A Scourge, Plague an Abomination

[max]

A rainy afternoon so I decide to load some 45acp. I don't need it, but that is what the Dillon is set for. I was stymied by 2 cases with small primers. I must have picked them up at my outdoor range. Curses on whoever left them there, sold them or designed them.

[kenjen]

i did the same thing just the other day, started load and was having problems with the primer station, when i found out why i went through my bag of cases and found about 25 more. now i have to look for them before i reload, o'well i will use them sooner or later.

[Engineer1911]

45 acp w/small primer is worse than MSNBC, it has rained in Augusta every day since 8-26. Morning is foggy, afternoon is thunderstorms. Never mind the lawn mower, I need a baler.

[venomballistics]

Originally Posted by OKFC05

The small primer .45's started with the TMJ loads for indoor ranges. Since a part of the contamination comes from primers, making the primer smaller reduced the residue. So now part of the case sorting is to catch SP .45 cases.
I have some extra SP .45 cases if you want them.....

Now about that rain: I'm jealous

actually it was the use of DDNP as a priming compound for indoor range use. they either make oversized flash holes or go to SP pockets to keep the stuff from destroying breach faces

[Granddad]

The reason doesn't matter. I'm with the OP; I hate those things (although I can't bring myself to throw them away). I use them to make dummy rounds and if I get enough to bother with, maybe some day I'll load them. They'll never go to the range along with reloads having LPP, though!

[fredj338]

I'm in the hate SP 45acp brass camp as well. It really ties up the a press w/ case feeder. Keep a few sized & deprimed cases on standby & pluck the offending case out & replace it w/o skipping a beat.

[blujax01]

Where you see Blazer, you'll see small primers. I pick up range brass. I loaded 1000 last month and 400 were SP Blazer. May as well get used to it.

"A number of factory 45 Auto cartridges are fitted with small primer pockets. There is no safety hazard in reloading these cases with standard small pistol primers. However, most published load data is developed using cartridge cases with large primer pockets and standard large pistol primers. A small pistol primer should have no trouble igniting a 45 Auto charge but may produce slightly less pressure."

Blazer - Blazer Brass

[Peter J.]

I might suggest reloading the SP cases and use them in shooting situations where you might not expect to pick up the brass, like shooting outdoors in a woody area with lots of leaves on the ground, as you might probably lose a good percentage of the brass anyway. Just shoot and walk away.

[JaPes]

Or you can send the SPP .45 ACP brass to me. I don't have an auto indexing, turret, or even a bench mount single stage. I load with a hand-press and I have no issues loading the SPP .45 ACP brass.

[Rule3]

Almost as bad as those occasional Berdan primed suckers I slam my re-sizer on

[Jellybean]

Originally Posted by venomballistics

actually it was the use of DDNP as a priming compound for indoor range use. they either make oversized flash holes or go to SP pockets to keep the stuff from destroying breach faces

I've never encountered any, but I believe the small primers are used with an oversized flash hole in the .45ACP.

The only non-toxic cartridge that would take a large primer is the .45ACP, so it's cheaper for the manufacturers to only make small primers and use .45ACP cases with small primer pockets, they then had to open the flash hole up to generate more pressure to negate the difference between a large and small primer.

[mikld]

I reload 45 ACP for 2 guns and I have found the solution to small primed 45 ACP brass. I inspect my brass before I process it!

[lmcgust]

Talking about case inspection... Besides CCI and Win NT, are there other manufacturers using them? What about Speer, S&B, Federal?

Guy -

[retarmyaviator]

Originally Posted by lmcgust

Talking about case inspection... Besides CCI and Win NT, are there other manufacturers using them? What about Speer, S&B, Federal?

Guy -

I contacted Federal not long ago asking that question, this is the reply -

All American Eagle, Federal Range, Champion and Target, and Speer Lawman .45 ACP's will be large primers and all Independence, Blazer, and Estate handgun .45ACP's will have the small primer.

