Last Updated: Feb 1st 2024
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Did you know that, on average, you fire just 2 shots in a self-defense situation? Probably, it’s not exactly a new fact if you’re into guns.
So, the capacity of the gun really isn’t the limiting factor in most cases. It’s time. With that in mind, it’s easy to see the logic that you might as well fire bombs.
With State laws heading towards 10+1 capacity, too, you might find that 45 ACP enjoys a resurgence and we start to see more slightly higher capacity 1911s and the most popular guns for sale coming with a 10-round mag of .45 ammo. Or 10mm handguns, now we think about it…
Not Every 45 ACP is a 1911
A lot of the modern 45 ACP guns for the CCW market are shrunken 1911s. But not all of them. We want to show you some amazing guns that have cured most of the issues with the .45 ACP, contained the recoil and even found a way to get more bullets in there in a few cases.
These are all compact guns, too. If you want full sized .45 Caliber 1911s for $1000 then check here.
Alternatively, if you just want the best concealed carry handgun in the world and caliber isn’t important, click here. But, if you want a .45 handgun, then you’re in the right place.
Here are some of our favorite 45 ACP Concealed Carry handguns for personal defense that might just be your next, best CCW gun ever.
1. Glock 30
- Total length: 6.97 inch
- Barrel Length: 3.78 inch
- Capacity: 10+1
- Weight: 1.43lb
Glock 30
If you don’t put too much thought into your 45 caliber handgun and you just want it to work, every time, well Glock is always the safe bet.
Reliability and accuracy are the most important part of your EDC. Glock carry guns always score highly here.
Only a connoisseur will be able to pick this, a Glock 19 or 43 apart in terms of the visuals, but then that’s kind of the point. You choose your Glock for the job at hand. It is pretty much never a style statement.
Accurate and Reliable
The slightly longer barrel means that you should have an accurate handgun here, but it does lose out in terms of capacity and concealability in this particular competition.
It’s a Glock, so you can get a 25-round mag for this handgun if you want and send hot 45 ACP downrange all day. Every step up in capacity, though, is a step back in terms of practicality for concealed carry guns.
Glock is the Easy Choice
Still, if you’re looking for a .45 Glock 30 for sale then you pretty much know what you want in life. Take a look at the Springfield Armory, then take the safe option and buy the Glock for personal defense. There’s nothing wrong with that. It will likely never let you down.
2. Colt Defender
- Barrel Length: 3 inch
- Total Length: 6.75 inch
- Weight: 1.5lb
- Capacity: 7+1
Colt Defender
For some of you, the Colt Defender will always be the poster child 45 ACP carry handgun. And last year it got that little bit better with the relaunch of the Colt Defender Combat Elite that is one of the best concealed carry handguns for sale.
Like the original, the new Colt Defender Combat Elite is aimed at combat-style match shooters. That’s an increasing market, but we also think this little Colt will sell on its sex appeal, as much as its shooting range credentials.
The Colt Defender Combat Elite is a cool as all Hell mini 1911, it’s reliable and any Colt convert will tell you they just shoot so well. This is not just a gun, it’s shiny
The Combat Elite gets a two-tone PVD finish, ambi safety, night sights and 25LPI checkering on the front strap. Everything is match grade, the frame is stainless steel and the stainless steel slide is beveled for a quicker draw.
Get a Cheap Colt Defender
You can spend a lot less on your Colt Defender, if you go without the Combat Elite part, and you can choose from all kinds of finishes too.
This iconic carry firearm comes with the polished nickel finish and rosewood grips, but you can go for a full Cerakote finish or a blued gun.
The Colt Defender is a beautiful looking thing, it really is a 45 ACP 1911 CCW and I would be happy to carry it, condition one, natch. The capacity is just enough to deal with that clawing anxiety, you get a proper thumb safety and a gun that should not let you down.
It’s wilfully old-school compared to the polymer options, but there’s nothing really wrong with that. If you want to buy sub-compact 1911 concealed carry guns that fires 45 ACP, the Colt Defender is probably the one you’ve got your eye on.
Go for it, you know what you’re getting into and you won’t regret it for a second.
