Guns, Bows, Shooting Sports, and Hunting .45 auto pistol which is best and most durable

[rivercat]

I understand ALL about the 1911, The question was on delta elites, They were only made for a few years upto 1996 and lost popularity due to the recoil of the 10mm. Just wondering what he ment by "Good ones" could be the slide and bushing wears faster due to the hotness of the 10mm, and in that case its not worth as much.

BTW the one I can lay hands on is stainless for that price

 

[.44 mag]

The Delta Elite can be a good gun, but most will need some action / reliability work done to it if you plan to use it for defensive purposes. It's true that they are not that common these days, but for $1000. 00 I'd want it to be in pretty darn good shape.

 

[J.BURCHFIELD]

A Colt Gold Cup, 70 series, right out of the box was my favorite from way back. A beaver tail helped. All the built up models by the various outfits are good too. A good Gunsmith is good to know. It is sometimes better to fix a gun than buy another and have worse problems. I go back a long way and I never had anything other than adjustment problems, you could call them. Nothing broke. The 1911 will last forever if given reasonable care. A lot of guys did not like the series 80, including me and I don't know if the factory guys did not like it either. CNC machinery is great but it takes the Craftsmanship out. You just cant beat a Craftsman that knows what he is doing. Factories with cost in mind have gone to the cheapest way leaving out the Craftsman wherever possible.

 

[sleddog]

kimber fullsize stainless with wilson combat 8rd mags. hollow points. love mine. ya expensive but for r/v/boat,ect. great,durable gun. jmho. cant beet a shotgun. .

 

[TBartlett1]

This is an old post but here's my 2cents!

I did the research & settled on a Glock 21 . 45 auto 13 +1 double stack. We also have 2 9mm Glock 19's & an M&P . 45.

The Glock’s aren’t pretty kinda like an old Mack Truck but are simple, they can be broken down is seconds and are virtually rust and foul proof.

I've read how people intentionally tried to get them to fail by soaking them in salt, burying them in sand and other nasty things.

I’m not a gun fanatic therefore I do not caress & fuss over them as some may. I use them then clean them but they may sit in an environment that may cause others to corrode.

My criteria are simple, personal protection, simplicity, corrosion resistant.

I look at it like a tool, it may sit in the drawer for months or years but when I pick it up I want it to work.

I also have a friend that was in the CIA and their weapon of choice was the G19.

They trained & fired 10’s of thousands of rounds with their pistols.

They also used 9mm plus, plus ammo in theirs.

Are they the best? No not for everyone but for me they have the qualities that matter.



Kinda why I’ve owned 5 CTD’s.



Tim

 

[Wingate]

I would definitely give the smith and wesson m&p . 45 a look. I have a 9mm for carry and am thinking about the . 45 as a back-up.

Bought the 40 first... ... went back about 3 months later and purchased the 45... Love both of them, they are NOT concealed carry frames, but great night stand and console guns that are quick to shoot and have great capacity. .

I am looking at a Kimber 45 for a CC piece... my son n law is trying to talk me into a Glock...

 

[SNGLESHOT]

Xd .45

Looked at a lot of them. Kept coming back to Springfield Arms XD 45. Action like smooth butter and love the round in chamber indicator and the striker pin indicator... both can be felt in complete darkness, night sights already on. Grip and trigger safety's and easiest breakdown for sure. Love this weapon. Accurate and well balanced with trigger pull easy right from the factory. Case, holster, 2 polished steel magazines, and holster for magazines along with cleaning rod and allen wrench... all for under $500 purchased on military base MWR Sportsmens Club.

 

[EArp]

... my son n law is trying to talk me into a Glock...

I will 2nd your son-in-law. I have a Glock 23. It shoots flawlessly, and it's dependable, accurate, and tough. If you want to see how tough these glocks are... just go to youtube and type in "glock torture test". There are countless videos on there that are all good, but my favorite is the guy that buries his in his backyard for 2 years, digs it up and washes it off with the water hose, and then proceeds to shoot 500 rds through it.



YouTube - Glock 21 Buried 2 years then 500rd test fire



They may not be the prettiest of handguns, but IMHO for the price, they can't be beat by any other manufacturer. They are great for concealed carry because they're so durable and reliable. They just keep on ticking no matter what abuse you deal them. From what I have read on other forums, guys that have the . 45 G. A. P. , say they have little recoil and are very accurate. Finding the special G. A. P. ammo may be a challenge though, depending on where you live.

 

[Dl5treez]

I understand ALL about the 1911, The question was on delta elites, They were only made for a few years upto 1996 and lost popularity due to the recoil of the 10mm. Just wondering what he ment by "Good ones" could be the slide and bushing wears faster due to the hotness of the 10mm, and in that case its not worth as much.

BTW the one I can lay hands on is stainless for that price

The early Delta Elites had an area on the slide rail which over time would develop cracks. The later models had that area machined out, above the slide stop cutout.

The blued versions were more susceptible than the stainless versions.

The stainless versions have been re-introduced by Colt.

The Delta Gold Cup was the "competition ready" version.


By 'good ones' I meant a later stainless steel gun in excellent condition, or a Delta Gold Cup later version in excellent condition.

The new versions appear to be fine thus far.


