Info on 45 ACP with small primers

[Texasjack]

Several companies are now making .45 ACP with small primers. These are so-called lead free rounds. If you pick up any brass at the range, sooner or later you'll find a couple of these while you're trying to re-prime the brass. I checked around the 'net and found all sorts of differing opinions, so I decided to write to Hodgdon and ask them about it. This is the response I got:


Toss the small primer pocket 45 ACP brass into the trash bin. They are for lead free primers, special powders and fully enclosed bullets. The flash holes are enlarged making these cases undesirable.

Mike Daly
Cutomer Service Manager
Hodgdon Family of Fine Propellants
Hodgdon Smokeless Powder
IMR Powder Company
Winchester Smokeless Propellants
GOEX Blackpowder

 

[Texas1911]

Commy tree hugger brass!

 

[Jon Payne]

Yep, toss it. Used to find it all the time when I worked an indoor range in Abilene. Never ceased to give me grief. It was a part-time job, and I got all the once fired brass I wanted, so I can't complain too much.

 

[Texas42]

Doesn't 45 gap have a sp primer

 

[cuate]

Heck, just order and shoot Wolf, throw away all the steel empties. Its less expensive, shoots okay and irks the brass scavangers...

 

[Texasjack]

I put those steel cases in the same category with the lead free crap.

The .45 GAP does use a small primer, but they're not using the lead free primers which (apparently) change the needed size of flash hole and powder.

 

[skinman]

I reloaded some with 4.8 gr 231, Zero 230g FMJ and CCI SPP and they worked just fine out of the Colt...couldn't tell any difference with the same load using CCI LPP.

 

[Smokewagon]

They can be a problem when in the process of reloading a batch and you miss one. Since I found my first ones at the range, inspecting .45 acp brass for small primers is just another step in the inspection process.

 

[hogrider]

Several companies are now making .45 ACP with small primers. These are so-called lead free rounds. If you pick up any brass at the range, sooner or later you'll find a couple of these while you're trying to re-prime the brass. I checked around the 'net and found all sorts of differing opinions, so I decided to write to Hodgdon and ask them about it. This is the response I got:


Toss the small primer pocket 45 ACP brass into the trash bin. They are for lead free primers, special powders and fully enclosed bullets. The flash holes are enlarged making these cases undesirable.

Mike Daly
Cutomer Service Manager
Hodgdon Family of Fine Propellants
Hodgdon Smokeless Powder
IMR Powder Company
Winchester Smokeless Propellants
GOEX Blackpowder

Might not be "desirable" as Mike Daly states, but I use the small primer brass for rat-shot load in my Colt. I just hate to see good brass go to waste.