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June 2007 No. 247Rifle Magazine Presents - HANDLOADER

Printed in USA0 74808 01240 4

0 6

$4.99US $5.99CAN

Bob Campbell

After 30 years of using OldUgly, I have to admit that

my preference for the1911 is not based com-

pletely upon performance. A senseof history and emotional attachmentare equally as important. The pistolis downright exciting at times.

There are those, however, who took the path ofimproving the .45 ACP to the nth degree, giving usfirst the .45 +P and later the powerful .45 Super. Irecall reading of a police agency in California thatwas among the first to adopt the 1911 autoloader,largely based upon Col. Jeff Cooper’s recommenda-tion. Cooper’s 1,100 fps, 200-grain semiwadcutter(SWC) loading was perfectly adequate, but the offi-cers loaded the .45 ACP case with 255-grain SWCsoriginally designed for the .45 Colt and used enoughpowder to nearly equal the original black-powderload. Many of the Colts were battered to death. Re-

coil spring and buffer technology may be more de-veloped today, but I took that lesson to heart.

The 1911’s attributes are appreciated by savvyhandgunners. It sits low in the hand, limiting muz-zle flip, since there is little leverage for the muzzleto rise. The controls are well placed, the manualsafety and grip safety are comfortable, and the trig-ger features a straight-to-the-rear compression thatcan be fine-tuned. The 1911 is a sharp contrast tothe various overlarge, bulky magnum autoloaders.These handguns are not as handy as a big-bore re-volver, while the 1911 arguably is a more efficientpackage.

The .45 Super is a good try at maximizing the1911. It is really a heavy loading, not a separate cal-iber. With modifications the 1911 can safely handlethe Super, although the pistol exhibits increased re-coil and the .45 Super is a standard .45 ACP in alldimensions. While the savvy handgunner will not

.460.460

58 Handloader 247www.handloadermagazine.com

With the Clark conversion installed, the High Stan-dard G Man remains a remarkably handsome 1911with good features.

A Hot Rod .45A Hot Rod .45

drop a Super load in a Llama orcombat Tupperware, the chanceexists.

Johnny Rowland of the Louisiana-based “Shooting Show” took thisinto account when envisioning a1911 pistol capable of delivering.44 Magnum performance. My im-pression is that while the .45Super was designed primarily asa defensive/service cartridge, the.460 is intended as an outdoors-

cartridge case is a premium,strengthened case manufacturedby Starline. The case is .963 inchlong, as opposed to .900 inch forthe .45 ACP. This prevents theRowland-designed cartridge fromchambering in a standard .45ACP. In order for the cartridge tofeed and function in a 1911 withstandard magazines, it is loadedto the same overall length as the.45 ACP. This takes some gettingused to in handloading, as deep

seating a bullet can lead tohigher pressure in the .45ACP case.

Put on your thinkingcap when loading thiscartridge. Even thoughthe case is longer thanthe .45 ACP, when we

deep seat the bullet, the powdercapacity comes out the same.Overall loaded length of eithercartridge is the same, 1.250 to1.275 inches. My experienceshows there is no room to playwith this OAL. A bit deeper andpressure could skyrocket; seatthe bullet out farther and it willnot fit in the magazine. We arenot deep seating a .45 ACP, weare using the proper seating de-signed into the .460 Rowland.Deep seating the bullet is per-fectly safe as long as the correctoverall length is used with an ap-propriate powder charge.

The cartridge is in some wayssimilar to the late George C.Nonte’s special short .38 Superused in “chopped and channeled”

man’s cartridge. With the help ofJim Clark Jr. of Clark CustomGunsmithing, the dream was re-alized. The .460 Rowland is quitea cartridge by any measure. Aquality 1911 can be modified tohandle a magnum-level cartridgesimply by adding a drop-in bar-rel, full-length guide rod and ap-propriate springs. Do not attemptthis conversion with a GI pistolor other economy handguns thatmay have been heat-treated in-differently. A good, tight, late-production Colt, Springfield orKimber is the best bet.

First things first: the cartridge,then the conversion. The .460Rowland is a lengthened .45 Au-tomatic Colt Pistol cartridge. The

ROWLANDROWLAND

June-July 2007 59www.handloadermagazine.com

The .460 Rowland conversion(bottom) results in a considerablylonger handgun than the standardGovernment model (top). There isno free lunch; the compensator isa necessary part of the conversion.

