I think both are good options and really I think that for the most part, both are the same.

I tend to prefer the .45 Super for the reason that I don't have to get a special 460 only barrel for it, I use a KKM barrel in my setup which has good support and on top of that, the same setup shoots .45 ACP like a champ. One thing that many aren't aware of is that .45 Super Starline brass is as strong (read: 40K PSI) as their 460 Rowland brass, so both can be loaded equally as long as the same OAL is used.

You can see how much better case support the KKM barrel (left) has over the stock barrel:


Here it is with the standard KKM comp:


Here's a custom comp I had made to slow the slide down even more:


The barrel with threading is right at 5" long, and here's some of the better numbers I've got with it.

(All from a 5" barrel, velocities are averages)

300gr Beartooth hardcast @ over 1,150 fps
275gr Hunters Supply hardcast @ over 1,200 fps
250/255gr JHP/Hardcast at over 1,300 fps
230gr JHP/FMJ over 1,400 fps
200gr JHP at around 1,500 fps
185gr JHP at almost 1,600 fps



(the same setup makes shooting regular .45 ACP feel like a cap gun!)

Adding 4" of barrel is going to bump it up even more, but even still you'll want to get some cuts in the end of that thing to help vent some of the gases.

I like the idea of the Rowland and I do like that its extra case length does prevent it from chambering in the "wrong" guns, but the Super has the advantage of not having to buy a specialized barrel (other than a comped one). Whats even better is that my 5.5" Ruger Bisley convertible with .45 ACP cylinder shoots the .45 SUPER just fine, no sticky extraction at all. As a matter of fact, even out of the KKM barreled Glock the Starline .45 SUPER brass, even load to 460 Rowland levels resizes and passes through the bulge buster easier than regular .45 ACP brass loaded normal....so it's VERY strong brass.

I would say the bright spot with the .45 Super/460 Rowland is in the 250gr+ bullets, because when you start shooting 45 ACP designed bullets 300-400+ fps faster than what they're designed for, that doesn't really make the most sense. With the heavier hardcasts, with either one you wouldn't have to load them to the max to be more than enough for most critters, but with either you've got the ability to load it hotter if you like.