3. Kimber Ultra CDP II (Custom Defense Package)
- Barrel Length: 3 inch
- Total Length: 6.8 inch
- Weight: 1.6lb
- Capacity: 6+1
Kimber Ultra CDP II (Custom Defense Package)
Let’s be honest, everybody in this world who likes guns even a little bit wants a Dan Wesson 1911. They’re generally considered to be among the finest pistols in the world in terms of craftsmanship and sheer engineering perfection.
This one actually is just about affordable as well. They tend to get more expensive as they get bigger.
It’s a small concealed carry gun, but it does come with some interesting tech packed in there. Instead of a traditional barrel and bushing, the Dan Wesson 1911 offers a
New Recoil System For This Pistol
The flat recoil spring is rated for 15,000 rounds and the entire recoil system has been re-engineered under the skin to package this gun more effectively and find those incremental improvements.
The 4lb trigger pull is considered one of the cleanest and crispest in the handgun world and even people that have spent thousands on a gun will still tell you they got a bargain.
There are a lot of snake oil salesman in the handgun world, but Dan Wesson is not one of them. The guns are expensive for one simple reason: they are the best.
7. Springfield Armory XD-M Elite Compact OSP
- Barrel Length: 3.8 inch
- Total Length: 7 inch
- Capacity: 10+1 Rounds
- Weight: 1.56lb
Springfield Armory XD-M Elite Compact OSP
This company make some of the
Is the Springfield XD-M Elite Compact OSP the best 45 ACP CCW in the world? it depends on your perspective and your definition of concealed. It’s actually on the big side, but then most of the decent 45s tend to be.
The mini 1911 .45 handguns are all around 7 inches, too, and they’re metal in case you hadn’t noticed. So it seems childish to give them a pass and exclude the Springfield because there’s a smaller, less capable gun on offer.
Basically this gun throws the traditional compromise of capacity out the window with a double-stack mag that gives you more rounds of 45 ACP than you should ever really need.
I mean if 10+1 and a spare mag isn’t enough, I think you’ve got to take a look in the mirror and ask just how much of this trouble could be avoided…
8. Wilson Combat CQB Commander
- Caliber: 45 ACP Cartridge
- Barrel Length: 4 inch
- Total: 7.6 inch
- Weight: 2.29lb
- Capacity: 7+1
The Walther PPQ M2 is a solid multi-caliber handgun with a devoted following around the world. This model isn’t the most popular, but this compact pistol is one of the best concealed carry handguns chambered in 45 ACP.
The Walther PPQ is often credited with the best trigger pull in the business for an OEM trigger, but not everybody agrees. There’s no doubt that the Walther PPQ has some brilliant ergonomic touches though.
It loses out to the likes of Glock when it comes to ease of concealment by design. This gun comes with a bulbous, curvy grip. It has different priorities…
Does that make this compact handgun one of the better 45 ACP concealed carry handguns? Yes, as long as you invest in a decent IWB holster to avoid printing with the Walther PPQ.
11. Nighthawk Custom T3 Thin
- Barrel Length: 3.8 inch
- Total Length: 7.5 inch
- Weight: 2.25lb
Nighthawk Custom T3 Thin
If you just want one handgun as your everyday carry then you really should consider the Sig Sauer P320 Compact. It is our 9mm pistol champion, and we could easily have gone
It’s arguably a better all-round gun than a Glock and the double stack 9mm is one of the best concealed guns of 2024. Although it is slightly chunkier when it comes to concealment. and the 45 ACP has also been discontinued recently.
The longer barrel means it’s more accurate than some of the smaller black polymer frame weapons, the trigger is the stuff of legend and the P320 is reliable, too.
It’s a 9+1 handgun, which should be more than enough to handle a self-defense situation.
Caliber Conversion Kits For Sig P320
If you really want to, you can buy a caliber XChange kit and go between .45 ACP and 9mm, so when you need more bullets for covering fire then it sounds like a winning recipe.
The caliber switch kit is expensive, though, and you might just want two separate guns for different moods. The flexible approach is popular with the military and law enforcement officers, but I’m not sure it’s going to catch on with home users.
The Sig Sauer P320 Compact is the ultimate EDC in my book, though, so I would take two of them in a heartbeat, with a full size Sig Sauer X-FIVE sitting alongside the smaller gun. The X-FIVE is one of our favorite full-size pistols and you should check it out if you haven’t seen it yet..
