I was shooting my 45ACP S&W revolver and I had problems with American Eagle brass fitting in the cylinder. Is there a problem using this brass for reloading. I must of picked this brass up at the range as I have never bought any of their ammo.

AE Brass is Federal. No problems on my end.

Bob

I've never had any problems with AE brass. I have had problems reloading for my 625's. The Lee Factory Crimp Die is a must (in my opinion) for functional 625 reloads.

Thanks fellow S&W folks. Next time Ill see if my 1911s will function with the rounds or Ill check them with my Micrometer first. It probably would be best to mike them first.

quote:

Originally posted by Photoman44:
I've never had any problems with AE brass. I have had problems reloading for my 625's. The Lee Factory Crimp Die is a must (in my opinion) for functional 625 reloads.

?????? my SDB works great and my buddy loads his on a 550B - I think he has Dillon dies. I know he does not use a Lee Factory Crimp die.

Not saying a Lee Factory Crimp die is not nice - I do have one but rarely use it. If it fit in my press it would be nice - but not critical.

Somehow I've managed to "get by" without a Lee Factory Crimp. I know many believe in the product, but when I tried one with my .41 Mag loads, I saw no difference...in fact, I would venture to further rile the LFC crowd and openly state that I feel my Dillon dies perform better.

Of course, your mileage may vary!

Oh, and I do have two 625s that seem to function very well with my reloads. BUT---I do not compete and therefore have no understanding what a competitive 625 shooter is looking for in their reloads...my reloads may not work in specialized/customized 625s, I just don't have any idea about their specific needs.
Bob

The FCD certainly isn't necessary. Neither are separate seating and crimping dies, but they sure are nice to have. Neither is a progressive press, but it's a sweet touch. For that matter you don't really need a press. A Lee Loader will do. I'm with you on Dillon, at least as far as their sizing die is concerned. I use them mixed with Lees in the other stations. The rest of Dillon's inventory I can live without.

Wow. I guess I should've put on my firesuit before posting about the Lee FCD.

Don't worry about the firesuit. Keep it up! Haven't had a good FCD/non-FCD or Blue vs Green vs Red argument in a long time. It's always fun to get one started, then sit back and see what develops.

Some A/E brass in 223 is too thin to reload.

Like the others have said, AE = Federal brass and I've had no problems at all reloading AE brass either. It's actually quite good brass...

I also have problems with federal brass in my 625JM. Federal ammo (hydroshoks) also won't freely drop in the cylinder. I think federal brass is thicker than winchester, and definitely thicker than RP, which both work ok.

I use federal brass in my 1911s, and RP brass (which gives me setback problems in my 1911s) in my 625. Winchester works fine in both.

Many years ago, we considered Federal brass to be the less desirable brass. Recently, I was loading some AE/Federal .223 and verified what we suspected long ago. The flash holes are a bear to deburr and it doesn't shoot as good as some junk Chinese brass I have. Therefore, I have put it in the "fodder" category for loading.

Handgun brass is probably less critical in terms of quality, since most of us can't shoot as good as the ammunition anyway.