Absolutely no idea. He just seems to want a 45. I just want to make sure he has something he wants and likes. Especially because he may need to defend his life with it.

I have an S&W 45 Shield 2.0 that I will let go for less than $450. It has not been fired. I think it holds 12+ rounds.

Beretta PX4 in .45. The rotating barrel turns the recoil into a push into the hand. Although that will exceed the $350 budget.

I'd check out Springfield Armory XD MOD 2 Sub Compact 45 ACP or the Shield.

Recently got a Glock 30S with a kydex OWB holster. Takes Glock 21 mags. Put a Talon grip on it. You definitely know you are shooting it but very accurate at close range.

Here is a search at gunbroker.com of
buy now only, .45 ACP pistols with a maximum price of $450.
This will give you an idea of what is available.

A compact 1911 in .45 can be carried, but it is a bit on the heavy side, and will probably get left at home too often. I too am a fan of 1911 style pistols, and a fan of the .45. I ended up getting and carrying a sig p938. No, it is not .45. It is a 9mm. The gun is a miniaturized 1911. The safety, slide release, and mag release are all in the right spot. 7+1. Exposed hammer that you carry cocked and locked. For someone that likes the 1911, all of this is very comfortable. It is small enough that it does get carried every single day. Have him take a look at it.

As above, for carry the .45 is way to bulky and heavy for a carry.

I have carried a full size Les Baer 1911 all day every day for the last ten years, Wilsons before that. It is slimmer than a Glock 19 and much slimmer than full size Sigs I carried before that. Also, my Les Baer has been reliable and never broken in comparison to my Glock 19 trigger reset spring breaking. The smith that repaired that must have not done it right because the G19 started double firing after just a few 1,000 rounds for the second major break down in that Glock. The Baer conservatively has 15,000+ rounds through it, maybe a lot more and it has been 100% reliable which is critical in a carry pistol.

Okay, so update. He's actually fine with getting a 9mm.

You all think that a .45 is too heavy, look at the 3.3 Xds .45.

I got a G19 in the classifieds......

I've been carrying the Shield in .45 and love it. Mag springs are pretty stiff and loading mags can be a pain. Ran several different HP's thru the gun along with lots of ball ammo. Pretty sweet shooter for a small .45

+1 on the Glock 30S