I have a ton of 45 acp brass that I have picked up at the range. Most measure 0.888 but some are as long as 0.950 in length! Should they be trimmed? I have never trimmed pistol brass but now I am beginning to wonder. Would like to get some feedback. I also sort based on head
stamp and most of these are either Winchester or Federal brass.

thank-you

I've never trimmed ANY pistol or revolver brass ever! Been reloading since 1972..............

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S&W Accumulator

I don't mix brass either and almost always use Winchester .45 ACP as it seems to last just about forever. I've loaded the .45 ACP for decades and don't know if I've ever measured brass length. Book says max. is .898". I would guess .45 barrels have generous chamber dimensions, but max. chamber length is supposed to be .920" if I read the specs correctly in the NRA handloading book.

Personally, I would not worry about trimming the .45 acp brass and the general answer from other members regarding this question typically seems to be to not worry about trimming pistol brass.

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Scoundrel & Ne'er-Do-Well

Thank-you-sound reasonable.

In a revolver I'd imagine the case length would be mostly unimportant. In an auto loader, it can be very important. For instance, in a 1911 style pistol, the loaded round is supposed to head space on the case mouth. Maximum functionality and accuracy is achieved by doing so. However, in nearly every case, head space is achieved with the extractor.

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NRA Benefactor

Two different primer sizes and 3 primer hole sizes. The load and gun is a +. Shooter is 90%.

Get yourself a Wilson "go-no go" gauge. On any rimless cartridge the case headspaces on the case mouth not the rim. Therefore case length is an important consideration. Case length also has an effect on overall cartridge length which determines if your loaded round will chamber. Accuracy is also improved by consistent case length.

I have loaded 10's of thousands of .45. Never trimmed. regardless of what the book says almost if not all .45's headspace on the extractor in a 1911.

Farmboy

I've never trimmed pistol brass, that being said as the 45ACP head spaces on the case mouth for absolute accuracy case length could make a difference. I sort by head stamp, and pretty much just go with what is there.

I would take a few of the extremes you have, short and long and load them up for your gun, see if they cycle and feed fine. If they do you with 'that' gun then you are good!
Karl

Maximum length of 45 ACP should be 0.898.

Like many who reload straight-wall cartridges, I usually lose the case to the weeds or it suffers a neck split before I have enough reloading cycles on the brass to make stretching an issue. But you reported that some of the brass is as long as 0.950!

0.950 is a huge amount of case stretching. That extra length has to come from thinning of the rest of the case and would be a concern for me. I wouldn't trim brass that long, I would simply discard it.

Some compact pistols, notably a Kahr PM45, Springfield XDs and XDm2, have a short chamber. I keep the OAL to 1.250 for FMJ and 1.230 for Hornady XTP bullets. I have never trimmed .45 ACP brass, but would watch for potential problems in less forgiving firearms as mentioned above. Besides chambering problems and potential jams, a long cartridge might create a step which interferes with feeding.

If you don't have problems, I wouldn't worry about it. Just be aware.

I try to pick up my brass, but tend to lose about 1/3 of it each session. The turnover is so high, I never have brass long enough to split or bulge. I'm sure odd brass gets mixed with the good stuff in the process. Brass with small pistol primers is a real PITA. I toss them in a plastic bag, but haven't reloaded them yet.

Subliminal Suggestion

1. Remove the primer from the 0.950 cases and remeasure.
2. Don't take psychedelic drugs when measuring cases.
3. Get a digital vernier caliper with "BIG" numbers and clean your bifocals.
4. Number 3 was my problem, I have chronologically gifted eyesight.
5. Never come into a forum and tell everyone you made a mistake.

I stopped trimming brass when I began buying it from the factory in one lot. This extreme difference in case length is one of the reasons I stopped shooting range brass. I still pick it up as old habits die hard, but I now just recycle it.

Ive probably loaded upwards of 100k 45acp over 40yrs. I have never trimmed a case. I also never seen one 0.950" long, way out of spec.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

I trim 45 ACP brass, but only because I use bullets requiring a roll crimp.

