45 ACP Cases

Bucksnort1 · March 12, 2015, 05:28 PM

I have several thousand 45 ACP cases of various manufacturers. I'm sorting by mfg. I have a fair amount of cases made off shore. Can anyone tell me which of these off shore cases to avoid?

Shootest · March 12, 2015, 08:27 PM

As long as they are brass and boxer primed load them up. The only brass I refuse to load is AMERC.

mikejonestkd · March 12, 2015, 08:30 PM

Agreeing with Shootest- stay away from Amerc. crush it and recycle it.

Bucksnort1 · March 12, 2015, 08:53 PM

Ok on the Amerc. Thanks.

**Mike Irwin** · March 13, 2015, 11:25 AM

It would be easiest if you were to tells us what you have, instead of us trying to make blanket statements/guesses.

Jim243 · March 13, 2015, 11:34 AM

I have a magnet that I use to check my cases. Some cases look like they are brass but are really steal cases. By running the magnet through the cases you will be able to pick out those that are steal and remove them. Some cases are aluminum, I would avoid those also.

Jim

Kevin Rohrer · March 13, 2015, 05:08 PM

S-t-e-e-l

jason.jardine72 · March 13, 2015, 06:15 PM

Use only large rifle primer crush the small pistol primer ones

the led farmer · March 13, 2015, 06:24 PM

I never liked r-p in ANY caliber

oldreloader · March 14, 2015, 05:01 PM

The cases I cull are steel and aluminum.

Bucksnort1 · March 14, 2015, 06:31 PM

I have no steel or aluminum cases.

scsov509 · March 14, 2015, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Use only large rifle primer crush the small pistol primer ones

I'm guessing you mean to say large pistol and not large rifle. Regardless, I wouldn't toss any of the small pistol primer cases since they are perfectly good cases that reload the same as large primer cases.

In 45 I'd pretty much keep and use anything that's not steel, aluminum, or AMERC. 45 is the kind if cartridge where you're going to lose brass long before you'll wear it out, so no reason to be really picky with brass. AMERC brass is a just a PITA to work with, so out or spec it'll cause you more problems than it's worth. But everything else brass I'd keep and load.

Eric

StrutStopper · March 14, 2015, 09:38 PM

Steel and aluminum go into the trash, small primer pockets get separated and saved for the day I may find myself out of large primers.

Lurch37 · March 14, 2015, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Use only large rifle primer crush the small pistol primer ones

Although I hate these as much as the next guy, I sort them out of my fired brass as I do my reloading on a progressive press. Once I have a hundred or so of these small pistol primers cases, I just use a hand primer to re-prime them and then insert them into my progressive press at the powder drop station.

I keep them labeled as small primer cases and try to shoot them separately of others so they don't get mixed up.

hgmeyer · March 15, 2015, 09:44 AM

I have been uing both small and large primer 45 cases for years. I sort them (experience helps) and load them in batches. Our Department provided Speer ammo for years, I have thousands of small primer cases. So I just deal with it. I prime all cases off the bench, so it is no hassle for me past that step. I have never seen any performance difference. HOWEVER, I load all of my "hotter" loads with CCI primers so I almost exclusively use large ones for convenience since I hoard the LPP for that use because I have a load my pistol likes, a lot.

Again, other than that convenience, I see no difference in the use.

joneb · March 15, 2015, 11:19 PM

I sort all my brass by head stamp, the variations are to much to ignore. I use R-P for .452" lead.

scsov509 · March 17, 2015, 02:22 PM

Quote:

I sort all my brass by head stamp, the variations are to much to ignore. I use R-P for .452" lead.

Variations in 45? What kinds of variations are you seeing that has made it worth sorting headstamps in pistol brass? I shoot a large volume of pistol and have never personally found enough of a difference to merit sorting, so I'm curious what you're seeing that I'm not.

joneb · March 17, 2015, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Variations in 45?

Case wall thickness, length, and alloy composition. This effects your tension on the bullet which effects pressure, velocity and accuracy.

scsov509 · March 18, 2015, 12:50 AM

Quote:

Case wall thickness, length, and alloy composition. This effects your tension on the bullet which effects pressure, velocity and accuracy.

I get that brass differs from one headstamp to the next, but I don't know that the variations translate to much actual difference in accuracy in a handgun cartridge. I mean if you're a competitive bullseye shooter I can see it maybe being worth it, but for most any other shooter I don't see it making enough of a difference in a handgun to make it worth sorting by headstamp. But hey, if it's worth it to you then more power to you.

Eric

joneb · March 18, 2015, 01:16 AM

Quote:

I don't know that the variations translate to much actual difference in accuracy in a handgun cartridge.