Handloader 247

9mm Smith & Wesson pistols.Load data is scant on the .460Rowland, which is why I beganthis project.

To convert an existing 1911 to.460 Rowland, all that is requiredis the Clark Custom Guns change-over. This consists of a barrel,barrel bushing, two-piece full-length guide rod, a heavy 24-pound W.C. Wolff gun spring,bushing and Allen wrenches. Thebarrel comes complete with alink, link pin and features a com-pensator. The addition of thecompensator changed my per-sonal 1911 from an 8.75 inch long

package to 10.3 inches. It will notfit most holsters, although a longfabric type or a belt slide stillworks fine.

There are two sizes on the con-version, depending on whetheryou have a standard (.445-inch)

or narrow (.375-inch) barrelhood. The hood clears a relief inthe slide, and you must consultClark for the proper specifica-tions. For installation, I first usedone of the pistols on the ap-proved list, a Springfield 1911A1.

The conversion is straightfor-ward, but a daunting part ispressing the heavy recoil springinto the action. My first conver-sion was accomplished by JimDunbar, a credible gunsmith wellfamiliar with the 1911. After theinitial break-in using a Spring-

field 1911A1, I was able to dropthe conversion into anotherSpringfield and a High StandardG Man without difficulty.

At this point I should admit tosome trepidation in approachingthe .460 Rowland. Simply byglancing at the ballistics and con-sidering the weight of the pistol,recoil would be in .44 Magnumterritory. A 40-ounce pistol sim-ply has to recoil greater than a50-ounce pistol when the lightergun is jolting a heavy bullet togreater velocity. I was concerned

60 www.handloadermagazine.com

.460ROWLAND.460ROWLAND

The .460 Rowlandis a lengthened

.45 Automatic ColtPistol cartridges.

The Springfield (top) is compared to a 4-inch barreled .44 Magnum.The 1911 is lighter, flatter and holds two more rounds.

The Clark conversion is seen above a Sarco Roto barrel. The .460 con-version is well made of good materials and gives fine accuracy.

The full-length guide rod mustbe tightened when installed forproper function. An Allen wrenchis supplied.


with wear and even damage.Pressure is one thing but momen-tum is what shears lugs and bat-ters frames. Jim Clark warns thatwear is certain to be increased,but he has taken the steps neces-sary to prevent damage and ex-cess wear to the handgun.

Few of us will fire thousands ofrounds of .460 Rowland. Know-

ing the 1911 as I do, the pistolshould take many more full-power cartridges without ill ef-fects than would be possible witha magnum revolver. The recipro-cating slide absorbs some of themomentum, the compensatormore. The relatively small chargesof faster-burning powder alsoproduce less recoil energy, andthe pressure works over a .451inch diameter bullet.

The pressure of the .460 Row-land is stated as 40,000 psi maxi-mum. This compares to a sedate21,000 psi for the .45 ACP, 23,000for the +P .45 load and 28,000 psifor the .45 Super. This puts the.460 in the same territory withsmallbore, high-pressure car-tridges such as the .357 SIG andthe .38 Super. Most of the loads Iworked up should be in the36,000- to 38,000-psi category,according to industry sources.But there is no guarantee! Usecareful loading practices, as myexperience is limited to a singleconversion barrel used on three

pistols, with less than 2,000rounds fired to date.

As it turned out, my fears con-cerning heavy recoil were ground-less. My metacarpals are fine.When I touched off the first .460Rowland, it was the GeorgiaArms personal defense 185-grain,1,400-fps load. I was so surprisedI double-checked the chrono-graph to be certain I was gettingmy money’s worth in velocity. Ihad a little extra. Recoil is in the.45 hardball range. The full-power, 185-grain load is in the .45+P recoil range, and the 230skick less than a .45 Super. Recoilis far less objectionable than a .44Magnum or even the much her-alded .41 Magnum. How? There isa reciprocating slide that absorbssome recoil, aided by an ultra-heavy recoil spring. But the maincomponent of the recoil reduc-tion system is the compensator.

The compensator works byredirecting gas. This retards muz-zle jump and to an extent rear-ward motion, but compensatorsare not very effective with stan-dard calibers such as the .45 ACP.

