Reloading .45 S&W and .45 Colt with same dies?

Trum4n1208 · November 14, 2014, 04:03 PM

Howdy all,

I'm debating adding .45 S&W as a new caliber to my reloading setup, for lighter plinking loads. Do any of you who use Lee dies know if the .45 Colt dies will work with .45 S&W? I know I need a new shell holder for sure, but I've read mixed reports concerning the dies themselves. Not a big deal if I need to get a new die set, just curious.

MJN77 · November 14, 2014, 05:23 PM

I use Lee .45 colt dies for schofields too. You do need a factory crimp die though.

Bishop Creek · November 14, 2014, 10:04 PM

I bought both .45 Long Colt and .45 Schofield (.45 S&W) Lee dies before I knew better. The dies are inexpensive though, so no big deal. I reload .45 Schofield more than anything other cartridge so I continue to use that die for them. For plinking, I load a .451 round ball on top of black power with a home made beeswax/Crisco card on top, and as noted above the factory crimp die is important.

Driftwood Johnson · November 16, 2014, 05:32 PM

Howdy

You can use most any standard 45 Colt die set to load 45 Schofield, as long as you can screw the seating/crimp die far enough into the press for the shorter Schofield case. I usually use Hornady dies because they work best with my Hornady Lock & Load press. Rather than go back and forth changing settings with one set of dies for 45 Colt and 45 Schofield, I keep two sets, one set up for each caliber.

Depending on the brand you use, you may be able to get away with a shellholder for 44-40, or you may need a dedicated shell holder for the larger diameter rim of 45 Schofield. The manufacturer's shell holder/shell plate table should tell you that.

Regarding the Factory Crimp Die: I have been loading 45 Colt, 45 Schofield, and a bunch of other calibers for years without it. Simply not necessary. You just have to read the instructions that come with the die set, and do your set up carefully, so you can seat and crimp in one stroke the way the seating/crimp die is designed to be used.

PAdutchman · November 23, 2014, 01:00 PM

Way back when I got my first 45 Colt pistol I had to order dies. Before they finally arrived I loaded a box of 50 up with my Lee 45 ACP dies. The sizing dies worked fine adjusted to touching the shell holder. The expander and seating dies had to be adjusted high in the press, but worked just fine. I load 45 S & W with 45 Colt dies all the time with no issues.

Trum4n1208 · November 23, 2014, 02:45 PM

Thanks for the great info, everyone! I just got my first batch of 150 S&W casings, so I'll be sure to report how they turn out.

Cheers

November 14, 2014, 04:03 PM	#1
Trum4n1208 Senior Member Join Date: September 13, 2013 Posts: 173	Reloading .45 S&W and .45 Colt with same dies? Howdy all, I'm debating adding .45 S&W as a new caliber to my reloading setup, for lighter plinking loads. Do any of you who use Lee dies know if the .45 Colt dies will work with .45 S&W? I know I need a new shell holder for sure, but I've read mixed reports concerning the dies themselves. Not a big deal if I need to get a new die set, just curious.

November 14, 2014, 05:23 PM	#2
MJN77 Senior Member Join Date: April 27, 2009 Location: on a hill in West Virginia Posts: 789	I use Lee .45 colt dies for schofields too. You do need a factory crimp die though.

November 14, 2014, 10:04 PM	#3
Bishop Creek Senior Member Join Date: March 20, 2011 Posts: 566	I bought both .45 Long Colt and .45 Schofield (.45 S&W) Lee dies before I knew better. The dies are inexpensive though, so no big deal. I reload .45 Schofield more than anything other cartridge so I continue to use that die for them. For plinking, I load a .451 round ball on top of black power with a home made beeswax/Crisco card on top, and as noted above the factory crimp die is important.

November 16, 2014, 05:32 PM	#4
Driftwood Johnson Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2014 Location: Land of the Pilgrims Posts: 2,033	Howdy You can use most any standard 45 Colt die set to load 45 Schofield, as long as you can screw the seating/crimp die far enough into the press for the shorter Schofield case. I usually use Hornady dies because they work best with my Hornady Lock & Load press. Rather than go back and forth changing settings with one set of dies for 45 Colt and 45 Schofield, I keep two sets, one set up for each caliber. Depending on the brand you use, you may be able to get away with a shellholder for 44-40, or you may need a dedicated shell holder for the larger diameter rim of 45 Schofield. The manufacturer's shell holder/shell plate table should tell you that. Regarding the Factory Crimp Die: I have been loading 45 Colt, 45 Schofield, and a bunch of other calibers for years without it. Simply not necessary. You just have to read the instructions that come with the die set, and do your set up carefully, so you can seat and crimp in one stroke the way the seating/crimp die is designed to be used.

November 23, 2014, 01:00 PM	#5
PAdutchman Member Join Date: July 26, 2008 Posts: 44	Way back when I got my first 45 Colt pistol I had to order dies. Before they finally arrived I loaded a box of 50 up with my Lee 45 ACP dies. The sizing dies worked fine adjusted to touching the shell holder. The expander and seating dies had to be adjusted high in the press, but worked just fine. I load 45 S & W with 45 Colt dies all the time with no issues.

November 23, 2014, 02:45 PM	#6
Trum4n1208 Senior Member Join Date: September 13, 2013 Posts: 173	Thanks for the great info, everyone! I just got my first batch of 150 S&W casings, so I'll be sure to report how they turn out. Cheers