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Old January 14, 2006, 11:42 PM   #1
KentonSPR
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New to the forum and reloading

Hi guys, been reading the forums a lot lately and had some questions. I have been interested in getting into reloading for my pistol for a while now and finaly took the plunge and bought some equipment tonight.

I picked up a Dillon 550, Lyman electronic scale, shell holder plate thingy, .45 ACP dies, a tumbler w/media, and a caliper for measuring the rounds. As of yet I haven't bought any powder, bullets, primers, or brass as I think I need some advice on where to start.

For brass, I was going to get on eBay and pick up a couple thousand once fired cases. I was looking and figure nickel looked good so I might get that instead of regular brass. Is there any advantage or disadvantage to using nickel?

I am looking for a powder that burns clean. I just hate cleaning a super dirty gun after going through a lot of rounds at the range. I have heard that Ram Shot True Blue is clean as is Vihtavuori. Vihtavuori seems to be on the pricey side though. What do you guys recommend for .45 ACP fired out of a 1911?

I am for the most part ignorant about primers and bullets. Do you use large pistol primers for .45 ACP? Do the reloading books have a specific they recommend for each load? Does bullet brand matter if you are looking at a basic FMJ/TMJ? Are 185, 200, or 230 grain bullets any more accurate than any of the the other two?

I have picked up The ABC's of Reloading and The Complete Reloading Guide for the .45 ACP. Anything else I should pick up?
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Old January 15, 2006, 12:19 AM   #2
Art Eatman
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Yeah, the .45ACP uses the regular large-pistol primers.

I've used "just any old brass" for years and years. I gota admit I'm a slob, and don't always tumble-clean my brass. Doesn't affect the shooting.

Back in my IPSC days, in '81-'83, I used 5.8 grains of 231 and a 200-grain lead SWC. Not the cleanest powder going, but the load worked just fine. Other folks here can give better information about an equivalent load with cleaner-burning powder.

The load is not hard on you for multi-hundred round sessions, if you practice that much...

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Old January 15, 2006, 12:20 AM   #3
somerled
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Welcome to the forum and have fun running that Dillon!

I've had good luck with the Winchester powders in .45 ACP. I've used Winchester 231 for years. It meters well. Some people say WSF burns cleaner.

There are so many good powders to use in the .45 ACP.

I'd start with 230-grain FMJs for the first foray with the Dillon 550B. They are a little longer and easier to handle. The .45 ACP uses large pistol primers. There is no need to use magnum large pistol primers with most powders used in the .45 ACP. The manuals do give data about primer use. The better manuals by Sierra, Speer, Hodgdon and Lyman have tables listing the different primer numbers by each manufacturer.

Brass cases are fine and cost less. With a good tumbling, they clean up well.

I've bought components at www.midwayusa.com for many years. Widener's is another place. There are others.

As for the brand of bullets to use for accuracy, there isn't a magic bullet. Try the bulk Winchester or Remington 230-grain FMJs. They've both done well for me while saving money.

One can't have too many good reloading manuals. There's information in them about case preparation, powder burning rates, cartridge dimensions, etc., that will help you more than reading these forums for a century could reap.
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Old January 15, 2006, 12:21 AM   #4
tvick66
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Hello Kenton,
I am still too new to be welcoming someone to reloading but there is plenty of help here so it's great to have a new member of the freshman class. The first thing that all new reloaders are told is to have more than one reloading manual. Most people agree that the ABC's that you already have is a great addition, but I also got three more with the actual reload data charts that are essential. I got Lyman's Reloading Handbook 48th edition, Lee's Modern Reloading 2nd edition, and a couple of caliber specific charts. Many others also use Speer and Hornady as well. All of them will tell you which primers to use and what length overall your completed cartridge should be. As for bullet brand, type, and weight, the sky is the limit on opnions but that is the fun of reloading for me, trying to find the combinations that work best in my gun for my shooting requirements. As for your other questions, the Senior Members here will best serve you. Good luck and I hope shooting your first handload will be as rewarding as mine.
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Old January 15, 2006, 03:48 PM   #5
Russ5924
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I would go with just regular brass for now the Nickle stuff is ok but has a tendency to split faster since the Nickle is harder.Powder I would go with Winchester 231 or Titegroup both burn clean titegroup a little cleaner.Primers I use nothing but Winchester but seems that is what is sold mostly around here. Have never had a bad primer yet with any gun.I have gotten a lot of my brass from E-bay I have had some that wasn't to good but most you will find is OK
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Old January 15, 2006, 08:35 PM   #6
918v
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The whole nickle case splitting is nonsense. It will take about 10 reloads to split a nickle case. i haven't been able to keep a single case that long. They all seem to get away from me. Besides, a 45 case gets so chewed-up after 10 reloads that I would not want to use one anymore.
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Old January 15, 2006, 10:28 PM   #7
JDG
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Welcome to the forum and reloading! Clays is the cleanest powder I've found. My favorite .45 load is 230gr Rainier round nose bullets over 3.8gr Clays. The plated bullets keep your bore clean, and the burnt powder wipes right off. Be safe in your loading, and start at the starting loads because they generally are more accurate. JDG
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Old January 15, 2006, 10:57 PM   #8
918v
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Unless you use universal Clays, in which case the top end loads are most accurate
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Old January 15, 2006, 11:51 PM   #9
KentonSPR
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Thanks for the input guys. I figure I am going to grab a pound or 4 or Clays and some nickel brass off of ebay. I cant really say I have decided on a bullet or primer yet. I will probably just find what my book shows loads for and find the most cost effective solution.
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Old January 16, 2006, 12:11 AM   #10
Dave R
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My "cost effective" load is Laser-Cast lead bullets, over 5.2gr. of TiteGroup. Any ol' case and a CCI primer. Those Laser-Cast bullets are quite accurate, and don't lead if you don't drive 'em too fast.
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Old January 16, 2006, 09:42 AM   #11
Barr
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For brass go to www.brassmanbrass.com. I get all my powders and primers at Wideners www.wideners.com (live near there). Everything else is from www.midwayusa.com. I like American Select for most of my loads. It is a very clean shotgun powder that burns quickly. It can be loaded for most handgun calibers though. Check www.alliantpowder.com. Costs about 53 dollars for 4 pounds and uses less charge that most other powders because it burns so quick.
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Old January 16, 2006, 04:32 PM   #12
KentonSPR
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I was going to oder powder and primers online, but the hazmat shipping cost just puts it way over the cost of buying it at the store. I have a Sportsman's Warehouse that I can get a 14 oz. bottle of Clays for 13 bucks. Even if I got that for 5 online, I would be spending 35 for the powder and shipping. Same with primers.
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Old January 16, 2006, 06:44 PM   #13
Leftoverdj
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Avoid WinClean brass if you can. It has a huge flash hole and I don't trust them. You don't need any complications just starting out.

It's probably a good idea to buy powder and primers locally to start. When you have a better feel for loading and have settled on a load, you'll probably want to stock up. HAZMAT does not bite you nearly as bad when you are buying full cases and you can cut powder costs in half, but you need a pretty high confidence level to buy in that quantity.
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Old January 16, 2006, 06:56 PM   #14
Russ5924
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Don't go out and buy FOUR pounds of powder till you try just a pound of it first. If you don't like it you will be stuck with a lot of powder That is how I started using Titegroup a friend bought four pounds didn't like it and sold it to me
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Old January 16, 2006, 06:59 PM   #15
KentonSPR
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Good advice. Thanks.
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