High-pressure numbers such asthe .38 Super can use a compen-sator to an advantage. The .460Rowland also produces tremen-dous pressure, so the compen-sator works well.

Without the compensator, recoil

There are two sizes on the conversion.

Top, a great addition to the GMan is Wilson Combat nightsights. The sight picture avoidstrapping shadows, letting plentyof light in and does not snag onclothing. Below, the clear, precisesight picture of the Wilson Com-bat sights fitted to Bob’s G Mangave excellent results in bothspeed and benchrest shooting.

The well-machinedClark compensatorproved a formidabletool in taming the .460Rowland cartridge.

Handloader 247

standard was met with .460 Row-land ammunition. On occasion,with the Clark Custom barrel, afour-shot cloverleaf was defacedwhen I pulled the next shot.

During initial familiarizationwith the .460 Rowland, I firedammunition from Georgia Armsand Chief AJ. The Chief AJ load-ings use the Remington GoldenSaber bullet, while the GeorgiaArms loads use Gold Dot bullets.I did not have to order a set ofdies for the .460; the RCBS .45ACP dies by Georgia Arms metfactory specifications, and I wasin business.

The same powders that givegood results in the .38 Superwork well in the .460 Rowland.Despite the length of the case,

the powder capacity is still in the.45 ACP class. Long Shot wasrecommended by Hodgdon andTrue Blue by Western’s BarbaraKneeland. Each gave fine re-sults. The case mouth is belledbut slightly during the loadingprocess, and the case has a goodgrip on the bullet. Only the slight-est taper crimp is applied. Evenlight bullets had excellent bulletpull. Unburned powder was nevera problem.

In approaching these high pres-sures – in a nonstandard cartridge– a small increase in powder canquickly drive pressures up. I hadthe distinct impression there waslittle incentive to challenge pub-

and momentum would be grim.Clark Custom Guns will not offera barrel without the compen-sator; it simply would not work.The majority of testing I haveconducted has been with theHigh Standard G Man pistol, atop-flight .45. With the factorybarrel, 25-yard, five-shot groupsof one to 3 inches are the normwith quality ammunition. This


Comparison Ballisticshandgun bullet velocity

(grains) (fps)

.45 ACP, 5-inch barrel 230 Winchester FMJ 845185 Cor-Bon +P 1,131

.460 Rowland, 5-inch barrel 185 defense load 1,425(fired with Georgia Arms ammo) 185 full-power 1,560

230 JHP 1,333.44 Magnum, 4-inch barrel 200 Fiocchi JHP 1,324

240 Hornady Custom JHP 1,258300 Black Hills JHP 1,107

Table I

Accuracy Resultsbullet velocity group

(grains) (fps) (inches)

High Standard G Man .45 ACP

230 Cor-BonPerformance Match 1.25

230 Fiocchi ball 2.00

.460 Rowland/High Standard G Man

185 Georgia Arms JHP(defense) 1,430 2.00

185 Georgia Arms JHP(full-power) 1,550 2.50

230 Georgia Arms JHP 1,350 1.90Notes: All five-shot groups fired at 25 yards,and velocity figures are the average for thosefive shots.

Table II

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.460ROWLAND.460ROWLAND

While the .460 may not be envi-sioned as a defense cartridge,a controllable pistol firing a1,400-fps, .45-caliber hollowpointwould get the attention of the ex-con criminal class. If you areafter light-skinned game orvarmints, the 185s are pleasantenough and accurate. The 200-grain bullets offer a better bal-ance, with the Hornady XTPproving especially accurate. The

lished maximum loads. I as-sumed after some break-in period.45 ACP loads may function inthe .460 conversion, but only thehottest +P loads will do so, permy experiments.

To begin, loads that are sensiblybelow the maximum will notfunction the action. The 1911 be-comes a manually operated hand-gun. At some point, the loads willreach a level that they will pressthe slide back just enough toleave the hammer at half-cock. Inthis regard, the caliber is not asversatile as a revolver. The re-volver will function with lightloads of 600 fps or so if desired.For lighter fare you will have torevert back to the .45 ACP barrelarrangement. On the other hand,with the 1911 format, we havethe option of using a Ceiner .22-caliber rimfire conversion unitthat functions perfectly. The ar-gument may be made for either; Iam glad to own both types ofhandguns. The .460 Rowland willappeal mainly to the 1911 manwho places this pistol on a totemabove all others.

