For some time now, I have been eyeballing the .460 Rowland round. However, having read about the old .451 Detonics Magnum, and the genesis of 45 Super in an old copy of Gun Digests' "Book Of The 45", I felt that this business of hot-roding a 1911 had never really been ironed out to my liking. Relying upon heavy springs invariably results in an unduly violent return-to-battery, and Shok-Buffs get chewed up. Additionally, the Rowland goes far beyond most 45 Super, into a realm where compensators are considered standard equipment. Finally, the Rowland chamber precludes proper headspacing of standard 45 Auto (just like the Detonics cartridge); the extractor should be up to the task of holding the round, but that is less than ideal. The last two points made me decide in favor of the Super. Next, my mind began to dream up various schemes for reducing the slide velocity, during the entire firing/feeding cycle. I might have come across a rather elegant solution.

First, I stumbled upon this product. Talking to its' inventor over the phone, it seemed perfect. Being intended primarily for the 460 Rowland, it should handle 45 Super very nicely. Of course, now that I am able to use a standard weight spring, I needed some other method of retarding the initial unlocking of my breech. Borrowing from the experience of countless others, I picked up a flat bottom firing pin stop. I don't have the equipment to precisely measure or machine a radius, but Wilson Combat offers one that is already radiused. Though it may not be the ideal angle, it makes a very noticeable difference.
So, on paper, this should work very well. I ordered the parts, and installed them in short order, with only minor fitting being required for the firing pin stop.
And now I have returned from firing my first 20 rounds of 45 Super. They were Underwood, 230 grain Hollow points at an advertised 1100fps. Muzzle flip was not appreciably greater than my standard 45 Auto reloads, with the additional recoil impulse being driven mostly straight back, into the web of my hand. An additional eighty rounds of my reloads (230 grains cast RN, at approximately 800 fps) cycled without a hitch, save for one magazine failing to lock back. That round could easily have contained a slightly lighter charge, as I have had some inconsistent powder drops with 700x, which is what I am using. The pistol is a bit dirty in these pictures, but here is the end product.

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The issue of the 1911's partial lack of chamber support was of some concern to me, but given that 45 Super brass was specifically designed to compensate for this deficiency, I decided to try it with my stock barrel. It is not my intention to push the limits of this round (which should, in theory, be capable of matching the Rowland), so I took a calculated risk. There is no observable bulging in any of the recovered brass at this point. If it ever becomes a problem, I will move to a ramped barrel.

I have not yet done any formal accuracy testing, but this seems to be a winning combination. Hopefully it is helpful for others who are on the quest for a bit more power.