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Old March 2, 2007, 05:17 PM   #1
Tadpole Starr
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Once fired or reloaded???

I just purchased 1,500 rounds of used .45 Auto brass from Ebay. 800 are RP, and 700 Are Federal. It is great looking brass, and both the Remington and Federal have silver colored and brass colored primers. My new Federal Premium has silver colored primers.

How might one tell if it is once fired or re-loaded brass? OR, should I care?? I do sort my brass, clean pockets, measure for length, measure every powder load, and re-polish after it is loaded.

Also, One load in one of the books calls for 7.3 grains of unique, with a fmj 230 grain round nose. Does this sound excessive? I need a load for confronting an occasional black beer. What would you use in the Kimber .45 ACP??

Thanks, Tad:
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Old March 2, 2007, 05:49 PM   #2
hodaka
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I would not worry too much about the brass. 45ACP does not seem to ever wear out due to the low pressures. Secondly, that seems like a lot of Unique. I use 231 in 45's so I don't have a Unique load memorized but, you could check here: http://www.alliantpowder.com/
Finally, I would not recommend tumbling loaded rounds, if that is indeed what you are doing to polish them.
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Old March 2, 2007, 05:50 PM   #3
HSMITH
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45 brass gets old and lost before it is worn out, if the brass looks good I wouldn't worry about it. I have 45 brass that has hit the ejector so many times you can't read the headstamp anymore and it just keeps on going.

I would look for a top load of Power Pistol and a Hornady 230 grain XTP if I had to take a 45 to a fight with a bear. I get about 940 out of that combo in a Commander, haven't tried it in a 5" gun over the chronograph.
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Old March 2, 2007, 08:29 PM   #4
Tadpole Starr
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tumbling loaded shells and Top loads

Thanks for the info. You are right about tumbling loaded shells, I thought that without the sharp points, it would be OK, but not so.

Thanks for the info. about the top load for bear. I will try to get a heavy load, and have some good XTP type bullets to stager in the magazine with FMJ.
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Old March 3, 2007, 02:51 AM   #5
T. O'Heir
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I wouldn't worry about it either, but most factory primers are coloured. Reloading primers are silver coloured.
Tumbling loaded ammo isn't safe and it can cause the powder to change. Breaks up the granules.
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Old March 4, 2007, 12:54 AM   #6
armedtotheteeth
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Yeah tadpole, You gotta watch out for those " black beer" that crap will make your stomach turn inside out in a second.
On a more serious note. I have not been able to wear out my 45 brass. I however am really good at loosing it. though
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Old March 4, 2007, 06:30 PM   #7
The Real Wyatt
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That load does sound excessive. I'd take better care of my Kimber than that.
Alliant recommends a maximum load of 6 grains of Unique, but that's pretty conservative at only 16,000 psi; SAAMI says you can go to 21,000.

I regularly load 6.5 grains of Unique with FMJ bullets and WLP primers for right at 905 fps. It throws the brass into the next zip code though. I wouldn't recommend you start at this load. Start at the 6 grains recommended by Alliant and work up watching for signs of pressure.
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Old March 4, 2007, 10:47 PM   #8
Smokey Joe
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Couple of details

T O'Heir said
Quote:
I wouldn't worry about it either, but most factory primers are coloured. Reloading primers are silver coloured.
While I also don't worry abt the # of times .45ACP's have been through the reloading press, Win reloading primers for them are copper-colored. IMX, you can't tell a thing from the color of the primer.

I have to disagree with him also, on
Quote:
Tumbling loaded ammo isn't safe and it can cause the powder to change. Breaks up the granules.
This has been tested to death--one posted tumbled finished ammo for days, then opened up some of the cases: Voila! No visible change in the powder. Then he fired the rest of the cases: Double Voila! No change in the ammo's POI, velocity, or anything else.

Further, the rounds in a tumbler aren't hitting each other anywhere near hard enough to detonate a primer. Primers are detonated by a sharp blow, not a series of tiny taps. Take a primer. Put it on a rock. Wear eye/ear/hand protection. Tap the primer gently with a tack hammer. You'll see. (I have disposed of unwanted primers with the rock-and-hammer method. Takes quite a firm blow to set 'em off.)

Factory ammo gets "tumbled" by being transported by forklift in a warehouse, by semi-truck to a distributor, by semi-truck again to a dealer, by clerks shelving it, by you carrying it to the check-out, and by yr car on the way home, and then again to the range. Then one last time when the round is ripped out of yr magazine and slammed into the chamber by yr bolt. Nobody worries about breakup of powder granules with all that.

The deliberate mistreatment of ammo is of course to be discouraged. But the powder granules are tough enough to withstand a little knocking around inside the case.
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Old March 5, 2007, 01:26 AM   #9
Tadpole Starr
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A load for the woods

The Kimber really likes 6.2 grains of Unique with a 230 grain FMJ RN. For the heavier load only for defense while prospecting in the woods, I have loaded 35 rounds of 7.0 grains of Unique with the same bullet, and may stager with the Federal Premium. Hope I never need it, cause I don't like bear meat, and don't like to kill game not to be eaten.

An older Hornaday book, calls for max load of 7.3, with Unique. Also another older book calls for 7.0 with the 230 grain roundnose. I wouldn't want to shoot either as a steady diet. I tried it today, and the 7.0 grain load performed fine for what I need.

To settle a discussion on another thread, I have ordered a Lee FCD to crimp with. It makes sense, since the RCBS die that I have with a taper crimp, wants us to trim the case. Several guys recommended it.

Thanks for all the help.

Last edited by Tadpole Starr; March 5, 2007 at 01:29 AM. Reason: didn't sound right. lol
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Old March 5, 2007, 10:06 AM   #10
Tadpole Starr
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The above thread mentions above present max load

The 7.0 grain load of Unique for the 230 grain bullet was mentioned in an older Sierra or Speer manual. The 7.3 grain load of unique for the 230 grain bullet was mentioned in an older Hornady book.

CAUTION: The following post includes loading data beyond currently published maximums for this cartridge. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Neither the writer, The Firing Line, nor the staff of TFL assume any liability for any damage or injury resulting from use of this information.
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