The straight-walled .460 Row-land is as technically easy to loadas the .45 ACP. The only cautionis to observe rules applying tohigh-pressure cartridges. Thesubstitution of a bullet that seatsdeeper than another may drivepressure up wildly. Case expan-sion runs .478 to .479 inch, thesame as my .45 ACP +P loads.Still, this is a new cartridge of un-known properties and cautionmust be the rule. Begin 10 per-cent below listed charges anduse caution. Winchester LargePistol primers were used in allloadings.

I tested bullets of 185 to 260grains, largely out of habit withthe .45 ACP. As may be expected,expansion testing with the 185-grain loads was impressive. Jack-eted hollowpoints designed toexpand at 1,000 fps really upsetat 1,400 fps! More importantly forthe sporting handgunner, theywill show expansion even at 50to 75 yards.


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Handloader 247

performance, with the expansionit is renowned for. The XTPwould be ideal for deer-sizedgame.

The 240- and 260-grain bulletsdemand special care, as these areheavy-for-caliber bullets seateddeeply. When I discovered anumber of good loads, I ceasedto experiment – relieved and mycuriosity sated for the moment.Heavy bullet loads produce thehighest felt recoil I have experi-enced with a 1911. The pistol,however, was subjectively ascomfortable to fire as a 1911 withstandard .45 ACP loads, but byday’s end, wrists and elbows weremore sore than usual. The com-pensator only masks the recoilwhile momentum is cumulative.

Slide velocity is elevated, partic-ularly with the 230-grain loads.With the level of control exhib-ited with the Rowland cartridge,and the power delivered, thiswould be a great pin gun, with themuzzle simply staying on targetas you quickly snag bowling pins.

Muzzle blast is tremendous –not muzzle flash , which wasoften nonexistent. Be certain toalways use hearing protection. Ioften use plugs and muffs, anddon’t really notice the differencesin a handgun’s muzzle signature.This is an exception. The com-pensator does not direct gas intoyour face in the manner of aported Springfield V 10, as an ex-ample, but directs gas upwards.The .460 Rowland will blow dustoff the roof of the shooting shackand defoliate low hanging limbs!

Firing offhand at long range, itwas not difficult to connect withtargets at ridiculously long hand-

230-grain bullets gave excellentperformance. Both the XTP andthe Gold Dot expanded like Ihave never seen in the .45 ACP,but each stayed together andpenetrated more deeply in media.

The Gold Dot reached maxi-mum expansion and peeled itspetals back across the shank ofthe bullet when driven to a veloc-ity not envisioned by its design-ers. The XTP exhibited even


PressureComparisons

cartridge pressure(fps)

.45 ACP 21,000

.45 ACP +P 23,000

.45 Super 28,000

.460 Rowland 40,000

Table III


.460 Rowlandbullet powder charge velocity group comments

(grains) (grains) (fps) (inches)

185 Sierra Match FMJ AAC-7 16.5 1,408 1.5Power-Pistol 13.0 1,465 1.6Longshot 12.0 1,439 1.25

13.4 1,536 1.5185 grain Nosler JHP AAC-7 16.5 1,360 1.5

18.4 1,541 1.6 fastest load tested; literally breathedfire out the compensator

185 Sierra JHP AAC-7 16.5 1,321 1.25LongShot 13.0 1,443 1.0

13.4 1,477 1.4Power-Pistol 13.2 1,497 2.0AAC-5 14.5 1,480 2.0AAC-2 9.5 1,220 1.25 light, economy load

