Remington 45ACP brass

[cw308]

Is it true Remington R P brass isn't designed to be reloaded only fired once . Is the reason it's the thinnest handgun brass . This came from another forum , would like your opinion . I haven't had a problem .

[std7mag]

I reload it all the time. Shooting 185gr Sierra Tournament Master, JHP just over 900 fps from Commander for defense loads.
185gr LSWC around 800 fps for practice.

[mikejonestkd]

If Remington 45 ACP brass was designed to only be used once then I am truly the luckiest man alive- I have literally 1000s of pieces of used RP 45 ACP brass, some of it loaded well over 20 times......

[higgite]

I don't have a clue what Remington's design criteria is, but I've reloaded some R-P .45 Auto brass 4 or 5 times so far. And lots of R-P 9mm Luger brass an unknown number of times.

[cw308]

I'm with you guys , kinda puzzled me because its my favorite brass , reloads , feeds and fires great . Thanks for getting back so quickly . Thanks Again .

Chris

[rg1]

Depends on a few variables. Some sizing dies are at the plus end of spec and may not size brass enough. Some bullets may be a little small in diameter. Add this to RP 45 ACP brass which may be a little thinner than other brands and you could run into low bullet tension? I haven't had any issues with Remington 45 ACP brass and jacketed 185 or 230 grain bullets. I did have to send a 40 S&W die back to the manufacturer because it didn't size RP cases enough for good bullet tension. The manufacturer sent me a new carbide die that cured my 40 S&W problems with RP cases. Just check bullet tension as you should with any brand cases. RP cases are fine for reloading.

[Shane Tuttle]

I've had issues with RP brass in recent years. Back in the early '90's or so it didn't seem to be an issue, though. I've come across the walls being much thinner than other brass and bullets had a tendency set further back when being handled.

I pitch them out along with S&B brass. Not worth my time. As far as they're manufactured to only be used once? That's the first I've heard of it.

[Charlie98]

RP is my primary brass flavor, I've gotten excellent service out of both pistol and rifle brass.

[cw308]

I read a post on another forum , sorry , this person wrote , I contacted Remington and RP brass was loaded for one firing and not recommend for reloading . I thought it was strange but I brought it to my forum friends to get the correct information . Thank You .

Chris

[zeke]

Although they may have changed in the last ten years, will not use remington 45 acp cases for anything but lead practice loads. If they are segregated from other cases. They lose their elasticity after limited firing, are thinner and shorter. Had too many setback issues with jacketed bullets, especially win 230 jrn's, which are slightly undersized.

Same applies to their 45 ar, and .40 brass. The 9mm brass is thicker.

Your mileage and experience may certainly differ.

[Gary Wells]

I have reloaded & shot R-P nickel plated on & off over the last30 yrs. or so and it is ll that I reload. If R-P brass was actually designed to be loaded only once don't you think that there would be a disclaimer on every box.

[cw308]

Gary Wells
I only reloaded brass R P brass with no issues , you make a good point about the disclaimer. When I read the post on once fired , being it was thinner brass I just wanted to see if anyone new more on the brass . I will still reload the R P brass and as I posted never had a problem after 6 reloads . Thanks for answering .

Chris

[dahermit]

...R-P brass was actually designed...

The design (dimensions) of a brass cartridge case is determined by SAAMI. The Brass alloy formula as I understand it (and have read somewhere), varies by manufacturer. If I remember the article correctly, Remington utilizes "Cartridge Brass" (a specific alloy) whereas Winchester uses a different Brass alloy. Logically, different alloys would have different properties including longevity in regard to the fitness/desirability for handloading.

[cw308]

Zeke
Never shot lead in my 45ACP reloads , was getting a bulge issue every once and awhile so I switched to the Lyman M die , cured the problem . The 45FMJ's OD is .451 where lead is .452 thinking it would give more of a bulge I never tried it . Even with the .451 in a case OD sized to .468 the Remington still gives me .003 tension , enough to stop setback . I'm also not loading hot , just enough to operate 100% . Thanks for answering .

Chris

[higgite]

I read a post on another forum , sorry , this person wrote , I contacted Remington and RP brass was loaded for one firing and not recommend for reloading .

That's lawyer speak for "we aren't responsible if you blow yourself up reloading our brass."

[44 AMP]

Is it true Remington R P brass isn't designed to be reloaded only fired once .

no, its not true.

I read a post on another forum , sorry , this person wrote , I contacted Remington and RP brass was loaded for one firing and not recommend for reloading .
That's lawyer speak for "we aren't responsible if you blow yourself up reloading our brass."

I think this is pretty much true. I think its a bit of a dodge, and going from what this guy said Remington said, ok, fine, they may not "recommend" reloaded the fired brass from their loaded ammo. But not recommending is a long way from any kind of prohibition, or even a warning.