Hope this helps

 

[odinjunior]

The early Delta Elites had an area on the slide rail which over time would develop cracks. The later models had that area machined out, above the slide stop cutout.



The blued versions were more susceptible than the stainless versions.



The stainless versions have been re-introduced by Colt.



The Delta Gold Cup was the "competition ready" version.





By 'good ones' I meant a later stainless steel gun in excellent condition, or a Delta Gold Cup later version in excellent condition.



The new versions appear to be fine thus far.





Hope this helps

Where can I get the information as to what is an early model? Is there a serial # list?

 

[Dl5treez]

Where can I get the information as to what is an early model? Is there a serial # list?

Sorry I don't have that info at hand; Colt could probably get you something.



It is relatively easy to tell if the gun is updated; on the "early" offending firearms there is a bridge of metal over the slide stop. On the later guns, or one that a 'smith has fixed, that bridge has been removed.



A lot of the problem was the full power loads were stronger than the recoil spring which was causing the frame and slide to slam into each other. Changing the guide rod, recoil spring, and firing pin stops can help, too.

 

[Polak]

Cheap, reliable and guaranteed for life. Will eat anything you want to feed it. Check out the Bersa Ultra Compact. I have a lot of pistols and this is my go to and carry gun.

 

[rivercat]

Ill take the sort of protection Job had in the OT over any "weapon". But My favorite . 45 was the HK Tactical I had at one point sort of simular to the XD in feel but the HK has a hammer and de-cock and the full size slide and oring make it more precise. I also liked the trigger stop. My next . 45 will be a kimber custom covert. love the lighter feel vs a steel frame.

All the older gentlemen that know and love 1911s whats your veiw on alloy frames?

 

[J.BURCHFIELD]

Last year I bought a used Glock 30. To a Machinist or someone like me that has only some Machinist association the Glock at first looked like the cheapest thing they could come up with. There are some good books on it and I have read one so far and several trips to the range (I live in FL since retirement) have shown me what it really is. It is the most dependable and will NOT malfunction with factory Ammo. Those of you that like the 1911's I suggest you keep them and use them for target practice. When I want something my Wife's life or mine depends on it is Glock No ifs ands or buts. They have been around 20 years or more and are the first choice of many Police departments. The more you learn about it the better you will like it. UGLY-yes but will NEVER fail to function properly. With any other you can never be 100% sure it won't jam. -- email address removed --

 

[6naline01]

Sig's very nice but over priced,I carry XD40 or S&W 4506.

 

[BILLVO]

Glock 20 found a new home.

Oo. Oo. Well after starting this thread over 2 years ago I just came home with a very slightly used 10mm Glock 20 with fixed sites for $450 came as a complete kit, box, spare clip, cleaning rod, finger saver for loading the clips and all the factory paperwork/manuals.

I decided on the 10mm not long after starting this thread but was just waiting for the right deal. I had to completely disassemble it to find a trace of it having been shot. I doubt it even had a full box of ammo run through it. There have been lots of used ones at 500 bucks that were definately shot a lot but I was holding out for a nicer one for cheaper than 500 since new ones are 550-600 here locally.



Now to find some good ammo to practice with and build up my brass supply so I can reload my own.



Any one know of a good ammo supplier amd a site with accuracy and performance results of different ammo testing for it?

 

[Dl5treez]

Any one know of a good ammo supplier amd a site with accuracy and performance results of different ammo testing for it?

10 mm Load Data - Handloads. Com


As far as finding ammo, it's all pretty much expensive, and most factory loaded 10mm isn't set to the high pressures which make the 10mm a 10mm, IMHO...

Buffalo Bore and DoubleTap make *real* 10mm ammo, albeit for a price.

Winchester SilverTip 175gr is pretty good, and the cases are high quality-very reloadable. It's not "full power" though.

Check out glocktalk.com if you haven't already.

Oh, no worries about the Glock 20 and high pressure handloads. They can take everything you can dish out. Unless you use IMR 800x powder---that **** is nuclear.

 

[J.BURCHFIELD]

Reloading is a way to reduce costs and I have done it since back in the 60's Glocks don't like lead bullets Glock says don't use them. It may be because a lead bullet is . 001" larger than jacketed or plated and therefore the brass case becomes . 001" larger and may not fit the chamber like it should. With the barrel out of the gun if reloaded lead rounds drop in all the way with no resistance you can shoot a few if you don't mind cleaning the lead out. In time your brass may become bulged so make sure your resizing die is in as far as it will go. I let mine just touch the Plate with the lever bottomed out. I use Lewis lead remover available at Brownell's. . I like the copper plated bullets that don't cost too much more than lead. Berry Mfg. Co is one I have used in copper plated. I prefer the Glock for defense purposes. I prefer the 70 series Gold Cup 45 ACP for target. They are hard to find and expensive now but target trigger right out of the box is hard to beat. -- email address removed --

 

[BILLVO]

The new 10mm will be a hunting gun... . Deer and coyotes. So the loads I am interested in will be geared towards this. fmj and solid lead are not an option I am looking at hollow points with lead tips.

 

[J.BURCHFIELD]

Sounds good. 10 mm is a potent load. It proved to be too much for some guns but in a Glock it should serve you well. Follow the reloading charts and do not exceed recommendations. I am sure you know better but it is not good to have a gun blow up in your face