You are correct, you don't know.

scsov509 · March 18, 2015, 04:15 AM

Quote:

You are correct, you don't know.

Well like I said,if it's worth it to you then have at it. I'll keep on shooting mixed brass and be plenty happy with that.

darkgael · March 18, 2015, 05:09 AM

Life is too short to sort .45 brass. The differences between one brand of brass and another is minimal and has little to no measurable effect on its function. What effect there might be gets lost in a cloud of variables.....
Within the context of a gun that has a variety of moving parts, bullets of various types and weights, alloys, thickness of the bullet jacket or plating, different powders and variations in charge weight, different primers, the press and dies used to load the cartridges, the amount of bell and crimp....the brand of brass is not worth worrying about enough to sort the stuff. If you want to.....hey, go.
Btw....I do not believe that I have ever even seen a piece of Amerc brass. Certainly, I have none.
As to cases with small primer pockets....I do as another poster mentioned....prime it separately and then load it up.
In fact, during the recent craziness and resulting shortages, I bought a few hundred virgin cases from Diamond K and have kept them as a hedge against a time when LPPs are scarce. They remain in their box.
Actually....the SPP brass is a good example of my earlier point about other elements of reloading being as much an influence, if not more, than sorting by headstamp. The small primer loads perform the same as the larger primers....scores haven't changed.

schmellba99 · March 18, 2015, 03:05 PM

I don't sort pistol brass, but I also don't shoot competitive bullseye. It's not worth the time to me by any stretch.

I throw away aluminum, steel and any of those $%&$@^ small pistol primer cases that I come across. I really hate those things, they can jack up a good loading session when one slips through the cracks and gets int he mix.

If the shell has issues going into the shell plate on the LnL, it gets tossed. Otherwise - it gets loaded like the rest of them. I have enough .45 ACP brass to last probably the rest of my life, even if I only have a 75% recovery rate at the range.

joneb · March 18, 2015, 10:23 PM

[QUOTE] those $%&$@^ small pistol primer cases[/QUOT]
I guess we have to look at the case base for the large/small primer thing anyway, so I figure at that point I can sort by head stamp.
I save the the SPP brass in case I'm out of LPP and can't find them.
Just for fun measure the case wall thickness of R-P brass VS PMC.

boondocker385 · March 18, 2015, 10:54 PM

I reload Amerc.....no real issues other than they tend to split after 4 or 5 loadings....

I do sort out the SPP and load them separately. Since my cases get a looksee all over, pulling them out really isn't a pain.

I occasionally sort by manufacturer but that is just for using an indoor range occasionally that doesn't allow reloads.

March 12, 2015, 05:28 PM	#1
Bucksnort1 Senior Member Join Date: July 8, 2013 Location: Littleton, Colorado Posts: 1,121	45 ACP Cases I have several thousand 45 ACP cases of various manufacturers. I'm sorting by mfg. I have a fair amount of cases made off shore. Can anyone tell me which of these off shore cases to avoid?

March 12, 2015, 08:27 PM	#2
Shootest Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2011 Location: Just outside Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 722	As long as they are brass and boxer primed load them up. The only brass I refuse to load is AMERC. __________________ The private ownership of firearms is an American Heritage. Anyone who disputes that is Anti-American and unpatriotic. NRA Life Member

March 12, 2015, 08:30 PM	#3
mikejonestkd Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2006 Location: Brockport, NY Posts: 3,716	Agreeing with Shootest- stay away from Amerc. crush it and recycle it. __________________ You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

March 13, 2015, 11:25 AM	#5
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,381	It would be easiest if you were to tells us what you have, instead of us trying to make blanket statements/guesses. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

March 13, 2015, 11:34 AM	#6
Jim243 Senior Member Join Date: January 5, 2009 Location: Just off Route 66 Posts: 5,067	I have a magnet that I use to check my cases. Some cases look like they are brass but are really steal cases. By running the magnet through the cases you will be able to pick out those that are steal and remove them. Some cases are aluminum, I would avoid those also. Jim __________________ Si vis pacem, para bellum

March 12, 2015, 08:53 PM	#4
Bucksnort1 Senior Member Join Date: July 8, 2013 Location: Littleton, Colorado Posts: 1,121	Ok on the Amerc. Thanks.

