45ACP Brass case weight variations

[Tidewater Tom]

I was loading some 45ACP ammo the other night: 230 gr copper clad RN ball, 4.0 gr’s of Clays, Win LP into assorted range brass. For some reason I decided to measure the total weight of some bullets. I was surprised to see a healthy variation in the total weights. So I grabbed a collection of brass I have, one of each head stamp that I’ve come across in grazing at the various ranges I shoot at (Consider it a weird little hobby). I then began weighing each one; they were de-primed and not cleaned. (See list below)

Even though it was only one piece of brass from each manufacturer I was surprised by the results. I know that a better average weigh would come from a larger group of same manufactured brass but I’m not a scientist, just a little curious. I’ll get around to weighing a larger group of like kind ammo later.

So my question is this. Just like the variations of different magazines have on grouping of shots, does a heavier piece of brass make for a more accurate round of ammo or just one which will last longer, reload after reload? Would anyone like to comment on the brands below and their quality? Or do I need to go back to my bench, just load’em up and shoot them and not think of such silly things anymore.

Table1. 22 samples with an average weight of 85.61gr.

-TZZ89 = 85.7gr
-TZZ91 = 87.5
-TZZ93 = 87.6
-Agulia = 85.1
-Amerc = 94.3 (high)
-CBC = 88.7
-GFL = 84.7
-*I* = 86.3
-ICC = 79.6
-FC01 = 86.7
-Federal = 82.7
-Fiocchi usa = 83.0
-MFS = 80.2
-PMC = 88.9
-RP = 84.0
-S+B = 86.9
-Speer = 88.2
-WCC74 = 79.4 (low)
-WCC93 = 87.4
-WCC99 = 90.4
-Winchester = 82.6
-Win NT = 83.5

Thanks!

 

[P0832177]

First off Dump the AMERC brass RFN!

Next off the case wt variation is not a point to worry about with pistol ammo, whereas it is in say loading the 308 or 3006 with where the case volume is more crucial.

I have always shot mixed headstamp brass in loading for the 45ACP, especially when the brass might get lost!

I seperate brass only because the 625's get WW or Fed headstamped brass and the rest is fed to the USP'!

 

[ReloaderFred]

Load it and shoot it. There is a lengthy article in a past issue of Handloader magazine on sorting .45 acp brass for accuracy and there wasn't any noticable difference when all other factors were kept the same.

As for reloadability, the heaviest walled .45 brass is going to be the Winchester, then Federal and then PMC. It goes down from there, with R-P being down near the bottom, but still reloadable brass.

For information, A-Merc isn't considered brass. It's scrap and that's where it ends up. I'm currently getting $1.36 a pound for scrap brass, but I'm told by someone in the business to look for a sharp reduction in price around the second week of December. He didn't say why, but makes his living off buying and selling scrap.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[EddieCoyle]

The Amerc is the heaviest!?!? Either it ain't real brass or it's in all the wrong places because that stuff is crap.