks

I am so glad I watched your video. Answered a lot of questions for me

This is the first video of yours that I've watched. Well done! And yes I did.

I good 230 grain bullet either hollow point or FMJ is a stopper. I have always said in any defense pistol or rifle use premium ammo. The 230 grain for me is like a one-hitter quitter like a 12ga shotgun at short ranges. If you want a longer range you use a 9mm, 357 mag, or a long gun. For me, I use a Glock 21 and I have 5 inch Springfield stainless steel and both for me hit point of aim out to 45 yard for the most part, closer I can shoot the buttons on a threat. The 45acp for me is only fired from full-size guns and barrel to get the max velocity out the caliber.

I had the pleasure of shooting my friend's Sig 1911. The recoil was mostly straight back. Very managable and easy to keep on target. I was impressed.

From all my years in the military the .45ACP was viewed as a good “knock-down” caliber. This, I believe was primarily due the Speed and the weight of the FMJ round itself. The bullet is large and the speed is low that could felt as being hit with a brick and placement is imperative at any time. I’ve seen so many military training videos on this caliber in the 1960s. As you said, bullet standards have greatly improved and yes throughout ALL of the common calibers. Speed or HI VELOCITY seems to be the current driving factors and that’s all fine and GOOD. But, being hit with a relatively SLOWER projectile and very LARGE in comparison does have it’s merits in the hands of the right shooter. For me, I love my .40S&W as I can control (heavy per caliber) it much better and lighter for CCW than the .45ACP. The Trend is to carry LITE with rd-count, that is the biggest draw back to the larger calibers as well as the more training required in the heavier calibers, CCW has been commercialized to sell the 9mm.

Lots of 'food for thought', Thank you. Proficiency is key, I agree. 👍

Nice demo, good shooting. For a semi auto pistol, the 230 grain .45acp will stop when called upon for defense, especially critical defense rounds. 99% of the time the use will be under 10 yards

great video. im just getting started with 45acp on a 4" M&P LE trade in. use it with 14+1 magazine and nightstick light on nightstand. very good shooter at range. subscribed

Great video! Findlay is one of the nicest towns in Ohio. Picket fences and the whole 9 yards! All American city!

Thank you ! Totally agree with your conclusion.

EXELENT VIDEO, YOU SIR JUST CONFIRM MY THOUGHTS ON THE 45 LESS PENETRATION FOR BEING AHEAVIER AND FATER PROJECTILE PLUS ,DID'NT KNOW THE 185 GRAIN PENETRATES MORE THANKS MAN LOVE THAT VIDEO, STAY SAFE.

Excellent review 👏 👌 👍 very informative 👏 thanks a lot.

Si, great content as always!

I run an HK p9s in 45 acp for daily carry.. My use of this caliber is based not so much on its penetration as its accuracy out of this weapon.I can easily and consistently hit a 2inch half circle target at 20 meters without dropping a shot below the line and so losing points in competition. The penetration I know will be good as that was the reason for the initial adoption of the 45 by the US in 1911.I have no doubt that this is still one of the top manstoppers in its class, if you are prepared to practice and can handle the slightly stiffer recoil. The old HK is a smooth and flat gun without protrusions which shows little signature when concealed, and can be carried one up in complete safety due to its unique de cocking system..

I’m a 45 guy and in the summer when I’m wearing lighter clothing I roll with a 380 have confidence in both

Great video!

Excellent video sir!

Already love the range!😊

Another great video. I carry a 4" aluminum frame 1911 45 every day. I one hundred percent trust my life with Miss Liese (pronounced Lisa)!I've tested several different brands of defense ammo and surprisingly the 230 grain Winchester Ranger T Series performed the best in my particular pistol. At 15 feet, I got around 14 inches of penetration and a very large expansion of the bullet.

The 1911 is a fantastic firearm! My Kimber Custom Shop CDP 2 is beautiful and fully functional. The 45 acp served in many battles and is battle proven. The trigger on a 1911 can't be beat!

My everyday carry is an Israeli desert eagle 45 1911 model and I love it!

As a Former Army Military Policeman who carried a 1911A1 45ACP as a daily Duty Sidearm for 3 years Active Duty and Qualified as an Expert 1980-1983 To this Day my Home Defense Pistol is a Ruger 45 ACP American Pistol with Hornady Critical Defense Ammo...I sleep well at Night with this Security System...I know when I shoot the Bad Guy...He is Going to go Down....Period!!!

45 ACP. Good enough for Black Jack Persing, good enough for me. On a side note, the FBI has lost any credibility it once had and quoting them as a reliable source makes me cringe. It is 60 years past the time to disband the FBI. JFK and Me agree.

Love your videos

45 ACP is love at first sight! and the very first hand gun 2 to own, the Scorpion & POW-MIA SS Sig Sauer! best bullets at all time.

