460 Rowland: Rifle Power in a Pistol
BY Herschel Smith
8 months, 1 week ago
I have found the trigger on the FN pistol to be squishy and with too much take up, whether in single action or double action. Even though hammer-fired, it’s not a 1911. But they make the 460 Rowland conversion kits for multiple handguns.
He tests JHPs, so it’s not a fair test for penetration (hint: the 460 Rowland dumps all of its energy in the first five inches, which would be good for personal defense). But wait until the end when he tests the penetrator round. The temporary and permanent wound cavity is enormous.
On April 19, 2024 at 8:56 pm, Latigo Morgan said:
I’ve been eyeballing the Clark conversion for a while, but it isn’t high up on my list. I have been thinking about converting my XD45 if I do.
On April 21, 2024 at 9:04 pm, Frank Nobody said:
I converted an XDm .45. It performs as described, but the Rowland-brand brake isn’t very effective. Some hobbyists make better brakes, if you go down the Rowland rabbit hole.
I dare say that a lot of the slowing-down-of-the-slide needed for the Rowland conversion is due to the mass of that brake, not its effectiveness at redirecting gas. But that’s a guess.
The best powder to use is 800X– which was discontinued by 2020. : ( That powder appears to give highest velocity with lowest pressure.
There are people out there claiming scary velocities, but what worked out for me that I think is safely in the envelope: 215 gr. WFN SWC at 1190 fps, and the Hunters Supply 275 gr. huge-meplat bullet at 1050. I could get 100 more out of the 215, and 50 out of the 275, but I am cautious.
Springfield says the XDm is safe with .45 Super pressures… that presumably means that one could load that 275 gr. bullet to 900 fps, and dispense with the brake. That should still do anything most people would need. That bullet is fantastically accurate, and runs fine out of a 1911 when you get the COAL right, incidentally.
Something else infrequently mentioned is overrunning the magazine… slide velocity is so high that the slide returns before another cartridge pops up. Rowland sells extra-stiff (stiffer than Wolff) magazine springs to combat this. Buy them. And also don’t think that a heaver recoil spring will help… it has little effect on slide velocity, but a 22 lb spring will definitely make the magazine-overunning problem worse, as the return speed is faster.
It was a fun project, but I don’t live where I need to carry such a beast for self protection. And oh yeah… the vertical gas ejected is capable of breaking light bulbs in a range stall. Be warned.