.40 or .45 Single stack?

[StuckinMS]

We have a Springfield Armory RO, Kimber Custom II, and a Sig Sauer Max . The first 2 in .45 acp, and the latter in .40 S&W. We shoot all in major.  So far the Sig Sauer Max  is our favorite.   Trigger was less than desirable, but that was an easy fix.  We use extended base pads for easier reloads , but the gun has ran flawlessly for over 25,000 rounds thus far.  We too like the fact that our limited load and single stack load are the same.  Makes  it a lot easier on all components.

Edited January 17, 2018 by StuckinMS

[motosapiens]

1 hour ago, zzt said:

 

Forgot the decimal point.  The difference is about 1/10th of a second, with 40 being faster.

 

I think perhaps you are doing something wrong. I haven't experienced such a thing myself, and I haven't observed it in the dozen or so SS GM's i've squadded with over the last couple years (about half or slightly less shooting 45, the rest shooting 40).

[zzt]

That may well be moto.  Neither of my hands work they way they are supposed to (wounds plus several subsequent injuries).  So I don't have the grip strength  that most have.  As far as GMs go, maybe they don't see a difference.  However, the D, C and B shooters at my club certainly do.  Lighter bullets and less muzzle rise helps all of them.

 

I well remember a friend who had an epiphany.  He shot double stack 45 in Limited and used 230 grain bullets.  He paid attention one day and said my gun recoils here, and everyone else's is lower.  He switched to 185gr bullets and went from D to C in 5 or 6 shoots.  

Edited January 18, 2018 by zzt

[DsWright]

Thanks for the replies, gave me a bunch to think about. 

 

Cost of getting the .40 is irrelevant to me, only because i want another 1911 anyway as my springer RO is getting rather old.  Will probably end up as a backup gun for me.  The reloading is the big issue.  I cast/powdercoat my own bullets, so cases are a much bigger % of bullet cost for me.  I will also use less lead casting 180 vs 230.

 

I doubt i will ever shoot SS minor.  If i was going to do that i would run one of the production guns i have.

 

 

[superlifer03]

Shot a SS .45 in a previous life a lot and loved it.   Swore by it. 

 

Got my hands on a old series one Kimber Stainless Gold Match in .40.  I run Wilson 47D .45 mags in mine.  Ran it for a long time until I jumped to Limited.  Still one of my favorite guns to shoot.  Gun seems to run much faster and sharper to me than the .45.  I don't think you will be disappointed if you choose to go that route.  1911s either run or they don't, if they are put together correct they will shoot. 

[Racinready300ex]

My 40 was a little finicky at first. I think I have it running good now, and really like how it shoots. I do use my for single stack major and minor and IDPA ESP which is nice.

[TMcGowan]

I started out competing with a 1911 45 and shot one for years.  My last single stack gun was a 40 and I cant tell much difference in recoil, other than shooting 230 grain in 45 feels a little softer but has more roll in recoil.  I didn't have any trouble with reliability with mine and stage times would not be any different with either. 

[mike4045]

I have run 9, 40 and 45 in SS over the years. I prefer the 40 because I don't have to load 2 different calibers. Same load in my limited gun, If the 40 is built correct it runs anything you put in it. I load it down to minor when I shoot certain matches and no issues. Using Tripp mags and 140 gr to 200 gr bullets. 

[oddjob]

I went the .40 route for the reasons stated.  My PRIMARY reason was my limited gun is a .40 as well and I didn't have to load two different calibers.  A few years later I got another  1050 set up for 45 anyways so maybe its not that good a reason!

 

I run a Trojan with Wilson 10mm mags.  I did have some tweaking done to make it run 100%. 

[38superfan]

I've got a worked over 45 RO that works just fine. There are other bullet weights than 230 ya know. Load the 200 round nose to same length, heck try the 185. They move quite nicely. No sense in building a whole nother gun when loads and springs are so easy to adjust. Shop around for clean used brass.
Maybe even talk to your range officers and explain to them your brass plight. They are usually an agreeable bunch but sometimes come across as arnory until you're nice to them.

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

[Joe4d]

On 1/17/2018 at 11:15 AM, IsaacB said:

Be honest here: Does anyone reallllly truly trust their SS 40 to run 100% when shooting minor?

 

Not trying to be a smarty pants here: it just seems like it gets touted as being this great upside to 40...until another thread pops up asking how to get the first two rounds to feed from a 10 round mag.

 

Do we have anyone with enough rounds through their 40 to say that they personally trust their rig enough that they would drive to a major match and not have any concerns about feeding all 10 rounds through a mag every single time?

 

I still have another month until I get my SS 40, so I personally have zero experience with it. Just curious.

I Built my own 40 SS, ran it in Limited with extended spacer metalform  10 round mags in Hawaii. shooting factory American Eagle 165's.
BAck stateside shot it in TSA and IDPA with 9 round 10mm metalforms. Long loaded 155's loaded to about 145 pf. Ran fine.
Trip mags do not work in my gun,, constant nose dives. IDPA you are better off with 9 round mags just about always.

 

[zzt]

Joe, Trip mags sit lower in the gun than others.  If you wanted to use them, the .020" higher shelf on the EGW (special) mag catch will make them work.  The down side is your other mags might not.

[Elcidaviator]

On 1/17/2018 at 12:50 PM, motosapiens said:

only reason to shoot 45 in l10 is if all you have is a 1911 in 45. Only reason to shoot l10 *at all* is if all you have is a 1911 and it's too far to drive to a real singlestack match. I personally shot L10 with a 45 at nationals in 2013 for exactly those reasons. 

