There are some awesome 1911s for sale on GunsAmerica!
Editor’s Note: The following is a post by Mark Kakkuri, a nationally published freelance writer who covers guns and gear, 2nd Amendment issues and the outdoors. His writing and photography have appeared in many firearms-related publications, including the USCCA’s Concealed Carry Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter @markkakkuri.
Read Mark’s previous articles in this “Top Five” series:
- Top Five Keychain Tools for EDC
- Shooting in the Dark? The Top Five Low Light Fixes
- Top Five Pocket Carry Holsters
- Top Five Fixed-Blade Knives
- Top Five Modern Ways to Protect Hearing
Compared to modern concealed carry guns, 1911s are generally more expensive, lower capacity and more difficult to learn to shoot well. Some might say 1911s are less reliable than other handguns, but I’m not convinced that’s true (and it’s a matter I will address in another article.) For now, despite some shortcomings, I’ve got really good reasons to choose a 1911 for concealed carry. Here are my top five.
1. Single-Action Trigger
The most obvious benefit of the single-action trigger is the very short pull it takes to fire a round. A short trigger pull means less opportunity to pull the gun to the right or left and therefore a greater degree of accuracy. The triggers on 1911s also travel straight back rather than on a hinge, which can contribute to greater accuracy. That said, a 1911’s single-action trigger works in concert with a frame-mounted, manual safety, and this safety must be switched off in order to fire. It should also be switched back on again if you’re going to move or perform other actions. So, it creates an added step when drawing and requires additional training, but if you’re doing everything else correctly … and the safety is off … and your finger is on the trigger … and you’re ready to shoot … it’s just a short stroke of the trigger to fire off a round.
2. Natural Point-Ability
Some guns have this and some guns don’t. Natural point-ability means the gun’s stocks and sights seem to align with your target more easily when the gun is in your hand and pointed toward your target than with others. This has always been a strength of the 1911. Granted, you’d better train with whatever gun you carry, but if you can simplify or streamline the actions required to get your gun drawn and pointed at your target, then why not? Natural point-ability not only relates to the gun’s feel in hand but also the location of the controls. For a great many individuals, everything is just right with the 1911.
3. 100-Plus Year Heritage
Very few guns have the heritage and legacy of the 1911. This gun has been tested over time, through major world wars and conflicts, and is still in use today by some police departments and special forces. On the one hand, the fact that it is still in use testifies to the sheer genius of its creator, John Moses Browning. But other guns, such as the Glock, are even more pervasive than the 1911 and over a shorter time too. Nonetheless, when you carry a 1911, you’re carrying both a modern defensive pistol and a piece of history. It is relatively more complex than other guns, but like any other gun, it requires practice and care.
4. Abundant Accessories
When a gun has been around as long as the 1911 and used as extensively as it has, accessory manufacturers, of course, take notice and offer myriad holsters, magazines, spare parts, customizations and more. If you choose to carry a 1911, you’ll have no shortage of concealed carry holsters from which to choose. You’ll have plenty of ammunition options. You’ll be able to find gunsmiths who can do customizations. Go to virtually any accessory manufacturer’s website and, where you can search by make and model of gun, I’ll bet a 1911 is on the menu. And since multiple manufacturers have made 1911s, there’s a variety of quality and price points available too. What you’ll also get with the 1911 — and this can be good and bad — is unending online opinion about the gun’s strengths and weaknesses.
5. Skinny
One of best attributes of the 1911 is how skinny or flat it is; the slide is usually less than an inch wide. As such, it is easy to hide on your person, regardless of whether you carry inside or outside the waistband. I find a 1911 makes a great summer carry gun as when carried inside the waistband, it hides well with shorts and a t-shirt. The right holster keeps the 1911 at a forward cant, pointing the bottom of the stocks up along my side. This is true for Government-, Commander- and Officer-sized 1911s with their 5-, 4.25-, and 3-inch barrels, respectively. I like a 3-inch barrel, not for concealability but more because there’s simply less weight to carry than with a longer barrel. But all the 1911 sizes conceal well, regardless of barrel length. One bonus: The magazines for 1911s are skinny too, so they’re easy to hide on your weak side in an outside-the-waistband holster.
