Small primer 45ACP brass observation....

[rbernie]

I've been setting aside SP 45ACP brass for the day that I need to do a run of 45ACP but am too lazy to switch primer setups on the 550B, and last weekend was that time. All told, so far I've made 600 rounds of SP 45ACP.

Despite the headstamps on this brass being almost entirely ATK brands (Fed, Speer, and CCI), so far I have experienced more primer pocket size variation in the SP 45ACP brass than I've ever seen in any other brass/chambering - ever. My greatest surprise was that probably 5% or better proved too tight to comfortably use without reaming/swaging. There was no visible primer crimp, but the pocket itself was significantly undersized. When I reamed the ones that were too tight to comfortably use, I wound up taking out brass not just around the upper face of the pocket but well down into the pocket itself.

I've never seen anything like this in my 30+ years of reloading. Sheesh!

 

[Dframe]

My solution to the small primer 45s is to toss them in the recycle bin. To me they're just not worth the trouble.

 

[sellersm]

SPP in .45acp is an evil plot!

I've been finding variations in LPP as well. Seems that some QA went out the window sometime in the past few years...

 

[floydster]

I have had no trouble with .45 ACP spp, been loading them for several years, most all are Blazer brass--seems to be very good.

 

[Scimmia]

I haven't seen this, either, but I don't have any from the past couple of years. Could be a recent phenomenon like sellersm says.

 

[Blue68f100]

If its NT rounds they to have a crimp. I remember reading somewhere that they had too to keep the primers from backing out. But yes the primer pockets are tighter but I don't have a problem seating them on my LNL.

 

[TfflHndn]

I toss the Federal NT in the recycle can. Too much trouble with that shim crimp. I use the other Federal and the Blazer SP brass without issues.

 

[mljdeckard]

I don't mind them now, running single-stage. But if/when I upgrade to a turret, I may conscript my boys into separating them.

 

[greyling22]

I'm betting that sp 45's are going to become the norm, and all you guys just tossing them are going to be fighting an uphill battle. I suspect that for the next 40 years it is just going to be an obnoxious task of sorting primer size and batching or trading for the size you aren't currently set up for. Kind of makes me glad I don't load 45 anymore.

 

[NeuseRvrRat]

i love em. i hope they all change to small primers.

 

[Miata Mike]

I hand prime .45acp now. Small primers are loaded with 230 grain lead and the normal large primer is loaded with 200 semi wad cutters.

Sucks, but I just can't toss hundreds of usable pieces of brass.

 

[gamestalker]

Are you possible running into small primer pockets, as in made to be primed with a SP primer? You do know that some manufacturer's are making 45 acp in both sized primer pockets?

GS

 

[rbernie]

Are you possible running into small primer pockets, as in made to be primed with a SP primer?

That's exactly what I'm doing - loading SPP 45ACP brass with CCI SPPs. The observation is that the SPP pockets are demonstrating greater size variance than their LPP bretheren ever did.

I'm betting that sp 45's are going to become the norm, and all you guys just tossing them are going to be fighting an uphill battle.

That's my viewpoint as well. SPPs aren't bad for 45ACP from a performance perspective - it's just the fact that both LPP and SPP versions exist simultaneously that is a PITA. But like I said - not having to swap over primer feed systems to load 45ACP is a nice thing.

If its NT rounds they to have a crimp.

The WIN NT brass clearly has a crimp, and it's visible as a crimp. The really tight Federal/Blazer/CCI ones, tho, don't.

i love em. i hope they all change to small primers.

If Starline switched 10mm over to use SPP, I'd be the happiest man EVAR.

 

[KansasSasquatch]

I was under the impression that only the older NT SPP brass had crimps and that to stop the primers from backing out on the newer stuff most manufacturers increased the size of the flash hole. For what it's worth, in my experience the Fiocchi SPP .45acp brass is actually quite nice.....that is, until you get one mixed up into a big batch of LPP brass and don't catch it before trying to prime it on a progressive. I don't mind the Federal stuff either but the Blazer SPP stuff aggrevates me. Primers just don't seem to seat consistently in it without reaming the pockets.

 

[hdbiker]

I began finding SP .45 brass at the range three summers ago. I suspect they were left there because of the SP'ers. I grabbed them all and now have prolly 1,000 or so, and find no problems with them at all. I chrono'd them with std. brass and no real difference at all. Their 99% Federal and Blazers. Ya hate them, send them to me !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hdbiker