I am back to making target .45s so my son has practice ammo to shoot before going to the Nationals at Camp Perry.

Having loaded .41 Magnums and .38 Specials just before this, it seems to me that the shorter, fatter, .45 ACP fits my fingers better. JMB's old .45 strikes me as the easiest handgun cartridge to load. I'm using a 200 grain LSWCs, Winchester Match brass, Winchester LP primers and Bullseye powder.

Presses are a Lee C and a Lee Turret. My rate per hour seems to be higher when loading .45s than with either of the other two rounds. Fewer cases are getting loose and falling on the floor too.

When I started loading .45s it took me three tries to find an accurate, powerful load. Some other calibers (9mm for one) have never shown me as much accuracy as the .45, despite more effort being expended in the search for a good load.

What do you guy think? Is the .45 easier for you to load than other handgun rounds?

I load through a Dillon 550B and it came with a milled slide bar that drops 4.8 grains of W231 every time. There's no adjustment. My .45's love the load. 4.8 grs is not the most powerfull load but it's very accurate in my Colt's so I stick with it. I get a very high turnout rate of finished .45 acp's because I only have to spot check every once in a while. I'm amazed that every spot check is on the money. I do have a light that shines down on the case after powder drop as a back up I always check the drop on every single load. So far (I hope this doesn't jinx me) I haven't had a squib in many years.

All my other calibers require I snapshot every 10th round or so and I get settled in to knocking out a few hundred. The powder drops seems to vary +/- .1 to .2 from time to time.

LP

I would agree that the .45 ACP is perhaps the easiest cartridge to reload. It is short and fat, and easy to see into. I also use a Dillon 550 and it is one cartridge that I can really easily see the powder charge as I place a bullet on the case at station 3. A .38 Spc on the other hand, is so tall and skinny that there is little way to easily see the powder charge. 9mm's are so small they are hard to handle at times.

I find the .45 very easy to run through my press (also a Lee Classic Turret). Maybe it's a bit smoother than my most-loaded round, the .38 Spl. As far as finding an accurate load goes, that has never been an issue as I only shoot off-hand and the gun always shoots better than I do. I use established loads to replicate factory ballistics and have always been happy with the results.

Chris

I dislike loading the 9mm. Cases on the floor all the time, crummy accuracy, etc. I gave it up when I could get 1,000 rounds of FMJ 9mm for just over $100. I'm using up the dregs of those buys now and will have to load 9mm sometime this year. Into each loading life some rain must fall, eh?

My favorite to reload IS the 45 ACP. Using the 650 Dillon it's just way easy to get a ton of range fodder in short order.

On the other side of the question, 9/40 are tied for most annoying PIA cases. I don't even like to shoot them because of that.

Even the 380 cases are more enjoyable than 9/40 IMHO.

__________________
Dum vivimus Vivamas

my issues with 45acp is primer seating with my D550B. they seat crooked, so I give it a spin and hit it again. I discussed this with Dillon and they could not find the problem. I adjust my plate right next to the point of being tight.

I just started loading "nina" and primer seating is far easier. in fact I am using CCI because they go in too EZ for me.

yes, 45acp I can see the powder, "nina" have to look hard to confirm.

LOW POWER, what do you mean by a milled bar that throw 4.8 grains every time? its set for that throw? are they custom made for various powders and throws? I prefer 4.9 - 5 grains of 231.

I've never noticed the .45 ACP being easier than other .40ish calibers, even while loading on a single stage press. But I did notice the .50AEs look like tea cups.

Using my Dillon 550 the short fat cases do not wiggle on the shellplate as much as the longer/slimmer ones. The 45 ACP cases seem to glide into sizing die while i do get some stoppages with the longer 357 mag cases.

Try the blue nitrile gloves from Walmart. They really help with gription on those dainty li'l cases....

Having said that, I drop more .357 than .45. Prefer loading the .45.

I prefer loading .38s to the .45 ... but they're both nice easy cartridges to reload. I can crank out about 100/hr on a single-stage when I get into a rhythm.

I will take this a step farther and say that the .45 ACP as a REVOLVER cartridge is the easiest to reload. In a revolver it does not depend on pressure to function properly and the revolver is not demanding in regard to cartridge OAL. The revolver will also handle .45 Super equivalent in ACP brass. The revolvers are also great with very heavy bullets. No doubt about it, the .45 ACP is a fantastic revolver cartridge.

