+P Ammunition

Is it safe to use +P ammunition (45 ACP) in most 1911's and Glock pistols? Would there be any long term negative affect?

like everything 'its the dose that makes the poison'.

so first it all depends on volume. Every 45 on the market could probably shoot a few rounds of +p with no ill effects. if you want to shoot a lot you will increase wear for sure, but some guns are definitely designed to handle a steadier diet of heavy loads (have stronger forged frames etc). You can also mod the guns to a certain degree (buffers, heavier springs).

Clark custom who make the 460 roland conversion (a very stout 45+p+ round), lists the frames that are strong enough to handle that round so that is not a bad place to look if you want to rate some 1911s.

Glock 21 is a very robust platform.
 
If the plan is to shoot it steadily your best option is to use a slightly stiffer recoil spring. The stock spring can only be rated for a modest variation in ammo power. Too stiff and the weak stuff won't cycle correctly and the slide won't lock back at the last shot. But if it's weak enough to allow the gun to operate with the weaker ammo then the +P is certainly going to over run the recoil spring and the result is a hard bump of the slide against the slide. And that's going to result in broken barrel lugs or a cracked frame.

So for a few it's fine. For regular use select as stiff a recoil spring as you can get away with that still allows an energetic ejection and ensures locking on the last round fired.

Another option is a recoil spring that works well with regular ammo and a soft plastic buffer that takes the shock of the over run with the stronger +P stuff. But here again if you're shooting a lot of +P you'll find you need to check and replace the buffer frequently.
 
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