2 45 auto federal brass with different primer size pockets?

[Glocker45ACP]

So I just got back from the range and shot some of my reloads for 45 acp and some 45 acp factory federal ammo. I notice that when i was cleaning the primer pockets that the federal cartridges i bought from Wal mart had a 45 ACP head stamp with 2 dots on it and the fed reloads i had made also had a headstamp with 45 acp but no dots on it. The difference i notice was the size of the primer pocket. I checked both manuals and they both require for 230 gr 45 acp large primers. The only thing i can think of is that they are GAP, but both my lee and lyman manuals contradict each other. The lyman says small primers for 45 GAP and Lee says large primers. But i also ruled out 45 GAP because i dont think they would be shootable on my Glock 30sf. I have put as an attachment for comparison both 45 acp cartridges that i shot today. I would like to know your opinion if the ammo from wal mart is a reloadable 45 acp cartridge or not. That would be the cartridge shown on the left.

 

[Roach79]

I believe that it is reloadable no reason why it wouldnt be, but I have heard that .45 acp does use both small and large primers so you need to filter through them one at a time. There is a video on youtube that I saw talking about this.

 

[bjs1187]

I reloaded a bunch of it a while back. Had no problems with the small pistol primers. Start low and work up kind of thing, but as a whole, if you have more brass than you want to waste, go for it. I'm out of town for a few weeks, or else I would post the recipe. Cant remember off the top of my head.

 

[JRH6856]

Things are changing. All the Federal Premium .45ACP that I have bought in the past 2 months have had small primers. Winchester and Hornady have large primers. Don't know about Remington PMC. Others have said CCI is using small primers now for .45ACP.

 

[Roach79]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9Zgi6sGwaY&feature=plcp&context=C3713a2cUPOEgsToPDskJHS9VYMWS-O_Q5GJVPg16B

 

[jcwit]

Orginally the small primer .45 ACP cases were for the NT ammo. NT=non toxic

Whether this is still true or not I'm not sure.

 

[ReloaderFred]

Do a search on THR. There has to be at least a bazillion threads on this subject, since it comes up about once a week.

Just load as normal with small pistol primers. There is no discernable difference.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[fatmanonabike]

My first batch of reloads (last week) was small primer pocket. Of course I spent 10 minutes trying to figure out why I couldn't get my large primers seated. I was shooting bilk PMC ammo from Academy. I'm reloading a single caliber, I don't think it is too much to ask to have a single powder and ONE primer size. Good luck.

 

[Josh45]

If there both .45 ACP, Then the primer pocket is just a small primer size while the other a large primer size.

You can reload the small primer one with a small primer of course and follow the charges by your manual. Plenty of threads about this.

Also, Had it been GAP, The case would be shorter than the ACP case. At least, I think so. I had found one when picking up brass and it was about half the size of a ACP.

IF I AM WRONG, SOMEONE CORRECT ME. I dont shoot GAP, So I am not 100% on this.

 

[mstreddy]

Josh45,
Mostly correct -- 45 GAP is shorter than ACP, but only by .143 in, GAP is .755 in and ACP is .898 in for case length. You can tell them easily apart when side by side.

OP, as mentioned above, the newer Federal 45 ACP is using small primers. You just now have to sort them from the large primer pockets so you can load in batches. There are some other brands doing this as well, but I have mostly run into Feds.

 

[JRH6856]

I just came across a whole bunch of Blazer brass with small primers.

 

[mbopp]

Blazer, CCI, Federal, and CBC (Magnus) have small primer 45 brass. The only issue I have reloading is with CBC, the primer pockets are really tight even after swaging them.