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Tested out six 45 ACP pistols yesterday for my birthday
DISCLAIMER: My personal opinion only. Your mileage may vary.
Testing location: The Firing Line, Burbank, CA
Pistols tested: Kimber, Glock 21, Springfield Armory XD 45, Ruger P345, Smith & Wesson (I forget which model, I only fired twice and hated it), Glock 30.
Friend and I went over because I'm thinking of acquiring a handgun for recreational shooting and home self-defence in the near future. I've shot 9 mm before but I wanted to see if I could handle a 45 with reasonable accuracy and which one(s) I liked.
Kimber: Nicest looking one of the lot IMHO. They had a stainless steel model that was quite a looker. We tried it out first on the recommendation of the guy behind the counter (both guys manning the counter said they owned one and love them). Loading was easy enough. First time my friend and I tried it, we both shot it a bit badly (me worse than him). Once we tried out the Glock 21 and the XD, our shooting improved and so we gave Kimber a try again and shooting results were much better this time.
Glock 21: Second weapon we tried out (Both guys behind the counter claimed not to like Glocks). My friend and I both liked the accuracy and the balance. Squeezing the trigger took me a bit getting used to in the beginning, but once I got the hang of it, I could place shots pretty much anywhere I liked. Friend put his first four shots into the head of the target easily and I went for body shots initially and head shots once my confidence improved. Only thing to bitch about was that loading the last two cartridges in a 10 round mag was hard. First 8 went in easy and the 9th one put up a fight, so we both shot with only 8 in the mag. Next time, I should ask for the speedloader attachment. My friend has shorter fingers, so he found the trigger a little harder to pull than me.
Springfield Armory XD: This was a breeze to load, unlike the Glock 21 and the Kimber. It also shot very well. Since this was the third weapon we shot, we were getting better at hitting everything. We both liked its balance and accuracy. Trigger pull felt a bit worse than the Glock for me, but I loved the fact that I didn't have to fight with the mag to fill it up.
After we got good results with the Glock and the XD, we decided to go back to the Kimber to see if it was because we were just getting more used to shooting. As it happens, we both got more accurate the second time around and changed our opinion about the Kimber immediately. I also shot much more accurately with the Glock 21 the second time around.
Sidenote: Guy next to us brought his own H&K USP 45. Would have loved to try the H&K too, but they didn't have one for rent. He was teaching his girlfriend to shoot and they were also trying out a couple of other models. Incidentally his gf was wearing a low-cut tank top and ended up with hot cases in her bra twice.
Ruger: We actually had asked for the Smith & Wesson, but the guy gave us the Ruger next to it by accident instead. The trigger was a bit too mushy for me. Accuracy was pretty decent though. Also, the curve at the back of the hand grip didn't sit in my hands too well and I didn't like the balance. My friend didn't mind the grip (single stack fit his hands better anyway) but he didn't like the mushy trigger either. We only fired a few rounds with this one (something like 10 rounds between the two of us)
S&W: We went back and asked for the S&W and the guy apologized for giving us the Ruger instead. He told us that if we didn't like the Ruger, we would probably hate the S&W. He was right -- the trigger was mushy on this one too and the I didn't like the feel either. I gave up after 2 shots and unloaded the rest of the cartridges.
Glock 30: Accurate as the 21. Friend liked this one's grip better than the 21 though, but it didn't make any difference to me, I preferred the 21 slightly if anything.
Final Conclusion: Kimber was the nicest looking of the lot and I wouldn't mind getting one if it wasn't so darn expensive compared to the rest. I shot best with the Glock 21 and the Springfield XD and liked them both, so my choice is narrowed down to these two. I would also like to try out a Glock 21 SF and see whether I like that one better. Perhaps a Sig and a H&K as well.
Originally Posted by Lt-Col A. Tack
1911 Pistol, Your American an't ya?!?!?
