.45 acp for beginner?

[judas530]

I have been shooting a Ruger Mark II now for a while and do alright with it. I keep all shots in the bull and black at 15 yards and all shots on the target at 25 yards, with most in the black.
I am now ready for my second pistol and am about to purchase a xd .45 service. I am in CA so with a 10 shot max mag capacity, I cant see getting a 9mm over a .45 for a HD/range gun since I can't capitalize on HI CAP Mags. At the price I am getting the gun for I can easily get my money back if I decide the 9mm is more controllable for me. And I do know that I will be eating alot more in ammo costs, but this is a price I am willing to pay, plus Ill be taking up reloading at the end of the year, so this wont be as big of a problem.
Does anyone see a problem with me going directly up to a .45 instead of working up? I shot a Ruger P-345 right before I started practicing heavily, and at first had a hard time hitting things, but started to do alot better as I got towards the end of the box of ammo. I have shot .357 and .44 mags, so I know that I can handle recoil. It will just take some getting used to to switch to a heavier recoiling auto. I will be practicing between 1-2 times a week so it won't be a shoot twice a year gun. Does my thinking look sound here, or should I reconsider and work up?

[chrisxd45t]

Go for it. There's nothing about shooting 45acp that one should find intimidating, IMHO.
Shooting handguns takes time and practice; do lots of dry firing if you find that your flinching.

[Terry]

Go for it. My Dad started me on a 1911A1 45acp when i was 10 years old. Still shooting the same one 47 years later. The recoil is more of a PUSH.
Less the the 44mag and the 357mag. You will love shooting the 45acp.

[headhunter]

Go with the .45...you won't regret it.

[Harris]

Recoil is Newtonian physics. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

The bullet is propelled from the gun with energy that can be expressed as weight times velocity.

If you have a .45 ACP with a 230 grain bullet traveling at 850 fps, you have momentum of 195,000 units. A 9mm with a 140 grain bullet traveling at 1200 fps has 168,000 units. Exactly that much momentum is simultaneously directed rearward. A considerable amount of energy is used to cycle the action of the pistol, but for our purposes we can consider that amount to be equal for each. so using the numbers above thee 9mm is generating 86% of the recoil of the .45. You would be unlikely to notice this difference. What you will notice is a different "feel" in how this energy occurs. The 9 mm feels "sharper" to most people than the .45. This is often referred to as feeling like a "bang" in the 9mm and a "boom" in the .45.

Those number are why theoretically any two bullets can perform equally. By adjusting bullet weight and velocity you can cause a .25 caliber, a .357 caliber and .45 caliber projectile to deliver the exact same energy to the target, and in fact you can fairly easily accomplish this with a 9 mm and a .45 acp. If a target was a solid, impenetrable block of steel, it would react exactly the same to being shot with a .45 acp bullet weighing 185 grains and traveling at 908 fps as it would to a 140 gr 9mm traveling 1200 fps. Of course steel blocks seldom are aggressive. So we have to consider how our intended target will accept the energy. All else being equal, smaller diameter equals greater penetration, and the energy transfer taking place over a longer period of time. Of course complete penetration results in energy being wasted altogether.

What is my point? (I had one when I started).

Buy the .45. Recoil is negligibly different, and the things that fly out of the end are really effective at their intended purpose.

Harris

[selectedmarksman]

The only downside I can honestly list to .45 acp as a starting caliber is cost. The ammo is simply more expensive than 9mm so this forces some people to reduce their amount of practice and, as has been mentioned, practice is key. If this isn't a strong concern for you then certainly get the caliber you want.

Many, many times we've seen the 9mm vs. .45acp arguments in gun shops and on forums. The most convincing argument in favor of 9mm over .45acp I've heard of is that in defensive situations shot placement is what counts. For many people it is easier to put a 9mm on target and with greater repeatability than .45acp.

My answer to that is, well, I intend to train until my shot placement with a .45acp is every bit as good as it would be with any other caliber. That nullifies that argument but throws in all the 'pros' of the .45acp to boot. Search the net and you can find videos of pro-shooters working magic with .45acp platforms, so it can be done.... it's all about safe practice.

[Dave Starr]

A few months ago, I got my first handgun, an XD 45 Tactical. After 3 trips to the range, 450 rounds total, I'm shooting 2" groups at 7 yards - home defense range. I'm shooting a little left & low, so I'll keep practicing. Oh, yeah, I started reloading, too. I have relatively small hands, but have no trouble with the size of the Tactical or the recoil of the 45.
Personally, I think shooting is more fun, and at least as challenging as golf. No more expensive, either.

[romans3.22]

My XD 45 was the first gun I ever shot so at first I was kinda nervous not knowing what to expect but the recoil isn't bad at all. Since you have more experience than I do go for it buddy, you won't regret it. Just make sure you know what 45 you want as in the size. I have the service model and I wish I bought the compact.

[BentLink]

+1 for the .45

The Mark II was a great opportunity to get a handle on the basics, so don't feel you're not prepared. My 11 yr old daughter likes the .45 with some milder target loads, but can handle hardball too. It's really very manageable.

[nasnickerz]

my first pistol was a 45 and i completed my ccw class with flying colors and i had only put 150 rounds through it before i took the class