Dave Sinko

My .45 ACP "hardball" reloads have been fired in a bunch of semiautos, a Smith 1917(Brazilian Contract) and a few .45ACP subguns. They've worked fine in all of them.

I don't know if it's easier for me than say a 38 or 44. Both are easy to find loads for & with my smaller hands I have no problems with the longer cases when seating bullets.

But the 45 ACP IS an easy case to load. I've loaded thousands with the H&G 68 & 5.7 grains of 231. This is a great load & very accurate. Before tearing my shop apart & moving from Dry Creek I loaded every piece of 45 ACP brass I had with a 230 FMJ bullet, WW primer & 5 grains of Bullseye. Not sure how many but more than a few. The little Dillon just kept cranking them out.

I find both the above loads work great in every 1911 they've met so far. So I lean toward your statement & won't necessarily disagree with you...........Creeker

__________________
Joshua 1:9

I suppose my least favorite case to load is .25 ACP.

I really don't see where .45 ACP is any easier to load that most full sized cases. So, I load most of them and don't even think about what's easy. I tend to think of what I want/need to load, which is rarely anything like a factory load.

For me the easy case of all of them to load is the .45 Auto Rim.

Hi all, For what's it's worth....
Regarding being able to "see" into the cartridge when loading. I use a LED bore light on gooseneck stuck onto the D550. Gives good light and easy to adjust. I primarily load 45 ACP.
Chucka

Welcome to the board Chucka................Creeker

__________________
Joshua 1:9

I have had no problems loading the .45 ACP cartridge.

It took quite a while to get the .40 S&W dies to produce a cartridge that would feed in my Glocks. Now the problems ahve been adjusted away.

I agree the 9mm is a PITA to load.

The straight wall pistol cartridges are easy to load. .38, .357, .41 mag, 44 Mag, 45 schofield.

I rate the 45 Colt as being up there with the .45 ACP for ease of loading.

All loading is done on the Dillon 650/550b.

__________________
Semper FI

I've always considered the .38Sp the easiest to reload but nothing hard or complicated about the .45ACP either.

If I'm shooting Bullseye, (the reason to go to Camp Perry), I would be loading a much softer shooting load, and find the one that is most accurate. Needs to go into 2" at 50 yards for that game. Power isn't a necessity. I have developed my best load 20 years ago, and just re-verified it last summer again by ransom rest. 4.3 gr. 231 behind 200 gr. (H&G) cast bullet, with Fed primers. This groups into 1.5" at 25 yards from my Series 70 Gold Cup with Kart barrel. I use a 12 lb. recoil spring, and the main spring is 19 lb with the trigger set to break at 4 lbs. Recoil is very mild, and allows faster recovery for aiming in the timed and rapid fire stages.

__________________
H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

I think .38/.357 is easier but the .45acp is very easy, too. I think the small primer of the .38/.357 is what makes it easier for me. I've always wondered why the .45 acp needs a large primer. It isn't lighting any more powder than a .38 Special.

The hardball loads I mentioned weren't made for Bullseye. They were for general shooting, plinking, bowling pins, steel plates, etc. They are generally made with either a 230 grain round nose lead bullet, or 230 grain FMJs. (I got a deal on pulled FMJs years ago and bought a few thousands. I wish I'd bought 10,000.)

The Bullseye loads I have been loading recently are made with a light load of Bullseye powder and a 200 grain LSWC bullet.

I find it easier to handle and seat the large pistol primers in the .45 ACP case than small pistol primers in .38 cases.

Close, but the big heavy rims on the 45 Auto Rim makes it even easier. Plus you can roll crimp or taper crimp for it without worrying it'll get into an auto.

For me a bigger and longer case is easier. 45 colt or 44 magnums are easiest, don't even ask me to load 9mm or heaven forbid 25 autos!

I know others will probably disagree...but believe it or not, I have found .380 to be the easiest caliber to load on my 650. I was sure I'd not find this...but for me it was.

Bob

__________________
"Onward thru the Fog"

Volume wise, I probably load more .38 Special than anything else. However, I would have to concur that I find the .45ACP to be easy to load compared to many other handgun cartridges.

__________________
Don't know, don't care.

Here is an interesting article on the .45acp and primer size--at least I thought it was interesting. This & That

Thank you.

I don't understand why people have so much trouble with 9mm/.40.....dropping casings all over? What else is the problem? I use a Dillon 550 as well and have no problem at all. Must be doing something wrong on my end..
Randy

An occasional dropped case wouldn't bother me too much.

