Para-Ord safe for reloading?

branrot · July 12, 2001, 12:33 PM

Does the P13.45 have a fully supported chamber?

I looked at mine, but it's hard to tell. A little bit of the bullet sticks out and appears unsupported. My question is whether this is a safe gun to shoot reloads out of. I'm considering getting into reloading, and if it is safe, I'll order my first press as a .45. Otherwise, I'll get my reloader set up for 9mm.

grunewaj · July 12, 2001, 05:22 PM

My P14-45 has a fully supported chamber. There has to be a little bullet sticking out out so the extracter can work. The thing to notice here is that PO uses ramped barrels. There is a little feed ramp that is part of the barrel. The other way to do it is to grind a "ramp" area under the barrel and grind a relief in the chamber to aid in accepting the cartridge. Follow this link and you'll see a picture of each style (fully supported on the right): http://www.springfield-armory.com/pr...l-feat.shtml#0
Having said all that, reloading .45 ACP is not a problem either way. You seem to have heard of problems loading pistol brass, but most of the problems are with .40 S&W and often, but not exclusively with Glocks.
Good luck and be safe,
Jim

**Mike Irwin** · July 12, 2001, 07:34 PM

Grune right on target.

Unless you REALLY hotrod your loads, the unsupported part of the case in a .45 ACP is likely never to cause you the least little bit of a problem.

It's when you start jacking with the pressure that it becomes more and more dicy.

The beautiful thing about the basic Browning .45 design is that even if the case head blows, you normally only have to stop shooting long enough to clear any debris, pick up the magazine, and start shooting again.

Clark · July 12, 2001, 07:41 PM

PO 13s have better supported chambers than Colt Commanders and have the same volume for recoil spring assemblies.

I can get more power out of my Commander without case bulge than I can absorb with an awsome set of springs. It has reached the 45 Super level, so far. Read the 45 Super articles at:
http://www.realguns.com/archives/newarc.htm

I have a number of 45acp type firearms and I have had to work up the loads while looking for pressure signs in each separately.

1.275" OAL
0) 45 acp....................... 185 gr 7.6 gr AA#5 jams stock recoil spring
1) 45 acp....................... 185 gr 10.2 gr AA#5 1100 fps 18,000psi
2) 45 acp +P.................. 185 gr 10.8 gr AA#5 1200 fps 21,700 psi
3) 45 Super.................... 185 gr 12.4 gr AA#5 1312 fps 28,000 cup
4) 460 Rowland.............. 185 gr 14.5 gr AA#5 1500 fps 38,800 cup
5) Easy extraction ......... 185 gr 15.0 gr AA#5 1550 fps 20 oz Patriot
6) Case starts to stretch 185 gr 15.2 gr AA#5 1770 fps 15 lb 98 Mauser
7) difficult extraction ...... 185 gr 16.0 gr AA#5 1850 fps 15 lb 98 Mauser
8) primer falls out .......... 185 gr 16.5 gr AA#5 1900 fps 15 lb 98 Mauser

July 12, 2001, 12:33 PM	#1
branrot Senior Member Join Date: October 11, 1999 Location: Miami Beach, FL, USA Posts: 1,367	Para-Ord safe for reloading? Does the P13.45 have a fully supported chamber? I looked at mine, but it's hard to tell. A little bit of the bullet sticks out and appears unsupported. My question is whether this is a safe gun to shoot reloads out of. I'm considering getting into reloading, and if it is safe, I'll order my first press as a .45. Otherwise, I'll get my reloader set up for 9mm.

July 12, 2001, 07:34 PM	#3
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,381	Grune right on target. Unless you REALLY hotrod your loads, the unsupported part of the case in a .45 ACP is likely never to cause you the least little bit of a problem. It's when you start jacking with the pressure that it becomes more and more dicy. The beautiful thing about the basic Browning .45 design is that even if the case head blows, you normally only have to stop shooting long enough to clear any debris, pick up the magazine, and start shooting again. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

July 12, 2001, 05:22 PM	#2
grunewaj Senior Member Join Date: June 9, 2001 Location: North Carolina Posts: 133	My P14-45 has a fully supported chamber. There has to be a little bullet sticking out out so the extracter can work. The thing to notice here is that PO uses ramped barrels. There is a little feed ramp that is part of the barrel. The other way to do it is to grind a "ramp" area under the barrel and grind a relief in the chamber to aid in accepting the cartridge. Follow this link and you'll see a picture of each style (fully supported on the right): http://www.springfield-armory.com/pr...l-feat.shtml#0 Having said all that, reloading .45 ACP is not a problem either way. You seem to have heard of problems loading pistol brass, but most of the problems are with .40 S&W and often, but not exclusively with Glocks. Good luck and be safe, Jim

July 12, 2001, 07:41 PM	#4
Clark Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 1999 Location: WA, the ever blue state Posts: 4,678	PO 13s have better supported chambers than Colt Commanders and have the same volume for recoil spring assemblies. I can get more power out of my Commander without case bulge than I can absorb with an awsome set of springs. It has reached the 45 Super level, so far. Read the 45 Super articles at: http://www.realguns.com/archives/newarc.htm I have a number of 45acp type firearms and I have had to work up the loads while looking for pressure signs in each separately. 1.275" OAL 0) 45 acp....................... 185 gr 7.6 gr AA#5 jams stock recoil spring 1) 45 acp....................... 185 gr 10.2 gr AA#5 1100 fps 18,000psi 2) 45 acp +P.................. 185 gr 10.8 gr AA#5 1200 fps 21,700 psi 3) 45 Super.................... 185 gr 12.4 gr AA#5 1312 fps 28,000 cup 4) 460 Rowland.............. 185 gr 14.5 gr AA#5 1500 fps 38,800 cup 5) Easy extraction ......... 185 gr 15.0 gr AA#5 1550 fps 20 oz Patriot 6) Case starts to stretch 185 gr 15.2 gr AA#5 1770 fps 15 lb 98 Mauser 7) difficult extraction ...... 185 gr 16.0 gr AA#5 1850 fps 15 lb 98 Mauser 8) primer falls out .......... 185 gr 16.5 gr AA#5 1900 fps 15 lb 98 Mauser