Pricey Polymer Pistols: Buy the Heckler & Koch USP Expert 45
HK's USP Expert 45 .45 ACP is a rugged combat pistol with accuracy and versatility. We can't recommend Kimber's Gold Match Ten II because of function problems we encountered.
Alloy-Frame 1911s: We Choose Kimbers Tactical Custom II .45
Springfield Armory's Lightweight Champion GI wouldn't shoot hollowpoints, and we didn't like the laser grips on Smith & Wesson's 1911PD. The Kimber had but one easy-to-fix flaw.
Springfield Armorys .45 GAP Takes On Glocks in .45 ACP
Glock created the .45 GAP for its polymer pistols, but Springfield Armory's XD 45 puts the round to good use as well. What would happen when we compared it to the 21 and 21C?
Three Tiny .45 ACPs: We Pick The Taurus Millennium Pro
Glock's 36 is barely okay, in our estimation, and we had doubts about the Para Warthog's ability to shoot comfortably.
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.
