.45 ACP small primer?

Status
Not open for further replies.
I have never reloaded it... but I have shot a lot of 45 ACP with small pistol primers with no problems. Federal Cartridge specifically started loading their renowned 45ACP HST cartridges with small pistol primers in around 2019. Seems the small primers work just fine for the cartridge after all, so brass manufacturers are adapting them to accept it.
 
My .45 is my handgun of choice other handgun is a .357 mag, I need magnum small pistol primers for that but for .38 special I need plain old small primers so this is pretty sweet. It can nock 1 out of three primers off the list. I was skeptical about performance but the ballistics they list sound pretty normal then the feed back I'm getting on here sounds good so yea pretty sweet
 
They have been around for a few years. In an "I wanna know..." minute I bought 200 small primed 45 ACP and reloaded them along side some large pistol primed 45 ACP cases with identical loads. Long story short, not enough difference to make a difference in 3 different 45 ACP guns...
 
Last edited:
.45ACP cases loaded with SPP have been out for a long time and you'll see more of it with domestic manufactured ammo. It doesn't affect performance of the cartridge and makes it easier on the manufacturer.

I have a few thousand of the small primer .45ACP cases and actually prefer them as I don't have to change my priming ram for the different sized primer...plus shooting buddies give me ones that pick up.

The only LPP .45ACP cases I load are my Starline cases that I use in moonclips (so I get them all back)
 
9mmepiphany said:
.45ACP cases loaded with SPP have been out for a long time and you'll see more of it with domestic manufactured ammo. It doesn't affect performance of the cartridge and makes it easier on the manufacturer.

I have a few thousand of the small primer .45ACP cases and actually prefer them as I don't have to change my priming ram for the different sized primer...plus shooting buddies give me ones that pick up.

The only LPP .45ACP cases I load are my Starline cases that I use in moonclips (so I get them all back)
Click to expand...
During these times I like the option to be able to load what I have primers for. I haven't seen lpp in 2 years. I'm holding my last 300 in reserve.
 
Running low on large pistol primers which i absolutely need for .45 LC
, earlier this year i started switching over from .45acp large pistol pocket style to small rifle primer pocket. Start ladders on the low end and work up. Not seeing much if any difference from large pistol primers. That said I might expect something bad to happen if i try to force a large pistol primer into a small pistol primer socket.
 
The SPP 45 Auto brass has been around for quite a while now. I think Federal was the first to use it in their Lead Free ammo.

I have reloaded it and so have many others here. I have seen no difference in performance at all. Accuracy seems to be identical and so does the pressures being generated from what I can see.

Some relloaders who have a Dillon Progressive Press prefer them because they don't have to change from SPP used in their 9mm ammo when they load 45 Auto ammo. It saves them time and the need to stock both size primers. I'm loading my handgun ammo on a Lee 4 Hole Classic Turret Press so it's no big deal for me to switch primer types. I usually save them up until I get several hundred and then load them up unless I find someone who wants them. I don't mind making their reloading job easier.

Some reloaders don't care for the SPP brass because they find it difficult to separate so they trade it off to the loaders who want them for the LPP 45 Auto brass they prefer.
 
In lower right of picture are eight examples of 45ACP cases for SPP (yes three are Federal but are still a little different). I’m not saying these are the only ones in use just the only ones I have examples of.

As others have said they’ve been in use for quite a while (although details beyond that aren’t clear). They shoot like the big boys and use is a matter of preference.

I have maybe 2000 I don’t use because I prefer to save my SPP for 9mm.

C5011B5D-643A-4D3E-83BD-8093DAE6269C.jpeg
 
Appalachiannative said:
I was skeptical about performance but the ballistics they list sound pretty normal then the feed back I'm getting on here sounds good so yea pretty sweet
Click to expand...
I tested large vs small .45 primers, same load, same gun and found no significant velocity variation, nor group size, between them. I load both, depending on what primers I might have. Good luck.
 
AJC1 said:
During these times I like the option to be able to load what I have primers for. I haven't seen lpp in 2 years. I'm holding my last 300 in reserve.
Click to expand...
I also saved my SPP 45 ACP brass for the day when I might run out of LPP so I can still shoot my 45's. It makes sense to try and plan for as many options as one can. Never know when that belt and suspenders approach pays off big dividends.
 
I started seeing SPP 45 ACP around 2003-2004.

