Shooting the .460 Rowland and ACOG

I finally got out to a desolate strip mine out in Jonesville last weekend, and put some rounds through my .460 converted 1911 Mil-Spec and my SR-556 with the ACOG TA31RCO.  I don't have any pictures, but things went very well.


.460 Rowland

Wowee!  I don't believe how soft this gun shot with CorBon 230 grain FMJ rounds advertised as running at 1250 FPS for 750-ish foot-pounds of energy.  Seriously, I don't believe it.  My mission for next week is to get out to the range with my chronograph and clock these babies, because if they're running near what their advertised, and it's actually shooting as soft as it did, I've found my new favorite handgun round.
The compensator almost entirely eliminated muzzle rise.  Recoil was almost directly backwards in line with my forearm.  I don't have any hard numbers, but every round of .460 I fired felt softer than any round of .45 ACP I've ever fired through my Mil-Spec.  I've heard people say to be ready to have mainspring housing lines in your palm, but unless CorBon is lying BIG TIME, I'm wondering what was going on with their .460 Rowlands.  More to come on this later.
I didn't get any groups, but I did notice that most rounds at a close-ish range were hitting low and the left.  If this continues at the range, swapping out of the arched mainspring housing for a flat one may be in order.  I'll also need a vice to drift the rear sight to keep it on target.  *argh* I need to put some rounds through paper with this gun!
Using a Wilson Combat 8 round magazine, I did have one instance where the slide apparently failed to eject the round, but managed to catch the mouth of the cartridge on the upper right edge of the barrel.  It dinged the brass, but a simple tap, rack, bang (as simple as it can be with a 24# spring) cleared it up no problem.  The brass didn't fly that far either.  Most landed a foot or so to my right from standing, one even landed on my forearm.  Again, if these CorBon loads are, in fact, moving at the speed they say, I'm going to have to bump down to the included 21# spring for non red-line loads to ensure smooth operation.  I'm going to low-load a few rounds and see what happens down the line.  Could you imagine what a GREAT combat pistol a 1911 throwing 230 grain slugs @1000 FPS would make, so long as reliability doesn't suffer?

...I've got wood.


SR-556 with Trijicon ACOG TA31RCO

I've found another new favorite this weekend in rifles, as well.  My SR-556, with it's 16" barrel, free float rails, bull barrel, and ACOG is going to make a wonderful "recon" type rifle.  Again, I don't have any hard data (yet) with the ACOG on, but after doing some playing and semi-accurate zeroing by just spotting for splash, I was quite literally walking my way down beer bottles using Tula's "Hunting Cartridge" brand 55gn. FMJ steel-cased .223 ammo.  I'm interested to see how fast these are moving, because they won't properly cycle my SR-556 on gas setting "1" while all my mid-high power handloads do. 

In closing, I'd like to apologize for not having ANY hard data here.  I hope to redeem myself with a cornucopia of datum on my 69gn. MatchKings run through the 1/9 barrel with the ACOG, 52gn. Speer Match HPBT rounds, 55 gn. FMJs, and the revealing of the mystery on this .460 Rowland recoil (or lack thereof) issue...

.460 Rowland conversion kit is here! EEEEEEEE!!

Clark's barrel smith finally got in last week and freed this bad boy from the billet steel it had been imprisoned in until just now.  I have to say she's glad to be free!  I had to specify exactly what model this barrel is going into, but I can see why now.  The barrel matches up with the slide and locking lugs absolutely flawlessly, and with the compensator matching up very nicely with the bushing and slide, there's absolutely no play in the pistol when rolled from side to side. I also installed the Wolff 24# spring and extra-strength firing pin spring.  A thing of beauty to be seen.  Despite all the brouhaha about the heavy spring making it hard to reassemble and work the slide, I don't think it's all that difficult after you get the technique down for reassembly, and I have big gorilla hands, and I'm not really a weakling, so the slide doesn't seem like that big of a deal, either.  If you're smallish, weakish, or an average woman (no offense intended) I could see it possibly posing a problem.
I absolutely can't wait to get this gun out to the range and put some rounds through it and see if this tightness affects reliability, and can't wait to see what kind of groups it posts.

Unfortunately, Clark Custom Guns either forgot the .460 brass, or are themselves backordered because the 200 I ordered with the barrel did not arrive, and I was never charged for them onto my card.  Midway USA is backordered, as is Starline Brass.  This does not bode well.  Somebody on one of my outdoors forums has put me onto the trail of some pre-loaded ammunition (factory or local loads, I don't know yet) but I'm a little worried as to price.  $25 for 100 brass ain't that bad, considering it can use bullets, powder, primers, and dies for .45 ACP I already have, but I can only guess as to what a local shop might charge for what could be considered "custom" or "niche" ammunition.

ETA:  I got some ammunition from Wild West Guns (for $30 a box, 230 gn. FMJs @ 1250 FPS).  Just waiting for my off time and the sport fire range on Ft. Rich to cooperate.  They're non-accessible today due to a unit using the range.  Weak.