I like the small primer type, since I load mostly 9mm and 223 the SP 45 save me the trouble of changing out the primer system on my Dillon 650 when I do want to reload 45s.

[Grayfox]

I might suggest reloading the SP cases and use them in shooting situations where you might not expect to pick up the brass,

I bought a large batch of OF brass and found a couple hundred Blazers with the small primers in it. I originally figured I'd just throw them away to keep from ever having to sort 'em out again. But then it dawned on me that due to time restrictions, I never pick up my brass at IDPA matches anyway. So they will get used once more and then bye-bye.

[Rule3]

I have a small "stash" of the SP 45 ACP Never know when you might run out of LP primers as in the great primer shortage of a few years ago.

They are also useful if you happen to be standing next to a brass snatcher at the local range. Hey those are mine

[sbeatty1983]

I dislike sp brass but load them for lost brass matches.

[H Richard]

I "Found out about it" the same way, when attempting to put a large primer in a small pocket! It's a pain to have to inspect every case, but that is what you have to do if you shoot on a range used by more than yourself. I sort the small ones out and put aside, and when I accumulate enough maybe I'll set up to load a large batch.

[mikld]

Originally Posted by H Richard

I "Found out about it" the same way, when attempting to put a large primer in a small pocket! It's a pain to have to inspect every case, but that is what you have to do if you shoot on a range used by more than yourself. I sort the small ones out and put aside, and when I accumulate enough maybe I'll set up to load a large batch.

I dunno, but as a regular part of reloading safety, I look at every case I reload. Even when I used a progressive press (not mine, helped a friend and he let me use his Dillon), I inspected all my brass. No big deal, just pick it up, turn it around in my fingers, and toss it into the brasss hopper...

[Para4T5]

I just received the new edition of the Dillon Blue Press and there is a
warning in there about the small primer brass. It seems that he was loading and had a primer go off not knowing he had a small primer brass in the press which in turn set off about 75 primers in the feed tube. Some damage to the press but fortunately he was unharmed by the exploding parts and pieces. I will be checking my brass for primer size the next batch I load for sure.

[blujax01]

Originally Posted by Para4T5

... Some damage to the press but fortunately he was unharmed by the exploding parts and pieces. ...

A testimony to the Dillon double wall feeding tube design, imo.

[mikld]

Man! all you gotta do is look...

[federali]

This topic comes up many times. I'm shooting on a police range and while I would occasionally find one or two SP .45 ACP cases in my recovered brass, lately I'm finding a lot more. I'm setting them aside. As I mentioned on another thread on this topic, when I have enough and when I have to change over my Dillon for small primer work, I'll load these SP .45s at the same time.

Don't be too surprised if eventually, manufacturers phase out large pistol primers in the .45 ACP altogether.

[Maximumbob54]

I still insist it's the future coming at us. Everyone may as well start saving them up as they will become the new normal at some point.

[max]

Another rainy day and I am reloading for the first time since October. I am glad that I have enough cases with large primers to last me forever cause I really dislike these darn small ones. Change is evil!!!!!!

[scooter123]

With components being as difficult to find as it is right now I consider the Small Primer 45 ACP casings to be a bit of a windfall. Because right now I'm running a bit thin on Large Pistol primers and have a fairly adequate supply of the Small Pistol primers.

[blujax01]

Originally Posted by scooter123

With components being as difficult to find as it is right now I consider the Small Primer 45 ACP casings to be a bit of a windfall. Because right now I'm running a bit thin on Large Pistol primers and have a fairly adequate supply of the Small Pistol primers.

Isn't it an interesting thing, the fact that a single caliber can be reloaded using either small or large primers? Admittedly, it is a bit of a chore to keep the cases separated but the advantages outweigh the downside, IMO.

[mikld]

No big deal! All you gotta do is inspect your cases first...

[gmarshall99]

I don't know where I got them but I have a couple of dozen speer bress that take small primers. Yes, its a
pita.