The Cons
And now, of course, a couple words about the negatives: 1911s are more expensive, have a lower capacity and are more difficult to learn to shoot well. Many other guns are less expensive than a 1911, but whether a 1911 is “too expensive” is relative. If you want a value option, then the 1911 might not be for you. Many other guns hold more rounds than a 1911 — some with double the capacity in one magazine — but this too is a subjective matter. You should always carry a reload, no matter what gun you carry, and you should carry what you can comfortably, accurately and safely shoot. Many other guns are indeed easier to shoot well because they offer a double-action trigger stroke and no external safety, which removes some of the variables. But these can be mitigated with the right training — again, something you should do regardless of what kind of gun you carry.
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I have carried the 1911 as a Marine and as a cop and now as retired. I have been carrying one version or another for almost 50 years! There is no better handgun as a personal defense weapon. I know as I have been forced to use mine several times through the years. I am still here. No better accolade than that. My current day to day is a Colt defender 45 during summer and a Colt Govt model with adjustable night sights in winter and a Colt officers in the Spring.. Semper Fi
I have carried 1911s of one sort or another since 1965. A great concealed carry gun?? Not really. But it is what I carry for winter time.(coats jackets etc etc).( I also carry a N frame S&W in the mountains for bear medicine) And it is a full size Wilson Combat. I also have a 3 inch Kimber that I can carry in the hip pocket of my shorts in summer but as some stated it is a bit heavy. I don’t need 18 rounds or a plastic full sized gun to carry around just because it is lighter.. It is still not very concealable for summer use. And with 18 rounds IS it lighter??..not really. People such as Shawn poo-poo the OLD 1911 mainly because they are generally millennials who have never been shot at, know very little about self defense shooting or may shoot a lot of PPC or IDPA or whatever. Most gun fights occur at under 10 ft. and in the heat of battle the AVERAGE person wants a place to hide. I know I did. Every time. But I’m still here. and the 1911 45s I carried came out on top every time. BTW being shot hurts…alot! I carry very little but I live in a very safe area. I do adhere to the idea that a 45 will ALWAYS have a bullet larger than any 9mm or 40. As far as hot summer carry, a little Beretta Tomcat in 32ACP with good bullets is as good as anything. and better than nothing. I also have to say my 1911s are as reliable as anything I have ever shot…even that little 3 inch Kimber. So y’all keep your Tupperware guns especially the ones with no safeties and pretty bad triggers
Charles I agree , you have a few years on me.I got my 1st COLT 1911 government model in 1975 ,a gift from my father. It conceals very well and I can put 7 rounds in the bottom of a pop can at 25 feet ,never jams and just plain feels good.
I am a 6’2″, thin, male, who has comfortably carried a commander in .45 for years. I have no “gut” to “shelter” nor “suspenders” to “hold up” said weapon and have absolutely no print while concealed or “fatigue” from the “weight”. People who bash on the 1911 don’t know what they are talking about to begin with. I shoot hand loads in the 1030 fps range with a 230 gr .45 that would (after time) rip the chassis right out of a polymer frame pistol. how do I know this? I have done it to four glocks and a walther ppq. I had to send them all back to the factory to get warrantied.
Plus the added benefit of being FULLY customizable to your own taste and preferences, you just can’t go wrong with a property fitted 1911 no matter what the caliber. And thank you Shaun for being our venerable idiot for us on this article, guns america comments would just not be the same without at least a couple of know nothing drones like your self.
I might add that if you can’t hit something with 7 rounds, go ahead and leave the 8th round for yourself… 14 to 18 rounds aren’t going to do you any good anyway.
