# Is it dangerous to fire .45 Super in a USP?



## glockbk

I have a .45 Heckler & Koch USP. Someone told me it could fire .45 Super. Is this too potent for the USP? I know, HK makes sturdy guns but the USP has sooo much plastic that the frame is what worries me. I had a spotlight bolted to the rails and to my shock, the recoil of the .45 ACP load caused the mount to rip off the rails! The USP suddenly sounds like a not-so-strong weapon after that incident. The flaslight missed my head by an inch. Will .45 Super move the slide too violently for the frame to hold up under pressure? Remember that the Beretta 92 had problems with the slide cracking with 9mm NATO loads when it was undergoing military evaluations some time ago. As for the flashlight, I would urge people to NOT mount one if the USP is a .45. the 9mm is fine but the heavier load is too potent for the rail to take that kind of abuse. Remember, I fired the gun only once after mounting flashlight. It is half the size and weight of a miniature Mag Lite.


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## mr.trooper

dont do it. I dont care if your friend says you can. use the ammo that is specified for your gun.


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## Whelen35

The 45 super is indeed in outside dimentions the same as the 45 acp. This is where the simularities end. The super is loaded to much higher than +p 45 acp pressure. The guns made to handle the 45 super will have a fully suported barrel, heaver spring, stout slide bumpers installed. Think if it like this. Would you like to shoot a k frame 38spl if I said that it was loaded up with loads that were equal to full max pressure 357 mag loads? I hope your answer would be something like "are you crazy!!!" If your friend continues such foolishness, the laws of selective survival will catch up with him. We can only hope that he did not breed and pass on these traits.


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## Gunny

glockbk,

I have never heard of ANY HK having problems with tac-lights flying off after discharge. It sounds more like a problem with the tac-light. Also HK molds metal into their frame at stress pionts. DO NOT shoot a 45 super in ANY 45 ACP. They are 2 totally different caliburs. Please do not base frame strength on Berettas. First let me say that the 92 is a great firearm for the average guy/gal that wants to do some shooting at the range every now and then. However they are not known for their longevity. Any armorer will tell you that you should replace the barrel at 6000 rounds. Mine has been replaced twice. It fires great, and is accurate plus it's just plain fun to shoot, but longevity is not its strong point. My last piont is this. Polly frames in this day and age are actually just as durrable as steel. That is not to say its stronger, but it is alot closer than people think. Example is the 10mm. Very few companys were able to produce a handgun that could tame the recoil. Frames were cracking, parts were breaking so the few that were producing them stopped, except two, High Piont and Glock. I own a Glock with almost 20,000 rounds. My point is this. If polly frames were not as durrable, and there was a problem with cracking and catistrophic failures, every gun store would have nothing but steel frame guns to sell. Oddley enough its the opposite.

I didnt mean to be so long winded with my response, however I have grown up in a family that went to the farm every weekend to shoot with uncles, cousins, sisters and nephews. I sell firearms, and have been doing so for 7 years. We still meet up, but only once every couple of months now days. One thing that can really get me fired up is to here that polly guns (plastic if you will), are weaker than steel guns. In my family there are both (I own 12 myself), and they all get shot ALOT. Only once have we had any problems with a frame cracking on polly gun (Taurus millinium 45 ACP). However my cousin also had his Smith 10mm (steel frame) crack. Just my two cents.

Gunny


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## mark056

Why would you fire a caliber in a pistol that it is not chambered for ? Please forgive me for sounding harsh, but you are complaining about your tactical light falling off of the frame of your H&K, then you are wondering if it is okay to fire a more powerful round in your weapon. Os there a mixed message here or what ? One of the fundamental rules of shooting is to only fire ammunition that your gun is chambered for.

I think if you want caliber interchanability, then you best stick with a .38/.357 revolver. Ruger makes a nice single action in .357 with optional 9mm cylindar. Guns chambered for the 454 Casuall will also shoot .45 Colt. These handguns are all revolvers...hmm.

Something appears amiss with the incident regarding your tac light. You have several options here: contact H&K, contact the makers of your tactical light.

Best wishes and good shooting to you, there is nothing wrong with the old .45 ACP !

Mark


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## SDHandgunner

Having worked with a .45 Super and +P .45's in the past I would have to say NO YOU CAN NOT SHOOT THE .45 SUPER IN YOUR UNMODIFIED HANDGUN, no matter what make it is. The .45 Super is loaded to higher chamber pressures resulting in higher velocity and energy. This does not come without a price. That price is increased pressure and increased slide velocity.

As has been stated the .45 Super Guns require a Ramped Barrel (with a fully supported chamber) as well as a special recoil spring / guide rod assemble along with heavier firing pin spring etc. Then to add to the complication, if you are going to Handload your .45 Super Ammo only certain powders will provide what you are after safely.

The .45 Super is a great idea and a great cartridge, but I for one think that the cartridge case should have been made with slightly different dimensions (case length) to prevent the .45 Super from being chambered in unmodified guns much like was done with the .460 Rowland.

I have killed quite a few deer over the years with +P .45's, either Handloaded or Factory Loads at the sites of vehicle / deer accidents. Even using though the +P .45's have roughly the same energy as most factory loaded .357 Magnums, in my opinion the .45 +P produces much, much more tissue damage and shok to the animal, creating quicker kills.

Again, the .45 Super is a great cartridge but only to be used in Guns specifically modified for it's use.

Larry


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## seplol

HK handgun barrels can handle the pressures of a .45 super round in addition to a +p. Wear will be accelerated, and chances of failure will be higher, but not remarkably so.

Where it matters is the slide and recoil spring...

The USP model had a more advanced recoil spring assembly that featured two (2) recoil springs. The first handles most rounds, but if the operator fires an abnormally hot round (by accident, or intentionally - i.e. 45 Super), the second, much tighter, recoil spring stops the slide from slamming on metal. A really old USP may be a problem, and I wouldn't use super in a compact USP, but for a full size, serviceable weapon, you are almost certainly going to be ok unloading a few magazines of .45 Super at bad guys or as practice at the range.

The HK45 abandoned the dual recoil spring approach and uses a nylon plastic bushing. If the gun is already broken in and the spring is worn a bit, that bushing is going to eat the recoil with a super round. That's probably ok for a few rounds, and will likely be alright with a new gun, but if you try this on a broken in HK45 you will wreck the plastic bushing and then the metal on metal slamming will damage your trigger assembly, slide, and the frame of your firearm.

See a gunsmith or get comfortable crimping the end of your recoil assembly so you can swap in a tighter spring (or a new plastic bushing). The recoil assemblies on HK pistols are not cheap.


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## Savage260

> That's probably ok for a few rounds, and will likely be alright with a new gun





> you are almost certainly going to be ok


If you are willing to risk life and limb based on these statements, please don't shoot any where near me! :rollin:


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## Gunny

*Sepol said*..."_HK handgun barrels can handle the pressures of a .45 super round_"

My F-150 engine can handle a jump over the Mississippi... but the rest of the truck.... meh... not so much...

How 'bout you buy the HK, I will buy the 45 super ammo, and we will put the results on Youtube and let glockbk decide if this is prudent.

1 caveat: The range should have some protective glass for me to stand behind that I could film through...


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