Becoming said:just curious - from the point of a dealer (who obviously handles a bunch of diff weapons and manuf) what would your top 3-5 budget conscious buys for:
.45s and .40s
and any thoughts you have on one caliber vs the other....
.45ACP: definitely a 1911. I'd go with Kimber. They're reliable, accurate and keep their value. The Marines are actually being issued some new Kimbers.
Then if you want a double stack .45, I'd go with a H&K. Again, it's quality. Pricey but you get what you paid for.
.40: Sig P226, 229 or 239 (depending on the purpose). Again, I've seen many Sigs working after 80 000 rounds. No cracking, major failure or kaboomm ! Just the srping changed and that's it. Can't say the same about Glock.
Then H&k is another good choice in this caliber. Glock provides a good cheap and reliable pistol with their G22, 23 and 27.
It all comes down to your purpose. A .45ACP is a good caliber for IPSC competitions. For CCW too but your gun selection is limited. Not everyone makes compact 45's. The .40 is a "light-load" 10mm. A good balance of weight and speed.
But if you're ready to consider a .45 for self-defense, why not look at the 10mm Glocks ? Big and fast, best of both world. I find the recoil to be the same as a hot .45. If I'm correct, Velvett has a G29 so it can't be that bad.