".45, because they don't make a .46"
Well they do now!1
.460 Rowland is a high power .45 ACP—but wait, isn't that just .45 Super? No, it's better. This is for two reasons:
- Higher Power: Where .45 Super will fire a 230gr(14.9g) projectile at ~1100ft/s(340m/s), .460 Rowland will fire a projectile of the same weight at ~1340ft/s(400m/s).
- Improved Safety: While .45 Super can be fired out of a firearm designed for .45 ACP2, .460 Rowland's longer case cannot fit in a chamber designed for .45 ACP(but .45 ACP can be fired from a .460 Rowland)
.460 Rowland was developed in 1997 by Johnny Rowland & Clark Custom Guns as a derivative of the .45 ACP with the goal of producing a cartridge which can achieve true .44 Magnum ballistic performance and be fired from a semi-automatic platform.
Is it successful in its goal of replicating the .44 Magnum(out of a 5in barrel)? Let's see:
|.460| .44| Unit|
Velocity| 408| 416| Meters/Second
Mass|14.9|15.5| Grams
KE|1240|1340| Joules
So, it seems that it is somewhat effective in its goal. Although, the .460 uses a wider3 bullet than the .44 and is thus usually less aerodynamic but may result in better energy transfer.
1Although, despite its name, the bullet is still .452in wide, which is the same as .45 ACP.
2This is highly unsafe due to the higher pressure of the .45 Super over .45 ACP and can result in catastrophic damage to the firearm and its wielder.
311.5mm as opposed to 10.9mm