Handguns Options

[Crusty]

All right, since I was the little kid on the block on Labor Day, I had to up my game!

Say hello to my new (to me) little friend!




Just picked up this lightly used Springfield Armory XDm in .45 ACP. And for when you need to light up the night, the handy little Streamlight, which kicks out 680 lumens! Never fired an XDm before, but have always loved the way they feel in my hand. And with the match grade barrel I know I'm gonna love shooting it (as much as someone can love shooting a .45 lol)

[MikeS]

Nice Crusty! My friend bought a new XDm .40 and he loves it. I went with a Glock 23. I bought it new and have put about 300 rounds through it. Here she is complete with pocket clay on the handle.

[Caveman]

Love my Kimber Ultra Carry II in stainless. And, Crusty, I love to shoot 1911 type .45's!

[Rockyrat]

Good choice on the gun Crusty. I own a XD-45 tactical with a M3 Tactical Illuminator. Let me know if you find a holster for yours that can accommodate the light. I can't find one.

About your light, 680 lumens?! On a handgun?! Have you turned it on in the middle of the night in your house after you've been asleep for a while? My light puts out ~90 lumens and I think it's extremely bright when I've turned it on while checking out a noise. It seems to me that you may be just as blinded as whatever it is that you shine it on. I've used a Surefire flashlight at work and the reflections from a 320 lumen light were disruptive even in a well lit lab.

Funny story here. Right after I bought it, I took it out to Dragon Man's range to get familiar with it. Since it was a weekend there was a range master out there. He came over where my friend and I were shooting at our targets and we started chatting. He had a nice Kimber (aka a .45 that costs over $1000) and he took a few shots at our target to show his grouping with it. I asked him if he wanted to shoot the XD and he was happy to do so. He then shoots a tighter group with the XD. We could tell right then and there that he pondered the value of spending twice as much for the Kimber. Not that I have anything against Kimber's.

[lostnewb]

All right, since I was the little kid on the block on Labor Day, I had to up my game!

Say hello to my new (to me) little friend!




Just picked up this lightly used Springfield Armory XDm in .45 ACP. And for when you need to light up the night, the handy little Streamlight, which kicks out 680 lumens! Never fired an XDm before, but have always loved the way they feel in my hand. And with the match grade barrel I know I'm gonna love shooting it (as much as someone can love shooting a .45 lol)

I love my XDM .40(for the woods) and my XDS .45(for everything else). Nice toy you got there.

-Chris

[Dypheron]

I picked up a G21 in .45ACP and a G19 in 9mm a few weeks ago, not terribly impressed with the stock sights but other than that I'm happy.

Rockyrat, please tell me you're not a regular customer at Dragonman's, those are some of the rudest people I have ever had the displeasure of dealing with. They stole all of my brass while I was checking my target, then tried to claim that all brass belongs to them if it hits the ground. When I pointed out the sign that says you're not allowed to pick up any brass besides your own they tried to tell me it didn't come out of my weapon! Between that and several other incidents that happened with friends (Up to and including their "range safety" allowing someone to shoot when my buddy was DOWNRANGE PUTTING UP A TARGET!) I'll never go there again.

[Rockyrat]

I'm not a regular customer at Dragon Man's. I've never had any bad experiences out there when I've gone to use the range. I will say though that I haven't been out there for several years. Previously I've only ever seen a range master on weekends. During the week it was up to the people shooting there to manage the flag and target change times. Everyone was always well behaved.

I can't imagine how a range master would let anyone fire a weapon when someone is downrange. In fact when I was there he would actually make everyone stand back away from their weapons and all bolts/slides had to be open, magazines removed, and the guns placed on the tables. It was always very well managed. The guy I met was VERY strict about range safety. It sounds like he's no longer there.

I always picked up my own brass with no issues. Had they taken mine then I too would never go back.

[Crusty]

Haven't played with the night in the dark yet, but it is damn bright! And has the disorienting strobe feature too... will have to play with it and see what I think.

There is a local place that posts on the Facebook Colorado Gun Trader group that makes custom Kydex hoslters; he'll take your rig and custom make a holster for it; I think they're only $35? Might have to check it out... though I think I'd just leave the light on in the house; don't think I'd carry with it on.

So, I did do a little reading and it seems .45 isn't ideal for a bear/elk/moose/sasquatch round, that .357 or .41/.44 or maybe .40 if your in a semi-auto. Thoughts on a good round that would make my .45 useful or should I still look for a .357 or .41/.44 wheel gun to pack in the field?

[Caveman]

.45+P, possibly. I don't really know - I can't use them in either of mine - will the XD handle it?

[Crusty]

.45+P, possibly. I don't really know - I can't use them in either of mine - will the XD handle it?

I bought a box of 185 grain +p hollowpoints, but I think ball is what I'll need, or maybe alternating ball & HPs? I had a choice between these and 235 grain, but chose the +p. This is my first .45, so I'm not too familiar with the ammo options.

[Caveman]

I would go with the ball ammo for out in the field - they are available in the +P also... I just cannot use +P ammo in my firearms. I'm not worried about bears or much else out in the field - just the 2 legged varments, and not even that, really. Noise is really what you need, and a .45 provides plenty of that. As far as home defense, Hornedy Critical Defence XTP's just cannot be beat.

