Homemade 45 acp shotshell die

jmorris · March 24, 2014, 06:59 PM

A recent thread caught my interest so I decided to build one.

I found a suitable donor die in my stash, an RCBS 44mag/SPL die. Ran a file across it and found that it was way too hard to machine.

So I heated it up to take the heat treat out of it.

At that point I drilled and tapped it 1/2-20 and and reamed the inside to resize the case and form the neck down portion.

With the cases formed I then machined down a grade 5 bold to act as a mandrel to push the over shot wad down below the crimp. The crimp mandrel was made with a 1/2" ball end mill and slides over the over shot wad mandrel.

This way you only use the one die, just remove the insert to form and replace it to seat the over shot wad and crimp.

With the old Remington shot rounds I am about out of I had to use a specific magazine but the new formed cases feed with all that I tried, in my "farm" 45 at least.

Cases are made from cut down 308 brass. Now all I need to do is make some over shot wads and cut down some .410 wads, to load a few up.

BuckRub · March 24, 2014, 08:20 PM

Love you're enginuety.

Old Stony · March 24, 2014, 08:57 PM

Seems like about 100 yrs. ago a friend bought an RCBS set of dies to do this operation, and brought them to me for help. I followed directions that came with them and they sort of worked. Not very effective to say the least. The set called for a light load of Red Dot and a cut down .410 wad on top of it. The mouth of the case was crimped over a .41 mag gas check.
Strange operation, but in those days you couldn't find anything like a shot shell for autos, just revolvers. I played with the loads some and actually had them feeding and ejecting just fine.

jmorris · March 24, 2014, 10:18 PM

RCBS still makes them but would be $170 by the time they made it to my house from Midway. Too rich for my blood as few as I use.

andyjr11 · March 25, 2014, 08:17 AM

I thought auto's used the head of the shell to set the and hold the case from going down the barrel. What stops it from wedging?

jmorris · March 25, 2014, 09:39 AM

The case, works like every other bottleneck round that doesn't head space off of a rim or belt.

mannyCA · March 25, 2014, 12:17 PM

great reference looks good!

jmorris · March 25, 2014, 03:51 PM

Loaded up a few, the wads were cut down to 11/16" and hard to get in on the first one. After that my brain started working and I used the wad guide off of one of my shotshell reloaders.

They hold 84.9+\- grains of #12 or around 425 pellets. Used 6 grains of 231 and over-shot wads punched from a 12ga hull.

Step by step.

They patterned tighter that my other pistol shot loads using Speer capsules, maybe because of the wad.?

15ft

Video link of them running.
http://s121.photobucket.com/user/jmo...b35-1.mp4.html

Ruger45LC · March 26, 2014, 10:11 AM

Color me impressed, that's a good pattern for 15ft. I've shot the CCI versions a few times to dispatch a few critters, but yours looks much nicer.

Salmoneye · March 26, 2014, 03:23 PM

I've never done this for an auto cartridge, but do it for .357 and .44 mag...Nicely done...

I have found that the Speer shot cups blow my patterns...I feel that the cup sets the shot spinning in the rifling before it shatters, and once it starts, it doughnut patterns...

With simple over and under shot wads, the shot does not spin as readily, and holds a straighter course to target...

hodaka · March 26, 2014, 08:04 PM

I'm impressed by your ingenuity. I've made ..357 and .45 LC shot with cardboard but not ACP. Good job.

jmorris · January 3, 2017, 03:34 PM

Made some to take advantage of the additional room revolvers have.

308 brass cut and trimmed to 1.600", expanded at the mouth with a 40 S&W expander, a slightly cut down .410 wad and .53oz of #12 shot.

PlatinumCore16 · May 8, 2017, 05:34 PM

How did the revolver shotshells work out? Obviously no issues with cycling, but what did the patterns look like?

jmorris · May 9, 2017, 08:48 AM

Not much different than the photo I posted above of the semiauto versions, just more shot per round.

Reloadron · May 9, 2017, 09:43 AM

Another thanks for sharing. Your creativity never ceases, you come up with some really good stuff.

Ron

PlatinumCore16 · May 9, 2017, 09:55 AM

So I'm curious how the shot patterns don't look like donuts? I've always read that shot in a rifled barrel will always end up spinning on exit. Looking at your pictures this doesn't seem to be the case.

Jim Watson · May 9, 2017, 11:55 AM

jmorris, how do you reckon your shells avoid backing up and dragging on cylinder rotation, just like a Jet? That was a problem the only time I put the CCI shot in my M25.

jmorris · May 9, 2017, 07:23 PM

I don't recall any of my shot loads, even without wads making donuts, maybe loose density very quick but no central hole that I have noticed. 4th photo down in this thread is the pattern of the no wad 380 shot rounds I make. https://thefiringline.com/forums/sho...&highlight=380

Jim, the CCI 45 shot shells are aluminum cases, that would be one big difference between the two. That said I have never had any of them to try, I always used the star crimped Remington 45 shotshells before I made the die to create my own.

March 24, 2014, 06:59 PM	#1
jmorris Senior Member Join Date: November 22, 2006 Posts: 3,077	Homemade 45 acp shotshell die A recent thread caught my interest so I decided to build one. I found a suitable donor die in my stash, an RCBS 44mag/SPL die. Ran a file across it and found that it was way too hard to machine. So I heated it up to take the heat treat out of it. At that point I drilled and tapped it 1/2-20 and and reamed the inside to resize the case and form the neck down portion. With the cases formed I then machined down a grade 5 bold to act as a mandrel to push the over shot wad down below the crimp. The crimp mandrel was made with a 1/2" ball end mill and slides over the over shot wad mandrel. This way you only use the one die, just remove the insert to form and replace it to seat the over shot wad and crimp. With the old Remington shot rounds I am about out of I had to use a specific magazine but the new formed cases feed with all that I tried, in my "farm" 45 at least. Cases are made from cut down 308 brass. Now all I need to do is make some over shot wads and cut down some .410 wads, to load a few up.

