The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Skunkworks > Handloading, Reloading, and Bullet Casting

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old November 8, 2013, 11:06 PM   #1
Gunnels
Member
 
Join Date: March 23, 2013
Location: Dallas, TX
Posts: 76
How common is small pistol primers for 45 ACP

I loaded my first batch of 45 ACP today. Normally I reload .380 and 9mm. I noticed that maybe 10% of the 45 brass I had accumulated the large pistol primer wouldn't seat. I had read on this forum that some 45 brass takes a small pistol primer but I didn't think it was that common. How common is it? Are there certain manufacturers that use SPP instead of LPP?
Gunnels is offline  
Old November 8, 2013, 11:21 PM   #2
Nick_C_S
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 21, 2013
Location: Idaho
Posts: 5,512
I think Blazer is the main culprit. Yeah, I'd say 10%-ish.

I process them (tumble clean, "push through" resize/decap, mouth flair.) and put them in their separate coffee can. I don't use them; at least, not at this time. Their future is unknown.
__________________
Gun control laws benefit only criminals and politicians - but then, I repeat myself.
Life Member, National Rifle Association
Nick_C_S is offline  
Old November 8, 2013, 11:22 PM   #3
Jim Watson
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 25, 2001
Location: Alabama
Posts: 18,487
Fairly common and getting more common.
What I see is mostly Blazer Brass, but there are others.
Ask around, you might be able to swap them out with somebod who wants to buy only small primers.

You should sort them out.
A steady pressure in a reloading press won't normally fire a crushed primer, but not never.
Jim Watson is offline  
Old November 8, 2013, 11:22 PM   #4
jag2
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 30, 2009
Location: dallas
Posts: 773
I doubt anyone really knows for sure. It's happening and will continue, money (profit) probably has a lot to do with it. I doubt either one will disappear so best just get used to it.
jag2 is offline  
Old November 8, 2013, 11:22 PM   #5
pctechdude
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 5, 2013
Posts: 159
Re: How common is small pistol primers for 45 ACP

Some federal target rounds, CCI blazer brass, Winchester clean, and I've had a few S&B (European) that have small pistol primers. Anymore they are becoming pretty common. I have a range about 20 minutes from me that sells their range brass. I'd say 25% is small pistol primer. That being said I just separate them and load like normal
pctechdude is offline  
Old November 8, 2013, 11:30 PM   #6
Nick_C_S
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 21, 2013
Location: Idaho
Posts: 5,512
Not meaning to hijack your post, but how did your 45 loads go? Care to share the details of what you loaded?
__________________
Gun control laws benefit only criminals and politicians - but then, I repeat myself.
Life Member, National Rifle Association
Nick_C_S is offline  
Old November 9, 2013, 12:04 AM   #7
Misssissippi Dave
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 5, 2009
Posts: 1,411
Federal Champion, the clean versions of a few brands, Blazer and a few others use small primers. It is getting to be more common than it was just a few years ago. For punching paper the same load in either with some powders normally result in no difference most will see. I find a slight reduction in velocity using the small primers but I need a chronograph to tell. Adding .1 grain of powder tends to make up the difference and possibly increase the velocity a few fps depending on the powder used.

Lately when I am shooting in a match I often loose a lot of brass in, I will load my ammo using small primers. Surprisingly I tend to get more of my brass back that way. Go figure. I do set up both presses for .45 when loading that caliber. One for small primers the other for large. It tends to let me get the ammo I'm trying to load finished a little faster. I do keep them separated as much as possible before and after loading.
Misssissippi Dave is offline  
Old November 9, 2013, 12:22 AM   #8
pctechdude
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 5, 2013
Posts: 159
Re: How common is small pistol primers for 45 ACP

So far, I've used them with the same charges as large pistol primer brass, 5.4gr hp38 152gr lead swc from Penn, 4.8gr hp38 200gr lewd swc from hornady, 4.8 gr hp38 200gr lead truncated cone plain base from Penn, 200gr speer gold dot 8.9gr power pistol. 230gr hornady fmj with 5gr bullseye. The small pistol primed brass showed about 40fps slower so nothing horrible in reduction compared to large pistol
pctechdude is offline  
Old November 9, 2013, 12:24 AM   #9
Gunnels
Member
 