[Dypheron]

Most modern handguns are capable of shooting +P ammo, with the potential for degraded service life due to higher chamber pressure and increased barrel wear. That being said, you're looking at a reduction from say 10,000 rounds to 8-9,000 rounds before a new barrel is required so you probably won't ever actually reach that limit.


Now, with 185 grain +P's you've got a light round moving really fast, could it take down a bear? Sure, there's even documented cases of .22LR taking down a bear. Will it do it reliably? Nope. Will 230 grain ball take a bear reliably? Nope. Same for .357, .44, even the .454. It's all about shot placement. We're talking about several hundred pounds of fur coming at you at up to 30mph, where the best kill zones are hidden. A bear's skull is very tough, I'd trust a magnum round to get through more than a short any day of the week. That being said, with a .45 I would put as many rounds on target as I could before it got to me, hoping that one of them was enough to make it turn around.

My usual woods carry is a snub nosed .44mag filled with 300 grain solid lead loads. It is quick to draw, quick to get on target with, and recoil is not too much more than my .45. It's also accurate enough to put all six rounds in a quarter at 35 yards, granted that is under controlled conditions at a range. The .454 Casull revolver I had at the claims is about same, however with that long barrel it would be slower to draw, but much more accurate with more stopping power.

Old guy I used to know back in PA used to carry a .44 with the first round being a shot shell. His thinking was the sudden sting of a bunch of fine shot in the face might scare a critter off more than a single round. Not sure how effective that would be in the heat of the moment, but at least it'd be quicker with a follow up shot than something like bear spray where you lose time dropping the can and drawing your sidearm.


Oh, and please cite your reference that claims a .40 small and weak would be a good bear round. That's for people who aren't man enough to shoot a real 10mm. (yeah, I make fun of all of the baby calibers, .380/9mm, .40/10mm, .45GAP/.45ACP, .38/.357, .44/.44mag)

[lostnewb]

I would go with the ball ammo for out in the field - they are available in the +P also... I just cannot use +P ammo in my firearms. I'm not worried about bears or much else out in the field - just the 2 legged varments, and not even that, really. Noise is really what you need, and a .45 provides plenty of that. As far as home defense, Hornedy Critical Defence XTP's just cannot be beat.

I have grown fond of the Hornady Critical Duty rounds.

Chris

[Crusty]

I did get a handful of the Hornaday Critical Defense with the gun and also a handful of Remington Golden Saber Ammunition 45 ACP 230 Grain Brass Jacketed Hollow and I bought a box of Remington Golden Saber Ammunition 45 ACP +P 185 Grain Brass Jacketed Hollows, so I can pop some off and decide what I'd like to carry in it.

From all the reading I've done, a 45 against a bear is a risky compromise if they're coming at you. Even with something like one of the Buffalo Bore rounds. While I'd hope while it might not kill it, the few "punches" to the skull I'd hope to give it would at least dissuade it from continuing to come at me... but hope isn't a good strategy! lol

I'll just keep an eye out for a deal I can't pass up on a .357 to .44 wheel gun... as often as stuff gets posted on the Facebook groups, something will come up before next season.

[Caveman]

Guys, the bear spray I use is fully documented to stop most charges. There is actually video of it being used to stop an angry, territorial grizzly ba a fisherman in Canada. Stopped it short, and had it rubbing its eyes and whining! A .44 mag punching through the skull on a direct brain shot (all but impossible to do!) is the only thing that would have stopped it quicker. You can actually see the fisherman crapping himself as he sprayed the bear... it wasn't set up, just one of those lucky coincidences when somebody was videoing their friend fishing.... I bought 2 when I went hiking in Glacier NP. These are quick to use, easy to get on target, and is no sh** sherlock effective. Works on black bears too, which is what it was developed for. Range is great, and a very good, effective, long cone pattern. You just have to hit the face, something most people can do w/o thinking due to hand/eye coordination. The guy in the video just swep across the face of the bear, it stopped, and then he really zeroed in and doused it good (at about 6 to ten feet!) Then the guy just stood there untill his friends grappeb him and ushered him away... he looked like he was having a heart attack, though... The bear just sat there on its butt in the water, rubbing its face and sounded just pitiful... sold me. I'd rather use this stuff than a firearm. What they will not tell you is that handguns, while they will kill the bear (eventually), they will not stop the charge, unless you score a perfect hit. A.30-.30 or a 12 guage (with slugs) will. Unless you are willing to carry a .50 with a 4" barrell (very heavy and slow to draw monster handgun), you just don't have the stopping power. Most instances of bear charges are false charges, and the very loud report is what actually drive them off, not the hit - and most poeple can't actually fire acuratelly on a charging bear - they miss by several feet, usually above and behind, and since most bear charges start from 30' or less, you will not get to fire more than once, if at all, and that's if you already have the firearm in hand! The guy in the video was lucky - he saw the bear before it started its charge and had the spray ready when it did - and the water slowed it down. He actually missed the bear when he started spraying, and was able to sweep the spray across it's face - but it had actually closed to the 6-10 feet stated above before it was stopped. If he had been using a handgun, he would have been done before the second shot. Just my 2 cents....