.45 Super

Infobox Firearm Cartridge
name=.45 Super


caption=
origin=United States
type=Pistol
service=
used_by=
wars=
designer=Dean Grennell
design_date=1988
manufacturer=
production_date=1988—
number=
variants=
is_SI_specs=
parent=.451 Detonics
case type=Rimless, straight
bullet=.451
neck=.473
shoulder=
base=.476
rim_dia=.480
rim_thick=.049
case_length=.898
length=1.275
rifling=
primer=Large pistol
is_SI_ballistics=
bw1=185
btype1=FMC
vel1=1400
en1=805
bw2=200
btype2=FMC
vel2=1200
en2=639
bw3=230
btype3=FMC
vel3=1100
en3=618
bw4=
btype4=
vel4=
en4=
bw5=
btype5=
vel5=
en5=
test_barrel_length=
balsrc= Notpufect website [http://www.notpurfect.com/main/45cart.htm ".45 Automatic"] Notpurfect website. Accessed February 25 2008.] The .45 Super is a smokeless powder center fire metallic firearm cartridge developed in 1988 by Dean Grennell, a well known writer in the firearms field as well as managing editor of Gun World magazine. [http://www.handgunsmag.com/ammunition/1911_hot_rods/index1 "1911 Hot Rods"] Handguns Magazine website. Accessed March 11 2008.] [http://www.acecustom45s.com/45super.htm "VERSATILITY AND POWER THE ‘45SUPER’® CONCEPT"] Ace Custom .45s website Accessed March 11 2008.] Born of a desire to update and improve the 1906 era .45 ACP, the .45 Super cartridge is dimensionally identical with the older .45 round, but offers an average 300 foot per second (ft/s) improvement in muzzle velocity. [http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1630240 ".45 Super"] Everything Development Company website. Accessed March 11 2008.]

Development history

The respected .45 ACP chambering has remained popular throughout its nearly 100 year history; many authorities in the firearms field believe it to be one of the finest examples of the handgun ammunition genre ever developed. Even so, weaponry aficionados have always displayed a fascination with the concept of firearm and cartridge modernization and improvement, in the case of ammunition usually involving additional velocity and muzzle energy. Though it has performed well for many years and is well liked, even the venerable .45 ACP has not proven to be immune from this aspiration.

In 1988 a Gun World magazine article detailed the efforts of staff editor Grennell to update the .45 ACP for the 21st Century, a difficult endeavor due to the inherent design limitations of the veteran round. Introduced in the early 20th century, the .45 ACP has a relatively large case capacity which was dictated by the relatively low pressure powders in use at the time of its development; as a result, it operates in the modest range of 19,900 – 22,000 Copper units of pressure (CUP). In contrast, current day cartridges using modern nitrocellulose powders generating higher pressure can produce a CUP in the 28,000 – 39,000 range. As it was originally designed for lower pressures, the .45 ACP has relatively thin walls and weak case head and web specifications; it can’t reliably contain increased pressures. The layout of most M1911 pistol's chambers presents yet another challenge in that the case head is not fully supported in the cartridge feed ramp area; pushing the envelope in this critical area with too much pressure risks a catastrophic failure, resulting in a case bursting in the chamber. To rule out such a dangerous possibility, Grennell chose to use brass formed from the stronger and more modern .451 Detonics chambering, shortened to the overall length of the .45 ACP design. Support for the case head was also addressed by adopting a new chamber and barrel design which reinforces the base area of the case. Other areas of the model 1911 pistol design were also strengthened, including the addition of a heavier recoil spring and a strengthened firing pin redesigned to prevent primer material from flowing into the firing pin channel under high chamber pressures. Only one manufacturer: Heckler & Koch offers models such as the Heckler & Koch USP and Heckler & Koch HK45 rated to fire .45 Super ‘right out of the box’.. Springfield Armory offers the XD that fire +P ammunition without any changes. Although they will chamber, the firing of .45 Super rounds in non-rated standard .45 ACP automatics is not recommended, as doing so risks a case failure in the unsupported chamber and at the very least would batter the slide and almost certainly shorten the life of the pistol. [http://www.starlinebrass.com/descriptions.html "Starline Product Information & Descriptions"] Starline Brass website. Accessed March 11 2008.]

Ballistics

A number of bullet weight and velocity combinations are offered in .45 Super, including a convert|185|gr|g|sing=on bullet propelled at 1,300 ft/s, a convert|200|gr|g|sing=on at 1,200 ft/s, and a convert|230|gr|g|sing=on at 1,100 ft/s.

Current status

Texas based Starline Brass company eventually began marketing factory manufactured brass casings for the chambering, taking the round out of the obscure wildcat cartridge realm. In addition, Ace Custom .45’s Inc. of Cleveland, Texas trademarked the .45 Super name in 1994 and currently markets factory .45 Super pistols, as well as gunsmith adaptations of .45 ACP pistols, and .45 ACP conversion kits. Texas Ammunition offers factory loaded ammunition which is marketed by Ace Customs and others.

ee also

*List of handgun cartridges

References