Basic Trainer .45
 

I found a decent 1911 good for both teaching basic care and feeding of the .45 as well as for cost. The ROCK ISLAND ARMORY, made in Phillipines, provides an adequate platform for the budding "shootist" before investing in a more sophisticated weapon. Bought my daughter one 500 rounds ago for her birthday. Fairly accurate, no malfunctions or defects. Bidding runs $375 - $410 for 1911A1 and $450 - $475 for a Commander on Gunbroker.com.

J R sends
De Oppresso Liber

This was my very first handgun. I ended up selling it a few years later. Now for .45s I carry (when I carry a .45) a Springfield 5" LW Operator loaded with Golden Sabers. Also in the safe is a SIG P220 loaded with some older Ranger T.

Rock Island
 

I also use the Rock Island 1911 and find it an amazing weapon for the price. I can't see myself letting go of it.

HK45C which is great. It fits my smaller hands quite well and is a great shooter. My only other .45 is a Colt 1911 (circa 1918) which I purchased in 1975. I nominallly have shot a Browning Hi Power since the early 70s but after I read Cooper on Handguns in the early 70s I just had to have a 1911...I honestly still shoot best with the Browning and it's what Im used to but the HK has really opened my old eyes to modern handguns.

.45 cal HANDGUNS:
 

10/27 Shot 50 rnds. from H&K .45 USP/C also have a COLT GOLD CUP purchased in 1970, A SPRINGFIELD XD, A PARA ORDINANCE 1 SF with the SF CREST, 2 Les Baer Custom model SRP and The Premier II. IN Revolvers I have a S&W THUNDER RANCH and a Model 22 with a S&W Performance Center Enhancement. They all shoot well, Just trying to get faster shots on target so Point of Aim = Point of Impact..... TK

Sweet little gun. Picked one up awhile back; butter-smooth Factory rep's gunshow sample. Slight blemish in TG from the security cable. Postage 1-way and Smith's custom shop fixed that and deep royal re-blued the whole gun. Always shot good, now it looks the part.

When I'm not carrying my Glock 23, I use my Colt Gov't Model Mk IV, series 70.
m&c

Likewise - 1st round downrange hit 2 inches left of the aim point and it only got better from there ... best $309 I ever spent. 10 years later and I still love it.

Turned to the Dark Side
 

After looking for months for a .45 cal HK, I finally laid hands on a DA/SA HK45. Liked it so much that I bought it, on the spot.

Has more muzzle flip due to the light frame, but it's NOT AT ALL picky about ammo type the way most 1911's are. Dead-on accuracy out of the box, as well.

Team Sergeant, you are correct. HK makes a superior sidearm. I'm not looking back.

Now for some upper body PT.

I think I own 6 or 7 HK's, never been to the dreaded "gunsmith" for any of them. They will all shoot holes through holes out of the box, I know. Good choice.

I still regret selling my HK P7. :(

I will get a HK 45c as soon as I can pull the money together and get my local dealer to order it.

Same here TS. When I found myself in the middle of the Kenai river with a Grizz and her two cubs coming at me, I was glad I had a clip of FMJ. HP just flatten out on their thick forehead.

the atlatl is a great weapon, if your hunting squirrels. I'll "stick" to my Colt Gvt model. Or my new love, the XDS.

Holy necropost!

Before leaving for Japan I traded my motorcycle for the cash I wanted plus a handgun. It was a 1987 Honda Magna. All he had were 1911s, always wanted one, its a Kimber stainless II with adjustable night sights. Fired 200 rounds of FMJ, no issues. Don't plan to use it for edc when I get back, I instead plan to buy two XD .45 handguns. One for me and one for my wife. She has a beretta .32 acp right now that she's not too fond of.

Assuming no outright ban has been put into law while I'm here........

Springfield Armory Operator MC. Use WWB for the range and Hornady personal defense for carry. The operator replaced a stainless loaded model that got blown to shat 5 aug last year when a guy broke into my semi and snatched it. Long story short, 5 minutes after I caught the guy in the truck and started chasing him, he pulled my gun on the popo and they went to blasting. Killed the BG and my pistol.

The Sig Sauer new P227, double stack version of the P220, it feels like a P226 and fits in current P220/P226 holsters.

SIG Trigger Pull
 

That new P227 sounds pretty good. Especially since I own a 226 and 220. Having the extra .45 rounds in the same package is a plus, as no additional holsters will have to be purchased.

That H-E-A-V-Y SIG first round (DA-SA) trigger pull was a hard break for me, after I carried a Glock as a duty weapon for a few years. I didn't appreciate the Glock and 1911 triggers until I used my SIG in a training class.

Will SIG be sticking with the traditional heavy SIG trigger pull, or will they lighten up to what has become preferred by many shooters?

I have never had my SIGs worked on, in an effort to lighten the trigger pull, though Grey Guns has been the "go-to" place for decent SIG work.

As much as I enjoyed the HK45C workout and testing my company did, I have been reluctant to replace the SIG and start a whole new holster collection.

The thing about the Sig (or any DA/SA) triggers is that it is only the first shot that is heavier than a striker fired gun's trigger. Each subsequent trigger pull is actually lighter at ~4.5lbs than a ~5.5 striker trigger.

When practicing from the draw, I take up the slack and start the trigger press during the presentation such that the trigger breaks at full extension. This really reduces the emphasis on the heavier pull and makes for easy first shots.

Add the Sig SRT and multiple shots become easier than my Springfield XD or previous Glock...

I've been tempted to send mine to Bruce but after dong some IDPA and range practice involving multiple targets for time, I find that I don't notice any issues with the trigger. I'm not sure a minor smoothing is necessary for a combat weapon meant for personal defense.

Not to mention the potential legal ramifications if you end up in a Zimmerman situation. The persecutor (not a typo) will have a field day with a lightened trigger saying things like "he wanted to be a gunfighter" or some such nonsense.

Very good, now do that 10,000 times and then come shoot with me....;)

And make sure that during the 10,000 times you have a tgt like a black 1 inch pasty on the wall and that you're lined up EVERY time when that trigger breaks. After ten thousand (dry fires) times you are in my league.....

I shot at SIG's Academy.

I didn't particularly care for their SA/DA pulls, and I really hated the DAK.

There was a 226 there that would not run, it was short stroking and lightly hitting the primers of the mandatory green ammo, allegedly because it needed new springs.

I am not quite sure why a range that was less than a half hour from the factory that made the gun would continue to put it out for users knowing that it would not run, but they did.

Of course, when we toured the plant, there were signs all over the assembly and warranty areas stressing the importance of saving money by not replacing parts, so that mentality might have had something to do with it.

The price of the pistols sure seemed to take into account the need for profit though.

TR

That is pretty sad....and indicative of the more recent quality issues they have had with new production weapons.....

I'll be sticking with the classics....

Reaper,
If I missed it, sorry to ask but what is your preferred handgun?

Ummmm, yeah......probably not even then.....