Best .45 ACP Cases to reload?

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jeeptim

jeeptim

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So getting ready to load for a new sig equinox.
have several k of 45 brass thinking federal not sure why just looks good. I like to load all the same hs at one time.
Looking for the most trouble free consistent brass.
What head stamp do you use and why.
I would like to load starline but only have about 20 want to load 500ish.
thanx
 
My (little) experience has been that Federal, R-P, Winchester, and Speer are pretty consistent (brass, not Nickel) with each other.

I usually separate and reload by headstamp. Mainly to reclaim my brass if in case a nearby shooter reloads too. :)
 
Rumor has it the newer Remington are thinner and may cause neck tension problems.

So watch for that.

I'm still loading late 1960's GI Match brass, so I know nothing about today's brass.

If I had to buy some, it would be Starline though.

rc
 
Back when I was loading 'specialty' loads for the .45 ACP, I like once fired RP nicholed brass. But the last time I did any of that was about 1978ish.
Now, I just mix them all together and never have any problems. Some of brass has been loaded so many times that the nichol has worn off and the heads are pounded to the point that reading the head stamp has become difficult.

However, when I do pick up any new to me .45 brass, I pick out the aluminum and steel cases and have found some with small primer pockets. Those all go into the trash or my brass box.

I would say, sort all of your brass by head stamp and go for it. :)
 
Remington are most definitely thinner and to be avoided. Federal, Winchester and Starline are my favorites. I have Federals that were bought in the 70s and they're still spec. and used.
 
I shoot a mix of range brass. All kinds of head stamps. They all work just fine. I proved long ago that I can't shoot the difference between matched head stamp brass and mixed brass.

Remington brass has always been thin. I have one sizer that will not bring it down enough to get good neck tension with it. It works great with thick brass. I just use a tighter sizer.
 
I use R-P with lead bullets, some Speer cases seem to give poor tension these have a bit of concave case head.
For jacket and plated I like Winchester, PMC, CBC and Federal.
 
I shoot mixed range brass.
The right load in the mixed brass shoots as good as I can.
(ok I know that's not saying much......but :) )
My only concern is small primer vs large primer. (and of course brass cases)
Both work fine but for some reason the progressive press just does not want to put LP primers in SP brass. :eek:

My Lee size dies seem to be tighter than some other brands that I have in both in.45 and 9mm.

I seem to recall someone mentioning that they ran into some .45 brass with crimped primers, but I can't recall what they said the headstamp was.
I haven't ran into any yet but I just toss any crimped 9mm brass I come across, as I have enough fun removing crimps from .223/5.56 brass.
 
I'm more concerned with primer size than headstamp. Amerc seems to be junk though and I've had some older Winchester brass that I couldn't get to size correctly.
 
Of the mixed brass I shoot, the only one that has been a bit of a challenge (albeit easily overcome) is S&B brass. Some pockets are really tight using WLP.
 
highlander 5 said:
Anything but cases that say Amerc. Now you have to pick small or large pistol primers.
Click to expand...
Amen. I like Winchester the best, but have loaded everything from Frankford Arsenal '18, to CBC with no problem. I junk any Amerc I find in the range brass I pickup. If I was buying brass new to reload, I'd buy Starline, hands down the best new brass, IMHO. But since most of my brass is range pickups, and the WWB I buy and shoot, that's why I said Winchester. I usually sort my .45 brass by manufacturer after polishing.

I seem to recall someone mentioning that they ran into some .45 brass with crimped primers, but I can't recall what they said the headstamp was.
Click to expand...

FC (Federal loaded for the military) WCC (Winchester, same) and TZZ (Israeli? IIRC, mil-spec commercial) all are crimped. All of these have a two-digit date, i.e., FC 95, WCC 67.....
 
Mixed brass shoots pretty dang good for me, including some of the cadmium plated steel ones from the Korean era. Be sure to do plunk and feeding tests with your SIG. My P220 likes a shorter OAL than my 1911s and Glocks.
 
I have had really good experience with Starline both in ACP and Auto Rim. It is such a comparatively low pressure round that the brass seems to last forever.
 
Starline would be a good 1st choice. Federal and winchester are good choices to.
 
highlander 5 said:
Anything but cases that say Amerc. Now you have to pick small or large pistol primers.
Click to expand...
Agree about watching the primer pockets. So far, I have found Blazer and Federal with small primer pockets.

I bought some trays for 40/45. Placing the cases with headstamp up, I can scan for those little pockets. :)
 
All depends what your goal is. For general shooting/practice most all work just fine, some last longer than other. But if your venturing into BE shooting it's a different world. I sort head stamps mainly for consistency. Starline will be the best, it's OAL is normally where it should be. A lot of brass is short, some really really short. If you were to measure OAL you would find Starline is close to max OAL which is best since this round uses head space to hold it in place. The next best I have found is Fed or WW Mil brass. This is normally heaver and I dought you will ever wear it out. WW is what most of my brass is. I did sort by length just for kicks and you would be surprise of the variation. The main thing is case volume and OAL when it comes to BE shooting. The ones at the near max length I culled for BE shooting at the long range.

Then you have to deal with the SP/LP mess. Those SP can sure mess things up if your running on a AP.
 
I use cartridge cases predominantly obtained thru firing WWB when it was a lot less expensive than it is now. Mixed in there are other commercial cases. I have a five gallon bucket of Mil-Spec cases also. Those cases are nettlesome requiring removal of the primer pocket crimp. I usually give those away to those individuals on my acquaintance along with letting them use my Dillon primer pocket swaging tool.
 
I prefer Federal, Speer and most any from ATK. I have no particular reason but it just seems that most of my accumulated brass is of that flavor. If I am using new brass Starline is the brand.
 
Last edited:
Best .45 ACP cases are the ones you have. Don't think there's any cartridge that's as easy and mostly trouble free.
I think mine is Remington and Winchester. Had it for eons so there's no NT cases or milsurp and taking another guy's brass will start a fight.
"...until the darn weeds eat them..." Except for that. snicker. .30 Carbine has a range tax too.
 
The best .45acp brass are the ones that have the same size primer pockets as all the rest of your brass. The worst ones are the ones that don't.
 
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