 

Now if you look at the SS nationals, you'll see alot more 45, but still plenty of 40, especially among guys who also shoot limited. not having to mess with multiple loads, changing press, etc.... is a real benefit.

 

Or you live in Comifornia and you can’t have normal capacity magazines but still want to play the game with a limited gun.

[rowdyb]

In the minority here, but I'd like two of the same model of  gun. One in 9 and one in 45. That's what I would do. The 9mm gun would be SS minor and ESP gun. The .45 would be SS major and CDP gun. For me, each gun could do dual duty across sports, which for me is nicer than just having one caliber to load either maj/min.

[f2benny]

I recently waded into this with a TRP .45 for SS major to complement my 9mm Trojan.  I might be the minority but I also shoot IDPA and wanted a CDP gun so I can be mediocre in another division there and since CDP has to be .45 (I guess Wilson doesn't make .40 cal 1911s) I went with .45.

[lppd4]

I have 45's, 40's and a 9mm, the only pistols that will eject a partial mag reliably are my 45's. I have heard it said by several well known gun guys that you give up reliability if you have anything other than a 5" gun in 45acp. My guns run and are very accurate but occasionally I need to eject a partial mag and usually have to pull it out by hand. I think the issue stems from the cartridges easing forward in the magazine and hanging on the feed ramp. This is the main reason I prefer 45's. Would be interested to know if anyone else experiences the same the thing a recommendation for a cure

[robertg5322]

1 hour ago, lppd4 said:

I have 45's, 40's and a 9mm, the only pistols that will eject a partial mag reliably are my 45's. I have heard it said by several well known gun guys that you give up reliability if you have anything other than a 5" gun in 45acp. My guns run and are very accurate but occasionally I need to eject a partial mag and usually have to pull it out by hand. I think the issue stems from the cartridges easing forward in the magazine and hanging on the feed ramp. This is the main reason I prefer 45's. Would be interested to know if anyone else experiences the same the thing a recommendation for a cure

 My .40 has no issues ejecting mags. Tripp, Checkmate and Metalform (All with Tripp springs and followers) all .40 length mags. Rounds do not creep forward.

 

My 9mm uses Metalform mags. They are a bitch to unload by any method other than trigger pulling. Rounds do not creep forward.

 

.45 uses any mags I have, mostly old, cheap Shooting Star 8 rounds. No issues. 

[jcc7x7]

9,40 and 45's all run and eject mags with whatever number of rounds are in them.

? do you have good springs in your mags?

[BlueBulletBeaker]

7 hours ago, rowdyb said:

In the minority here, but I'd like two of the same model of  gun. One in 9 and one in 45. That's what I would do. The 9mm gun would be SS minor and ESP gun. The .45 would be SS major and CDP gun. For me, each gun could do dual duty across sports, which for me is nicer than just having one caliber to load either maj/min.

Not so minority in my neck of the woods. I have two identical 9mm and two .45 for major or minor. Most SS folks run this way locally. I have also seen a number of guys with dedicated 9mm for minor and .40 for major. Having separate but similar guns seems to be ideal.

[traingq]

I have both a .40 and .45.  The .40 is custom built and my 45 is a Colt.  Never had any issues with either just prefer the 40 for reloading purposes.

[robertg5322]

.45 brass is getting as rare as .38 Super brass where I shoot. .40 S&W is all over, same for 9mm. 

 

Couple that with the ease of not needing to switch the press to large primers, not even having to buy large primers and I wonder why anyone who shoots limited bothers with .45 for Single Stack these days. 

[cheers623]

8 hours ago, robertg5322 said:

.45 brass is getting as rare as .38 Super brass where I shoot. .40 S&W is all over, same for 9mm. 

 

Couple that with the ease of not needing to switch the press to large primers, not even having to buy large primers and I wonder why anyone who shoots limited bothers with .45 for Single Stack these days. 

Yep, same thing here. .45 with large primer pockets are getting hard to find anymore. I spend about a third of my time at the press having to pull out small primer .45 Brass. 40sw is the way I’ve ended up going for SS and have noticed that the recoil is easier to manage for me, all other things being equal between 40 and 45. 

[JayDee]

On 1/23/2018 at 3:04 PM, lppd4 said:

I have 45's, 40's and a 9mm, the only pistols that will eject a partial mag reliably are my 45's. I have heard it said by several well known gun guys that you give up reliability if you have anything other than a 5" gun in 45acp. My guns run and are very accurate but occasionally I need to eject a partial mag and usually have to pull it out by hand. I think the issue stems from the cartridges easing forward in the magazine and hanging on the feed ramp. This is the main reason I prefer 45's. Would be interested to know if anyone else experiences the same the thing a recommendation for a cure

 

I've owned several 1911s: 3x 40 cal, 2x 9mm and 1x45. The 45 was the only one that gave me serious issues right out the box. IMHO, any gun can have some hiccups and need to be tuned to work with a particular ammo. 

 

This issues of rounds sliding forward and causing the mag to hang have been remedied by making sure the feed lips are tuned to spec. Wider feed lips allow the round to sit higher in the magazine and can be bumped forward by the slide. It also helps to polish the underside of the slide on some guns. This issue in my experience is not caliber-specific. 

[Water63]

I run a 40 in limited in a 2011 and 45 in single stack 1911. I have been getting bras online fairly cheap. If you shop around you can find it for not much more than 40. I like the feel of the 1911 in 45 over the 1911 in 40 S&W

[TRPOperator]

I run a 40 SS only because I reload  have Limited gun as well. I loaded the 40 rounds to make PF in the looser of the 2 barrels and only have to load one round for both divisions.

Edited February 13, 2018 by TRPOperator