Well done thank you

Great video

Well done

Those slow fmjs did fantastic. They smoked those Gold Dots.

1911 fanboy. Carried it from 73' USMC to present day. This vid and comments validate all I suspected and KNOW. Semper Fidelis.

I used a 1911 in vietnam, always did the job great. Today I am 69 and I own a gun store. I carry a Springfield 1911 every day. When airwaves myb45, it is hard for me to fear any thing.

Thanks

A cheap RIA is our handheld heavy artillery, only 230gr ball when loaded...it is reliable and accurate, but a little too bulky for EDC...it ain't much, but we have little doubt it would be just fine if ever needed...freight trains are big and slow also, but who wants to be struck by one...?

outstanding

The one thing most i love about the 45 is that it is an American round while the 9mm is an European round while i use a 9 as a backup the 45 is my primary EDC

I think the shock trauma is overlooked a lot. My ideal round would drop 700 to 800 ft lbs into the first 12 inches. The 45 is great for that. I think it maximizes the energy dump because it's so wide. You have to beef it up a bit to get 800 but most popular 45 handguns can take it.

Thank you

I have two handguns chambered in 45acp; a SA/DA ex PD S&W 4566 pistol with a de-cocker safety and a SA/DA Colt 1917 service revolver. Both are great shooters, reliable with any ammo, and quite accurate within the limitations of the 45acp round. Except for 22lr caliber I reload for all my firearms and my favorite hand loads for 45acp are 185 and 200 grain poly coated semi wadcutters though I also load poly coated 200 grain round nose bullets. The semi wadcutter bullets achieve good penetration and, when they hit something hard, decent expansion even out of the 4566 which has a 4.25" barrel. Out of the Colt with it's 5.5" barrel the results are even better. For shooters that take the time to learn their firearms' good points and limitations and shoot often in order to gain proficiency with them the 45acp is a great round for target shooting or defense.

Whoever f'd up that siding shouldn't be allowed to hang ever again!... great video

Personally, I prefer the Speer 200gr. HP. above All others. JMO. You rarely Ever hear about "imparted" energy. I believe it' a Real thing and the .45acp Has got the perfect balance of velocity & weight.

I carry a 1911 with WW Ranger .45. I will stake my life on this gun with this load.

45acp is my choice for carry. Why because I shoot it well. I'm not taking any shots over 25 yards anyway. That being said shoot what works best for you.

Thank you for the 45 ACP ammo demo. I have a question. I have a Ruger Blackhawk with a four inch barrel that shoots both ACP and by switch of cylinder the 45 long colt. I had a Blackhawk with a seven and a half inch barreel for about thirty years and did a lot of shooting with it both commercial rounds and hand loads. Could you please do a comparison of the two types of 45? Thank you. Rick in Kansasb

A .22 magnum revolver with a 3 inch barrel puts out enough energy to penetrate at least 14 inches or more of ballistics gel from about three meters distance. The FBI standard of penetration for a lethal wound channel is 12 to 16 inches in ballistics gel. The point here is a .22 magnum round is only about 40 grains but these rounds are quite adequate to stop any human predator with a wound to a vital area. The .22 magnum revolver can be accurately and quickly shot by a small statured woman or a man who is recoil sensitive. A quick follow up shot can be achieved with a .22 magnum revolver. Target acquisition for a second shot is easy with a low recoil .22 magnum revolver. So my argument is simple. It is far superior for regular average shooters to have a .22 magnum revolver than a .45 ACP handgun that is very hard to hit anything with unless you have extensive training on it. The .22 magnum revolver with a 3 inch barrel will produce more than enough stopping power to incapacitate a human predator. All handguns are essentially close quarters combat weapons. Yes, the .45 ACP has lots of stopping power but it is unnecessary to stop a human predator. A "double tap"/two shots from a .22 magnum revolver in the vital torso organ area of a human predator will stop the threat promptly. You will have other rounds left to engage other close range human predator targets.

I feel the reputation of a .45 comes from the superior terminal performance of a ball round on soft tissue over other calibers. As you demonstrated here the .45 created a better wound channel then a 9mm and didn't over penetrate as a 9mm would. With a proper HP bullet there is indeed little difference but if I had to carry FMJ I'd carry .45 hands down.

Those Hollow Points REALLY dump the energy where you need it, that said, please look at the Underwood, rounds for their Speed and Cavitation effects, Very Deadly, and also the .45 Buffalo Bore, some are doing testing with the 255 Solid Lead for Bear, and it is REALLY impressive.

It is interesting to compare the comments below made by men who have actually used the .45 in combat, to the conclusions common among the armchair experts of youtube. HUGE difference!!!