I conceal carry 1911 and glocks, it depends on the situation. As for your comment of not hitting with 7 rounds…
What happens when your attacker is high on PCP? What if there’s 3 or more people? Have you ever fired to save your life under sever stress?
I carry any extra mag regardless, I’d rather have it and not need it then need it and not have it.
that was a touch on the mean side, Dave, with your parting shot…. and that warranty on the resultant from your hand loads, gets a “really”.?
The 1911 may not be my EDC but it’s a must-have in my arsenal for many reasons.
First, too many people have watched too many Bruce Willis movies; confronted by three or four bad guys, Willis draws from an appendix carry position and smokes all of them, after which he very calmly says, “Yippi Ki Ya, Mother Fucker.” I see guys training all the time at 3 yards, practicing their sub second draw and fire on multiple targets. I’m not saying that is a bad thing to do because I do it too, but while the chance of having to engage in that type of self-defense scenario is statistically very small and considering today’s social environment, the necessity of engaging at a distance is much greater, and in my opinion, nothing is going to match the accuracy of a fine 1911. I love my Glock 19 and 17 and never leave home with out one or the other, but my Nighthawk 1911 isn’t ever far away. The length of the barrel, the sights, the trigger pull, and even the weight all add up to getting you on target at a great distance. As my friend Larry Vickers says, “Speed is fine, accuracy is final.”
I’m not here to tell anyone what they should carry.
Like a crap table, there are all kinds of bets that can be made.
I’m 64 and have been carrying a 1911 all my life.
I have a Colt Officers that I sent to King’s gun works years ago that is my summer time carry.
For winter time I have a full size 1911 from Springfield Arms.
If I go to the beach with shorts & a tank top I carry a stainless AMT Backup 380 +P in a Thunder Wear rig.
The AMT has two safeties just like a 1911 which I don’t have to think about as all my pistols work the same.
If AMT had made a 9mm with two safeties I would move to that but they don’t.
The AMT is all about the two safeties on a very small pistol that is under a pair of swimming trunks
I still remember the big shoot – out in Miami between the bad guys and the FBI.
The FBI had 9mm and the bad guys had 357’s & 45’s.
It took two and three rounds for one of the bad guys to go down for good.
Sadly it took only one round for all the FBI agent!
Carry & bet your life on what you will it’s America.
Try as I might, I just cannot get back into carrying the 1911, either open or concealed. I love the old girl and the way it shoots and recoils in my hand. My first center fire pistol was an as new surplus 1911A1 that my Dad bought me when I was 14 and I shot it without letup for years before I sent it on down the road. Problem is that it is heavy and even though a properly fitted holster goes a long way towards concealment, it just does not tuck away like many other of the more modern designs I have. Over the past six decades I’ve shot all manner of 1911s from battered surplus to the latest of the $6000 custom gems. But as for me, the 1911 has been reduced to a nostalgia thing. I take it out once or twice a year and put a couple of boxes through it and back it goes into the safe. I’m just not a young buck any more . . .
Generally good points, though a 100+ year heritage isn’t necessarily a deciding factor. I carried a Glock on-duty for the last 24 years of my 38 years in law enforcement, and a Glock 27 was my constant companion on and off-duty for the last 10 years (great gun, easy to shoot, never let me down). However, after I retired and I wasn’t restricted by a department policy that prohibited carrying a single action pistol on or off-Duty, I put the Glock away and have been carrying some form of 1911 ever since.
My current carry gun is a Dan Wesson Guardian 9mm. I’m not a big guy, but I have no problem carrying concealed in the summer, usually under an untucked shirt. When I want to go smaller, a Kimber Ultra Carry works just fine. The 1911 triggers, even the mediocre ones, are, in my opinion, far superior to any striker-fired gun; the thumb safety is reassuring; and the grip safety is welcome redundancy not found on many guns.
