P220 40/45 super

[crazysccrmd]

I have a P220 Combat that I have been considering purchasing a 40 Super barrel for. However, I've also been looking at an extended/ported 45 barrel to use for 45 Super. With a heavier recoil spring (24lb is the heaviest I've found)can the P220 handle 45 Super loads? Maybe a threaded barrel with compensator instead of the ported barrel?

The conversions would be used for woods carry (black bears as the largest animal) and maybe occasional handgun hunting if the opportunity presented itself. The pistol would spend the majority of it's fired use setup for the standard 45 ACP. I have a 1911 chambered for 10mm which gives just about the same ballistics as a 40 Super so 45 Super would just be something cool and different.

 

[OregonJohnny]

I went through this same dilemma about a year ago. I wanted to make my S&W 1911 a "woods gun", capable of shooting .45 Super. After all, it's a steel frame, steel slide, government sized gun. After researching and reading everything I could, I decided that it wasn't for me. I then thought about my Sig P220 Carry Elite Dark, and .45 Super. After even more research, I decided that was also not for me. If I were going to set out to make a Sig P220 a "woods gun", capable of handling very hot .45 ACP and .45 Super, I would start with a stainless-frame model. The thought of a standard aluminum Sig frame taking the beating of .45 Super doesn't sound too good.

I eventually swallowed my pride and went to the dark side. I bought my first and only Glock, a G20SF in 10mm. This is now my all-around outdoor sidearm, and I'll never worry about beating it up, scratching it, or trying to find odd-ball ammo (even though I handload, at least 10mm is on the shelves around here. I've never seen .45 Super in person in my life.) I actually shoot the stupid thing very well, and I like 15+1 rounds of heavy hardcast 10mm.

But I still think that a stainless Sig 220, especially the 5" 220 Match Elite, would make a sweet .45 Super platform, or even a 10mm conversion. I just don't have the spare cash or the know-how to dabble in that. I've always liked the full-length frame rails on my 220, and with a heavy recoil spring, I wouldn't worry too much about the occasional .45ACP+P, or even a few .45 Super rounds. I just don't care about the Glock getting banged up while pulling woods duty. I'd feel sick if I scratched up a nice Sig...

 

[Bovice]

The standard P220 can handle +P just fine, but I wouldn't put many .45 Super rounds down the barrel of either a full stainless or aluminum frame model.

If you have the money and your 220 is stainless, you can send it to Gray Guns for a 10mm conversion.

 

[crazysccrmd]

I don't really need to do this, I just like to tinker. I already have a 1911 10mm and a S&W 1076 10mm so there really isn't much need to modify this to 40 Super, but 45 Super would be cool. Probably not worth the risk of damaging the alloy frame in the long run though.

 

[hentown]

I've fired both .45 Supers and .450 smc through a couple of G21s, using threaded ,compensated barrels. It's just not for me. I just don't find dumping a little more powder into a .45ACP case to be anything that I want to do.

I did experiment quite a bit with .40 Super, though. also using a G21 and a threaded, compensated barrel. After the novelty wore off (about 3k rounds), I stored the .40 Super brass, dies, and barrel and "discovered" 10mm. Now own a G20 and G29.

You will have a hard time finding .40 Super brass. You won't get any factory support for .40 Super.

 

[SDGlock23]

The Super is a cool round, I load for it and it's packs a lot of punch (especially with 275gr hardcasts @ 1150 fps). As long as the 220 has good case support and it's sprung tightly you shouldn't have much issues. I use a G21 (gen4) with a KKM compensated barrel and it works great and no issues so far. I will say that I don't shoot it very much though, it's nice but I only tinker with it every now and then.