.45 ACP THE AMERICAN CARTRIDGE: A COMPLETE GUIDE (Historic American Cartridges) Paperback – March 25, 2026

The .45 ACP has been stopping threats since 1911. This book tells you exactly why — and how to get the most from it.Written by a home gunsmith with over forty years of experience and over a decade of competing with the .45 ACP..45 ACP: The American Cartridge is the most complete reference available on America's most storied pistol cartridge. This is not a platform manual dressed up as a cartridge guide. The .45 ACP is the subject from first page to last — its history, its physics, its performance data, and the gunsmithing that makes it perform at its full potential.• Complete History • Ballistics and Terminal Performance • Factory Ammunition Survey • Handloading Data • Every Major Platform• Suppressor Use • Gunsmithing • Competition Scott L. Buttrick has been shooting and reloading the .45 ACP for over forty years. He is an NRA Life Member and holds five NRA instructor certifications. He shoots and tests at his private range in Northern Michigan. When he writes that a load produces 887 feet per second at 70°F and 839 feet per second at minus-15°F, he measured it himself.If you want to understand the .45 ACP — not just shoot it — this is the book. Read more