.45 Super

History and design

In 1994 Triton Cartridge, an ammunition company based in upstate NY, released a cartridge called the .45 Super. Essentially, the .45 Super is based on a .451 Detonics case trimmed to .45 ACP length. Pioneered by writers Dean Grennell and the late Tom Ferguson, the .45 Super raised the performance level for .45 ACP-chambered guns beyond that of the .45 ACP +P.

Starline Brass, an American arms manufacturer based in Sedalia, Missouri, eventually began marketing brass cases for the chambering. The former Ace Custom .45's Inc. from Cleveland, Texas, trademarked the .45 Super in 1994 and has since marketed and assembled pistols chambered in .45 Super, as well as .45 ACP conversion kits. They ceased operations in the early 2010s.

Trademark and royalty problems caused that the major ammunition and most gun manufacturers opted to disregard the .45 Super, effectively condemning it to a (semi-)wildcat cartridge status. The deliberate choice of identical external dimensions with the significantly lower pressure .45 ACP cartridge can also cause malfunctions, accidents or catastrophic failures and potential liability problems.

Ballistics

A number of bullet weight and velocity combinations are offered in .45 Super, including a 185 gr bullet propelled at 1300 ft/s, a 200 gr at 1200 ft/s and a 230 gr at 1100 ft/s. as well as other weights and velocities provided by Super Express cartridges and Buffalo Bore, such as 255 gr at 1050 ft/s.

Current status

.45 Super ammunition and specifically for this chambering optimized firearms are not mass-produced. As dimensionally-similar chamberings' operating pressures increase bolt thrust (close to .40 S&W and 10mm Auto bolt thrust levels), only nonvintage sturdy .45 ACP chambered handguns are capable of firing .45 Super ammunition with or without a conversion to safely deal with the accompanying additional mechanical stress and wear. Conversion kits for .45 ACP chambered guns contain aftermarket guide rod and spring assemblies and sometimes magazine springs to alter the slide velocity of semi-automatic pistols to obtain a correctly timed cycling sequence to promote functional reliably under significantly increased bolt thrust and can contain aftermarket fully supported barrels to avoid case bulging or case head rupture.

References

References

1. [http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1630240 ".45 Super"] Everything Development Company website. Accessed March 11, 2008.
2. [http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-58446453/sizzling-glock-45-super.html Cengage Learning]
3. (2012-08-05). "Short History of the .451 Detonics Magnum".
4. [http://www.acecustom45s.com/45super.htm "Versatility and Power – The '45Super' Concept"] {{Webarchive. link. (February 17, 2008 Ace Custom .45s website Accessed March 11, 2008.)
5. [http://www.starlinebrass.com/descriptions.html "Starline Product Information & Descriptions"] {{Webarchive. link. (April 24, 2008 Starline Brass website. Accessed March 11, 2008.)
6. [http://www.45super.com/ The .45 Super Page]