I built this device for my 45 ACP 1050, once I got tired of sorting them by hand.



And sometime later built this decap/sort machine.



They load and shoot the same, IIRC they had a little lower ES/SD than LPP with the load I tested them with.
 
It is becoming more common. Win NT was the first that started littering the range. There are a number of them now.

If you don’t pick up range brass and never buy any ammunition that has small pockets, it wouldn’t surprise me to never even think about them.

I did use the SPP brass in my 45 ACP revolvers for awhile because you can get away with a little less main spring (better trigger pull) with the SPP, it takes a bit more impact to reliability ignite LPP.

I use 45 GAP brass these days, in them, because it’s also SPP and does not require tools to moon/demoon.
 
mdi said:
They have been around for a few years. In an "I wanna know..." minute I bought 200 small primed 45 ACP and reloade them along side on Large pisto primed 45 ACP cases with identical loads. Long tory short, not enough difference to make a difference in 3 different 45 ACP guns...
Click to expand...

With a limited amount of testing this has been my experience too. They can be frustrating when loading range brass on a progressive loader but once loaded I can't tell any difference between large and small.
 
CQB45ACP said:
In lower right of picture are eight examples of 45ACP cases for SPP (yes three are Federal but are still a little different). I’m not saying these are the only ones in use just the only ones I have examples of.

As others have said they’ve been in use for quite a while (although details beyond that aren’t clear). They shoot like the big boys and use is a matter of preference.

I have maybe 2000 I don’t use because I prefer to save my SPP for 9mm.

View attachment 1092979
Click to expand...

I need to look through my 45 stash and see if I have anything that I could add to your collection. Thats a nice assortment of headstamps!
 
I too have tested .45ACP small pistol & large pistol over a Chroney equal loads with no noticeable difference
 
jmorris said:
It is becoming more common. Win NT was the first that started littering the range. There are a number of them now.

If you don’t pick up range brass and never buy any ammunition that has small pockets, it wouldn’t surprise me to never even think about them.

I did use the SPP brass in my 45 ACP revolvers for awhile because you can get away with a little less main spring (better trigger pull) with the SPP, it takes a bit more impact to reliability ignite LPP.

I use 45 GAP brass these days, in them, because it’s also SPP and does not require tools to moon/demoon.
Click to expand...
I’ve wondered who was first to use the SPP in 45ACP and when it was and why it was but confess I have not tried too hard. I do believe such use is (or was originally anyway) associated with the use of the frangible bullet (and perhaps the lead-free primer).

WIN NT headstamp cases (with SPP) were used on Winchester’s Ranger Frangible SF law enforcement frangible bullet/cartridge they co-produced with Sinter Fire ammunition of PA. This is according to a statement on a Winchester Ranger ammo box so take it for what it’s worth.

Sinter Fire’s website says they’ve been in the frangible bullet business since 1998 so we have an indicator the WIN NT (with SPP) was used in 1998 but it doesn’t rule out being used earlier.

I don’t know about the origins of Federal NT but I do see an order of magnitude more of them than WIN NT. Federal with SPP, more accurately.

I’m wondering if it’s a regional thing…larger law enforcement agencies were more “woke” earlier and bought and used frangible bullets. The spent cases then recirculated in that geographic area but only slowly leaked out to other areas. Wild a** speculation.

And sorry for hijacking OPs thread but it does tie back to SPP.

Edit: I don’t want to mislead but the above may do just that…I am NOT saying ALL WIN NT is SPP! I know it sounds that way but I’m not.
 
Last edited:
I bought a few thousand pieces of once-fired, cleaned and deprimed .45 acp brass about 5 years ago. Just got around to reloading it this week and found that it's all small primer... I'm running low on those and need to save them for my 9mm, lol.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

V
  • Locked
45 ACP Small Primer
Replies
19
Views
2K
1KPerDay
1KPerDay
LoneGoose
  • Locked
.45 ACP Small Primer Cases
Replies
12
Views
849
Walkalong
Walkalong
T
  • Locked
Calibers That Accept Small AND Large Primers
2
Replies
32
Views
2K
vongh
vongh
A
  • Locked
.45 ACP brass with small primer pocket??
Replies
15
Views
804
shadowalker
S
A
45 acp large vs small primer question
2 3
Replies
61
Views
2K
The Happy Kaboomer
The Happy Kaboomer
Back
Top