I have a few questions that maybe most of you that have been shooting for a while can help me with. I'm 22 yrs old, and recently started shooting. I own a Dan Wesson .357 supermag revolver witha 4 in. barrel, a smith and wesson 1911 and a Kimber 1911 which i love both of these babies. But i recently attained my concealed weapons permit and niether of the three guns i own are, lets say easy to conceal. I have a craze for .45's and don't want anything less, unless someone can give a good alternative. I've been considering a SW99 .45 asp, even though it's made by walther the barrel and slide are made by S&W this gun has a lot of feature and feels good in the hand, i'm also looking at HK Compact .45 USP, which is a amazing gun but a bit high priced. So if anyone can help me with the following question: 1) What compact .45 would you recomend and why? 2) Is their a recomendable alternative to a .45? 3) Recomendations for concealment? 4) The price range below $600. I like the SW99 and the HK, very much but since i'm new in the shooting game would like a more experienced person's opinion, due to the fact that the people i consult with are 9mm lover and seem to go towards glock which doesn;t really call my attention.
Help needed?
- Thread starter Any .45
- Start date
FrankDrebin
Moderator
I'd get the Glock. I carry a Colt Officer's Model Lightweight, but if the Glock had been available when I bought the Colt, I would have gotten the Glock.
Its not that hard to carry a 1911 and you have a Kimber 
Get a good Holster and belt. The 1911A1 is one of the easiest weapons to conceal and with the right equipment you won t even know its there. Take the money and buy good belt and holster,ammo, and go to a school to learn how to use Remember people of all shapes and sizes all over the world carry 1911 everyday. Join the club.
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Get a good Holster and belt. The 1911A1 is one of the easiest weapons to conceal and with the right equipment you won t even know its there. Take the money and buy good belt and holster,ammo, and go to a school to learn how to use Remember people of all shapes and sizes all over the world carry 1911 everyday. Join the club. .
Texcowboy9
New member
I agree with Michael t, carry the Kimber, it is nice and flat and conceals well in an inside the pants holster, untuck the shirt and you are in business. Or get an Officers size 1911. Remember, there is only one thing better than a 45...........TWO 45s.
The Smith & Wesson model 457 is a real sleeper. It's accurate,very reliable and has a crisp trigger with an extremely short reset. The gun is very slender with a bobbed hammer and is easy to conceal. I don't own one, but I plan on buying one in the near future unless a P345 comes out in a subcompact.
I like the Smith & Wesson P99 .45acp, but it's kind of long in the butt, but feels very nice in the hand and it points well.
The new Ruger P345 looks pretty neat. I usually don't care for Rugers, but since Bill Sr. died, I feel the company has a lot of potential to make some good guns. The new P345 is supposedly very slender and should be extremely reliable and inexpensive.
If money were not an option, then the H&K .45 subcompact with the LEM trigger would be my first pick.
I really appreciate your input. I guess carrying something i love and have already would be a good option. Which i am very much considering. The problem is i have a Kimber custom 2 with a 5in barrel, and i do have an IWB holster summer special milt sparks holsters and it stil feel a bit uncomfortable.
That ruger is a beautiful gun, i never even thought of it. I will continue do some research, thank you for your inputs.
That ruger is a beautiful gun, i never even thought of it. I will continue do some research, thank you for your inputs.
knightkrawler00
New member
I was going to recommend the Sparks SS2, it works very well for me. I am 6'2" and weigh in at about 165 pounds. I can carry a 5" 1911 in the SS2 under an untucked dark colored t-shirt and never print. I know that a lot of people are not into the IWB holsters as they are not as comfortable as other designs, but IMHO it is the best compromise between concealement, comfort, and ability to get it when it is needed. I would suggest wearing the setup that you have already and see if you can get used to it. You can also check out the Sparks Versa-Max 2, I've heard very good things about it. There is also the Rosen ARG-DL which looks like a very nice IWB holster, though it is on the pricey side.
CastleBravo
New member
I don't hear that said very often...!
