Shot a 1911 chambered in .45 today... for the first time

.45 is THE cartridge. I fell in love with it the second I pulled the trigger. Gotta love that big fat "flying ashtray". 9mm doesn't quite have the same authority as the .45 when hitting a bowling pin or metal plate. The difference in reloading 9mm vs. .45 is negligible. I don't get why people keep saying that it's expensive? It uses little powder. Bullets may be cast easily or bought inexpensively for less than $70.00 per 500. Perhaps a little pricier than 9mm, but not that much.
 
Do most of you guys just shoot them out of the box or do you get Marstar to send them to Gunnar? I can't remember if the Norc 45's benefit from an Armco prep the same as the 9mm's do. Would the gun wear abnormally in any way if shot without being tuned by Gunnar (due to some of the rough spots inside the frame)?

Anyone know what Marstar charges to ship one 1911 to BC?
 
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The difference in reloading 9mm vs. .45 is negligible. I don't get why people keep saying that it's expensive? It uses little powder. Bullets may be cast easily or bought inexpensively for less than $70.00 per 500. Perhaps a little pricier than 9mm, but not that much.
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I get 1000 9mm plated bullets for less then that! Costs me $6.5 -7.25 a box (dep. on powder) I'd be less but I don't wasnt to use lead... .45acp would be about $8.5-9 using copper plated bullet. I guess $2+ a box more doesn't seem like much but on 1000 rounds it's already $40 more...that's 300 rounds of 9mm!

That being said I will likely get a .45acp 1911 or P220 as my next gun myself...but would rather prefer something in 10mm. :cool:
 
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last time i got a k bucket it was 58 bucks lead- 200 grain swc's - your 45 in standard form won't push fast enough to justify shooting jacketed, so i just load 1 at the bottom of every mag to clean the bore
 
IM_Lugger said:
I get 1000 9mm plated bullets for less then that! Costs me $6.5 -7.25 a box (dep. on powder) I'd be less but I don't wasnt to use lead... .45acp would be about $8.5 using copper plated bullet. I guess $2 a box more doesn't seem like much but on 1000 rounds it's already $40 more...that's 300 rounds of 9mm!

That being said I will likely get a .45acp 1911 or P220 as my next gun myself...but would rather prefer something in 10mm. :cool:
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Get a P220 so I can shoot it. :D

I bought 1000 rounds of once fired .45 brass from Marstar for 120 shipped to my door. Win large pistol when I bought a few boxes were $22 and I think still are. Xtreme Plated 230's cost me $56 for 500, with 200Gr and your own cast lead being even cheaper. For 1000 reloads it costs me $12 bucks box, and thats factoring in my brass costs. Once I shoot it all and reload it twice I consider it paid for so my cost will go down. I can reload 9MM for $5 bucks a box so thats just for comparison.

The charge does not double due to the bigger case, my 45 loads are only a few grains more than a fast 9MM 115Gr load. Depending on the powder and bullet they can be identical or higher or lower by a few grains.

.45 casings can be shot upwards of 20+ firings on good brass ( I like S&B ) because they are a low pressure round.

I would not get a Norc 1911 as your first taste of .45 I would be afraid it would ruin your opinion on such a lower end gun. :rolleyes:
 
i would have no compuctions about getting a norc 1911 whatsoever- stateside, they're THE frame that's used for custom guns-
 
Still with the Norks

scotty said:
I would not get a Norc 1911 as your first taste of .45 I would be afraid it would ruin your opinion on such a lower end gun. :rolleyes:
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It won't be a lower end gun if you pay a little extra and buy a Norc 1911 from Gunnar (Armco) in PG. Then you have not only a warranty, but the assurance that one of the best pistolsmiths in Canada has gone through it and smoothed it up. You can't lose.
 
I love 1911's. My fav pistol of choice. First it was one then two then..Oh boy.

STI's, Kimbers, Colts and recently WWII 1911-A1's have turned me into a collector.
 
If you're going to be reloading for .45, which is a very good idea, have a look at the reloading threads on this board. I've not had any .45 brass wear out on me yet, but I'm careful not to over-flare the mouths to over-work the brass. It is my understanding that the lower pressures has a lot to do with the longevity of .45 brass. Some very good powders like 231 were mentioned here already, but I'll throw in my hat by adding Clays to the list. Soft recoil and clean, in the loads I have worked up. I reload for both a 1911 and a Smith and Wesson 625 in .45, and I love both. Lately I have also had good luck with WSF powder. If you start reloading, it will give you an entirely new appreciation of your firearms.
 
Can you tell that most .45ACP users end up reloading? :)

It is a near-perfect caliber for both shooting and reloading. The straight-walled case and low pressures make it one of the easiest to reload. As the price of lead continues to climb like crazy, bullet prices have continued to rise accordingly and since the .45 uses a lot of lead it is not the cheapest. However, reloading will save a lot of money compared to buying commercial cartridges. If as and when you do get into reloading, here's some more pointers:

- I second the vote for Hodgdon Clays as a great powder, especially for target loads but also for full-power loads, as long as you don't go crazy. It burns so cleanly because it builds pressures VERY quickly. Stay below recommended maximum loads.

- Like other straight-walled cases, .45 brass SHORTENS with each reload. Don't worry about trimming cases.

- Depending on the range at which you shoot, you can often scrounge a lot of once-fired brass. Just watch out for WinClean (headstamped Win NT) which uses small pistol primers. Either skip it or keep it separate. It can be reloaded, but only with small pistol primers and if they get mixed in with your regular brass can create a major headache. You may also want to watch out for brass fired from Glocks (identified by the rectangular firing pin mark) which can have weakened bases.

I probably shoot 5-10,000 rounds of .45 each year and have never bought a commercial round in my life.
 
Yeah when I switched from a G22 .40 to a USP in .45 I was expecting just what you said... a big kick in the junk so to speak.... but I actually prefer the .45 as well.

I collect my casings, and since I dont reload just yet, at the least I can use them in place of a garbage can :D

Luke
 
CanuckShooter said:
What a great cartridge. With all I had read I had expected the recoil to knock me on my ass. The complete opposite. I found it a pleasure to shoot. It didn't have the snap that 40 and 9mm have (due in part to the weight of the gun as well I would imagine, but still).
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I expected the same after shooting 9mm, i've shot my first 45's on a 1911 too, a slightly more present recoil but no annoying snap ! I love my Mark 23 !
 
I'm always amazed how much more accurate I am with my Nork .45 than ANY 9mm I've ever tried...the recoil is qualitatively different with the .45 and I prefer it...
 
Not to mention the coolness factor of being able to see the holes in your target clear as day at 20yds+.... :D

PS - Does anyone recall what Gunnar sells the tuned 1911A1's for? Is it $449? I am trying to figure out whether or not it is cheaper to buy one from Marstar and have them ship right to him, or if I should just wait until he gets some in. If I buy from Marstar and have them ship it right to Gunnar, have it tuned, and shipped it back to me... it comes to a total of $500 even. If Gunnar charges $449 before shipping and taxes it works out to the exact same price (wihtin $10) and I can pick one up right now from Marstar... which would kick ass.
 
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Having never shot a Gunnar tuned Nork 1911 I can't say if there is much of a difference or not. What I can say is that I have been very happy with my NP30 straight from the box, it works just fine witrh my reloads and the trigger pull is smooth and light.
 
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