A fully loaded alloy frame Compact or Commander size 1911 doesn’t weigh too much to comfortably carry all day. I have occasionally carried a full size steel frame 1911, but that becomes a little much for me. Even the relatively compact Les Baer Stinger (steel frame) gets to be a little much for all day carry for me, but with the proper belt, I don’t need suspenders.
I could confidently carry (one or two at a time) at least half the various guns I own, but the 1911 works best for concealed carry for me, though it is not necessarily best for everyone, just like a Lexus GX 460, a Ford F-150, or a Toyota Prius is not nessarily best for everyone. This is a great country with lots of great choices (and some not so great choices – Bursa immediately comes to mind).
I cut my teeth on a 1911. Love them. However, I have switched to a glock for carry. Had to really drill and learn, as the grip angle is different, as well as the trigger. I was shooting IDPA for a while, and found that the double to single mags dramatically increased my reload times. Plus the extra round count is a plus. Heck, even the night sights are cheaper for the Glocks. Winter time(or bad neighborhoods) I usually go with a glock 20 in 10mm. Warmer weather, a Glock 29. I have others, but love the 10mm round.
The debate all comes to “what are you willing to put up with?”. I just retired from a large south Texas PD after 27 yrs. on the street and carried a full sized 1911 every day off duty. The dept. issue weapons,(in chronological order of use/issue),S&W model 65 .357 mag, Glock 22 second gen.,Glock 22 third gen., S&W .40 M&P, were just not right for me. The ability to carry/conceal such a large weapon on my frame (6’2″ 225lbs.) with just an unbuttoned cover shirt in the brutal Texas heat,says volumes on the 1911’s narrow profile,and it’s myriad holster potential. The heft gave me no problems at all. I also carry a Glock 17 in a shoulder rig on my other side when i’m out with the missus for her to use,(if necessary) if she doesn’t want to pack a pistol so as not to “spoil her lines”. Best of both worlds!!
Pecos Pete, If you’re retired for several years, and your missus is still interested in not “spoiling her lines”, you must be living right.
Stay safe and be well!
Carried a Colt Commander for years, retired it for a Beretta CX4 compact.
Why —
Better sights, higher magazine capacity, much lighter and I can go on an on about it. Simple fact is this writer should spend more time shooting, carrying and getting some real expertise about the subject.
‘Chuck’ obviously you have never experienced use of the 1911 in actual military combat. I served 10 years in ‘Army Special Forces’ (including ‘Vietnam’) and a few other missions and the 1911 served all of us well. Now review the problems with the ‘SIG’ Model 320 and many Model 226s’. ‘Glock’ is even worse, a long history of maintenance problems.
My experience and opinion.
I see a lot of moronic comments being made about something that most of the above commentors know nothing about. Most of them should just shut up.
Being a John Moses Browning and 1911 believer and follower, your comments are well taken. EXCEPT, you should know your 1911 history a little better if you are going to be an aficionado: The M1911A1 “Government” Model is a 5″ barrel version, the M15 is Colt’s/US Army Ordnance’s General Officers 4.25″ barrel version (originally re-manufactured from actual M1911A1 components), and the 3.50″ barrel version as well as the name ‘Commander’ model are domestic market concoctions never issued by the U.S. Army Ordnance Department. While I have a 3.50″ version (Para Ordnance Para 1911 Expert Carry), myself, and I love it, it does take considerably more practice, skill, and savvy to shoot well than the two military versions. Just to set the record straight.
Pretty weak argument, as it would have to be to carry a 1911. It really makes no sense unless you are in Hollywood or a cowboy. I would even argue that some of your Top 5 reasons are really reasons to carry anything else…
Top 5 Reasons to carry a 1911
1. Because it impresses your friends on the internet, even though you really don’t carry daily or you simply leave the big heavy gun in your truck or car. Anything less than the “Forty Five” just doesn’t do the job and you might as well spit at them, than use a lesser cartridge.
2. The weight of the big heavy gun provides another reason why your pants are always failing down, other than your big fat beer belly. Beside, we all known real men wear belts and suspenders.