If you want comfort buy a good bed. Really no weapon you carry will be compleaty comfortable. Even my PPK/S reminds me Ive got it on now and then.Ican change the location of my holster a inch or two and will make a lot of difference. Unless its a 22, 25 or 32 type pocket gun you will probally know its there. Wear it around the house try different locations mainly just get use to it being there and all of a sudden you will relize when you don t have it on Thatyou miss it. No one said you life style won t change when you CCW. Yes I do carry a full size 45 also have a Commander and sub-compact .
Really no weapon you carry will be compleaty comfortable. Even my PPK/S reminds me Ive got it on now and then.Ican change the location of my holster a inch or two and will make a lot of difference. Unless its a 22, 25 or 32 type pocket gun you will probally know its there. Wear it around the house try different locations mainly just get use to it being there and all of a sudden you will relize when you don t have it on Thatyou miss it. No one said you life style won t change when you CCW. Yes I do carry a full size 45 also have a Commander and sub-compact .dairycreek
New member
Some concealed carry thoughts!
Any .45
If one will make the necessary adjustments then just about any gun can become a comfortable concealed carry weapon. You mention that you have a standard Kimber and a Milt Sparks IWB holster. So far you have made two excellent choices. What kind of belt are you using? A proper carry belt is, IMHO, an absolutely necessary part of a sucessful concealed carry strategy. It must be sufficiently stiff so that the holster distributes the weight of the gun appropriately and the gun does not just "hang there like a dead weight" Where you place the gun on your waist makes a lot of difference too. The numbers on a clock face are often used to identify placement on the waist. 12 o'clock is dead front and 6 o'clock would be center of the back, etc. Assuming that you are right handed a 4 o'clock carry is very effective for a lot of people who carry a 1911 concealed - including me. I suggest that you get a good holster belt (no matter what gun you eventually choose) and experiment with your current holster and gun. My bet is that you will finda situation with which you are comfortable. Good shooting
Any .45
If one will make the necessary adjustments then just about any gun can become a comfortable concealed carry weapon. You mention that you have a standard Kimber and a Milt Sparks IWB holster. So far you have made two excellent choices. What kind of belt are you using? A proper carry belt is, IMHO, an absolutely necessary part of a sucessful concealed carry strategy. It must be sufficiently stiff so that the holster distributes the weight of the gun appropriately and the gun does not just "hang there like a dead weight"
Where you place the gun on your waist makes a lot of difference too. The numbers on a clock face are often used to identify placement on the waist. 12 o'clock is dead front and 6 o'clock would be center of the back, etc. Assuming that you are right handed a 4 o'clock carry is very effective for a lot of people who carry a 1911 concealed - including me. I suggest that you get a good holster belt (no matter what gun you eventually choose) and experiment with your current holster and gun. My bet is that you will finda situation with which you are comfortable. Good shootingTexcowboy and Dairycreek particularly gave you some good info. I carry a 1911, Springfield full size with no problem. I have it stuck in a Galco leather paddle and it is great. The weight isn't noticed, the paddle keeps it in place, and if I have to get unarmed quickly for one or another stupid Ohio CCW reason (there are a bunch of them, too), . . . it is a piece of cake. I can also slip into the men's room and switch hips if for one reason or another I need to. Take a look at a paddle, you may like it.
May God bless,
Dwight
May God bless,
Dwight
warhammer357
Moderator
When the Kimber Compact came out, I got one of those for CCW purposes. Its a great gun, but I did not like the balance of it , compared to the full size 1911s I had carried for years. It balanced like a brick in the hand....
I later picked up a Springfield Ultra Compact. I like its balance better and it is a tad shorter than the Kimber. It feels lively in the hand....
When I feel the need to go Mickey Spillane, I strap it on in either an IWB rig or a belt slide.
I later picked up a Springfield Ultra Compact. I like its balance better and it is a tad shorter than the Kimber. It feels lively in the hand....
When I feel the need to go Mickey Spillane, I strap it on in either an IWB rig or a belt slide.