[Guest]

Hello Everyone! I went to the range yesterday to run some .45 Super :17: from Buffalo Bore through my USP Expert .45.

I LOVE this gun, thank God for HK...able to keep cocked and locked, good match trigger (not quite 1911 but lovin it), double action and locked (to prevent blowing off the family jewels in a pinch), shoots .45 super (10mm look out!)...what is there not to love? I'm new to HK firearms but can you tell I love them already?

In anycase, they feed reliably, were EXTREMELY accurate out to 15 yards, and kicked like a mule . Checked out my Expert and found no signs of damage, thankfully (was being very careful).

I did notice that the .45 super brass was a bit "bulged" out near the bottom. Does anyone here know if that's normal? I run Doubletap 165 grains out of my USP fairly often and notice that those have a slight bulge as well. I'm not too alarmed but I figured I would post my experience up here just in case.

If the bulge is something to be concerned about, please let me know, any comment would be appreciated!

Thanks!!

The Rebel from the People's Republic of Kalifornia

 

[mw1311]

welcome to the forum! Sorry, no 45 super experience here...

 

[loupav]

Welcome to the boards! Where in kali do you live we can take out Experts out sometime if you'd like!

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the welcomes! Loupav, I'm from the Torrance area and I have a membership at the LAX firing range. I usually go there...once in a while a bunch of friends and I will head up to Angeles Range or out to Palm Springs. Have you been out there? Where do you usually go?

 

[loupav]

PRKrebel,


I've never been to LAX, But I love going to Angeles. Especially on Wednesday nights. Let me know the next time you go to Angeles, Perhaps I'll be able to meet up with you.

Louis

 

[Guest]

The bulge in the case is because the chamber is somewhat unsupported, and the stock recoil spring allows the slide to start back while pressure is still quite high in the case and chamber. I have been shooting .45 Super in my USP for about 5 years. To solve this I obtained an 18LB recoil spring from Wolff Gunsprings. This holds the slide in battery just a bit longer and stopped the bulged brass.

Caveats: I have not fired factory .45 Super ammo, I have loaded my own with new Starline brass and the published data. I have kept my loads to the 185GR bullets, and haven't gotten any hotter than .5 grains short of the max load published. These are plenty stout, so I have no reason to load it any hotter.

The heavier spring doesn't seem to cause any issues with other loads as all regular .45 ACP ammo is digested perfectly. In fact, I have a target plated wadcutter load that I've used for years that is funny as heck when I shoot it in the HK. The slide moves slow, the brass practically just falls out of the right side of the gun, but it still gobbles it up with zero jams!! It's hillarious!

I would recommend the 18LB spring if you shoot the Super ammo. You don't need any of the stronger ones though. ( I think Wolff now has 20 and 22 lb springs as well )

 

[Shadow1198]

Here's a nice comparison pic I found on Google: Link

From left to right is a .45acp, +P, and .45 Super. It doesn't look like much of a difference at first glance, however the main difference is the added material near the primer pocket as well as I believe increased thickness around the lower portion of the case to offer increased support especially for chambers that aren't fully supported as previously mentioned. Anyone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong as I'm still learning but, this was my understanding after doing some research into the caliber in the past. What I would like to find out is how .45 Super compares to 10mm. I've seen a bit on 10mm and the wide range of capabilities of it due to varying loads, though I haven't seen a whole lot on .45 Super. Is .45 Super ballistically superior to 10mm? It seems like 10mm is able to achieve significantly higher velocities than the few .45 Super loadings I've seen, though I realize velocity isn't the only determining factor when it comes to ballistics.

 

[Guest]

I've been playing with the 10 for a number of years too. From a sheer energy perspective, the .45 Super with a 185GR bullet and a 10MM with a 180GB bullet are almost equal in velocity, so they would be roughly equivalent in energy. Both cartridges can be loaded with heavier bullets as well but I've never loaded either beyond those two.

In the lighther bullets then the 10MM really steps out there in velocity. There's 2 schools of thought. One, a smaller projectile travelling much faster. And the other, as large as you can throw, as fast as you can throw it. With the .45 Super, you can fling the "Flying ashtray" at a pretty good clip!!

I like both schools of thought myself, depending on the need. :63000: