.460 Rowland

[Holiday]

What do y'all think of the .460 Rowland conversion? Is this catridge to stought for the 1911? I have an older Springfield Armory, pre-94.

[Mikey]

Holiday - kin we call ya Doc - the 460 Rowland is a marketted conversion for the 1911.  Your pre-94 Springfield should be strong enough to handle that conversion without problem.

I am not certain yet if the 460 requires a supported chamber, which would require the frame being worked to accomodate that barrel.  

Like any hot conversion for the 1911, you would want to look deeply into heavy duty recoil springs and recoil buffers (not those leedle plastic ones, but rather the mechanical ones which may require a thicker spring retaining cap), and possibly even a compensator to slow down the slide during recoil.  

I udnerstand the 460 is a stout cartridge altogether but doubt your pre-94 Springfield would have trouble with it.  Mikey.

[Holiday]

Thanks for the info, Mikey. If I do this, I was planning on getting a barrel kit. they usually come with the beefed up springs. And as to the "Doc", half my friends call me Holiday, several call me Doc, some call me things better left unsaid.

[Mikey]

Holiday:  Got it.  Mikey.

[Henry Bowman]

Hello, my two centavos worth.
Mr Brownings platform was/is designed for ammunition in the 13K to 21K pressure range, the tipping barrel only stays in lockup a micro second no matter what weight springs are used and be aware that the increased recoil springs also add extra beating on the lower barrel feet when the slide slams home with 50% more power than designed.
Whether it's the .460 Rowland, .451 Detonics or the .45 Super in the 1911 the top loads are pushing 40K which will slowly but surely beat your pride and joy to death.
Never forget that 1911s will always
1 Eventually need the slide tightened
2 Shear the slide lock and the lower barrel lugs/feet
3 Crack the barrel bushing
4 Crack the FP stop
5 Stress crack the frame forward of the slide lock
Before I get screamed at, these failures are all inevitable BUT in normal use happen at between 50 and 100K rounds fired.
My point is simply, double the ammos pressure and at MINIMUM reduce the guns lifespan by one half.

[Mikey]

Henry:  Good points to remember.  Thanks.

[Holiday]

Hmmm, souns like I might ought to leave it alone. Thanks for the info!

[Mikey]

Holiday:  honestly, leaving it alone might be the best idea.  You don't get something for nothing and the wear and tear on your 1911 with a heavy conversion like that may wind up ruining your prized possession.  

For all they are worth, you don't get much more than what you've got from those conversions.  You can handload a 45 auto with a 230 grain ball or HP or SP out to about 900'/sec from a Govn't Model, and that's about all you might want a 1911 platform to go through.  If you want to go beyond that I would suggest a revolver and keep your 45 for personal and light field use.  

In addition, recoil is unpleasant.  Unless you have forearms the size of most men's thighs and wrists like an hillary klinton's ankles, the recoil you begin to notice fairly rapidly with those heavy conversions is also bang-a-ranging your frame.  Unless you can find a conversion, like the 400 CorBon, where you shoot a smaller, lighter bullet faster than the 45 does, and with less wear and tear on the gun, what you feel in recoil is about the same in terms of wear on your pistol.  

I know this is a bit of bad news but it is something I woudl want to be aware of if I was thinking of a conversion.  Mikey here.

[saands]

I only ask this because the 460 Rowland kit from Clark Custom comes with a ported barrel ... and it REALLY works at dissipating the recoil! I was AMAZED that the felt recoil from this conversion was WAY lighter than any load I've shot out of a 44MAG and honestly felt a lot like the hotter loads out of my HK USP40c ... I agree that a steady diet of 460 is likely to reduce the lifespan of the pistol, but very few people can afford the cost of that much ammo anyway :eek: I only have a couple hundred rounds out of my conversion and I only shoot it every once in a while, but I carry it in the woods and know that I have more behind me than I would with my 6" Smith in .357

I like it ... but I WOULD NOT do a conversion without the ported barrel ... IMHO the 460 is a much better thought out conversion than the 45Super that just adds a stiffer spring.

Saands

[Questor]

That's very interesting about the porting.  I corresponded with a guy who had one without the porting and didn't like it because it was no fun to shoot.

[Savage Tactical]

Hey Holiday, don't worry, this conversion might not be too ruff on your pistol. True that the orginal 1911 was built to handle pressures of the 45 acp in the 21K cup range, but over time many things have changed. Many companies have made 1911 models that shoot 9mm and 40 sw. Both of these are high pressure cartriages in the 35K cup range. I would contact springfield and the company that makes your conversion to see how much pressure they can take/make.