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Why shoot a .45


neckbone

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Power Factor.

If you meet a power factor of 165 or more in USPSA you are in Major Scoring mode ( in applicable divisions )

Power Factor is Bullet weight x Velocity FPS

Easier to make power factor with heavier bullets such as 230gr 45acp

With Major power factor, over minor - you score more points for hits that are not A's

Edited by alecmc
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Because of the rules and scoring each caliber has its own advantages/disadvantages in each division. For instance 9mm is the dominant caliber in Production because all calibers are scored Minor regardless of PF, but the minimum caliber for Limited Major is .40, so most Limited shooters shoot .40 over .45 because of the capacity limitations of .45s. In L10 the capacity issue goes away and so does the disadvantage of the .45, same in Single Stack.

Edited by kneelingatlas
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Does this apply to IDPA?

What is gained with major PF?

In IDPA, SSP and ESP are minor power factor. CDP is major and must be a 45ACP.

In USPSA, in limited, Open, L10 and Single Stack, you get an extra point for hits in B, C and D with major power factor. I believe 40's dominate these as the best combination of power and magazine capacity.

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Why shoot a .45? Just remember you wanted this. And here we go....

-Because shooting twice is silly

-Because they don't make a .46

-Because it has shot down an airplane

-Because a .40 never killed no nazies

-Because a 9mm kills your body...but a .45 kills your soul!

Okay I'm done :roflol:

But in all honestly, you don't really see .45 as a very popular caliber for those seeking the competitive edge except in single stack and revo...It's just too big so mostly all the major power factor guys like a .40 because they can still get a magazine that holds close to a whole box of ammo...That said, I wouldn't let it influence my decision to run a G21, Sig 227 or 220 or MP45 for production....It's very mild mannered for how big it is, and I'm under the impression that it can be reloaded for phenomenal accuracy in almost any platform.

But then again, I haven't shot my 1911 in competitions...yet.

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Does this apply to IDPA?

What is gained with major PF?

In IDPA, SSP and ESP are minor power factor. CDP is major and must be a 45ACP.

In USPSA, in limited, Open, L10 and Single Stack, you get an extra point for hits in B, C and D with major power factor. I believe 40's dominate these as the best combination of power and magazine capacity.

Cost is also a big factor. One of the reasons I chose .40 over .45 for my Single Stack build was cost containment. I'm sticking to 9mm and .40 as much as I can to control expenses. An added bonus is that I have the option of .40 minor loads for certain competitive applications like steel matches.

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By shooting .45 ACP I have one caliber that will do everything I want it to do. Yes you can do the following with other calibers but for what I want to do it was the best choice. By buying a S&W 625 revolver (it gets here on Tuesday) I can shoot in the revolver division at the major power factor (more points as others pointed out), I can shoot it in production, limited 10, limited and if I put a red dot on it open. Not saying I'd be competitive in anything other than revolver but those possibilities are open to me. If I could have found one at an affordable price, I probably would have bought a S&W Model 610 that was designed for 10mm but also shoots .40 S&W. Given that I could buy a band new 625 for less than a used 610 I elected to go with the 625. Years ago I competing using .40 S&W and it's a great caliber but for what I want to do now .45 ACP is the best choice.

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Does this apply to IDPA?

What is gained with major PF?

In IDPA, SSP and ESP are minor power factor. CDP is major and must be a 45ACP.

In USPSA, in limited, Open, L10 and Single Stack, you get an extra point for hits in B, C and D with major power factor. I believe 40's dominate these as the best combination of power and magazine capacity.

Cost is also a big factor. One of the reasons I chose .40 over .45 for my Single Stack build was cost containment. I'm sticking to 9mm and .40 as much as I can to control expenses. An added bonus is that I have the option of .40 minor loads for certain competitive applications like steel matches.

180 grain 40 cost the same as 180 grain 45

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Does this apply to IDPA?

What is gained with major PF?

In IDPA, SSP and ESP are minor power factor. CDP is major and must be a 45ACP.

In USPSA, in limited, Open, L10 and Single Stack, you get an extra point for hits in B, C and D with major power factor. I believe 40's dominate these as the best combination of power and magazine capacity.

Cost is also a big factor. One of the reasons I chose .40 over .45 for my Single Stack build was cost containment. I'm sticking to 9mm and .40 as much as I can to control expenses. An added bonus is that I have the option of .40 minor loads for certain competitive applications like steel matches.

180 grain 40 cost the same as 180 grain 45

But once fire .40 bass is cheaper and usually easier to find than .45

Edited by bigfish
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"Why shoot .45?" because 1911 is my favorite gun and 1911 is .45. I shoot mostly 9mm and .40 on competition but I shoot .45 when I want to enjoy my favorite gun. I also want to be proficient with the only gun that I will grab if I will have to defend my life. My 1911 Caliber .45.

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1- you can make fun of all the other guys for shooting sissy calibers

2- at our club I don't have to mark my brass, just grab all the big stuff so sorting is easy and I get it all back.

We don't make fun of the ladies for shooting those non - 45 calibers, they get thanked for coming.

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By shooting .45 ACP I have one caliber that will do everything I want it to do. Yes you can do the following with other calibers but for what I want to do it was the best choice. By buying a S&W 625 revolver (it gets here on Tuesday) I can shoot in the revolver division at the major power factor (more points as others pointed out), I can shoot it in production, limited 10, limited and if I put a red dot on it open. Not saying I'd be competitive in anything other than revolver but those possibilities are open to me. If I could have found one at an affordable price, I probably would have bought a S&W Model 610 that was designed for 10mm but also shoots .40 S&W. Given that I could buy a band new 625 for less than a used 610 I elected to go with the 625. Years ago I competing using .40 S&W and it's a great caliber but for what I want to do now .45 ACP is the best choice.

This is my thinking. for IDPA I can shoot CDP and with my XDM that holds 13 rounds I can compete in SSP and ESP. If you can download a 230gr. bullet to ~550fps then I imagine you could compete easily with 9mm and .40 in those divisions. for USPSA same thing... download for Production and can compete in L/L10 and easily make PF without having to push any pressure limits.

.45acp is a versatile round IMHO.

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