Seat a bullet to the correct OAL, taper crimp to .469" and you will be good to go. Also keep an eye out for those pesky small primer case's. They reload just fine but keep em separated from the large primer jobbers especially when using a progressive press.

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Stay safe people!

That's pretty high out of spec. It seems they were shot at least once, so they must work, consequently, you don't HAVE to trim them. I have a trimming rig on my drill press that goes pretty fast and it wouldn't be much trouble trim them once, and never bother with them again.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Deoends onbrass thickness & bullet size, but ifind 0.469" too tight, starts sizing the bullet base down. I never measured until someone started throwing such numbers around, but slapping calipers on mine, comes out 0.471" most times lading 0.452" bullets.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

Tyrod
Does this condition break or wear out the extractor or cause any other damage?

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I'd like to agree with you BUT

Agreed. Since you don't know the history of the brass, and it's way out of spec, throw it away. Don't trim it - throw it away.

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I've still got it made.

I like this train of thought. Although I've never trimmed any range brass (45 ACP) I have thrown a lot away. You get all kinds of garbage from the range. I examine everyone for metal fatigue and primer size. I also pay attention when I resize. I've found that some brass just can't be resized to properly seat a bullet. Neck tension is gone. I can tell which ones when I resize so I cull some there.

If a guy is shooting rage brass he should have plenty to throw away. OAL, primer depth, neck tension and the proper charge is really all I care about. I've had more problems with neck tension than anything else using range brass. Not enough to buy new brass though. I also use a FCD on my 45 ACP. I know, it's a crutch.

If you're concerned about case length it's easy enough to check with a gage. Just resize first.

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That's just somebody talkin.

"Lost" has some good recommendations on inspecting brass. Some .45 ACP brass nowadays have small pistol primer pockets. Straight walled pistol brass will shrink with firing, NOT lengthen, like rifle brass. I've loaded .45 ACP for bullseye pistol matches for a few decades. I use a taper crimp of .470" and have never trimmed a case. I've found that with real match chambers, as found in some accurized pistols that certain brass seemed too thick and wouldn't feed and chamber reliably. One of my pistols doesn't like Federal brass, but loves W-W brass. For most pistol without true match barrels and most .45 ACP revolvers, just about any good quality brass will work well. When I tumble my brass, besides cleaning it and making it easier to spot defects, pouring it out will let me hear the "clinks" of split cases.

When I started handloading 50+ years ago , it was with the 45 acp , I sorted and trimmed religiously ...but over the decades I got lax and discovered that with the 45 acp , at 25 yards...it didn't make a difference in group sizes. The mixed headstamp untrimmed cases would give groups just as good as the sorted and trimmed cases.
If you are somewhat OCD-anal and it makes you feel better , do it.
If not...don't think twice , it will be alright .
Try a test, load some of each and see what happens.
Gary

Length for proper head space with .45acp is .898" no shorter or longer. This is according to the trim table included with my RCBS case trimmer.

You're aware that the .45 acp head spaces on the case mouth right??? NEVER roll crimp a acp cartridge.

.45 ACP case length is known to be all over the place. It's often remarked that .898" is a nonsensical, arbitrary number. You could measure whole buckets of brass and never find one measuring .898". If you want precision pistol accuracy, use or trim+use factory fresh or once-fired brass. Beyond that, it's not worth worrying about.

Sorry, but that's just flat out incorrect. too short and you have excess head space. Too long and you get unsupported cases and excess case swelling at the base that eventually lead to case ruptures..

Are you basing this on your experience loading .45 ACP or is it from something you read? The reason I ask is that I shot bullseye pistol matches for decades and loaded .45 ACP ammo for shooting at the 50 yard line, as well as, the 25 yard line. I also owned a Ransom machine rest and tested my ammo for accuracy. I never have, in all those decades, trimmed .45 ACP cases, nor measured the length of cases and sorted them or any other preparation other than cleaning them. I ended up as an NRA Outdoor Master using my reloads. Much of the time I was loading .45 ACP brass that had been loaded many times. I never had a case bulge at the base or rupture in that area.