#.45ACP

With all the police trade-in Smith & Wesson M&P 45 handguns floating around on the market, I have been pretty tempted to pick one up as a suppressor host. With the used guns on the market at around $350, adding a threaded barrel from Silencerco or another vendor is easy and keeps the whole package under the $600 mark.

During World War II, various companies and weapons designers vied for the coveted contract that ultimately became the M1 Carbine in .30 Carbine. One of those companies was Auto Ordnance, which did submit a “light” rifle design, but as a “just in case” also developed a .30 Carbine version of their Thompson SMG.

Looking back over posts we have made about Wilson Combat introducing new products it sure seems that they are bringing new things out faster than they can sell them! Truth of the matter is that they are probably selling everything they make and hardly able to keep up with demand. After all, that is the nature of the gun industry right now.

I jest of course, but Cabot Guns really is building left-handed 1911s for you southpaws! The world rejoices now that the other 10% of the population can enjoy the historic and elegant design just as John Moses Browning intended. The new pistol is dubbed the South Paw S-100 Edition and will feature a fully inverted design that Ned Flanders would kill to own.

InRangeTV’s mud tests have been an enlightening series. Conducted in a relatively scientific manner, the “test” is simple, coat gun in nasty desert mud and see if the weapon will function through its firing cycle.

Earlier this year, Ed Brown Products launched a new 2nd Amendment 1911 handgun. The gun is a mix of Ed Brown craftsmanship with a bit of American attitude.

News of the latest addition to Smith and Wesson’s lineup spread fast during the recent NRA Annual Meeting (NRAAM). Smith and Wesson’s newest gun is an M&P Shield chambered in .45 ACP, and it’s an announcement that’s been met with more than a little interest. The company’s booth was filled to overflowing during the NRAAM. Now, close on the heels of the new .45 ACP are announcements regarding accessories for the pistol. Comp-Tac Holsters has expanded their line to include holsters made specifically for the newest Smith and Wesson handgun.

The .45 ACP Luger created for the US pistol trials in the first decade of the 20th Century is one of the most infamously rare and desirable handguns of all time. Combining the excellent engineering and classic looks and ergonomics of the Luger with the American .45 ACP pistol round, the one original that survives of two that were made now commands prices well into the six- and seven-figure range.

The .45 ACP will always have a place in the firearm world thanks to the 1911. Of course, it’s also a capable round, one underestimated by many of its naysayers. Now there’s a new .45 ACP option on the ammunition market from Underwood Ammo and it’s being added to the company’s popular Xtreme Defense line.

Although it’s not a brand-new video, it is one worth revisiting. The guys at WoodCaliber.com created the video below to demonstrate their wood 1911, which is mechanically functional. Their guns are, of course, collector’s items and if you are not interested in the guns you just might want to take a look at their accessories.

The Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley spoke yesterday at the Future of War Conference, and criticized the Modular Handgun System program for the degree of bureaucracy and red tape it takes for the Pentagon to select a new pistol for the Army. Milley rightly pointed out that not only are handguns hardly the forefront weapons of modern battle, but that they are a very mature technology, so selecting a new one should be very straightforward and inexpensive. From Military.com:

It’s a frequent argument, one prone to sparking tempers in person and on social media – pretty much any time it comes up. Is shot placement truly everything and if it is, does that mean it doesn’t really matter what caliber of handgun you conceal carry? Is carrying a pocket pistol chambered in .380 ACP or even .22LR justifiable if you’re confident in your ability to make the perfect shot when your life is on the line? Or should your EDC be something bigger, such as a .45 ACP or 10mm? With a larger-caliber handgun there’s a sizeable permanent wound cavity, which means maybe – just maybe – you’d have a bit more leeway when it comes to placement. Or does a bigger caliber mean you’d actually have a harder time making that shot thanks to recoil, and maybe even be less likely to carry it since it’s harder to conceal? There are endless questions and countless angles. This is one of those questions that draws a line in the sand, one those on both sides are unlikely to ever agree to crossing.

SIG announced their Legion series just this past fall of 2015 and it soon became clear this wasn’t just about a gun or two but about a way of firearm life. The new series runs the gamut from guns to holsters to knives to lights and more. This year at SHOT during SIG’s special range event it was nice to get a closer look at the pistol part of the new series and rather than show just one, I’m going to go ahead and put all four pistols in this one post.

The Civilian Marksmanship Program has been providing arms to civilian match shooters and riflemen for over 110 years, but one weapon left off the list of civilian-legal surplus firearms the CMP is allowed to sell to civilian shooters is the venerable 1911 handgun. However, that may soon change. For the past couple of years, variations of the National Defense Authorization Act have been proposed that would change the law establishing the CMP to allow them to sell 1911 handguns to the American public, but so far none of these versions have passed and become law. The most recent version of the NDAA provides for the sale of 1911 handguns (albeit in a different manner than the rifles, i.e. through an FFL) through the organization, and is poised to be signed in the next week. Hognose of WeaponsMan reports:

Welcome to another Friday Field Strip. Watch the Field Strip video below, then read the article below…