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9mm V. .45 for carry

12K views 145 replies 81 participants last post by  Tom RKBA  
#1 ·
I carry a 9mm Commander normally but, really don't like .45 commanders for CC. I do love .45 full size for target shooting. I think the full size is harder to conceal. Thoughts??
 
#42 ·
I am going to try a high rise holster with padding (a Mernickle trick,) or a magnet, to push the barrel out so that the grip presses against the body and also wear the holster cavalry style, grip butt pointing forward, (not Miami.) Most used police cars have those holes in the driver's side seat and they mostly carry full size Glocks, so... You pretty much have to have a separate gun belt for something heavy. Even balanced somewhat with mag pouches, just the regular pants belt is never going to be comfortable for both jobs. I like to use one of those police liner, Velcro, second belts as a gun belt. It is very form fitting, inexpensive, comes off and goes on fast, and I can wear it so that the front is low, covering my regular pants belt and the back of it higher. That slightly disguises the belt and means the pistol is higher too. Then a long ridiculous looking, Cinch brand vest made to conceal, covers the pistol so it is OWB. It's not really serious concealment, but O.K. to meet social norms and legal requirements, and not get kicked off the range for wearing a shoulder holster or something.
 
#8 ·
I always found that the grip size is what makes a pistol easy or not to conceal. The barrel and slide - up to a point - less so.
 
#13 ·
My most carried gun for over 20 yrs has been a LB PII 45. I tried a commander but didn't think it was any easier to conceal, for me. Since I carry a full size, I never felt a need for one in 9mm. To me, the biggest reason to go to 9mm is capacity and I prefer a single stack. I don't even own a 9mm of any type anymore. I reload so cost isn't a big factor. If I was going to a CCO size gun, I might try a 9mm, or better yet a 38 super.
 
#20 ·
Fluids flow through big holes easier than small holes... Shot placement, reliability, capacity, magazine spring life, blah blah blah.

1911 was designed as a 5" gun to shoot 45 ball ammo.

Unless youre super confident in your ability to keep that 9mm commander running ("my gun has never given me any issues..." doesnt matter)... get a 5" 45acp gun and cross your fingers because they can be finicky also.
 
#22 ·
A 9mm Commander (4.25”) vs a 45acp Commander (4.25”). I know I’m still new but aren't the two the same size?Havent measured mine but the widths are the same. I don’t really see a difference in carry among any of my 5”; 4.25”, all steel or Aluminum frame pistols and I carry them all. But I do notice a huge difference in all of them and my LW Defender (3”).
 
#23 ·
The Commander and govt. models have the same length of grip frame and that (the butt) is the hard part for me to conceal. Carried Commanders for years around our shop and was always bumping the gun's butt into counters, etc.. Switched to CCOs and the problem disappeared. Slide length makes little difference to me but, short butts? Well, we'll discuss that later.:cool:
 
#25 ·
I carry a 9mm Lightweight Commander inside the waistband. I chose this because the .45 version recoils more and with bullets such as Gold Dots or HSTs I'm comfortable with the smaller caliber. I don't carry a full sized 1911 because of the weight and the length. The 4.25" length is just more comfortable for me. Buy what you want and carry what works for you.
 
#26 ·
I can’t tell if this is about size or caliber.

as far as caliber - this is debated daily at local gun stores, ranges, and here online. .

45 has better stopping power, but it’s not a .44 magnum. (which has significantly better stopping power). There is debate as to how much better stopping power a .45 has today’s ammunition. It definitely still has an edge, but not thought to be nearly as high as decades ago….

A double stack 9mm provides twice as many rounds. This would be a huge benefit for a duty pistol, but there are very, very few recorded instances of a concealed carry person firing more than 8 rounds. (The average is two).

hence the debate…….
 
#33 ·
I don’t really see that as an issue
Most of the manufacturers have figured out what works and what doesn’t. My 9’s all run pretty good ,ive had a couple that needed a little extra work . Same can be said for the .45’s Ive owned. I did however give up on the compact frame (3.5) as I couldn’t get one to run 100% ever …
 
#31 ·
True. This goes along with almost all full size frames. The smaller 45 frames are better at concealment but weight and imprinting are still present. Compact and sub compact 9mm, 380 are much easier to conceal in various configurations. Along with extra magaines if you opt for them.

Full size frame are intented for duty type environments. Look at the history of revolvers where larger revolver were duty type and as individual ( detective, spec ops, UC, and others did not need ot desire to carry larger opted for snub nose type firearms. The same has occurred with pistols. Carrying is up to the individual preference and need/desire.