Consider this,
"we don't recommend you reload the brass from our ammo, we recommend you buy our unfired brass for loading (it's better for our business)"

I doubt there is any significant difference between the brass they use loading ammo and the brass they bag and sell for reloaders to use. Only one ammo company I know of ever did that and that was Norma.

And, I don't know if there was any difference in Norma's brass (I rather doubt there was) only in the case marking. Norma ammo said "Norma" Brass that Norma made and sold for reloading was stamped "Norma Re"
(Re =Reloading).


The only ammo I know that is intended for single use and NOT to be reloaded is the aluminum case CCI Blazer.

Steel cased ammo is not intended to be reloaded, but it can be done (and don't use your regular dies!!!)

Berdan primed ammo is reloadable, BUT its not a practical thing to do (in the US) as the Berdan primers are not easily obtained these days. You can get the needed tools easily, but the primers are scarce...

[cw308]

Just wanted to get some feedback from the forum I'm most comfortable with . I thank you all for taking the time in answering . Thanks Again .

Chris

[Unclenick]

I never had trouble with Remington rifle brass, but in the early 1980's discovered I had trouble with R-P 45 Auto brass getting so springy in just a couple or three reloads that bullets would fall into the case mouths after resizing. So I started tossing it, too. However, that was with my first ever carbide die, a Lyman, and it was on the generous side. When I later got a Dillon Square Deal with its tighter carbide sizing ring, the problem stopped and I was able to reload it. But by then I was buying and segregating lots of bulk Winchester brass for match shooting and I wasn't interested in mixing things up, so I just kept on leaving R-P range foundlings on a bench for the next guy to take home.

As for being made not to be reloaded, Remington does sell bulk brass for reloading. If you are curious enough, you could buy some of the bulk brass from Midway and compare it to the brass from their loaded ammunition. If you do, let us know what you find.

[cw308]

Unclenick
Oddly enough , back in the 80's I did buy bulk brass from Midway in 500 quantity. That's the brass I've been using with zero problems , being .001 thinner I didn't have the bulge issue I was having with other brands , that problem is solved thanks to the Lyman M expanding die , works great . Thank You . What lead bullets would you suggest using in my 3" 1911 for practice shooting 21' I stayed away from using it when I was having the bulge issue do to the OD being .452 the FMJ's are .451

[Unclenick]

The shorties usually need something near a full load to function reliably. I would not expect to be able to go below 200 grains (though your gun might be the exception, there), and you may find a round nose is necessary to avoid jams. That part depends on the gun and whether you got a reliability package from a gunsmith or not. The bottom line is, you will likely be in for some experimentation.

[hdwhit]

I don't load a lot of 45 ACP, but what I have loaded has always been in mixed range brass and I don't notice any difference between Remington and anyone else's brass.

When I hear anonymous sources leveling non-specific criticism of a particular company's product, I tend to dismiss them out of hand suspecting there's probably an agenda behind it that is concerned with commercial interests rather than my safety.

[Nick_C_S]

I'll chime in.

I have a fair amount of R-P 45 ACP brass (non-nickel) and it seems to be fine. I haven't noticed a problem - yet. I think most of my R-P is relatively new; so the jury may still be out. Lever effort does seem to be slightly reduced compared to other brands when sizing and flairing. But that's the only difference I've noticed thus far.

Now R-P with 357 Mag seems to be a different story. R-P 357 brass is clearly different. They don't last as long. I'm sure both their 45 and 357 brass is made of the same stuff. The difference is probably the aspect ratio of the two chamberings. The longer, narrower 357 brass likely manifests R-P's shortcomings more readily. Just my guess.

Is it true Remington R P brass isn't designed to be reloaded only fired once?

Strictly speaking, I don't know that ANY brass from factory ammo is designed to be reloaded. Not to say it is not reloadable. But would not the manufacturer's concern only be with the ammo THEY loaded; and not subsequent loadings?? Just some food for thought.

[hdwhit]

...isn't designed to be reloaded only fired once...

Given the chamber pressures of the 45 ACP, how would someone go about "designing" a brass cartridge case to function with "Six Sigma" reliability on the first shot that would then not be suitable for a second?

I think this assertion regarding Remington brass probably came from someone with a gripe against Remington trying to damage the brand rather than any technical limitation in the product.

After all, how many times do we see a post from someone saying that they are never again going to use "XYZ" or "ABC" headstamp brass because it is junk and then twenty or thirty people post saying they've never had a problem with it?

[hdwhit]

Nick C S wrote:
I don't know that ANY brass from factory ammo is designed to be reloaded.

Correct.

Nobody making factory ammunition begins by considering the needs of the reloading community. But, "not designing to be reloaded" is entirely different from the OP's question about whether Remington brass was "designed to not be reloaded".

The entire reloading hobby is based on the notion that a brass case designed to be safe and reliable for its initial firing (with rare exception) remains serviceable for a number of subsequent firings regardless of what the concerns of the original manufacturer might have been.

[USSR]

Personally, I like the thin Remington .45 ACP brass for loading my .455" bullets in them.

Don