optimal barrel length for 45 ACP

[45LCshoooter]

I seem to recall an old American Rifleman article where 45 ACP ammo was fired from a long barrel that was progressively cut shorter and shorter. I am fairly certain that velocities had begun to diminish in some brands with the heavier bullets by 16 inches, but i forget what was concluded to be optimal. I'm only concerned with factory loads, as i have a 45 Colt for hotter applications.

[Oldshooter]

Here is a Question for ya, How long a barrel could a fellow put on a semi auto 45 and it still cycle correctly. Follow up.... Is there any correlation to barrel length and ability to cycle? 

[hillbill]

Here is a Question for ya, How long a barrel could a fellow put on a semi auto 45 and it still cycle correctly. Follow up.... Is there any correlation to barrel length and ability to cycle? 

that is a very good question ive never heard posed before.?or seen any example of.why not a long slide 45 auto with a barrel protrudeing 3-5 inches beyond the slide?ive seen tons of weird guns but not that. sumone must of made one?

[45LCshoooter]

I would guess that is also a matter of the mass of the long barrel since that is an opperation of the recoil impulse. Curious, but not exactly what i want to know. It is curious, however.

In regards to a single shot firearm, what would be the optimal length barrel for a 45 ACP?

[EdK]

If the curve produced by chopping the barrel an inch at a time had an inflection point then you would have an answer. While I have not done this I do not expect you will find an answer by doing so.

[Oldshooter]

I'm no xpert by any means but I would think that somewhere between 5 " and 18 " would be optimum(as far as energy and velocity are concerned), my guess. I'd love to have a  8 inch barrel on my G 21, but I'd want the sight radius to go out a little also.

[blhof]

Sportsmans Guide sold 45 carbine kits for the 1911 and they worked fine, but they fell in disfavor as legally you can convert to a rifle, but it's illegal to convert it back, at least that was the discussion in another forum.  The kit came with a 16" barrel and they cycled fine with the 1911 slide, a very good friend had one and it worked great, he never chronyed it though.

[shot1]

I was just going to mention those carbine kits. The barrel stuck out the end of the slide 11 inches.

[alan in ga]

I just ordered a 25" x 1.25" 45 ACP barrel from Green Mountain. Going to make a 45 CB cap gun [45 ACP] out of my Ruger 77 Mark II switch barrel rifle. Currently it's a .250 Savage Ackley Improved and in a walnut factory stock. Got a laminated 77 Target stock with the forearm opened up ready to recieve the new barreled action. Single feed of course but this will be fun. Wanted to do this ever since I read of an Argentine Mauser rifle barreled to 45 ACP in RIFLE magazine years ago. He called it the "Plunker".
I've got a chronograph so I'll let you know what velocity I get out of a 22" final length barrel. Might get 24" after cutting some muzzle off which is usually recommended by the barrel makers.

[alan in ga]

I was just going to mention those carbine kits. The barrel stuck out the end of the slide 11 inches.

A gunsmith friend has one of those 16" 1911 barrels and lent it to me. The barrel bushing on my 1991 Colt did not fit the 16" barrel so I gave it back to him. I wanted to try that but just did not have the right barrel bushing.