.45ACP Small Primer Brass

[giggitygiggity]

What is the deal with .45ACP small primer brass? I though .45ACP was ignited by large primers.

 

[zxcvbob]

New lead-free primers (probably Winchester brass.) They are hotter than lead nitro-resorcinol primers, so they use smaller one so it doesn't blow out the primer cup. Or something like that. Just toss them into a separate bin until you get enough to reload. (could actually be handy when you press is already set up to seat small primers)

 

[The Bushmaster]

Prime them with small pistol primers and load'em...Shoot'em and load'em again...

Use the same load data as you would for the large pistol primers...Nadda problem...

 

[ForneyRider]

Federal NT and some other NT brass with small primers.

Good luck finding small primers, rifle or pistol. I can find large rifle and and large pistol. Nice to have the flexibility in primer needs.

 

[Beelzy]

I've only seen those small primer cases with GAP ammo.

You guys mean this is going mainstream??

 

[ReloaderFred]

They've been around for a couple of years here in the U.S., but have been common in Europe for a number of years. Of course, the European .45 ammunition for the most part has been Berdan primed, but still with small pistol primers. It's no big deal.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[wolfeyes]

Yep,they are all over the place................jh

 

[lykoris]

the European .45 ammunition for the most part has been Berdan primed

Where did you get that idea from?

the only handgun brass I have seen here in Europe that is berdan primed in 9mm - as in nato surplus 9mm.

I've never seen berdan primed 45 brass here in Europe, all 45 brass is commercial and all commercial is boxer primed.

and the majority of what I do see from main European producers is large pistol primer in 45, Fiocchi(Italian)/S&B (Czech....although magtech has bought them out) RWS-Geco (German) believe it's LP too.

 

[ReloaderFred]

Over the years I've collected numerous samples of .45 acp brass of European origin that were Berdan primed and used the equivalant of a small pistol primer. I still may have one or two laying around somewhere, but most went into the scrap bucket.

You have to remember that I've been reloading since 1963, and I've seen some pretty old stuff during that time, along with some pretty unusual ammunition. Some I've kept and most I recycled.

Hope this helps.

 

[Lee Roder]

Is the flash hole the same size?

I heard the lead free primers used a larger flash hole.

Large hole, small hole, a hole's a hole, right? Back when I used to "load" cases with wax bullets before learning in house shooting of same constituted an "illegal discharge of a firearm" I drilled my flash holes a bit larger to prevent primer set back. These cases could never be used subsequently for normal reloading.

I'd think you'd need small "green" primers to reload your cases, which are nowhere to be had, and not the regular small primers, which seem only slightly more accessible.

 

[ReloaderFred]

Several of us on this board have been loading the small pistol primed .45 acp brass for a couple of years now, without any problems. Your theory is incorrect, as our practice has proven. You'll also find that the newer large pistol primed brass from CCI, Federal and Winchester all have larger flash holes, similar in size to what is necessary for the shooting of wax bullets, which I've also done.

This subject has been discussed at length numerous times on this forum.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[Lee Roder]

Thanks. Really appreciate it. I try to learn something new everyday.