Which 1911 frame for 460 Rowland conversion

[chandne]

I was thinking of getting an inexpensive steel blued 1911 frame and dropping in a 460 Rowland conversion as a woods protection gun when hiking and fishing in the CO backcountry.

Which frame do I consider? It should be steel and blued with carbon steel; no stainless. It should also be reliable, though pinpoint range accuracy is not needed. It will be a last-resort, close-quarter gun after bear spray and kung-fu fails to scare it off.

What do you guys think? Let's not debate the need for a bigger gun. I am not carrying a rifle or shotgun (or 454 Casull that I will only get one shot from before I am deaf, blind, and armless...all BEFORE the bear gets to me). I'll take my chances with this 460 Rowland and a triple-threat of Samurai swords, along with some impressive kung-fu moves that could possibly put a bear to sleep...literally, and from boredom or laughter.

Thanks!

 

[Kerf]

I have a .460 Rowland from Clark w/ compensator, on a standard Kimber blued frame. Everything works well, accuracy wise, and function wise; a very good product I would recommend. I doubt you will find that anyone 1911 steel frame is notably stronger than any other. (Correct me if I'm wrong.)

But, (there's always a but), there are a few caveats though:

1) It doesn't come with training wheels. By that I mean, if you don't know how to shoot a pistol, the 460 isn't the gun to learn with. Of course, you could always go back to the 45 acp and practice on that. You would, of course, be much better off learning with a .38 Special or .22 long rifle and working up from there.

2) the 1911 frame is overwhelmed by this cartridge; it's not really designed for a cartridge of this magnitude. By that I mean, the first time I fired it, by the third shot I thought I could feel blood running down from my hand. I finished firing the full magazine and no, there wasn't any blood. So, it is somewhat uncomfortable to shoot.
Even with the heavy recoil springs provided, the 1911 platform is taking a heck of a battering with this cartridge. Some of the other members more astute in the workings of the 1911 could chime in on this, but I'm thinking the barrel/frame lugs that lock up when in battery, would take a considerable beating getting there and out. And, the frame itself, during recoil has to be taking a good battering, for which it's not really designed.

I am a fan of the .460 Rowland; I think it's a great improvement over the 45 acp. I like the idea of having a 10 shot .44 Magnum over a six shot version. I just don't think putting 10,000 of those rounds through a 1911 is a good idea.

I've always had it in the back of my mind to have a heavy duty Ruger revolver in .460 Rowland, and that way you could actually utilize that extra 1/10" capacity designed into the case. That extra case capacity would really take the cartridge into the realm of the magnum, which is pretty much wasted in the 1911.

Hope this is helpful,

kerf

 

[1911Tuner]

It's not the frame that you should be concerned with. The frame is a gun mount. Focus your attention instead on the slide, and achieving a good barrel fit with full vertical and horizontal lug engagement.

 

[mesinge2]

You can buy the whole gun made by Clark Custom with the kit already installed: http://www.clarkcustomguns.com/rowlandkimber.htm

 

[451 Detonics]

I shoot the round but it is in a S&W 625, in the revolver it is very easy to manage. I also have a 451 Detonics conversion for the 1911 and it is fairly stout. If I were building a 1911 for the round I would start with a Caspian Frame.

 

[Steve C]

If you go to Clarks website and read the FAQ's on this page http://www.clarkcustomguns.com/rowland.htm#faq there is a list of both recommended guns and those not recommended for the .460 Rowland conversion.

 

[Dimis]

I say just rely on the kung fu lol

 

[dtsdave]

My conversion is on a dan wesson PM-7. Stainless but I call Clark Custom before buying and confirmed that there would be no problems.

 

[Get R Done Guns]

Really not a bad deal for the converted Kimber. I am sure they stand behind their work also. Should shoot pretty good through the Kimber and a Custom barrel.

 

[chandne]

I'm pretty impressed by all the info you guys have provided. I was not looking at this correctly. So I need to focus on the slide and the fit, as well as spend some time on Clarkscustomguns. I have also heard of the Caspian frames but do not know much about them yet. I also did not know that a revolver could be converted to fire this round. Time to do some heavier research.

 

[451 Detonics]

All you have to do is send the cylinder to Clark and he will lengthen the chambers in it for the round. Can be done on any of the 45 acp revolvers. My 625 will shoot all of these now...

 

[CAR-AR]

I was really interested in the 460 Rowland but a buddy of mine asked why I was going to to buy another 1911A to build a 44mag that will have a shortened frame/slide life when already have a DE.

I gotta think about that.