45 SUPER

Research notes

The 45 Super dates from the late 80’s and was developed by Dean Grennel, a well-known writer in the firearms field as well as managing editor of Gun World magazine where the cartridge was first mentioned in 1988. The basic idea behind the 45 Super was to take the standard 45 ACP and update it to modern ballistics much in the same way as the 38 ACP and the 38 Super. The only difference is the thicker case walls to handle the extra pressure. The .45 Super was originally based on .451 Detonics cases trimmed to .45 ACP length for this specific reason. Shooting 45 Super in a standard 45 ACP 1911 will eventually wear the gun out, so the action has to be strengthened to handle the higher pressures.