Lightweight Commander-Length .45s: Buy Kimbers Pro Carry II
Also, we loved Colt's Gunsite CCO, but it had what we thought was a fatal flaw, and S&W's SW1911 Sc may not go bang.
Full-Size Double-Action .45s: Taurus, Ruger Go Head To Head
The new Taurus 24/7 is a great combat gun, and we liked Ruger's P345, but the person shooting the Taurus PT 945 must have big hands to get the right shooting grip.
Long-Slide .45 ACP Pistols: Springfield and STI Tee It Up
Though the $2,000 STI Target Master was Our Pick, it cost twice as much as the Springfield Long Slide 6-inch .45, which we rated as a Best Buy despite some hiccups.
Single-Stack Double-Action .45 ACPs: Sigarms Vs. Ruger
A Baer of a Decision: Monolith, Ultimate Master, Or Premier II?
We review three high-end .45s from a single maker — Les Baer — asking, "Which model offers the most bang for the buck?" In this case, less is plenty.
Pricey 1911 .45 ACPs Versus Glocks .45 GAP Model 37
We pit the STI Lawman and Springfield's ‘Loaded' pistols against the polymer-bodied Glock to see how they match up.
Commander-Length .45s: Para Ordnances LTC Is A Best Buy
The $749 Para Ordnance LTC combined accuracy, reliability, and affordability into one nice package. The Rock River Arms $1,560 Commando Elite is a find, if you can find one. Kimber's lighter $1,060 Tactical Pro II might be best for concealed carry.
A Pair of High-Dollar 1911s: Nowlin Versus Rock River Arms
High-grade 1911s can do a multitude of tasks for their owners. The jobs can include NRA target shooting, various action-oriented competitions, hunting, and of course self-defense. In this report we look at two relatively high-dollar 1911s to see how well they might work for any task to which a good .45 might be put. The companies who made the guns suggested these are target-grade or match-specific weapons. Yet each came with very similar and rather special modifications that told us the story only began with accurate target busting.
Serious Shooting .45s: Springfield Armory Edges out Gunsites Colt
The $1,560 Springfield Armory TRP and the $1,495 Colt Gunsite 1911 45s prove to be "pro tools" worth the extra investment.
Parkerized Mil-Spec 1911 .45s: Springfield Beats Auto Ordnance
Playing G.I. with the Springfield Parkerized Mil-Spec, $559, was more fun than with the Auto Ordnance 1911, $515.
Lightweight Carry Options: A 9mm, a .40 S&W, and a .45 GAP
Glock's new $640 Model 37 excels with a brand-new round. Smith & Wesson's titanium $812 4040PD opens new doors, but the $550 FN P9 comes up short.
Expensive 1911s: Kimber, Lone Star, and Wilson Shoot It Out
We pit a trio of custom production guns and learn a lot about what makes a topnotch .45 ACP. But did we like Kimber's LTP II, the Lone Star Lawman Match, or Wilson's CQB best?
