45 Super - Anyone?

[CAL. .30 M1 2,101]

I have a 4516 smith that i am dying to try 45 super in....  they say a spring change and its good to go...

 

Anyone have experience with the round?

 

 

[Maksim 1,504]

@Pizza Bob ?

[Pizza Bob 1,488]

5 hours ago, Maksim said:

@Pizza Bob ?

Never had the desire to try and soup-up guns for cartridges more powerful than what they were designed for. If you want a more powerful cartridge, buy a gun of the appropriate caliber.

[GRIZ 3,369]

18 hours ago, USRifle30Cal said:

I have a 4516 smith that i am dying to try 45 super in....  they say a spring change and its good to go...

 

Anyone have experience with the round?

 

 

No experience with the round but I'm with @Pizza Bob on this one.  I don't even use +P ammo in a semiautomatic.  If I need more power I use more gun. Trying to get a 45 ACP gun to perform like a 44 Magnum is a big mistake.

45 Super is about a 28,000 psi cartridge.  The 45 ACP about 20,000 psi max.  Most 45 ACP ammo is loaded to less pressure. Shooting 45 Super in a gun designed for 45 ACP will work...for awhile.  It will beat your gun to death.  Hopefully other problems like the locking lugs shearing off will manifest themselves before the slide separates and sends itself into your head.

Don't be fooled by the myth that a heavier recoil spring will enable your semiautomatic to handle higher pressure ammo.  The recoil spring has nothing to do with containing pressure.  The primary function of the recoil spring is to return the slide to battery stripping off a new round on the way.  That's it.

Here's another way to look at it.  Stock spring in a full size 1911 is 16 pounds. If you put a 24 pound spring do you think 8 more pounds will contain an additional 8000 psi?

There are reasons to swap out springs.  Being able to handle hot ammo is not one of them.  Keep in mind that heavier spring will cause more wear on your gun even if you're using standard pressure ammo.  That 24 pound spring will slam your slide forward harder than the 16 pound spring.  That will cause more wear on the slide, frame, and locking lugs.

I didn't figure this out myself.  I was taught this by a renowned 1911 smith some time ago.

[Shane45 807]

If you want to play with the 45 super, pick up a usp45. It is gtg with this round. Wear is accelerated of course

[BullzeyeNJ 104]

Springfield armory used to make a production 1911 with a 6” long slide and side ported barrel. They rated that 1911 for the 45 super or you could shoot 45acp as well. I dont think you needed a spring change because of the ported barrel.

Fred Craig, the infamous 1911 gunsmith, made a Craig 45 Super Duty on a caspian double stack frame years ago. It also had a ported barrel with a 5” barrel. I have one of those custom 1911s and have only fired 45acp and 45acp +p ammo through it. Apparently, no spring change required either because of the ports.  I bought 45 super brass from starline but never loaded up any rounds. 

[High Exposure 5,664]

Get a .460 Rowland conversion for a 1911.

Go big or Go home

   

[BullzeyeNJ 104]

7 hours ago, High Exposure said:

Get a .460 Rowland conversion for a 1911.

Go big or Go home

   

Yeah, I got a 460 Rowland too on a caliber specific Wilson Combat with a comp. And I rarely shoot 460 Rowland through it. Mostly 45acp for the convenience factor and lower cost per round.  The 460 Rowland is a heck of a cartridge though.