Shot some .45 super today!

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HighValleyRanch

New member
My brother loaded some with power pistol powder. The 230 grain chronoed at around 1080, and so did the 200 grain. So not max loads. Works out to around 590 me ft. lbs. Almost like .357 magnum territory.

I was shooting out of my converted glock 21c with a Stormlake fully support, uncompensated barrel and a 20 pound non captured spring, stock magazine.
Loud report, but recoil felt fully under control, and nice and stout, but not unmanageable, did some double taps.
Really liked the power and the glock handled the load flawlessly with the higher power recoil spring.
He had a glock 21 as well and there were no malfunctions. The bullets were hollow points, but didn't ask which ones.
He was using new starline brass which landed about 14 feet away!
 
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jonnyc

New member
I load .45 Super for a re-barreled No.4 Lee-Enfield I built. Nice loading, if your gun can take it.
 
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RickB

New member
I got 230s up to 1175fps out of a six-inch gun, which still isn't quite full power.
Ramshot Enforcer didn't work very well, hardly exceeding 1000fps even with full loads, but AA #7 was nice and linear, no spikes or weirdness as the loads got progressively hotter.
 
C

COSteve

New member
As I mentioned in another thread, I've got a G20/21L I developed in 2004 with a Jarvis 6" .45 barrel and I shoot 45 Super through it. Nothing crazy as I don't want a muzzle brake needed to get the full power, but I've got some 200grn loads that do 1,307fps producing 758ft/lbs of muzzle energy.

While that's good, it's recoil is over the limit of what I'm comfortable with as far as battering the frame of my pistol even with a 24# spring so I just don't feel right using it and have only fired 15rds. In addition, while impressive compared to a .45acp, the performance isn't anything to brag about compared to my 10mm loads.

Out of the same pistol but different barrel and mags, at the same range, on the same day as my chrono results above, I also ran my 165 and 180grn 10mm loads through my G20/21L. Both of my hottest loads in those bullet weights produce a strong push rather than the 45 Super's strong jolt and battering with much lower muzzle rise and follow-up shots much more easy.

Best of all, the chrono performance was also much better. My 165grn hottest load produces an eye popping 1,589fps producing 925ft/lbs of muzzle energy while my 180 grn hot load produces 1,479fps producing 874ft/lbs of muzzle energy.

The 10mm produces a less punishing recoil with higher velocities and considerably more muzzle energy, all without the need for a muzzle brake. That's why in the 16 years since I developed it, my G20/21L has fired over 9,000rds of hot 10mm and only 15rds of decently hot 45 Super.
 
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Big Shrek

New member
If you want something that can handle a steady diet of full power 45-Super loads...
look no further than the Star Megastar 45...if you can find one ;)
14 rounds of BOOM! per mag.

BTW, if you need new springs, or want better ones...
simply use 1911 springs. I've got WC's in mine.

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Staff
Don't take this wrong, fellas, but for me the .45 Super is just....yawn.....
And the 10mm is a ..yawn...with a smaller bore size...
:rolleyes:

Wake me up when you get that 230gr to 1500fps, then it gets interesting. :D
 
T

TruthTellers

New member
I can't imagine there are any hollow points made to handle .45 Super velocities and solid bullets probably do very little more than what 10mm does.

It doesn't help that I have never found a .45 Super case at the range, nor any ammo at a local store. 10mm I'm able to pick up for $21 a box, cheaper than 9mm right now in 2020.

I don't see .45 Super ever becoming a thing, but 10mm's resurgence continues.

The only benefit is if someone has a .45 that can handle .45 Super, it's a simple barrel and recoil spring change.
 
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Ruger45LC

New member
I had a .45 super setup using a Glock 21 Gen4 with a KKM 4 port comp. I had the barrel throat extended just a little so that I could play with the more blunt revolver style bullets that run from about 250-300gr and up without having to sacrifice OAL in order to get them to work.

It was a nice setup and very powerful, I found that Longshot, 800x and Power Pistol were the best powders to use. From that setup I ran anything from a 185gr @ 1600 fps, to a 250gr @ 1300 fps to a 300gr hardcast at almost 1100 fps. I will say that you need a compensator to run the hot stuff but for mid range stuff you could probably do without one, but you will always need a fully supported barrel.

It's quite a powerful round, way more powerful than 10mm. Power Pistol doesn't give the velocity of 800x and Longshot but it's a very good choice and one I settled on as a favorite because, again while it doesn't give max velocity, it does put a lot of loads in what I call the sweet spot, meaning powerful but not so much that it's pushing the limits.

I think I still have a few pictures of it all.

The gun:
5Z2WcwK.jpg


Target with said gun
Xx1bHzv.jpg


250gr Nosler
iY33SOz.jpg


250gr Gold Dot (one too fast, the mushroomed one only holds up to about 1100 fps)
Q27ww.jpg


250gr XTP (somewhere north of 1250 fps)
zOUVIDO.jpg


300gr hardcast
dBSC7E0.jpg


Compared to 10mm
PQma17h.jpg
 
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RickB

New member
Way, WAY hotter than .45 Super; more like .460 Rowland in a short case.
230@1200 is full power .45 Super.
 
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