15. Rock Island Armory M1911 GI Compact
- Barrel Length: 3.5″
- Total Length: 7.3″
- Capacity: 8+1 rounds
- Weight: 2.47lb
Rock Island Armory M1911 GI Compact
This is the 1911 in miniature and it’s one of the cheapest out there. You can actually get a Rock Island Armory 1911 with a 3.5″ barrel for around $450 for this poverty spec 1911. You can spend more.
Check our Rock Island 1911 GI review (1,500 rounds tested) and our cheap 1911 roundup for more budget options.
This one is good enough. It isn’t the prettiest handgun on this list, but then it is one of the cheapest. It’s even better priced than some of the plastic alternatives and that really is impressive for a 1911.
Not everybody gets Rock Island Armory. The guns are not perfectly finished, the single action trigger isn’t the smoothest and they’re for shooting rather than looking at. They come at the right price, they’re reliable and they are sweet shooting guns.
Rock Island Does the Basics Right
If you can live without the bells and whistles, the smoothest trigger system and the fancy window dressing, then a Rock Island Armory is a great EDC.
You can scratch it, you can drop it, you can put it through Hell. You can even hang red dots off the rail or fit optics and scopes. Nobody cares.
That’s kind of the point. It’s a workhorse mini 1911 CCW, not a safe queen.
16. Baby Desert Eagle III
- Barrel length: 3.75 inch
- Total Length: 7.5 inch
- Capacity: 10+1
- Weight: 2.14lb
Baby Desert Eagle III
We all get that flutter when we see a Desert Eagle for sale, but the truth is that we know the 50 Cal semi-automatic is a novelty.
It’s a movie gun, but this shrunken 45 ACP might just be the missing link that actually works. Is this new pistol a rebranded Jericho? Kind of, but that’s OK.
This is a 10+1 round, almost CCW weapon that could easily serve as your EDC. These are service pistols in the Middle East, and do a lot of things right. Is it one of the best concealed carry handguns here? Probably not on a technical level.
The muscular barrel is reminiscent of the unique polygonally rifled special that sits in the .50AE handgun. But you can hold this gun with one hand, and operate the thumb safety without growing hands like The Incredible Hulk. It’s a nice size and weight.
A Gun That Fits The Desert Eagle Narrative, in a Compact Concealed Carry
It is a gun you buy for the aesthetics and the renegade attitude behind the 50 Cal Magnum Research Desert Eagle, though, if we’re honest. Compared to the form dictated by function that you get from the winners on this list, this feels like a slightly frivolous choice.
There’s nothing wrong with that, but you might find yourself having to accommodate your Baby Desert Eagle, while the Springfield Armory would have slotted right home.
And it will probably turn into a fun range gun in the end, rather than your first port of call for an everyday carry 45 ACP.
That additional girth and length are issues, but they are issues you might choose to contend with in the name of doing something different.
Is that smart for a CCW 45 caliber? No, not really. Put simply, there are better 45 ACP pistols right here, for pretty much every given job.
You can order a polymer one or a metal one, a full-size version or this, the compact one. It isn’t the best concealed carry guns, but it’s surprisingly good.
Learn more from this in-depth gun review here.
17. Sig Sauer 1911 Fastback Carry Nightmare
- Barrel Length: 4.2 inch
- Total Length: 7.7 inch
- Weight: 2.43lb
- Capacity: 8+1 Rounds
Sig Sauer 1911 Fastback Carry Nightmare
This handgun is only here for the sake of completeness, just in case you thought I forgot the gun that, for some reason, is at the top of other lists. I don’t get it. This is not the best, or one of the best, concealed carry handguns. Not anymore.
Look closely with me, there really isn’t much to recommend this over the other 45 ACP pistols on this list. This is not one of the best concealed carry guns in the world, anymore…
This is a 5-round handgun, it’s basically got nothing to offer in this company.
It is cheap, and as a back up gun? OK yeah maybe, it is small enough to slot into a sock. But this doesn’t deserve to be your primary weapon. The price difference doesn’t even come close to making up for the gulf in class to the best concealed carry handguns.
Cook at home for a week, quit smoking, do what you have to do to get a better CCW. Because if you’re carrying one of these 45 Cal plastic pistols as your EDC, then you have the wrong priorities in life.
