Looking for a .45 for carry.

[Frobert]

Good Morning,

I am new to handguns and am getting ready to take a CCL class. I have been looking to purchase a .45 for some time and have been trying to do a lot of research. I have read quite a few posts and am thinking that I have my choices narrowed down, but would still like a little more input.

I am deciding between these three:

- XDM 45 in Bitone - I like a lot of the features, but have heard some bad reports on this including quality.
- Sig P220 - I know the Sig is a quality gun, but it doesn't have everything that I would like on a handgun, including a grip safety.
- Kimber - I like the custom II in stainless and it is a reliable gun. Ultimately the Super Carry Pro or Custom are ideal, but they are a little out of my price range.

Any thoughts?

[maisano]

have you thought about the glock 30 i have the glock 30sf and love it..11 rounds is nice

[cubbyjg]

I was looking at a kimber as well and decided to give my glock 30 a try as well. What about the kimber ultra carry II or pro carry II? From my research, those were on the lower end in terms of price for kimbers and seemed like a good choice for cc. Are you looking for a full size 1911?

[Frobert]

I am looking mostly at full size pistols. All three have a full size barrel, the shortest being 4.5" on the XDM.

[G.A. Heath]

First off, I own an XDm-45 and a few Kimbers. The grip safety is a non issue in most cases, in fact the only time I actually note its existence is when I holster one of my XDm pistols. For for the record I don't own a P220 but I have shot a few and in all honesty all three are good choices. My personal daily carry is a Kimber 99% of the time. So let me tell you about my my daily carry and my XDms.

My daily carry is a Kimber Pro Covert II. Its a comfortable, accurate, and reliable fighting gun regardless of how much lint has built up in/on it. The weapon has tritium night sights, CT laser grips, and has never given me any issues. The only downside is that some people think 7 round magazines are too small, I personally don't have an issue with that. My other Kimber is a Custom TLE II, aside from the lack of laser grips and the extra weight it has the same comfort level for carry and no malfunctions either.

MY XDm-45 is actually my second XDm, I own one of the first 5k XDm pistols made (that one is a .40 S&W). My XDm-40 had a sweet trigger from the factory, never had any malfunctions, and works well. M XDm-45 had a terrible trigger from the factory, but that is fixed now. The only malfunctions the gun has ever had were induced by me while I experimented on it. 13 rounds of .45ACP is nice, but in my opinion not really something I would buy a gun because of.

The P220s that I shot are property of a friend, if I remember correctly they have 8 round magazines and are German made. His guns have never malfunctioned that I know of and they are just as accurate as my XDm-45 and my Kimbers.

To determine which of the three models is most accurate you would need to shoot them from a ransom rest, and even then I'm not 100% sure you could tell. My advice is rent/borrow one of each and shoot them. Then decide which you really want.

[hangfour]

Hello ... I carry 24/7 a Kimber 45 CDPII pro. It's got a 4" barrel and is easily concealable. Just me but with self defense, motorcycles, and wives, I don't let price get it the way of choosing the best. Good luck. Oh, by the way I use a supertuck holster attached at the 3:00 position.

[glbedd53]

Get a Springfield 1911.

[Katygunnut]

Get a Glock. Happiness in a carry weapon means never having to wonder whether its gonna go bang.

A Glock 36 is as concealable as any 45 out there and has a total of 7 rounds.

A Glock 30 is good if you are willing to go to the effort of concealing a slightly larger weapon, and want to be rewarded with greater accuracy and a larger capacity (although all Glocks are pretty darn accurate).

If you really want to go full size, there is always a Glock 21, although most people would have to really put some effort into concealing it.

[G.A. Heath]

I truly wonder if the Glock is really so good why do people push it so hard? It reminds me of kids telling their friends to eat something strange because it is good despite them liking it or not (regardless of how it smells or looks). I have made a rule that I will never tell someone to get a particular gun, everybody is different and different guns are better for different people. Some folks like the Glock, some like a 1911 from a particular manufacturer, some Like XD type guns, others like Sigs, and others like something else. My advice is to try everything your interested in and decide for yourself. I will tease people about owning a particular gun, but in the end if it works for them then thats what they need. I would be more than willing to depend on any firearm I own to go bang when I need it because of the fact that I maintain them properly. Some folks will claim that a particular gun will go bang every time you need it to, but neglect the gun resulting in a lump of materials that might go bang. Even Glocks will fail due to neglect, I have seen it. So find something that works for you and then buy it, shoot it, maintain it, carry it. After that, for the love your your life and your loved ones please keep on shooting and maintaining it.

[Excaliber]

This is another case where, of the 4 guns mentioned so far, you would be making a fine choice no matter which one you picked.

You may want to look at the S&W M&P products as well.

[Katygunnut]

I truly wonder if the Glock is really so good why do people push it so hard? It reminds me of kids telling their friends to eat something strange because it is good despite them liking it or not (regardless of how it smells or looks). I have made a rule that I will never tell someone to get a particular gun, everybody is different and different guns are better for different people. Some folks like the Glock, some like a 1911 from a particular manufacturer, some Like XD type guns, others like Sigs, and others like something else. My advice is to try everything your interested in and decide for yourself. I will tease people about owning a particular gun, but in the end if it works for them then thats what they need. I would be more than willing to depend on any firearm I own to go bang when I need it because of the fact that I maintain them properly. Some folks will claim that a particular gun will go bang every time you need it to, but neglect the gun resulting in a lump of materials that might go bang. Even Glocks will fail due to neglect, I have seen it. So find something that works for you and then buy it, shoot it, maintain it, carry it. After that, for the love your your life and your loved ones please keep on shooting and maintaining it.

I agree with properly maintaining your weapons regardless of what you carry. I primarily rely on Glocks, but I still keep them properly cleaned and lubed at all times (clean after every firing session and at least once a month regardless).

All good products have fans who will readily share their love of that product with others. If this feedback is coming from someone with no vested interest in the underlying company, then it should be taken as what it is, genuine enthusiasm but ultimately just someone's opinion. The same thing is true with other products, and even entire companies (Apple comes to mind) that have a devoted fan base.

[Frobert]

First, thank you all for the input so far, although it has not really helped me to sway one way or the other. Being that they are all good guns is only making the decision more complicated.

I always wanted a Glock when I was younger, but it seems that I grew out of that as I am looking to purchase. Nothing against them, but I am looking for something that is a little "flashy" as my wife would say. Not to show it off, but that is more my personality.

I have not looked at the S&W mostly because I have no experience with them. I have shot a few Rugers, but am looking for a .45 and have not seen a Ruger that I liked in it.

[Frobert]

You have chosen 3 very different styles of pistols there - from a pure "feel" perspective, which felt best in your hand?

I have held all and they fell good. The XDM feels a little thicker, but even the 1911 has many after-market grips to increase the width. I have rented the XDM and it felt good to shoot with a controllable amount of recoil.

[Frobert]

Just me but with self defense, motorcycles, and wives, I don't let price get it the way of choosing the best. Good luck.

Hangfour, sometimes it is one getting in the way of the other when choosing.