3. Because everybody who is anybody knows it is simply the best choice for self-defense against anything. Nothing else has ever been created that is better, plus it matches the 1911 Ford Model T, that you drive daily.
4. Because everyone knows we would have lost WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam (never mind) and all the other corporate wars of the last 106 years without the 1911. In fact, U.S. Military statistics prove that around zero enemy combatants are killed by pistols on the battlefield, so the reputation of the deadly 45 ACP, 1911, must be wining the war by scaring the bad guys to death.
5. Because bullets care, a lot, about what platform they are fired from. In fact, everyone knows that if its fired out of the 1911, not only is it more accurate, travels faster and hits harder than those wimpy euro-trash plastic pistols. If lighter weight polymer framed guns, firing teeny bullets, from larger capacity magazines were really needed, John Moses Browning would have invented them. Game, Set, Match. Amen. E-I-E-I-O.
That is one of the dumber things I have ever read. Sarcasm has to be based in truth to be funny. I appendix carry the 1911 daily. Heavy? No, I can easily hold it.
You are still carrying the Model T ! Perhaps you didn’t read carefully enough, realize that you are carrying more weight than needed which is easily replaced with more firepower. You probably suffer from #1, carrying just to show off your 1911 to friends. It really makes little sense. So you can hold up your pants, but doesn’t mean you aren’t missing something obvious here Captain…
Only police and military get into running gunfights. Research has shown that civilian defenders need only a handful of rounds to defeat most threats. Does it sometimes take more? Yes, but it can be said that it almost certainly won’t take the 15 or 18 rounds that most high-capacity firearms of capable of carrying (to say nothing of spare magazines). Does that mean that a person carrying a 1911 will be under-prepared for some threats? Yes, but everyone who carries a concealed pistol under-prepared for some threats. Is a person with a 1911 and a single spare mag prepared for the most probable threats? Almost certainly.
Also, the only firepower that counts are the rounds you hit with. I don’t know why the author considers the 1911 a hard gun to shoot well, considering he mentioned two reasons why that’s not true – a good (sometimes excellent) trigger right out of the box (and a better trigger than nearly all double action and striker-fired guns) and its weight (which most consider a negative, but helps with recoil and can lead, with training, to faster follow-up shots). I’ve had compact guns that were practically uncontrollable (an XDs and a KelTec PF9, among others), so small and light is not always a good thing. I can certainly hit more with my 1911 than I could with some of the “more advanced” firearms I’ve owned.
BTW, I own a Sig STX 1911 and three striker-fired guns (PPQ, PPS, XDm), and carry all of them depending on the activities I’ll be involved in during the day.
You really need to read more. The internet and the local book store are full of much “Dumber Things” than my post above.
there is something refreshing about thinking how you internet keyboard jocks look when the gang punks wop you in the head because you are too busy knowing everything.
Perfectly stated!
Amen, Mauser6863; particularly the “belt and suspenders” part.
#4. Hmmm, I always knew those stupid military statisticians didn’t know what the hell they were talking about! That number should be well north of at least 9 (that I know of). I killed 2 VC myself in ’69 when I was shot down in “Happy Valley” with a standard Army issue .38 revolver. Our unit had a couple other pilots that popped a few too (with handguns). The .38 dropped those little rice gobblers like the proverbial sack of potatoes (in this case, maybe sack of rice?)
Thank You for your service and for the insightful information.
I don’t know how the DOD knows, what it knows, but I did say “Around Zero”, which statistically is close to true, based on the percentage of folks killed by handguns, however I will stand corrected, based on your statements.
For someone with an outdated rifle in his name you sure are hateful towards a classic handgun.