[blujax01]

Originally Posted by mikld

No big deal! All you gotta do is inspect your cases first...

Exactly. One is just examining an additional attribute.

I load 45 ACP in thousand round batches. Sorting the cases I usually find it to be about a 60:40 split.

And there is no way I'm tossing out 400 perfectly good cases.

[Bart45]

I'd start looking at this as an idea from the accounting department........

[yeti]

Accept the fact that SP primed 45acp brass is here to stay. We will very likely be seeing more of it in the coming years too.
Yes it is a PITA to keep separate batches now, but the SP brass functions fine.
With the way things are now...I utilize what I can get my hands on.

[S&WIowegan]

Originally Posted by mikld

No big deal! All you gotta do is inspect your cases first...

EXACTLY!!! I just got another lesson in inspecting the brass last weekend. I was loading .38 Short Colt ammo which has very similar appearance to 9mm. A 9mm case went in my sizing die.....but NOT out! Nasty jam...had to pull the primer stem, then punch the 9mm out and reset the stem. THEN I inspected all the brass...found 3 more 9mm in there. I have several ideas how it got in there but they all equal human error....mine.

If you're lazy and won't inspect your brass first.....don't bitch!!!

[Snapping Twig]

I set 'em aside and when I get a big enough batch I load 'em up.

Segregated with a big SP on the container, I use them at places or times when I don't want to pick up my brass or when there's scavengers about.

PITA, but they're here, so I make use of them.

[Ivan the Butcher]

Just a note, 357 Mag had a large primer originally. Now those are high sought after by collectors. Ivan

[NAM68]

I hate those damn things. I only load 45ACP I have a separate box for small hole brass and every time I got one I would put it in the box until about a year ago.I got tired of doing it so I just throw em in the trash.I Hate those damn things. If they change the format IM SCREWED. HA.

[Ole Joe Clark]

I have a homemade primer pocket cleaner that I made back in the day. The large pocket cleaner is also a great plug gage for separating large and small primer hulls. Works great sitting the rocking chair in the music/reloading room.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

[hdwhit]

I load on a single stage press and prepare all my brass ahead of time, so varying primer sizes are not a problem.

For those that do use a progressive press, wouldn't it be logical to inspect the cases beforehand and segregate by primer size?

But, as often as I read this complaint, I really think there's a business opportunity for someone to make a die or other add-on fixture to the popular progressive presses that detects a small primer pocket and stops the press.

[boatbum101]

Being a Bullseye shooter I've a Dillon 1050 just for 45acp & it's been setup for large primers since it was new . When I inspect my cleaned case I toss the SP ones ditto those with Glock firing pin indentations . I've a # 3 washtub full of 45 brass & at levels we load they'll last forever . I do check them with a Martindale guage & ones that don't pass get tossed along with the split ones . In past years the military would let you swap your rejects for their once fired match brass because they sold them as scrap anyway . A case of beer or a bottle to the head armorer & one could loot & pillage to their hearts content . Unfortunately now you can only scoop them of the firing line ( with shooters consent ) after the match is done .

[Engineer1911]

Originally Posted by hdwhit

I load on a single stage press and prepare all my brass ahead of time, so varying primer sizes are not a problem.

For those that do use a progressive press, wouldn't it be logical to inspect the cases beforehand and segregate by primer size?

But, as often as I read this complaint, I really think there's a business opportunity for someone to make a die or other add-on fixture to the popular progressive presses that detects a small primer pocket and stops the press.

It is present on the progressive press. It's called, "Large primer cup" and it stops the press. Changing the case is the time killer when reloading on a progressive with auto advance. On a Dillon 450/550 just change the case, seat the primer, and carry on.

The ugly problem is that "squished" large primer will fit in a large primer case correctly, but might not slide easily down the primer feed tube.

My stash of 45 acp brass predates small primers, but sorting the new range brass is a pain.