460 Rowland conversion: which gun?

[Elkins45]

Let's start this conversation with the assumption I'm going to convert a 45 ACP handgun to 460 Rowland, and that I'm going to do it by ordering the conversion from Rowland or Brownell's. I point that out to hopefully cut down on people telling me to just get a revolver and to establish that I'm not going to buy a reamer and bubba it myself.

Assuming I have or can acquire the following 45 pistols, which would be the best choice for the conversion and why?

Springfield Armory 1911 made in the late 80's
ParaOrdinance LDA 7.45 (steel frame single stack)
Glock 21
Springfield Armory XD Tactical (5 inch)

Your thoughts?

 

[RX-178]

Okay, OP probably knows this, but other people getting in on this thread might not know this so let me first describe what the .460 Rowland is a bit.

A .460 Rowland is basically what you get when you take a .45 ACP round, and almost double the chamber pressure (40k PSI vs the 21k PSI of a .45 ACP). Ballistically, in a pistol-length barrel, the .460 Rowland equals or surpasses the muzzle energy of a .44 magnum. I specify a pistol-length barrel, because while the .44 magnum round continues to up its muzzle velocity in longer barrels, the .460 Rowland doesn't.

With that out of the way now, I would probably avoid the 1911s for this purpose. When the .460 conversion is applied to a 1911, you need to put the compensator on the barrel, and in this case, it's not for recoil, it's to slow the slide down. Now that just gives me the impression that this round is going to beat the h3ll out of a 1911. Plus, you don't really get all of the benefits of the .460 Rowland in a single stack 1911.

Now I'm pretty sure I remember seeing .460 Rowland kits for the Glock, AND the Springfield XD that use an extended, ported barrel instead of a compensator, which makes me think that the polymer frames of these guns can withstand the stresses of firing these rounds better than the 1911 can. It's up to you which of the two you prefer, but I will point out that the .460 rowland will work just fine in those Kriss Super V mags...

 

[g_one]

+1 for RX's post. I'm not a 'purist' by most definitions but I hate the way a big rowland compensator looks on the end of a 1911 - just makes it ugly. I would strongly recommend going with whichever out of the Glock and XD fits in your hands the best.

 

[ghitch75]

it might be ugly but i like the way it runs!!!....whats wrong with single stack?....you should only need one shot...

 

[dtsdave]

I like it in a 1911. This is my Dan Wesson with the Clark Custom Kit.


And here is 9 Rounds at 35'

 

[stoney1666]

I have only shoot .45 ACP out of mine on a 1911, its very accurate. I have 100 un-fired .460 brass and have desided to sell it to start another project.

 

[Silent Sam]

A lot of misinformation here. The 460 Rowland was developed to give near 44 Magnum power in a 1911. The original spec on 44 Mag was 240gr bullet @ 1200 fps. The Rowland will do a 230gr bullet at 1300 fps out of a 1911. Obviously the 44 Mag can be loaded a lot hotter. If you shoot a 460 Rowland in a carbine length barrel you will get a significant increase in velocity. I don't know what "benefits" you don't get with a single stack 1911 as the round was originally developed for single stack 1911s. Making a determination on gun strength based on the use of an extended ported barrel or a compensated barrel is folly. If you do a little investigation you will find out that the reason for porting vs compensating has nothing to do with strength or durability. The compensator (or some politically correct substitute) is required for the 460. It reduces slide speed (along w/ a heavier spring set), it reduces felt recoil, and it reduces muzzle flip. The "ported" barrels are there for the same reasons although they are not as effective. The issue with converting a 1911 is, is it made of quality properly heat treated steel and dimensionally correct. If you plan on using a "drop in" kit you must choose from the available choices. Not all 1911s were and are created equal.
Good info here:http://www.clarkcustomguns.com/
They probably make the kit you can buy elsewhere. If you buy their drop-in and it doesn't fit, they will fit it free.