45 acp Small Primer Brass

[Curare]

SP will become the new standard.

It's probably slightly cheaper for manufacturers than LP for factory ammo. Plus I'd rather accidentally try to load a SP into a LP case than crush a LP into a SP case. Also, my local range, where I scavange brass, mostly sells SP factory ammo.

[rusty1911a]

Originally Posted by Alland

I suspect that in the near future all 45 brass will use small primers, lead-free or not. It doesn't make economic sense that the ammo producers will continue to make the same brass with two different size primers.

I suspect shortly ALL LPP's are going away. It only makes sense when you think about it. How many calibers still use LPP's anyway? If you thought in the last primer shortage SPP's were scarce just wait 'till ALL pistols/revolvers use the same small primer! Winchester already makes a "one size fits all LPP. Logic dictates the same will happen to the SPP's. In he last 3 years we've seen a lot of CHANGE-we now need a lot of HOPE for the proper outcome in November, AMEN?

[PlottmanPops]

I leave my Dillon SDB set up for SP and the RL 550B for LP... anyway it works for me.

[tmestlin]

Can you reload using small pistol primers in a 45? Has anybody had any problems with misfires or misfeeds.

[Oilypablo]

Originally Posted by tmestlin

Can you reload using small pistol primers in a 45? Has anybody had any problems with misfires or misfeeds.

It's not a problem at all.

[Nick A]

Can you reload using small pistol primers in a 45?

Yes, assuming your brass is small-primer 45acp. You can't load small primers into a large primer pocket!

Has anybody had any problems with misfires or misfeeds.

No problems generally speaking, other than the annoyance of inspecting and identifying and separating large-primer brass from small-primer brass, but read through the whole thread and gather the benefit everyone else's experience and opinion. Acceptance of small-primer 45acp brass is not universal, even though it performs exactly like standard large-primer brass.

[BHP9]

I do it all of the time.

Some guys are getting rid of their LP brass and using only SP brass so that there isn't a primer feed change and they only require SP.

[cjkim]

Hi all, I'm fairly new to reloading and love being able to reload my own rounds. The problem is that I've purchased brass in bulk and about 25% of my brass is small primer brass. I also looked at my stock of new factory .45 ACP ammo and it's small primer brass also.

The root problem is that I can't find any local retailers (Cabela's, Sportco, etc. ) that currently have any small pistol primers in stock. They also have no estimated arrival date of inventory.

My question is can I use small magnum pistol primers (CCI) in my small primer brass??

My apologies if someone has already asked/answered this question.

[Griz44]

If you would let us know where you are, we might be able to help you.

[Nick A]

My apologies if someone has already asked/answered this question.

Welcome to the Forum, friend !

Yes, asked and answered a gazillion times. Best to use the Search function.
There is more to it than it seems. Especially for a rank beginner.
Do a search and get properly up to speed.

For now, just reload those Large Primer cases if you only have LP primers.
You'll find Small Pistol primers later and make use of all the SP cases.

[R A Freeman]

Originally Posted by bushman66

Nope...no need to do a case inspection/primer pocket cleaning etc before loading, especially with a low pressure round like a 45ACP. Obviously if I see a split or damaged case, I'll toss it, but I have an excellent post-loading inspection process that catches pretty much everything.

Now rifle loading...that's a different ball of wax. All brass gets checked, and trimmed to length before loading.

Like I said, if you are loading more than 100 (handgun) rounds a week, and visually inspecting and cleaning primer pockets before loading...you have WAY more time on your hands than I do. I'd also never want to load my practical pistol rounds on a single stage press...I'll save that sort of precision and QC for my BPCR loads. Cleaning primer pockets is a waste of time for practical pistol rounds. I've loaded probably close to 200K+ of 9mm and 45 ACP on my 550B and never had an issue or a bad round in competition.

Different strokes...

thanks?that was gonna be my next question. I had not clean primer pockets in 9 and 45 and was wondering if I need to start

[Obsessed]

Originally Posted by bigwagon

Inspecting AFTER you have loaded seems like a waste or time or materials. You are either scrapping those primers, bullets, and powder, or you are wasting time by breaking them down. Either way, you can argue it's a more efficient process, but some people will disagree with you. The rest of the thread is just whining.

Agreed...there is some whining..but as long as the round is inspected before it chambers in a gun...it's only a loss of a primer and 4-5 grains of powder. Everything else can be saved.
I will take a small handfull of brass and shake it around in my hands. If I hear a different "Ching" to the brass..I know one is split and to toss. I take aproximately 100 (not counting) and use that process when getting brass ready and stick in to a container next to press.

I understand the frustration when you pull down the ram and then press up..and "kerchunk" the ram stops! I usually don't pick them up cuz' there not mine, but I'll have a "nice guy" shooter or range officer throwing extra brass in my bag to be nice...only to find out that my bag of usable brass has been contaminated with SP brass. However...it's not the end of life..so I pull it and go on.

