Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site greipa.UUCP Path: utzoo!decvax!decwrl!greipa!jordan From: jordan@greipa.UUCP (Jordan K. Hubbard) Newsgroups: mod.rec.guns Subject: Replies to digest 1:1 Message-ID: <339@greipa.UUCP> Date: Mon, 12-Aug-85 16:33:11 EDT Article-I.D.: greipa.339 Posted: Mon Aug 12 16:33:11 1985 Date-Received: Tue, 13-Aug-85 20:49:16 EDT Reply-To: jityler@uokvax.UUCP Organization: Genstar Rental Electronics, Palo Alto, Ca. Lines: 170 Approved: jordan@greipa.UUCP Article 8:2 ----------- Carl writes: * From: ihnp4!tektronix!carlc * Date: Monday, 8 Jul 85 11:10:57 PDT * Subject: request for .45 discussion * * I'd like to see a discussion of .45 semi-automatic pistols. I recall * hearing that there are several varieties as well as several kinds * of ammunition. I'd always thought that the main choice one had in * a .45 was blue steel vs. nickel-plated; apparently I was wrong. * * -- Carl You really opened the barn door with this one! Whether your intent was merely to instigate discussion or an actual request for information, here goes. After digging up slightly out-of-date information (1980), I managed to compile the following list, which should still be fairly accurate. Notice that no prices are quoted, as these can vary regionally (also, I don't have a current price list). Also, our moderator asks about AMT: * Date: Thu Jul 11 18:13:49 PDT 1985 * From: Jordan Hubbard* Subject: AM(P? T?) Hardballer .45 . . . advice? * * I've recently acquired a yen for a .45 that shoots with a little more * accuracy than my Combat Commander and was looking fondly at the Colt * Gold Cup as my next purchase. However, a friend a gun store suggested * a stainless steel auto called 'the hardballer' (suggestive, isn't it?) * or the hardballer longslide for even tighter groups. This weapon is made by * a company he refered to as 'AMP' though I'm pretty sure he meant 'AMT'. * The price is certainly right, and AMT (if they are indeed the manufacturer) * has put out some fairly decent backup autos if they're to be of any gauge. A(rcadia) M(achine &) T(ool): ---------------------------- These are the folks who manufactured the revered 'Auto Mag,' which has a strong cult following. One of the main problems with this piece, I'm told, is that with the exception of a small run of ammunition by a Mexican firm, the only way to obtain brass is to cut & form .308 rifle cases. The stats on this gun run as follows. Cartridge: 44 Auto Mag Magazine capacity: 7 rounds Length: 11 1/2 inches Barrel Length: 6 1/2 inches Weight: 56 1/2 inches AMT makes, as far as I know, two (stainless steel) .45 autos. Hardballer Hardballer (Long Slide) ---------- ------------ Cartridge: 45 ACP 45 ACP Magazine capacity: 7 rounds 7 rounds Length: 8 1/2 inches 10 1/2 inches Barrel Length: 5 inches 7 inches Weight: 39 oz. 43 1/2 oz. Following are as many other manufacturers of .45's as I can find. Colt: Colt Industries ---- Hartford, Connecticut Government Model Combat Commander ---------------- ---------------- Cartridge: 45 ACP 45 ACP Magazine capacity: 7 rounds 7 rounds Length: 8 3/8 inches 8 inches Barrel Length: 5 inches 4 1/4 inches Weight: 40 oz. 36 oz. H&K P9S: Heckler & Koch GMBH ------- Oberndorf/Neckar, West Germany Cartridge: 45 ACP Magazine capacity: 7 rounds Length: 7 9/16 inches Barrel Length: 4 1/16 inches Weight: 32 1/2 inches Sig-Sauer P220: J. P. Sauer & Son -------------- Eckenforde, West Germany Cartridge: 45 ACP Magazine capacity: 7 rounds Length: 7 13/16 inches Barrel Length: 4 3/8 inches Weight: 29 oz. S&W 645: Smith & Wesson ------- 2100 Roosevelt Avenue Springfield, Massachusetts 01101 Cartridge: 45 ACP Magazine capacity: 8 rounds Length: 9 5/8 inches Barrel Length: 5 inches Weight: 37.6 oz. Star PD: Bonifacio Echeverria, S.A. ------- Eibar, Spain Cartridge: 45 ACP Magazine capacity: 6 rounds Length: 7 inches Barrel Length: 5 inches Weight: 25 oz. In addition, Vega makes a Colt .45 semi-auto look-alike that I think is made out of stainless steel, and Semmerling makes the LM-4, a manually operated magazine-fed repeater weighing only 24 oz. With a 3 1/2 inch barrel, I imagine recoil is quite brisk(!). Safari Arms makes a production-priced pistol with such stock features as a beaver- tail safety, grooved frontstrap, Commander hammer, etc. Detonics makes a sub-size .45 semi-auto with a magazine capacity of 6 rounds. Mossberg also makes a sub-size .45 semi-auto that looks like nothing but business. Finally, Crown City Arms makes several different models of a .45 semi- auto (maybe as many as 9), and Llama has at least one model on the market. I hope this brief introduction helps: if you're thinking of purchasing, the best way to make up your mind is to shoot as many different types of .45's as possible. Visit a range with a friend who owns a .45, or visit a range which has 'renters' you can shoot. Also, visit gun shops to find which feel 'comfortable' in your hand. Finally, pick up a gun magazine or two, both to read and to find out which companies mail free brochures/catalogs. You may discover that your taste is more toward a 9 mm. I would also like to hear more on this subject, as my experience with semi-autos is limited. cordially, Jim (soon-to-be-unleashed) Tyler University of Oklahoma (changing feed, hence no mailpath) *** generic disclaimer absolving everyone of responsibility *** 'A day without sunshine is, well, probably just a cloudy day.' -- Jordan K. Hubbard {pesnta, decwrl, dual, pyramid}!greipa!jordan "Here we have two bull limpits, locked in a life-or-death "struggle."