Actually, the “Mauser” in my user name refers to the 1896 System Mauser, the Worlds First Personal Defense System. When most militaries were still using double action revolvers, the Feederle brothers created a semi-automatic gun, holding 10 cartridges, firing a small high velocity, flat shooting cartridge that could pierce the later body armor of the day (1920’s and 1930’s) and even some made today. The included holster/shoulder stock made hits out to 100 meters an easy task.
Although never adopted by any nation’s military, the guns were privately purchased by many serving officers, up until the end of World War 2. Winston Churchill was fond of the Mauser C96 and used one at the 1898 Battle of Omdurman and during the Second Boer War; T.S. Lawrence of Arabia also carried a Broomhandle.
The Soviet Tokarev round is simply a hotter version of the Mauser cartridge in 7.62mm vs the original 7.63mm. Used in millions of pistols and sub-machine guns, it became quite popular with the Germans who knew the performance first hand.
No, I don’t carry a “Broomhandle” as a CCW. However if forced to travel back in time and choose a sidearm for military service, I would pick the System Mauser over a 1911, Luger or Webley Revolver.
I’ve carried both M9 (92FS Beretta 9mm) and the 1911 ACP/Compact as duty tools for years. Both are tools and have appropriate, and inappropriate uses.
Any bullet has one objective: Impart energy into a target at a distance. Be that from a 1911, the M9, your SIG your Security -Six.. how much energy, what target, how far, what will the bullet go through on the way to the target..
Those are the factors that decide the caliber and load of the bullet, the platform that fits YOU to launch it from.. and it’s all a matter of BEST COMPROMISE. Are you likely to find yourself shooting through the closed car door from your lap into the thug who’s about to bash your window? Probably want 45ACP hardballs. Shooting 25m at a semi-concealed active shooter? Might be better with M9 for it’s lower collateral impact. Need to stop an armored subject? 454 Casul or SecuritySix ..
Spray and pray is no replacement for a single well placed round with enough stopping power.
Are you going to wait for the perps to line up and shoot them all with a single round?
what exactly are you planning to use your pistol FOR?
.. put all this together in your head, think about which weapons best fit your possible tasks, and fit your hand and fit your strengths and your belt..
Then remember the humble 22LR is a favorite.. for assassins and covert ops.
You can take large whitetail deer in the Northeast with the humble 22LR.
Try stopping a 250# man on drugs with that 93FS.
Mostly I’ve written this for Mauser6983 (the mauser action is cool, btw)…
Who I suspect is carrying the FAL FN9 as his sidearm lol ggg
(would be fun, I suppose)
The best carry gun is one you carry. It’s better then a stick.
Than
I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion. The 1911 is a terrible CCW choice. It is not double-action, so you need to have one in the chamber and holster it “cocked and locked”; a sure-fire delayed deployment hindrance. It weighs a ton, and you are constantly aware of it no matter how you strap it to you. Certain types of hollow point ammo present potential jamming when feeding, so you can be forced to use ACP full jacketed rounds, which do not create sufficient energy transfer or wound channels to ensure stopping power. Finally, the angular design of the frame and components allows for clothing snags when a fast draw deployment is attempted. As for me, a high powered load (.38+P) 158 gr. SJ hollow point in a J-frame , hamerless wheel gun , equipped with Crimson Trace is the best CCW sidearm available for the average man in the street.
Do these guys live in Alaska? “Concealed carry” of a 1911 come close to oxymoron unless you’re wearing a heavy jacket or a sweatshirt 2 sizes bigger than normal. It was designed to be an open-carry military sidearm not a CC weapon. I live in a state where concealed carry is legal just about everywhere except places that post those stupid “gun free” signs; however open carry is banned in many places. If the gun isn’t totally invisible certain idiots will complain. Carrying a 1911 not a good choice.
The concealment for people who carry 1911’s is a potbelly that can conceal it, and so much body weight that they hardly notice a pistol buried somewhere in there. They probably need something large and distinctive to keep them from grabbing a roll, rather than the grip
Shawn, are you always such a dickweed, or is this just a bad day?
Huh.