[fltbed]

I ran some tests with my SA Single Stack 1911 using different primers. Everything was loaded on the same day and tested on the same day. 10 shot strings. Temps. were in the low 90’s.

The load:
Bear Creek 230 gr. FP
4.2 gr. Winchester Super Target
OAL 1.210

Large primer case R-P
Primer:
Win. Velocity 749 f.p.s. ES 45, SD 15
Fed. Velocity 751 f.p.s. ES 39, SD 13

Blazer small primer case
Primer:
Win SP Velocity 742 f.p.s. ES 49, SD 14
Fed SPM Velocity 739 f.p.s. ES 51, SD 16
CCI SR Velocity 741 f.p.s. ES 70, SD 21

Accuracy at 50 yards for each load averaged 6-7” with a combined 50 round group of 8” which is about as good as I can shoot open sights at that distance. So, at least with a 230 gr. BCFP and WST, their’s not a whole lot of difference.
More testing to follow.

Jeff

[TigerVMI]

Old news, been reported, whatever... It's still annoying!

Bought a bunch of once fired brass... every couple hundred rounds crunch...

[bjeffv]

Talked to a federal ammunition representative on saturday. He said the sp is mostly just for non toxic loads required for certain purposes. Sp brass shows up with different head stamps or not as nt just to use up the inventory.

He said the lp will not go away, nor does the use of sp save cost per unit. He also said the industry is trying to develope a good non toxic lp, that will likely replace the sp once the patent goes thru. (Current non toxic lp primers are not reliable enough for them to use)

Thats just what a federal rep told me, but who knows if the info will hold true or not.

[Nick A]

All the Federal Champion we have seen for a couple years has small primer. That must account for millions of rounds. If they are just using up leftover stock, they must have a lot of it. A whole lot.

Thanks for the info, jeffy.

[cliffspot]

Another thing to watch for in the SP brass is a lot of it is crimped....Winchester is one that comes to mind. I load on an RL 1050 so it has the swage station and it's not a problem for me. Sorting out the brass can be a pain in the butt! After a while my eyes get tired and I can't tell the difference! Also the swage station on the 1050 has kept me from blowing up primers when I am loading larges....done that twice a few years ago and NOT a pleasant experience....holes in the roof and ceiling fan to show for it! Thank you Dillon for making a safe priming system!

[dick63532@gmail]

I picked up a few 45 cases with SP primer holes. I promptly threw them in the scrap pile. I have enough brass with LP holes to last two lifetimes. Besides, what is the price difference of LP's versus SP?

[TexasRooter]

Originally Posted by Nick A

I'm going to laugh if some of you guys hoarded 60,000 Large Pistol primers,
then the 45acp industry goes to Small Pistol and you have to pay double for LP brass!


Where is that laughing little red face bald guy?

There he is!!!

The guy that is as you say hoarding large primers probably has 3 or 4 five gallon buckets of LPP cases.

[judgecrater]

At first I was really upset with the mix of primers. I have been saving small primer 45 in a can. Got a bunch and loaded it up. I found the small primers seat with less effort and more uniformly than the large primers. They are here to stay.

[biogenic]

Originally Posted by dick63532@gmail

I picked up a few 45 cases with SP primer holes. I promptly threw them in the scrap pile. I have enough brass with LP holes to last two lifetimes. Besides, what is the price difference of LP's versus SP?

Send some my way. better stock up on lpp before they become extinct

[Csiddens]

Great forum, been lurking for a while, but finally started getting some and had to finally join up.

I don't try to pick up range brass, but occasionally some gets mixed in with mine. I wasn't typically seeing many spps, but I've had the dillon 550 hang up a few times lately. Luckily there's been no primer ignition.

I have started out sorting blazer, but reading this thread it sounds like other manufacturers are getting into the spp 45 game as well. The primer sizes aren't THAT different, and I can't always tell easily with a visual inspection. Other than a primer pocket cleaner, is there an easy way to visually notice the difference, or is it time for prescription loading glasses?

[Nick A]

It's easier to tell after the spent primer is decapped,
the difference in hole size is more readily discerned
but you can't do that on a progressive.
Most of us just upgrade visual inspection skills.

Maybe someone will post with a really innovative way to tell large from small.
I don't know of any.

[smallie9]

Originally Posted by Nick A

It's easier to tell after the spent primer is decapped,
the difference in hole size is more readily discerned
but you can't do that on a progressive.
Most of us just upgrade visual inspection skills.

Maybe someone will post with a really innovative way to tell large from small.
I don't know of any.

OK, (I am a bit anal ) I take whatever brass I can get.
I de-prime and clean primer pockets seperately before tumbling. This is part of my initial sort, large prime pocket cleaner will not fit in small primer pocket. Keep seperate, and when I have enough small primer pocket, I clean primer pocket, tumble, then reload.

No concerns with firing either size.

[2011RK]

Good to have options when primers and or brass gets hard to find. I now keep both the small and the larger primer brass. My preference is to load what ever I have the most of at the time.