My Dad took part in the Aleutian Campaign, he carried the 1911-A1, thats good enough of an endorsement for me, its my everyday carry and the sidearm I took with me to the middle east, not going to tempt providence.

My Home Defense caliber of choice...Ruger American Pistol 45acp...With Hornady 185gr.Critical Defense Ammo....I sleep well at Night!❤

When i was in the army shooting regular arms room 1911s, i found a colt 45 that could hit 50 meter targsts well.

I fully agree with your statement about over penetration. Twelve inches max. without heavy clothes barrier, and eight to ten inches with heavy clothes barrier. To me, that is ideal penetration, and the larger caliber weight, in thin jacket, will cause the maximum amount of trauma without causing collateral damage to surround individuals or property.

Like your channel.

I carry a glock g20 in 10mm. Its a full size heavy handgun but if you carry it enough you get use to it and it doesnt bother you to carry and the 10mm is a good strong stopper of trouble.

I heard that when it comes to military full metal jacket rounds, 45 ACP is king. My cousin served in Vietnam, said 45 over 9mm anyday.

I really think shot placement is the most important thing but if everything else is equal a believe when it comes to handgun rounds bigger is better. But if you can only shoot a 22 accurately and effectively than hits with a 22 beats misses with a magnum handgun round all day long.

Just for fun I fired my 1911at some silhouette targets. One being the rams that were 200 yards away. I had to aim about 8 feet over the rams to hit them. It was like lobbing artillery into your target.

At age 71, I've been a '45 guy' since I was about 19 and have always considered the 9mm a fun gun to shoot but no matter what, a "minor" caliber, something ingrained in since back in my "combat" competition days in my 20's and 30's. It wasn't until much later in my life that I began hearing stories of ball .45 ACP failures to stop. Having never been in actual combat, all I can go by is the stories by veteran military and police, although I learned a lot more from people when I owned a gun shop in AZ (many years ago!). People who were shot and who had to shoot someone else.... and they were truly eye opening. More failures with ball, in any caliber, than a decent hollow point but even they have their own set of failures. Bottom line: shot placement is always the King of the hill. Having a good hollow point that actually opens up, going as fast as possible is the Queen, sitting right beside the King. Caliber, in general, doesn't make a lot of difference... except! Your choice of caliber must be able to generate enough velocity to force the bullet to open, but only if you put it in the right spot. That said, a bullet that functions correctly out of a .45 ACP or 10mm is *always* better than any smaller diameter bullet placed in the exact same spot. Thus any marginal shot with a larger bullet just might (maybe, should, could) give the defender a slightly (often very slightly! But never Zero or a lesser chance) of incapacitating a perpetrator in the least amount of time. Which is why these days I have moved on from my beloved .45 ACP to the 10mm, which is my new darling! Always use the best ammo you can get your hands on, no matter what caliber you choose (Lehigh Xtreme Defender, Speer Gold Dot - the 230 GDHP Short Barrel if you insist on a heavy bullet in .45 - Federal HST, Sig V-Crown and Defiant Munitions. I can no longer recommend Golden Saber or the HydraShok due to failures thru cloth barriers. On a personal level, I never suggest anyone use anything smaller than a 9mm for self or home defense but then, not everyone listens to me! Oh well, good luck with whatever you use. While the odds are slim that I will ever have to defend me or mine with a firearm, if it happens I want every bit of advantage I can get, no matter how slight it may be. I use 10mm and the best bullet money can buy. You should carry whatever firearm and ammo lets you sleep at night. Cheers, jc

I like the 200gr in .45 . Just like John Browning. Good balance between speed & power. An army ordinance officer wanted the 230gr. 🙄 Also, IMHO- It's more of a hunting/winter carry gun (Commander length or below). Great video.!

45acp was meant for in close combat

Liberty civil defense ammo in a 45 is a game changer. Ive seen first hand what this round does to living tissue.

Went to get first gun for hiking alone at 32. Walked in and said I want 45ACP. The genleman behind the counter steered me in the right direction as a primary self defense outback .357 in a revolver was what was said to me and I listened. Now older and not hiking due to back injury with lasting R leg weakness I just purchased a .45 acp 1911 for self defence at home. I have many tools for just about any problems forseen, house repair, vehicle repair and safety glasses, face shields for grinding and welding and ear plugs. All for personal safety.

I loved Winchesters Black Talons those were maybe the BEST 45 acp truely most effective projectiles I ever saw

Can you do a video on a Barretta PX4? And can you give your opinion of 1911's in 9mm? Specifically, I would love to see your assessment of the newer Kimber 1911's in 9mm.

I like that you are fair

Two holes are better than one. Two holes help stuff leak out faster than one hole.

Sights, they are not all created equal. At that distance the out of the box sights are difficult to manage. Dawson Precision is the way to go 👍