The other problem with 9mm, for me, is that I can't find a real accurate 9mm load. I've used TC and RN lead bullets, and 124 and 115 grain FMJs and got indifferent results with all of them.

The two problems together make it my least favorite pistol round to load.

I like the .45 ACP but the .45 Colt is just a tad bit more fun for me.

Just another observation...I just finished reloading several hundred .45ACP and am in the process of doing the same with 9mm. I have surplus Canadian IVI military brass and find that every 10th or 12th case has an "undersize" primer pocket that results in a partially seated primer stuck in the case, which in turn traps the case in the shell holder. This stops the whole works until I can pop the primer out of the case...minor, but a royal pain...and the IVI is such good brass.

__________________
Don't know, don't care.

.45acp is easy to load. I like 200gr cast rn's over 4gr Red Dot.

Did the brass have crimped primers? If so, the crimp may not be fully removed.

John

If the .45ACP is easier to load it's probably because I load so many of them on my Dillon Square Deal. I shoot and load more 45acp than all other handgun cartridges combined. Equipment and familiarity?

Well, I'm new to reloading, but I do .45, 38/357, and 9MM. I'm kinda an old dude at 71, but have no problems loading any of the above. But I still do a quick check every 10th round, and being retired don't care how long it takes as long as the product is correct.

As for 9MM accuracy, it's been tough to find the right mix. On paper I want "In the Black at 25 and 50 yards". Have been told that folks have spent big bucks to get really accurate 9MM pieces, and still have problems, not to mention the "right" load.......

regards
R

__________________
"Shoot 4 Ten Rings"
ASA 61-66

My son shot up almost all the .45 target loads I made while practicing for Camp Perry. (I have been sick for the past 10 days so got behind in my loading.)

Today I made about 150 so he's good for next week.
Just 400 Winchester LP primers left but he thinks that will hold him till the Nationals. Now I need to find another case of those primers at a fairly reasonable price.

No the 45 acp is not the easiest round to load for me. The 44 Special and 44 Magnum are. I check every 45acp round I load with a Wilson Max Case Gauge.I have no time at all for jams or FTF's. I have a few different 45's and sometimes I have to do a little filing on the nicks around the rim. I never have to do anything to my 44 brass. Auto pistols are more particular about brass than most wheel guns from my experience. They are easier to de-cap & resize because they are so short, but that's only one step for us diehards that still like the old single stage set up.

__________________
AM-Tracks 66-69

The 45acp is a great round to reload/shoot, like the 200gr bullets myself. Bullets are easy to hold, nice fat brass, large primers to see & use, excellent case capacity in the tumbler. I use a hornady progressive so using a lee factory finish sizer doesn't matter, It's still 1 pull of the handle. The only draw back that I could see with reloading the 45acp was casting the bullets for it. Was using the 230gr cast bullet & it used up alot of lead. Switching to the 200gr helped, lead goes farther & can cast more per pot.

I don't believe the primer is crimped...at least not that I can tell. I've seen other military brass with an obvious crimp, but do not see the same on these. However, there is a ring ~1mm wide around the primer. Also, the ring is slightly recessed from the rest of the case head. Perhaps that is the type of crimp used on these cases?

__________________
Don't know, don't care.

I think what you're seeing is the crimp. Most military ammo is crimped for use in fully automatic weapons, so I'm sure yours is, too. Processed cases usually have the crimp removed, but in the volume they turn out they may miss a few. Most reloading supply houses have a primer pocket reamer available, and it will solve the problem for you.

I have a large quantity of military 45 ACP brass (WCC), and practically all of it has the primer crimped in place. I had lots of primers that wouldn't seat, so used an old CH carbide button setup that we used back in the old days to remove the crimp from military 30/06 brass. Now the primers seat perfectly!
Dick

I think you are right...I will have to pay a visit to my local pusher this weekend as I now have a small collection of IVI brass that I am unable to seat a primer in.

__________________
Don't know, don't care.

Last of the Mohicans;
I have tried both reaming and swaging primer pockets. I MUCH prefer the RCBS primer pocket swager. Dillon makes a tool just for that and I suspect it might be even better. However, the Dillon costs a good bit more.

At any rate, I have done tens of thousands of swaging primer pockets on both pistol (mostly .45 ACP) and rifle (30'06 and .308 along with thousands of .223's).

FWIW
Dale53