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1911 .45 acp to .45 super conversion

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  • vgoodson91

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    Nov 28, 2013
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    Ok guys I need some insight. I have recently moved into the world of 1911's and am now totally infatuated with them. The accuracy of my pistol has made me want to wander into the realm of handgun hunting.

    Now before someone goes off on a tangent about there being so many better caliber choices, I am very well aware of that. However, I have dispatched "many" animals with calibers much smaller and am very confident in myself as a marksman. I have been hunting my entire life and I understand shot placement, and effectiveness of calibers at various ranges. I don't need anyone telling me that I can't do something or that I shouldn't due to ethics, etc. I'm looking for helpful advice and knowledge.

    With that out of the way, what I am looking to do is change the internals of my 1911 to safely handle .45 super loads in order to have more muzzle velocity and pounds of energy to more effectively harvest game up to deer and hog size.

    I am relatively new to the 1911 platform so I don't understand 100% of the internal workings. I have completely stripped my gun and have looked it all over but am not familiar with the technical names of each piece. From what I have read, i understand that I will need to change out the recoil spring for a heavier spring. I have also read about an EGW non-radiused firing pin stop, heavy duty firing pin spring, and a recoil buffer.

    I have also seen people say that they have run .45 super loads through their stock 1911 with no problems. I'm a preventative maintenance guy myself and I would prefer to add all of the necessary pieces to minimize wear and tear on my gun. However I would like to still be able to cycle standard .45acp rounds as well.

    Now like I said I'm new to the 1911 so I don't understand much about the internals, so you may have to dumb it down for me but I'm hoping someone can post their experience of this conversion and with the .45 super cartridge to help me out.


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    vgoodson91

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    Nov 28, 2013
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    Yeah, I figured it's a long shot for someone to want to trade me. So I'm starting to look at other avenues to essentially achieve the same end product.


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    Texasjack

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    Your OP makes me scratch my head a bit. You say you don't know how the 1911 works or what the names of the parts are, but you're ready to do your own gunsmithing on it? Hmmmm.

    You might try talking to the folks at Ace Custom .45s (https://asaphost.com/acecustom45/orderform.htm), as they have a business doing this conversion.

    Personally, I think the .45 ACP has plenty of horsepower. It provides consistent results on both ends. High power doesn't give you better accuracy or significantly better impact. It does give you more recoil, and it will cost you more $$$ to shoot.
     

    gdouthit

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    45 super doesn't have much over 45+P ammo. If your wanting a little more power go with a 40 super. Necked down 45 acp case to 40 (similar to the 357sig). All you need is a new barrel and stronger recoil spring. Just swap barrel and spring to go back and forth between 45 and 40 super.
     

    vgoodson91

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    Nov 28, 2013
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    Texasjack, I catch on to things very quickly. That was part of my whole goal of this post, to have some of the internals explained to become more familiar. As far as gun smithing, this is part I'm not worried about, I do all of the work on my own guns. I asked because I wanted to have some guidance instead of just jumping into it head first.

    On the other hand, I originally felt the same as you. I had plenty of confidence in the .45 ACP round for deer and hogs. But the more that I have browsed and read through forums and such, the more I become persuaded by the critics that it does not have enough punch. I also understand that upping the power will potentially decrease accuracy. So do you think that the increased knock down power is worth the decreased accuracy? I'm looking for all opinions. I'm not dead set on this conversion. This is an educational thread for me to learn about 45 super and similar calibers in the 1911 platform to see if a conversion is worth the hassle or if I should just stick with the ACP.


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    Bozz10mm

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    VGoodson, before you try converting to 45 Super, go to Underwood ammo and order a box of their 45 auto +P. Your 1911 should be able to handle that without any modifications. They have a 230gr rated at 1000fps. That is only 100 fps slower than their 45 Super. Underwood is excellent ammo and their claimed fps meets or exceeds actual velocity.

    You might find that just the Underwood ammo would be sufficient to meet your hunting needs. It's strong stuff. Prices are very reasonable when compared to Corbon, Buffalo Bore, or Double Tap, and the shipping on 2 boxes (100 rounds) runs me only $7.00. I think they have a coupon code for the rest of December: Bigbuck5, for 5% off.
     
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    Charlie

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    "Upping" the power may or may not decrease (or increase) accuracy. Lowering the power may or may not decrease (or increase) accuracy. It's all about what you load to give the best accuracy. That's why we hand loaders load all the different recipes to see what powder, bullet, case, primer, etc. that a particular, individual gun "likes".
     

    vgoodson91

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    Nov 28, 2013
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    VGoodson, before you try converting to 45 Super, go to Underwood ammo and order a box of their 45 auto +P. Your 1911 should be able to handle that without any modifications. They have a 230gr rated at 1000fps. That is only 100 fps slower than their 45 Super. Underwood is excellent ammo and their claimed fps meets or exceeds actual velocity.

    You might find that just the Underwood ammo would be sufficient to meet your hunting needs. It's strong stuff. Prices are very reasonable when compared to Corbon, Buffalo Bore, or Double Tap, and the shipping on 2 boxes (100 rounds) runs me only $7.00. I think they have a coupon code for the rest of December: Bigbuck5, for 5% off.

    I have been looking at their stuff. I was actually going to use them if I went the 45 super route as well.


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    Andy

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    Sep 13, 2013
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    See if you can find a copy of "The Colt .45 Automatic: A Shop Manual - Volume 1" by Jerry Kuhnhausen.

    It has a LOT of high-quality images of the parts and their relationship to one another and how to fit/fix/repair them.
     

    Paul5388

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    Feb 17, 2013
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    There isn't really a need for exotic parts other than springs and buffers. The super is only a 28,000 psi cartridge and while it uses its own head stamp, it's dimensionally the same as the acp brass is. I load these .45 Supers with 270 gr bullets at 960 fps and don't use them in a 1911.
    abb.sized.jpg


    They do well in a M625 S&W, if I need that much out of a .45, but I also have a M629 that might create less problems in watching what I'm feeding a 1911.
     

    Andy

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    The super is only a 28,000 psi cartridge and while it uses its own head stamp, it's dimensionally the same as the acp brass is.

    Externally the same dimensions, perhaps, but from my own reading the web is a lot thicker in a .45 Super case:

    .45 ACP and .45 ACP +P brass cannot be loaded to .45 Super® levels. The .45 Super® case is of special design and thickness, made to withstand the additional pressure in a standard .45 ACP chamber. Always check for the .45 Super® head stamp on a case before handloading to Super specs. Loading standard or +P .45 brass to .45 Super® levels most likely will result in total cartridge case and firearm failure, with the potential for grave personal injury.


    From Starline Brass: 45 Super* is the same externally as the 45 Auto, but has a thicker web, denser grain structure in the metal, and special heat treat process that enhances the durability of the case.
     
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