For a standard-size 1911, the 10mm is perhaps the most powerful cartridge you can carry without modifying the pistol. The 10mm doesn’t need a compensator and only requires a heavier spring. However, this heavier spring could cause some individuals problems with cycling the slide. The problem is the spring is doing double duty – slowing down the slide on recoil, then pushing the slide forward to chamber another round.
Enter the 1911 recoil damper v2 by the 460 Rowland group. This recoil guide rod houses a piston that acts like air brakes, slowing down the slide at the last second. My gunsmith feels this solution is best on a long slide, but the 460 Rowland group also says it is for the standard-size government model too. This product allows for a spring that can be customized to chamber a round, and the spring is not needed to control slide velocity during recoil. The nice part is that this product can be used in 1911 calibers besides the 460 Rowland.
The combination of this product, along with a long slide 1911 that had its barrel ported, thus allowing me to forgo the added compensator, is a perfect combination for a 460 Rowland project. Here is what I did:
- Purchased a 1911 Iver Johnson Eagle XL Long Slide 45 ACP with a ported barrel. These go between $800 and $900 on Gunbroker. You can find one used for cheaper.
- Purchased the v2 damper. $200
- I had a 460 Rowland reamer, but you can usually rent one if needed.
I took the gun to my gunsmith, an excellent 1911 guy, who checked out the Iver Johnson. He was very impressed with the quality at the price point. Only minor slide polishing was needed by the cocking serrations. I’m a trigger snob, and the trigger from the factor was decent, which surprised me at this price point.
At this point, the gunsmith installed the v2 damper and did some testing. He was impressed, as was I. I now have a 1911 long slide with mid-range 44 magnum power. You can also shoot cheaper 45 ACP (just clean it well before shooting 460 Rowlands). Because of the split duty of the recoil damper and spring, you can tune your pistol to handle your favorite 460 Rowland loads and your favorite 45 ACP practice loads. Also, because I carry in condition 3, I don’t have to worry about a heavy spring causing problems when chambering a round with this setup.
Let’s look at some ballistics from Buffalo Bore with a 5″ 1911 (note: 460 Rowland has a compensated barrel):
- 460 Rowland: 1524 fps / 954 ft. lbs. 185gr. JHP
- 45ACP +P: . 1150 fps / 543 ft. lbs. 185gr. JHP
- 10mm Heavy: 1350 fps / 728 ft. lbs. 180gr JHP
- 10mm Tactical: 1,200fps / 575 ft. lbs. 180gr JHP
- 50 GI: 1200 fps / 600 ft. lbs. 185gr Copper (from the Guncrafter website).
The 460 Rowland / 45 ACP combination is tough to beat, especially when you are potentially looking at a pistol + modifications at $1200 (note that you can often rent a reamer). If you had some money burning a hole in your pocket, you could add the Nighthawk 1911 drop-in trigger for $300 (an excellent, though overpriced, part). This part would bring the cost to around $1500.
I think the most controllable and deadly combination from the list above is the 50GI (12.7mm). Unfortunately, you’ll pay from 3k to 6k to get one of these pistols, and ammunition is expensive if you aren’t reloading. After that, a ported 1911 5″ or 6″ with the 460 Rowland conversion and the v2 damper seems best. Iver Johnson, S&W, Tisa, and Auto Ordnance offer ported pistols in 45 ACP.
NOTE: I recommend against using a ported or compensated pistol for concealed carry at night. Even with low-flash powder, the ports/compensator will direct the flash directly in your line of vision. Due to the increased pressure of the 460 Rowland, in my opinion, it should be shot with a ported barrel / compensator when using the v2 damper.