.45 ACP Single-Stack Pistols: S&W Pulls Out a Surprise Win

Chances are that whenever a pistol is described as being a single-stack .45, it will automatically be assumed that the handgun in question is a Browning 1911. But that isn't always the case. Not every .45 semi-auto that feeds from a single-column magazine was meant to be carried cocked and locked. Nor does every single-stack .45 operate with a single-action trigger.

To wit: In this test we will evaluate three single-stack .45s that operate with a hinged trigger, with at least the first shot being

Our trio of non-1911 single stack .45s were (clockwise from upper left) the Kahr TP4543, Smith & Wesson’s 457, and the Glock G36—three different guns with three different interpretations of double action operation. The Kahr had a very long trigger pull with little or no feedback. The Glock’s trigger pull was shorter and heavier. The Smith & Wesson pistol fired first-shot double action with single-action fire afterward. But decocking also deactivated the trigger until reset manually. The Glock landed this one-inch group of five shots, but note its location high above our 6 o’clock point of aim. This was not a product of the sights but rather recoil control.