19. Beretta PX4 Storm Compact
- Caliber: .45 ACP Auto
- Barrel Length: 4.02 inch
- Total: 7.55 inch
- Weight: 10+1
Beretta PX4 Storm Compact
The Beretta PX4 Storm Compact has some clever design touches, a formidable capacity and the basic form of the gun means it could be a great concealed carry 45 ACP.
The problem is the
Beretta is really struggling to get traction in the handgun market right now. Again, it’s hard to truly recommend the Beretta PX4 Storm Compact over the best 45 ACP compact pistols here. We like the manual safety, we like the design, we just like others more.
But it is one of the better 45 ACP concealed carry handguns, and we’d like to make that point clear. We just can’t see ourselves buying a Beretta PX4 Storm Compact when these options are here.
20 Bersa Thunder Pro Compact
- Barrel: 3.6 inch
- Length:
- Weight: 1.68lb
- Capacity: 7+1
The Bersa Thunder is a seriously popular .380 ACP Auto, but it’s a little known oddity in the world of 45 ACP carry handguns.
The Bersa Thunder Pro Compact is slightly bigger for the 45 ACP. The 9mm comes with a 3.1 inch barrel, while the 45 ACP is 3.6 inches.
That aside its largely the same polymer handgun with the Browning Petter barrel locking system. It’s basic, it’s solid and the Bersa Thunder is an option. Just not the best option when it comes to carry guns.
21. Charter Arms Pitbull
- Barrel Length: 2.5″
- Total Length: 6.5″
- Capacity: 5 Rounds
I don’t recommend revolvers as the best concealed carry handguns, period, especially in a caliber that just never really gelled with the revolver community. Why would it? 44 Magnum is the life and soul of that particular party…
But some people insist on carrying a revolver instead of the other 45 ACP pistols here. So OK then..
If you’re going to do it, and you want to rely on one gun for a while, then you might want to to trade up and get the legit S&W Judge, which can handle 410 slugs, too.
If you just want a basic, powerful revolver, though, there is nothing wrong with the 45 ACP Pitbull from Charter Arms. But there is also nothing wrong with ditching 45 ACP altogether, switching to 44 Magnum and buying a much better Smith & Wesson 44 Magnum revolver.
That’s what I’d do, but what do I know?
What about the Ruger SR1911 Officer? It is an outstanding pistol
I love my Springfield 1911 and my Ruger GP 100. You don’t recommend revolvers fo CCW? No one would want to be on the receiving end of my .357. I doubt I would need more than two or three shots to stop a threat in a self-defense situation, and all I have to do is point and pull the trigger.
Not nobody. Some people love revolvers and I am cool with them. But personally, I wouldn’t recommend one when there are better options. In my humble experience, 12 shots can be better than 6…
A couple of thoughts. Should you have to use (fire) your concealed carry weapon, you should plan to lose the weapon for a significant period of time. The firearm will be taken into evidence, marked with a case number (hopefully under the grips) and placed into some type of evidence facility. Maybe gingerly, maybe not, maybe climate controlled, maybe not, maybe packaged correctly, maybe not. Upon resolution of the case, the weapon may be returned promptly or not, depending on if the prosecutor is pro, neutral or anti-gun. You won’t know when you will get your firearm back or what shape it will be in when returned to you.
My point is why spend $800, $900, $1000 or even $1300 for a weapon that you will probably never use and if you do, you will lose the use of for quite a period of time and may be in for a shock when you see it again? The average police shooting occurs at 7 yards. The average civilian shooting will occur at 7 yards or less. Find a weapon that will function every time the trigger is pulled for somewhere south of $500 or $600. When you find that weapon practice until you can consistently put rounds into center mass at 7 yards. I carry a Glock 36 I paid $495 for and I am completely confident in my ability with that firearm and will not shed a tear if I have to give it up.
It’s a totally fair point, but man I’d have a drab website if all the guns had to be ones you’d be happy to lose if you just shot someone in the face from seven yards. It would be bordering on depressing!
Your point is real. I do sometimes reinforce the point that you don’t necessarily need or want jewelry for your EDC. But some people do, and they bring a bit of color to the scene.
So yes, but you know we’re going to keep going with the sexier guns too.
I agree, thats why I carry a high point C9. Don’t really care if I get it back after I shot someone. It fires every time and is accurate