March 13, 2015, 05:08 PM	#7
Kevin Rohrer Senior Member Join Date: May 19, 2010 Location: Medina, Ohio Posts: 1,049	S-t-e-e-l __________________ Member: Orange Gunsite Family, NRA--Life, ARTCA, and American Legion. Caveat Emptor: Cavery Grips/AmericanGripz/Prestige Grips/Stealth Grips from Clayton, NC. He is a scammer

March 13, 2015, 06:15 PM	#8
jason.jardine72 Senior Member Join Date: February 27, 2015 Posts: 114	Use only large rifle primer crush the small pistol primer ones

March 13, 2015, 06:24 PM	#9
the led farmer Senior Member Join Date: July 8, 2012 Location: so cal Posts: 246	I never liked r-p in ANY caliber

March 14, 2015, 05:01 PM	#10
oldreloader Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 2009 Location: Magnolia, Arkansas Posts: 251	The cases I cull are steel and aluminum.

March 14, 2015, 06:31 PM	#11
Bucksnort1 Senior Member Join Date: July 8, 2013 Location: Littleton, Colorado Posts: 1,121	I have no steel or aluminum cases.

March 14, 2015, 09:38 PM	#13
StrutStopper Member Join Date: January 21, 2015 Posts: 51	Steel and aluminum go into the trash, small primer pockets get separated and saved for the day I may find myself out of large primers.

March 15, 2015, 09:44 AM	#15
hgmeyer Senior Member Join Date: February 26, 2013 Location: Elgin, IL Posts: 147	I have been uing both small and large primer 45 cases for years. I sort them (experience helps) and load them in batches. Our Department provided Speer ammo for years, I have thousands of small primer cases. So I just deal with it. I prime all cases off the bench, so it is no hassle for me past that step. I have never seen any performance difference. HOWEVER, I load all of my "hotter" loads with CCI primers so I almost exclusively use large ones for convenience since I hoard the LPP for that use because I have a load my pistol likes, a lot. Again, other than that convenience, I see no difference in the use.

March 15, 2015, 11:19 PM	#16
joneb Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 2005 Location: Central , OR Posts: 1,888	I sort all my brass by head stamp, the variations are to much to ignore. I use R-P for .452" lead.

March 18, 2015, 05:09 AM	#22
darkgael Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2006 Location: Homes in Brooklyn, NY and in Pennsylvania. Posts: 5,473	Sorting Life is too short to sort .45 brass. The differences between one brand of brass and another is minimal and has little to no measurable effect on its function. What effect there might be gets lost in a cloud of variables..... Within the context of a gun that has a variety of moving parts, bullets of various types and weights, alloys, thickness of the bullet jacket or plating, different powders and variations in charge weight, different primers, the press and dies used to load the cartridges, the amount of bell and crimp....the brand of brass is not worth worrying about enough to sort the stuff. If you want to.....hey, go. Btw....I do not believe that I have ever even seen a piece of Amerc brass. Certainly, I have none. As to cases with small primer pockets....I do as another poster mentioned....prime it separately and then load it up. In fact, during the recent craziness and resulting shortages, I bought a few hundred virgin cases from Diamond K and have kept them as a hedge against a time when LPPs are scarce. They remain in their box. Actually....the SPP brass is a good example of my earlier point about other elements of reloading being as much an influence, if not more, than sorting by headstamp. The small primer loads perform the same as the larger primers....scores haven't changed. __________________ “Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports ... all others are games.” Ernest Hemingway ... NRA Life Member Last edited by darkgael; March 18, 2015 at 05:32 AM.

March 18, 2015, 03:05 PM	#23
schmellba99 Senior Member Join Date: January 8, 2008 Posts: 803	I don't sort pistol brass, but I also don't shoot competitive bullseye. It's not worth the time to me by any stretch. I throw away aluminum, steel and any of those $%&$@^ small pistol primer cases that I come across. I really hate those things, they can jack up a good loading session when one slips through the cracks and gets int he mix. If the shell has issues going into the shell plate on the LnL, it gets tossed. Otherwise - it gets loaded like the rest of them. I have enough .45 ACP brass to last probably the rest of my life, even if I only have a 75% recovery rate at the range.

March 18, 2015, 10:23 PM	#24
joneb Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 2005 Location: Central , OR Posts: 1,888	[QUOTE] those $%&$@^ small pistol primer cases[/QUOT] I guess we have to look at the case base for the large/small primer thing anyway, so I figure at that point I can sort by head stamp. I save the the SPP brass in case I'm out of LPP and can't find them. Just for fun measure the case wall thickness of R-P brass VS PMC.

March 18, 2015, 10:54 PM	#25
boondocker385 Senior Member Join Date: March 6, 2013 Posts: 640	I reload Amerc.....no real issues other than they tend to split after 4 or 5 loadings.... I do sort out the SPP and load them separately. Since my cases get a looksee all over, pulling them out really isn't a pain. I occasionally sort by manufacturer but that is just for using an indoor range occasionally that doesn't allow reloads. __________________ No second place finishes in a gun fight.