I am considering purchasing one of your 460 conversion kits and had a few questions. I have several 1911′s and wonder which would be the best for this type of conversion. I have Kimbers, Colts, Para Ordnance, and some very old GI colts. I am leaning toward the newer Cold Combat Govt Elite or the Kimber Custom II. The Kimber is a very tight well functioning pistol. The Colt is a blued steel slide on a stainless frame and is not very tight but is 100% reliable also.

Being a drop in kit it has to take into account the variations in dimension and I am not a gunsmith. The Kimber is factory painted in dark earth but I believe it is actually stainless top and bottom. The Colt is chrome steel slide and stainless frame. If you would give me your thought I would appreciate it.
—Kirk

We are temporarily back ordered on our 1911 kits which I hope we can overcome soon. I recommend the Springfield, Colt, Sig or the Kimber as first choices of 1911 autos to  convert to an AUTHENTIC.460.ROWLAND.  If the Kimber is stainless, then I would definitely go with the Colt and its carbon steel slide– blued or carbon steel is a better material for auto guns in general. (note: Because of its higher coeficent of friction, there is not a single stainless steel first line military weapon in use today.  Stainless steel is fine for barrels and revolvers, but sometimes gives reliability issues when stainless steel parts rub against each other.)

We try to avoid old GI guns because of variations in heat treat processes used by different war time makers– we want to be sure the “chassis” of the guns we convert are up to handling the performance of the cartridge.

Springfield XD and Xdm and Glock M-21 and 30 are some new and tremendous alternatives for conversion to AUTHENTIC.460 ROWLAND.  They are strong, inexpensive, high capacity, accurate, and absolutly reliable; and with the true .44 Magnum performance that an AUTHENTIC.460 ROWLAND conversion delivers, these modern alternatives become some of the lightest, easiest shooting and most powerful handguns available in the world today.

—Johnny Rowland/ T.Scriminger

I like the looks of the MPA Carbine. This gun would serve for both a hunting and Home defense. After watching you blast through that brick wall I’m concerned that the .460 is just too much power for home defense. What would you say is the effective range of the .460 carbine? CorBon has been making an effective .45acp @ 165gr, any thoughts on loading the .460 that light? How about a using a more aerodynamic bullet like the .460 Ruger? I also notice that the MPA carbine comes with an .45acp upper, which is nice, but the “tactical” model doesn’t , do you know why? Also, one of these carbines lists for basically a $1,000.00 which seems high. not sure what your relationship with MPA is but any leads as to where I could pick one up for less than MRSP or used would be appreciated.
—Kevin

We have a “Defense Load” from Georgia Arms that I developed specifically for home defense with less penetration and recoil than the full powered load. This load is still far beyond other pistol calibers, but is an excellent choice for home and self defense.  And, yes we are looking into a 165 gr bullet loaded for home defense.  Keep an eye on the site.

The $999 carbine package comes with two carbine uppers and scope and case. Of course, you might want to start with the pistol and convert it later on into a carbine.
—Johnny Rowland

Can a Glock be set up to handle the 460? Maybe with Lonewolf compensator on a threaded barrel with and heavy spring.
—Bill

Glock M-21 and M-30 are two of our new and tremendous alternatives for conversion to AUTHENTIC.460 ROWLAND.  They are strong, inexpensive, high capacity, accurate, and absolutly reliable; and with the true .44 Magnum performance that an AUTHENTIC.460 ROWLAND conversion delivers, these modern polymer pistols become some of the lightest, easiest shooting and most powerful handguns available in the world today.

T.Scrim@460 Rowland

I love the .460 round but do not want a 5″ barrel. I was looking at a 3″ or 4″ Kimber Crimson Trace model. Do you make kits for
the shorter barrel length?

—Tod

We have made some experimental shorter barreled guns but do not currently offer kits to fit the short Kimber.  We do, however, now offer AUTHENTIC.460.ROWLAND conversions for the great Springfield 4″ and 4.5″ XD and Xdm polymer pistols and for the Glock Model 30 ( which is about 3.8″ long ).  These are all great, reliable guns and, when converted to .460, are  the smallest, most powerful hand guns available on the planet today.
—Johnny Rowland / T.Scrim.

I’m new to 45acp and I recently purchased a SA XD tactical. I’m handicapped and thinking about using my XD to deer hunt. What kind of barrels do you use for the XD conversion?
—Doug

We use a custom barrel from Storm Lake Barrel Manufacturer for the 5 inch XD model and rechamber and modify it with either a screw-on compensator or a triple port compensated barrel configuration.  Both systems work very well but you may experience slightly more felt-recoil with the tripple ported barrel virsion.

—Johnny Rowland

I am interested in the 460 Rowland for a Glock. I see it pictured on your home page but no other information is available. I am a gunsmith and have the ability to build a .460 Glock, but would like the benefit of your experience. Any help is appreciated.
—Ashley

Glock M-21 and 30 are some new and tremendous alternatives for conversion to AUTHENTIC.460 ROWLAND.  They are strong, inexpensive, high capacity, accurate, and absolutly reliable; and with the true .44 Magnum performance that an AUTHENTIC.460 ROWLAND conversion delivers, these modern alternatives become some of the lightest, easiest shooting and most powerful handguns available in the world today.

T.Scrim@460 Rowland

We would NEVER (!) re-chamber a Glock barrel, but would recommend a properly heat treated aftermarket barrel with .020 to .040 freebore just before the rifling starts to lower initial pressures.
—Johnny Rowland

I am interested in building a 460 on a long slide gun either a Springfield or a Para Super Hawg. I have talked to the people at Sprinco that make the dual action recoil reducer guide rods. I wanted your opinion if you think this combo would work? I figured if Wilson combat could make a 1911 without a compensated barrel I should be able to build one especially on a long slide gun. Thanks for any help you can give.
—Roger

I think you are right about the long slide gun and I would choose the Springfield to work with. When rechambering for our 460 shell, .020 to .040 freebore just before the rifling starts is desirable to lower initial pressures. Let me know how it works out.
—Johnny Rowland

I have a NIB Unfired Taurus PT1911 with the Rail. Will the 460 Conversion Kit work with the Taurus?
—Jeff

We have a number of Taurus owners using our 460 kits. The kit will fit your gun just fine. Of course, all rules for using high performance cartridges apply, such as awareness of over-all-length of the loaded shell. Some shooters continually load and unload the same shell from the gun barrel while not noticing that over time, the bullet may become seated somewhat deeper into the shell case. This condition may cause an undesirable rise in pressures whether one is shooting a 460 Rowland or 9MM Parabellum or .40 S&W. Any loaded shell that is obviously shorter than the others should be discarded– just a shooting tip that may be useful to you or someone else.
—Johnny Rowland

I want to get a Springfield XD 45 acp, will a 460rowland kit work? I also have 2 PO 45′s mPO13/PO14. Will the 460 kit work on either guns?
—Jacob

We have a kit for all XD and Xdm models from the 5.25″ Competition down to the 4″ visions and they all run like appliances.  We have converted Para-Ordnance guns in the past. The Para guns used ramped barrels and were custom fitted here. Also I recall that some of the Para magazines were somewhat problematic.
—Johnny Rowland

What is the weight of the 460 with 16″ barrel and stock?
—Barry

The MPA 460 Rowland carbine weighs nine pounds and our 460 Rowland AR type carbine from MGI weighs a pound or
so less.
—Johnny Rowland