I just spent today out and about in a urban/suburban area known for anti-gun activism with a Commander in a Sparks Versa-Max under an unbuttoned lightweight summer shirt (T-shirt underneath). Not one person commented on it.
Same for the day before. And the day before that. And the day before that. So on and so forth for several years.
The anti-gun neurotics will never comment because they’re scared sh*tless of you. Just the fact you have a gun to them means you’re a nut job who might blow them away. No, instead they’ll complain to the management. Then a manager, security guard or bouncer will come over and ask you to leave. It’s discrimination but it’s legal. It may not happen where you live but it does around here believe me. If I’m going to conceal it will not be known to anybody unless a LEO asks.
Maybe in a Nudist Colony
I’m a disciple of John Moses Browning; read and study everything important about the 1911. In IDPA I shoot the .45 ACP Protector from Wilson Combat which I acquired in 2000. I also have the 1911 9mm. This pistol was meant to knock down the enemy when the issue 38 cal. was not being effective ( mostly in the Philippines).
Pistols do not “knock down’ anyone. Baseball bats and automobiles have “knock down” power. Stopping isn’t the same as knocking down.
Para Ordnance P12 is an Officer sized pistol, plus the P14 magazines will fit. That gives you 14 + 1 rounds of .45 in a compact package. They shoot great and are 1911 reliable.
Still heavy as f*ck
I do not agree. I have eight 1911’s in all variety but just too big. I will continue to carry my COP derringer, KelTec 32 and old Colt Ltw Cobra. I have had a CCW for 45 years but do not need a 1911 carry.
The capacity should never be an issue for personal protection. One shot one kill. Anymore shots may injure innocents.
The 1911 design does and will stand up to the test of time. Thank you Mr. Browning !!!
And they walk among us. And breed. Sounds like an admission that after that first “one kill” round, the poster is incapable of placing any more accurate hits on a “non-innocent.” I guess if there are 4 or 5 opponents, well, it’s been fun. I only get one shot. We all know that cop’s account of putting (I think) 21 Gold Dot Hollow Point 45s into a NON-drugged opponent before he went down is just BS. One shot, one kill. HA! Maybe at Mall Ninja Training Camp.
Satchel,
If there’s more than one opponent, & you’ve only got one shot, you shoot the one who looks like he’ll scream the loudest.
A long time fan of the 1911, my favorite carry is chambered in 9mm love it very comfortable to carry.
I love all of mine both .45ACP and 9 MM but the large 45’s tend to pull my shorts down which in certain situations can become embarrassing
Agreed. Regular practice, the right clothing, makes for a great and reliable carry gun. I am 5′ 8″ and 155 lbs. I carry a full size in 10mm in a Comptac OWB in the 4 O’clock position. I use a loose fitting unbuttoned shirt to conceal it. No issues yet with printing. I take pride in being able to master the 1911, especially in 10mm. Yes, I could probably shoot a Glock in 9mm much easier, but I am a fan of .45 and 10 mm calibers for stopping power.
With all due respect, a 10mm is FAR too penetrating a round to be carried for self defense. Unless of courses, you are protecting yourself from a Grizzly. The .45 is a legend of course, but the 10mm is just asking for a lawsuit from unintended victims.
Depends on the the ammunition- Liberty or Magsafe in 10mm is OUTSTANDING for self defense!
Thanks for the tip on Magsafe and Liberty. I will check these out as an alternative to the Black Talon.
I use Black Talon 200 g JHP. Chrono’d @ 980 fps. Controllable and accurate. The bullet expands as it is meant too. You would be correct if I was shooting full bore loads, but I want accurate hits and not loud misses. The 10mm is flat shooting and has the knock down power.
Why would you buy a 10 mm then load it at 40 s+w velocity?
Agreed, just carry a 40
If it would knock down the target, it would also knock down the shooter. Physics can’t be changed, only ignored.
Why black talons? Where are you getting them? Rare ammo.