Top SS shooters and .45acp?

[762rocstarr]

The main advantages to 40 SS, are better feed reliability, common caliber for the guys running 1050's and faster slide speeds. Once you get good at tracking your sights, you want them back on target quicker.

you are saying you get better feed reliability with 40 than with 45? You are the first person I have heard say that.

X2

[TimH]

X3 on never hearing that .40 feeds better than .45. I'd say that statement just doesn't hold much merit.

I personally shoot .45 in Single Stack due to ease of reliability with .45.

As for mag seating issues, I use Wilson ETM's and they seat extremely easy with 8 rounds.

I'm not a believer in the whole .40 slide speeds are faster than .45 , yada yada.

Considering most run a 180g .40 or a 200g .45, PF is about the same as well as velocities of the round. Unless for some reason you can prove to shoot a .40 faster (bill drill/splits) because of slide speed and returnability vs. a .45....This just isn't the case.

If you shoot .15-.18 splits with a .40, the same will be shot with .45.

Not to mention that tuning slide reciprocation is different between every shooters 1911's. Depending on not only recoil spring weight, mainspring weight, slide weight, FPS contour, etc. all make a difference.

I originally got into .45 as it was the caliber of 1911 I had when I started the game. I tried .40 for a while and ended up with a very finicky and just plain unreliable pistol that took well into a season to sort out. After all the headaches I had with it, I parked it and went back to .45 and never looked back.

[co-exprs]

Lol, don't get me wrong... As a long time Single Stack and Heavy Metal competitor, I prefer 45 over 40 myself. If you look at the path of the 45 in a 1911 though it is a violent feed path. The fat round sits low in the chassis compared to smaller diameter rounds. The higher the center line of the cartridge the straighter the path into the chamber. In addition the geometry of the 45 extractor groove encourages nose dive. With my 40, I can get away with as low as a 10lb spring and maintain 100% feed reliability. In all of my 45's I need 14lbs or better for the same results. Softer the spring the lower the muzzle rise (to a point). While shooting 230gr bullets the recoil felt soft, but after a few years I began to feel as though I was waiting for the sights to finish moving around. So I began shooting 200gr to speed up sight recovery. When shooting 40, the rounds strip and feed so much more smoothly, a softer spring can be used, while still maintaining slide speed and feed reliability. It isn't about splits, because I can't out run the trigger on either caliber. It's all about sight recovery and reliability.

[MikeRush]

There certainly are some great shooters who use 45 still. I don't have past equipment survey results, but I would wager that the 45 is getting less popular with USPSA SS shooters each year.

In my experience the .45 ETM mags are easier to seat than 47ds, but depending on mag catch geometry and the dimensions of your loaded ammunition the ETM's aren't always "easy" to seat. I found, for example, that using cast bullets .452 in diameter meant I would occasionally fail to seat an ETM on a closed slide. A 9 round 40 mag downloaded to 8 will seat easier than an 8 round 45 mag loaded with 8 rounds, period. Whether that is easy enough is up to you, but I have to say that point goes to the 40, at least for major. I've heard the 10 round 40 mags that fit the box can be tough to seat.

Smiths figured out how to get 40s to run a while ago. I had my 45 cut for a ramped barrel, fitted a 40 top end, and never looked back. It runs better than it did as a 45, but that is because it was a Kimber and on the current top end I used quality parts.

For me, the decision came down to convenience. I got sick of sorting 45 brass for small and large primers, keeping both on hand, converting the press to large primers after loading 9mm or 223, etc. 45 brass costs more and at least locally it gets collected and hoarded more rapidly by the more mature 45 shooters. Stocking 1 size of primer, 1 bullet diameter, leaving the 1050 set up, etc not to mention being able to have sorted and polished 40 brass shipped to my door cheap won me over. Lower component cost, sharing with my limited gun- just plenty of reasons to do it.

I do prefer the 40 recoil impulse to the 45. First time I shot a 40 I thought it was snappy, now when I shoot a 45 it feels "lopey". I can split the 40 harder than a 45, but I would imagine that is due to shooting a lot more 40 and being used to the feel/timing.

I honestly don't think there is a performance difference that would decide the outcome of a match between 40 and 45 outside of preference. Some top guys that are heavily invested in 45 will likely keep shooting 45s. A lot of top shooters, as the OP noted, have switched and I would imagine will continue to switch to 40. I had a top GM tell me to ditch the 45 and get a 40 built for the reasons I discussed above. I did, and I am happy. If I were getting into the game I wouldn't bother with the 45.

[Bob Hostetter]

I shoot the 45 in SS and have for 25 years. The last time I built a SS gun I built it in 45 without a second thought. If I built another one however it would be in 40 just for the ease in loading and not dealing with the primer size issue and the bullets would be a little cheaper.

[GunBugBit]

I compete at a low level with a 1911 shooting .45 and I love it.

I don't yet have a compelling reason to change. There were a couple of guys at my club who used to shoot 9mm SS and now shoot Open, who used to beat me regularly within the division, but they didn't beat me because they shot 9mm. They beat me because they were better shooters.

[seadog_99]

I switched to 40 for ease of reloading but it shoots more like my limited guns which is a bonus. I've had no feed issues to date but I only run 4 or 5 thousand through it between January and May before I move back to Limited.

[BlueBulletBeaker]

I have two .45s for major and two 9mms for minor SS. I think this is the way to go. Separate systems has been very reliable. Plus I like big holes in targets. 

[Tompac]

I’m looking hard at 40 for a single stack “race” Gun. Not an expert by any means but I see the $$ saved for reloading as an advantage. Seating the mags will be easier IMO. 9 rounds in your first mag makes for a less complicated start ritual. All the fast guys tell me the faster slide speed is an advantage but at my skill level I don’t see it. I hope to get good enough that it matters. Also can shoot 40 minor with Tripp mags and a lighter spring. Limited 10 also an option at major power factor with the Tripp 10 round mag.