451 Detonics
Historical Notes:
Various mechanical features of the Colt M1911 A1 auto pistol have prevented any
significant ballistic advantage in the cartridges it chambers. One of these
weaknesses is that a portion of the cartridge head is unsupported so operating
pressures are dictated by the strength of that portion of the case. The 45
Winchester Magnum has a substantially stronger case head and dimensions identical
to the 45 ACP except for greater length. In their search for a more potent 45
caliber round for their 45 caliber pistols, the Detonics Mfg. Co. decided to
take advantage of this by trimming the 45 Winchester Magnum from its normal
length of 1.198 inches to that of .942 inch. This is still sufficiently longer
than the 45 ACP so that the 451 Detonics cartridge will not chamber in handguns
intended for the 45 ACP. The newly created case will handle much higher
pressures than the original 45 ACP and still function through actions of the
same length. Detonics not only chambered their Scoremaster and Combat Master
semi-auto pistols for the 451 Detonics, they also offered a conversion kit for
the Colt Government, Gold Cup, and Commander pistols. The cartridge was
introduced in 1983 and Detonics furnished empty cases headstamped 451 Det/Mag.
Alternately, cases can be made from cut down 308 Winchester brass. The Detonics
company has since gone out of business. Brass in this caliber is no longer
available.
General Comments:
The idea of a more powerful 45 ACP cartridge has long intrigued 45 auto buffs.
The 451 Detonics was a viable solution to what has heretofore been an insoluble
problem. A 185 grain bullet at 1353 fps and a 200 grain at 1281 fps is a
significant boost to the usual 45 ACP performance of a 230 grain at 850 fps.
Recoil at this top loading gets rather heavy, so most users of the 451 will want
to stay below the top loads. The 451 Detonics is a good self defense or field
cartridge for small game or varmint shooting.
Source: Cartridges of the World
| 451 Detonics Reloading Data | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bullet (grs.) | Powder / (grs.) | MV | ME | Source |
| 185 JHP | Blue Dot / 9.0 | 1110 | 510 | N/A |
| 200 JHP | Blue Dot / 11.0 | 1010 | 660 | N/A |
| 200 JHP | Blue Dot / 14.0 | 1200 | 645 | N/A |
| 225 JHP | Blue Dot / 11.0 | 1005 | 510 | N/A |
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