March 24, 2014, 08:20 PM	#2
BuckRub Junior member Join Date: October 3, 2012 Location: Central Texas Posts: 1,046	Love you're enginuety.

March 24, 2014, 08:57 PM	#3
Old Stony Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 2013 Location: East Texas Posts: 1,705	Seems like about 100 yrs. ago a friend bought an RCBS set of dies to do this operation, and brought them to me for help. I followed directions that came with them and they sort of worked. Not very effective to say the least. The set called for a light load of Red Dot and a cut down .410 wad on top of it. The mouth of the case was crimped over a .41 mag gas check. Strange operation, but in those days you couldn't find anything like a shot shell for autos, just revolvers. I played with the loads some and actually had them feeding and ejecting just fine.

March 24, 2014, 10:18 PM	#4
jmorris Senior Member Join Date: November 22, 2006 Posts: 3,077	RCBS still makes them but would be $170 by the time they made it to my house from Midway. Too rich for my blood as few as I use.

March 25, 2014, 08:17 AM	#5
andyjr11 Member Join Date: March 27, 2013 Posts: 40	I thought auto's used the head of the shell to set the and hold the case from going down the barrel. What stops it from wedging?

March 25, 2014, 09:39 AM	#6
jmorris Senior Member Join Date: November 22, 2006 Posts: 3,077	The case, works like every other bottleneck round that doesn't head space off of a rim or belt.

March 25, 2014, 12:17 PM	#7
mannyCA Senior Member Join Date: May 7, 2009 Location: the world Posts: 182	great reference looks good!

March 25, 2014, 03:51 PM	#8
jmorris Senior Member Join Date: November 22, 2006 Posts: 3,077	Loaded up a few, the wads were cut down to 11/16" and hard to get in on the first one. After that my brain started working and I used the wad guide off of one of my shotshell reloaders. They hold 84.9+\- grains of #12 or around 425 pellets. Used 6 grains of 231 and over-shot wads punched from a 12ga hull. Step by step. They patterned tighter that my other pistol shot loads using Speer capsules, maybe because of the wad.? 15ft Video link of them running. http://s121.photobucket.com/user/jmo...b35-1.mp4.html

March 26, 2014, 10:11 AM	#9
Ruger45LC Senior Member Join Date: July 24, 2005 Location: Kentucky Posts: 768	Color me impressed, that's a good pattern for 15ft. I've shot the CCI versions a few times to dispatch a few critters, but yours looks much nicer.

March 26, 2014, 03:23 PM	#10
Salmoneye Senior Member Join Date: December 31, 2011 Location: Vermont Posts: 2,076	I've never done this for an auto cartridge, but do it for .357 and .44 mag...Nicely done... I have found that the Speer shot cups blow my patterns...I feel that the cup sets the shot spinning in the rifling before it shatters, and once it starts, it doughnut patterns... With simple over and under shot wads, the shot does not spin as readily, and holds a straighter course to target...

March 26, 2014, 08:04 PM	#11
hodaka Senior Member Join Date: April 23, 2006 Location: South Texas Posts: 2,010	I'm impressed by your ingenuity. I've made ..357 and .45 LC shot with cardboard but not ACP. Good job.

January 3, 2017, 03:34 PM	#12
jmorris Senior Member Join Date: November 22, 2006 Posts: 3,077	Made some to take advantage of the additional room revolvers have. 308 brass cut and trimmed to 1.600", expanded at the mouth with a 40 S&W expander, a slightly cut down .410 wad and .53oz of #12 shot.

May 8, 2017, 05:34 PM	#13
PlatinumCore16 Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2017 Location: Colorado Posts: 424	How did the revolver shotshells work out? Obviously no issues with cycling, but what did the patterns look like?

May 9, 2017, 08:48 AM	#14
jmorris Senior Member Join Date: November 22, 2006 Posts: 3,077	Not much different than the photo I posted above of the semiauto versions, just more shot per round.

May 9, 2017, 09:43 AM	#15
Reloadron Senior Member Join Date: June 8, 2016 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Suburbs Posts: 1,750	Another thanks for sharing. Your creativity never ceases, you come up with some really good stuff. Ron

May 9, 2017, 09:55 AM	#16
PlatinumCore16 Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2017 Location: Colorado Posts: 424	So I'm curious how the shot patterns don't look like donuts? I've always read that shot in a rifled barrel will always end up spinning on exit. Looking at your pictures this doesn't seem to be the case.

May 9, 2017, 11:55 AM	#17
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,544	jmorris, how do you reckon your shells avoid backing up and dragging on cylinder rotation, just like a Jet? That was a problem the only time I put the CCI shot in my M25.

May 9, 2017, 07:23 PM	#18
jmorris Senior Member Join Date: November 22, 2006 Posts: 3,077	I don't recall any of my shot loads, even without wads making donuts, maybe loose density very quick but no central hole that I have noticed. 4th photo down in this thread is the pattern of the no wad 380 shot rounds I make. https://thefiringline.com/forums/sho...&highlight=380 Jim, the CCI 45 shot shells are aluminum cases, that would be one big difference between the two. That said I have never had any of them to try, I always used the star crimped Remington 45 shotshells before I made the die to create my own.