.45acp primer recs

[ironhead]

Hey, I'm new to reloading and have a few questions about what type of primer would be best for my needs. I know I need to use large pistol primers for .45acp. I was given 100 primers with the equipment my bro in law gave to me. I am wanting to stock up as I can on primers and was wondering.

1. What would be the best choices for my caliber using Ranier Ballistics 230jhp, and Alliant's bullseye powder. My intended use is for defense and target practice. I noticed that there are a few different types of LPP from most manufacturers and don't have enough knowledge about them to make an informed decision.

2. Do primers have a shelf life?

Thanks in advance
Ironhead

 

[Bass Ackwardz]

Right now, the primers you should use are the ones you can actually find in stock either locally or online. I dont think a whole lot of people that need primers right now can be primer snobs...lol. That being said, everyone has their favorite brand of primer. Try a few different brands yourself and buy what you like best.


Bass

 

[billybob44]

Ironhead, great to meet another .45acp. hand loader. The answer to your Q. is==buy what you can/where you can. Primers are SLOWLY coming back on sale, but it has taken awhile. I like the people at PowderValley for my primer/powder supplies. They have had Wolf primers in stock for, I believe $25.50 per K. You would be wise to buy 10K at that price to offset the $22.00 HazMat Fee. I have been using the Wolf LP for awhile with good success. Go to PowderValley.com and check them out.. PS. As to shelf life--You problaly expire before your primers do, if stored in a cool/dry place..HA HA HA....

 

[ironhead]

Thanks Bass. Will do.

 

[LiveLife]

Winchester primers have been my preferred choice for match shooting 45ACP.

With the recent primer shortage, I have also used Magtech, Wolf and PMC to save my stock of Winchester.

I have found Magtech primer to be a bit smaller than Winchester and Wolf/PMC to be a bit larger than Winchester in the primer pockets.

All the primers seem to be comparable in performance, but found PMC primers require about 2/10 grain more powder charge to match the performance of Winchester.

As long as primers are kept tight in boxes and dry, I do not believe they have a shelf life. I got some 10+ year old Winchester LP that shoots fine.

 

[ironhead]

Thanks bds. I got off of work early today and went buy the local gun shop to see what the deal was on stock. They had CCI in all sizes, some Winchester but not LPP, and a couple of other brands that I don't recall but I do know they had a good supply of what hey did have. The ones my bro in law gave me were Winchesters so I have 100 of them and the 1000 CCI's I bought today to try out.

Thanks for the info guy's.

Ironhead

 

[ironhead]

Hey bds when you said that the winchesters give you better performance how are you judging that?

 

[hawkass13]

Hey iron, You're not too far from me in Owensboro. Glad you posted i'm about to start reloading .45 as well and and soaking up info.

 

[ny32182]

The only thing to worry about is whether they are "magnum" primers or not. "Magnum" primers of any given size are supposed to have more punch, typically for lighting larger powder loads; you will see that large case volume loads often call for "magnum" primers. .45ACP, I believe should use a standard large pistol; but your load book should indicate one or the other was used for development of the published information. It might not be a good idea to use a magnum primer with a max load that was developed using a standard primer.

 

[LiveLife]

Ironhead, I use Winchester as my reference primer. As to performance, I seem to get the most consistent ignition for match shooting accuracy. Maybe that's just my personal perception. Many other match shooters have their favorite primers also.

All the primers I have used have been fairly comparable in accuracy. Only exception I have noticed is PMC primers needs a bit of extra powder but still very accurate.

Besides, if you got CCI primers, you are good to go!

 

[ironhead]

Yeah I got the CCI # 300 LP's cuz I figured that the magnum's were for just that. Glad I chose right.

Thanks

Ironhead