Anyone own a .45 Super yet?

CobraGT

CobraGT

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I have an old Para-Ordnance 14-45 with a Colt slide, converted to fire .45Super ammo. I've only fired .45ACP +P through it so far, but I finally got a bunch of .45Super brass in from Starline. Can't wait to try it! Just wondering whether anyone else has converted a 1911 for .45 Super (or .45-08, for that matter), and what their experience has been?? What mods did you have to do to your gun to run hot .45Super or .45-08 through it? Mine's got heavier springs, full-length guide rod, and a few other mods.

If you don't know much about .45Super, check this out: http://www.realguns.com/archives/020.htm

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i believe gunnar made some guns in 45-08 for people to use as bear protection but im not 100% on it.

the 460 rowland conversion seemed interesting to me
 
I had one & also a .400 Corbon barrel . You probably know that the .45 ACP is limited to about 20,000 lbs of pressure because of the relatively thin brass at the base. In a regular 1911 the base is not supported because there is a small portion of the bottom back of the chamber that is not there. The gun is strong but the brass will let go with hot lots.

So years ago the .45 concept came to be by Dean Grennel by converting .451 detonics brass which is thicker & stronger. You can go to 35,000 lbs ( or more ) safely.

However the recoil spring should be upgraded to minimum 20 lbs ( I used 24 lbs ) and also the firing pin spring needs to be replaced with a stronger one to prevent slam fires.

A word of caution. 45 Super brass will fit into a regular .45 barrel & gun. Mark your 45 super loads somehow to make sure that this doesn't happen otherwise the regular gun will probably let go.
 
I modified a Colt Double Eagle for .45 Super usage by installing an extra heavy 28 lb recoil spring, stronger firing pin spring, and stronger magazine spring. This combo worked fine with my .45 Super reloads.
Mark your 45 super loads somehow to make sure that this doesn't happen otherwise the regular gun will probably let go.
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All modern .45 ACP barrels are well within the pressure capability of .45 Super loads, they will not fail at these levels. 45 Super brass has a taller web height and marginally more wall thickness near the web to prevent CASE rupture in aggessively ramped barrels that do not provide full case support back to the web.
 
A friend of mine who is a prospector has a 45-08. It really has a lot of recoil but is great for what it is intended for according to him. As I recall it had a 28 lb spring with synthetic recoil buffers. It was actually based on a Norinco frame.
 
I've been doing some research on this as well. I've come to the conclusion that a commander size 1911 with a double stack 10 round mag and a 5 inch threaded barrel and compensator combo would be ideal for super ammo. I've also come to the conclusion that if you're going to do this it's best to plan it out before you buy your gun as after market parts (especially proprietary barrel designs longer than 5 inches if you have a government size slide) can be impossible to get and / or very expensive. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong here.

I've heard there's no real point of putting a comp on a 45 as the bullet velocity is too low to really make much difference, but with the higher super speeds it can help. How's the kick? I guess you don't really need a comp, but I've never tried it. Anyone have any experience with this?

How would you install a stronger firing pin spring on a para LDA model?

Would you be OK to shoot it with a stiffer recoil spring as the only change? Does the slide still cycle with regular ammo?

Hey CobraGT, where did you get the +P ammo? I've asked at a couple of stores if they had it and they all looked at me funny.

Good luck with your project, I'd be interested to hear what your impressions are after you've fired a few rounds of the super.
 
45-08 shooting 45acp

The only time I shot a 45-08, we shot mostly 45acp hardball ammo. It seemed to work fine. Shooting the actual 45-08 without a comp would be great for emptying on a big bear that was way too close. It's high pressure enough that I'm sure a comp would help. It actually helps a little with recoil in regular .45acp loads with lighter bullets. Up until about 8 years ago it was common to see 1911 45's with comps being used in IPSC. Most have now switched to 38 super or something similiar.
 
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