10.8 1,411 1.5185 grain XTP AAC-7 14.5 1,320 1.4

15.0 1,401 1.6200 XTP Power-Pistol 12.5 1,450 1.5 expands and stays together

AAC-7 14.5 1,327 1.2515.0 1,402 1.6

True Blue 12.0 1,355 1.2512.5 1,430 1.2

Long Shot 13.0 1,369 1.513.5 1,460 1.4

200 Sierra True Blue 12.1 1,373 1.2 most accurate 200-grainerLong Shot 13.2 1,415 1.1

200 Gold Dot Long Shot 13.0 1,350 2.0 expands but does not penetrate asdeeply as XTP

True Blue 12.1 1,364 2.112.5 1,410 2.25

AAC-5 12.0 1,230 2.513.4 1,422 1.9

AAC-7 16.4 1,330 2.2517.8 1,444 2.0

230 XTP True Blue 10.1 1,199 1.510.5 1,288 1.4

Longshot 10.5 1,222 1.25Power-Pistol 12.2 1,301 1.6AAC-7 14.5 1,236 1.8

15.6 1,315 1.6AAC-5 12.5 1,329 2.0 fastest 230-grain load

230 Sierra JHP True Blue 10.2 1,213 1.010.4 1,270 1.4

Power-Pistol 12.0 1,280 1.2230 Hornady FP Power-Pistol 11.9 1,272 1.5

12.0 1,311 1.6240 Sierra JHP Power-Pistol 9.5 1,155 1.0

AAC-7 11.0 1,028 1.1True Blue 8.8 980 1.25

9.2 1,161 1.4260 Speer JHP True Blue 8.8 1,040 1.0

9.2 1,176 1.4230 Oregon Trail lead roundnose AAC-7 12.2 1,100 3.0250 Leadhead SWC 12.0 1,065 2.0Notes: Be careful with AAC-7 loads. It seems the burn rate has changed, and there appears to be more than one generation currently in the supply line. Onthe other hand, the powder gives excellent results and is among the best choices for the .460 Rowland. The difference may be more in my perception or innormal lot to lot variation, simply another reason for prudence in handloading a high-pressure cartridge.With 185-grain loads I was looking for good accuracy and a 1,500 fps load to equal the factory full-power loading. Both were found. The Sierra bullet gavethe best accuracy results. The XTP bullet would be the toughest for penetration on game, expanding well and holding together. The Nosler gives a bit morepenetration than the Sierra but by a small margin, and the Nosler is very accurate.

Be Alert – Publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors in published load data.

Table IV

.460ROWLAND Handloader 247

When I carried the .357 Mag-num professionally and trainedofficers on the revolver, a roundcount of five specials for everymagnum fired was recommendedfor the life of the revolver. I amaware of any number of 1911sthat have broken the 10,000-

round count with minimal main-tenance, and a few that have ex-ceeded that mark in spades. Ihave less than 3,000 .460 Row-land cartridges under my belt.

When using this data, take yourown counsel and begin at least10 percent below my powdercharge. With careful loading, ithas excellent accuracy potential,real power and ballistic effi-ciency unrivaled by most hand-gun cartridges.

gun range. Firing at known andunknown ranges is a betterbuilder of skill than shootingpaper, and the .460 Rowland is aball to fire. I have attemptedmuch the same with the 10mmbut found that the springs gener-ally supplied with 10mm Colts,coupled with the high powerlevel of the cartridge, often leadto excess muzzle flip, making hitsdifficult. The .460 Rowland is adifferent matter. The results areroughly comparable to firing a.38 Super.

Overall, I do not see the .460Rowland as an everyday car-tridge but as a special option for1911s on those occasions whenmagnum handgun power isneeded. The person using the1911 as a service handgun mayuse the .460 for hunting or whenthe possibility of running acrosserrant wild animals exists. I ap-preciate the Clark Custom con-version as much as I appreciatemy Ceiner .22-caliber conversionunit, and that is a great deal. Eachgives my favorite pistol a muchgreater measure of versatility.

Presently I am building a Cas-pian slide specifically for the

Rowland conversion. The strengthof the slide is unquestioned, andwith high-quality, adjustablesights and an external extractor,this will be an ideal setup. I canchange the slide when I wish toload for bear, so to speak.

Fears concerning heavyrecoil were groundless.

A comparisonin cartridges

and cases (leftto right): newStarline .460brass, a stan-

dard .45 ACP, aloaded .460

Rowland and aloaded .45 ACP.

In order to properly feed in a1911 magazine, the overalllength of the .460 must be thesame as that of the .45 ACP. The.460 (right) accomplishes this bydeep seating the bullet.

During testing, Bob often used 10-round Metalform magazines. Thesemagazines allow firing two, five-shot groups at a time and are benefi-cial in any test program.

•

.460ROWLAND

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