Join Date: March 23, 2013
Location: Dallas, TX
Posts: 76
Today I was just making some test rounds and I haven't had a chance to try them out. Hopefully I will tomorrow. Normally when I make test rounds I will make 10 of each round. I was loading 185gn Berry's Plated RNHB and 200gn Berry's LRNFP. I tried some fast powder (Bullseye) and slower powder (Unique).
Gunnels is offline  
Old November 9, 2013, 12:49 AM   #10
Nick_C_S
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 21, 2013
Location: Idaho
Posts: 5,512
Good bullet/powder combos. Well played.
__________________
Gun control laws benefit only criminals and politicians - but then, I repeat myself.
Life Member, National Rifle Association
Nick_C_S is offline  
Old November 9, 2013, 03:02 AM   #11
Elerius
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 8, 2013
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 365
I've accumulated about 1000 Federal cases from ranges over the last few years and all of them were small pistol primers. All the Remington's I've found have been large. And a mix of large and small from Winchester, but mostly large. Don't really pick up much else but those
Elerius is offline  
Old November 9, 2013, 06:16 AM   #12
lamarw
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 12, 2010
Location: Lake Martin, AL
Posts: 3,311
Aggravatingly common for us reloaders.
lamarw is offline  
Old November 9, 2013, 06:56 AM   #13
spacecoast
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 14, 2009
Location: Sunshine and Keystone States
Posts: 4,461
If anyone has a bunch they'd like to get rid of, I'll use them and I'd be happy to pay postage. Just PM me.

I'd also be willing to trade them 1-1 with 9mm brass.

Last edited by spacecoast; November 9, 2013 at 08:56 AM.
spacecoast is offline  
Old November 9, 2013, 08:53 AM   #14
Gunnels
Member
 
Join Date: March 23, 2013
Location: Dallas, TX
Posts: 76
I will swap .40 for 45ACP. One for one. I have maybe 3 or 4 hundred.
Gunnels is offline  
Old November 9, 2013, 09:05 AM   #15
jmorris
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 22, 2006
Posts: 3,076
Winchester NT started it all a decade ago. Federal, CCI and others now have them. They were getting common enough where I pick up brass that I built a device that will cull them while loading.

Click to play the video.
jmorris is offline  
Old November 9, 2013, 10:18 AM   #16
Gunnels
Member
 
Join Date: March 23, 2013
Location: Dallas, TX
Posts: 76
Are the ballistics affected much by using a SPP versus a LPP? If I settle on a load I like for 45ACP using LPP would I get similar results with the SPP?
Gunnels is offline  
Old November 9, 2013, 10:33 AM   #17
rclark
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 12, 2009
Location: Butte, MT
Posts: 2,614
I toss 'em when I find them. All the people here I know (that reload) do the same. Plenty of the 'normal' .45 ACP brass to reload without dealing with the odd-ball brass.

Won't see any difference using small or large ( I must say this is hear-say, as I've never loaded the small, but can't image there would be) . Be wary of large flash holes. I ran into a few of them and had punctured primers. Reloaded 'em twice and repeated. So, now if not standard size flash hole, I toss. Note I load .45 ACP for revolver only....
__________________
A clinger and deplorable, MAGA, and life NRA member. When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. Single Action .45 Colt (Sometimes colloquially referred to by its alias as the .45 'Long' Colt or .45LC). Don't leave home without it. That said, the .44Spec is right up their too... but the .45 Colt is still the king.
rclark is offline  
Old November 9, 2013, 11:09 AM   #18
hodaka
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 23, 2006
Location: South Texas
Posts: 2,010
I cussed them and tossed them for about a year. Finally I segregated a coffee can full. I loaded them up using the same load I had used for years with large primer .45's, 5.2 gr. of 231 with 200 swc cast. I can't tell the difference. It is a bit of trouble to separate them but it is nice when I have my Dillon 550 set up for .223 or 9mm and I want to run some .45's without changing the primer system. The headstamps I have are Blazer and Federal with the latter being in the majority.
hodaka is offline  
Old November 9, 2013, 04:13 PM   #19
Beanie-Bean
Member
 
Join Date: October 4, 2011
Location: Central TX
Posts: 87
Not a fan of the .45ACP SPP cases...

After running into issues while loading, I finally started decapping the brass and using a primer pocket cleaner to gauge which ones were LPP and SPP. I managed to get about a shoebox-sized tupperware full of them, and will probably only ever use them for lost brass matches if I ever decide to shoot .45ACP.

I'm pretty much reusing my own LPP brass, but every now and then, an SPP case ends up in my brass recovery bucket. I've taken to striping the back of my cases so that it's easier to see which ones I shot (knowing that they're LPP) and performing manual inspections on the other brass before it gets tumbled.

The headstamps have been Federal and Blazer.
__________________
Ammo by Dillon and Hornady
Beanie-Bean is offline  
Old November 9, 2013, 07:19 PM   #20
BigJimP
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 23, 2005
Posts: 13,195
After I clean my cases that I pickup.....I inspect and toss out any with the small pistol primers ( they're usually marked NT ) for non-toxic or lead free primers....but I see them in Fed, WIN and others...

.45 acp with small pistol primers, in my area, are not common..../ way less than 10% of the indoor range cases I sweep up in .45acp....
BigJimP is offline  
Old November 9, 2013, 07:47 PM   #21
jamaica
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 24, 2006
Location: Northern Utah
Posts: 705
I was running into some here and there. I just set the small ones aside until I had a good batch then loaded them up with small primers. They worked fine.
jamaica is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:13 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.07536 seconds with 8 queries