School me on 45 Super

[bobbittle]

Anyone with first hand experience with the 45 super?

Is there an easy way to tell if your firearm is capable of handling the increased pressure?

 

[melensdad]

The .45 Super is basically a beefed up 45acp round, made from a shortened 451 Detonics Magnum case. The 451 Det Mag uses a thicker walled case than the standard 45acp.

Additionally, guns set up for 45 Super require 1) heavier recoil springs, 2) modified barrel/chamber to more fully support the case to prevent a catastrophic blowout of the case and 3) a modified/strengthened firing pin and firing pin channel to prevent the primer from blowing back into the firing pin channel.

The way to know if your gun is safe to shoot 45 Super is to check to see if your gun was designed for it!

It is NOT safe to fire 45 Super cartridges in a standard 45acp chambered gun.

 

[bobbittle]

Additionally, guns set up for 45 Super require 1) heavier recoil springs, 2)
modified barrel/chamber to more fully support the case to prevent a catastrophic
blowout of the case and 3) a modified/strengthened firing pin and firing pin
channel to prevent the primer from blowing back into the firing pin channel.

This slightly contradicts what I've been reading about it. But perhaps those doing what they're doing are doing so in a non-safe manner. But it basically boiled down to simply replacing both the recoil and the firing pin spring, and most likely the magazine spring to heavier models. Somewhere in the 28# range for the recoil spring. No other modifications.

 

[melensdad]

Well there are gunsmiths that specialize in converting guns to the 45 Super, they actually sell conversion kits and full guns. Commonly modified guns are the 1911, Glock and some S&W guns. Not all require a new barrel, but the 28# recoil spring seems light, my data shows that 32 to 34 pounds is more appropriate.

I'm sure there are plenty of armchair gunsmiths offering opinions on what is safe, but I'd be checking with folks like Buffalo Bore and Ace Customs pistolsmiths.

Honestly I'm probably not the best source for 45 Super information, I'm a 451 Detonics guy, the 45 Super is made by cutting down the 451 case to standard 45 acp dimensions.

Why not simply do a 460 Rowland conversion? Its basically a more modern take on the 451 Detonics and ammo and conversion kits are available.