A very popular debate in gun magazines for some years, it is not something you see very often these days. Or maybe I’m just not paying attention to that segment of the market, I don’t know. For me, this has always been simple. I started my serious training and work with a 9mm, and have also used .40 and .45 along the way. Today I use 9mm for work and most of my play. So, what’s the argument?
I believe that handgun rounds are very similar to each other when it comes to defense against predatory humans. I do not believe that split times matter, except on a range. I do not believe that capacity matters much once you exceed a fairly low number. I believe that hitting a vital zone matters, and matters a whole lot. Following these ideas to their logical conclusion, I am perfectly happy with 9mm or .45ACP.
On the range though, 9mm lets me shoot more ammo without injury or fatigue. That matters for practice, maybe not for much else. Yet I find myself using my HK45 more and more lately. It is a big gun. It doesn’t carry quite as easily as its 9mm sibling, my favored P30L. Yet it does conceal just fine, and with 11 rounds on board, I am comfortable with my chances for excellence in marksmanship.
Where the big 45 shines though, is in the field. I have shot more animals with 45ACP than with any other handgun round. Almost always out of a 1911, but that’s neither here nor there. It has worked perfectly every time, and I can’t say that about my 44 magnums, though again, that’s neither here nor there. I started carrying a USP45 in the field for animal defense some years ago, but it never really spoke to me. So I went back to big revolvers for a time, as well as 1911’s, G22’s, and various 9mm handguns.
Maybe because of TLG’s testing, maybe because of my love for the P30 family, the HK45 simply speaks to me. It fits me well and shoots incredibly. Mine has a 509T on top, my favorite closed-emitter handgun optic. With hardcast plus P flat-point ammo, I think it will penetrate anything made of meat in North America. It also recoils very softly compared to some of my older choices, which helps me hit what I’m aiming at for the first shot and any subsequent shots.
The safety aspect of the HK45 cannot be overlooked in the field. It has a manual safety if you prefer, and it also has the external hammer I favor for mechanically blocking the gun from firing. The trigger guard is large, as are the controls. The DA trigger helps prevent a numb finger from sending a round early. The magazine release is among the most secure, preventing a lost magazine with layers of clothing and equipment. Since I’m often wearing gloves in the field, and it is often cold, these features mean a lot to me.
Reholstering, with any kind of holster in the cold with gloves and thick clothing layers can be challenging sometimes. Trapping the hammer with my thumb ensures that I don’t get a nasty surprise. This may be obvious with AIWB, but a chest rig or shoulder holster can be equally dangerous and deserves a little more of your attention. Depending on which rig you are using and how you have it adjusted, it is very easy to point the gun at yourself while drawing or reholstering. If you are somewhat excited or fatigued, it is easy to make a mistake. Better to holster correctly and not flag parts of you that you don’t want extra holes in.
There are many good choices for field guns and personal preferences will usually make that decision easy. There are many good choices for defensive guns, and again, personal preference rules the day. When looking for a carry gun that is also a good field gun, the choices narrow a fair bit. For most of my uses, a heavy .45 load will do the job in the field, while a good hollowpoint does nicely for anti-social situations. 45 ball may not be my first choice for a high-round count class these days, but for my usual practice sessions of 200-400 rounds, it works. If limited to just one gun (another popular gun magazine topic back in the day), I would have a hard time finding a better choice than the HK45.
When you factor that into a family of guns, the HK45, P30L, and P30SK are a trio that works incredibly well for me.
I am old it seems, back when I was young (1970) and became involved in shooting as a hobby the .9mm was extremely under powered in comparison to the .45, modern ammunition has lessened that difference, the eternal argument over caliber has ended a few friendships lol. I prefer the .45 and still today do not own a .9mm, I like the .40 even if Randy Lee says it’s to snappy, but I have shot more .38 special than any other round because it was cheap to shot and reload and full wad cutters run in a S&W Model 52, again enjoy your articles, but have never warmed up to the H&K’s
No worries, that’s why there are different gun company’s still in business! I like lots of guns besides HK as well. Even some .38’s and .40’s;-)
The HK45 was my first .45ACP pistol purchase 3 years ago and is still one of my favorites. Like SLG I am a fan of the P30 series and found the HK45 fit my hand better than the USP45. It is a hefty pistol but I can still carry it easily under a sweatshirt. I did have James Williamson convert mine to LEM to match the rest of my hammer-fired HK’s. I will throw in that I also have the HK4c, which I don’t particularly care for.
HK4c or 45c? I just went out in the cold to shoot the 45’s, and though I like the 45c, it doesn’t lock into my hand nearly as well as the fullsize HK45. I also don’t shoot suppressed pistols much, and so an 8 shot compact 45 doesn’t do much for me. The 45 is a bit tall in the grip, but it works and carries well anyway.