.45 Colt short cases

[DWalt]

Just like .45 ACP cases with small primer pockets, I would never throw anything reloadable away, especially .45 Colt brass. Too hard to find it in .45 Colt.

 

[Monticello Marshal]

Look at Starline 45 Cowboy Special Brass. Their website has specs. and loading suggestions. Cowboy action shooters use them for light loads

 

[gregintenn]

I had the same experience with some .44M brass. Larry

Me too. It seems their FTX ammo is all short brass for whatever reason. It made some good 44 Special brass after trimming.

To the OP: The biggest difference I expect you’ll find is that you’ll need to readjust your crimping die.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Me too. It seems their FTX ammo is all short brass for whatever reason. It made some good 44 Special brass after trimming.

To the OP: The biggest difference I expect you’ll find is that you’ll need to readjust your crimping die.

I already explained why in Post #12. The longer tip of the FTX bullet needs the additional space to stay within the standard OAL of the cartridge being loaded.

 

[gregintenn]

I already explained why in Post #12. The longer tip of the FTX bullet needs the additional space to stay within the standard OAL of the cartridge being loaded.

I’ve heard that, but why wouldn’t they simply seat the bullet deeper. I guess the ogive would go into the case mouth?

 

[Hair Trigger]

I discovered the short cases when I was given some Hornaday .357 Magnum cases a guy was shooting at the range. I threw them away and do not buy any more Hornaday ammo.

Not really true. If you read the OP you will see the ammo is using a Hornady FTX bullet. All the ammo from Hornady that uses the FTX bullet has a slightly shortened case so that the longer bullet due to the tip will not exceed the suggested OAL of the cartridge they are loading. If not it could stick out past the end of the cylinder and lock up the revolver. Even the 45-70 ammo has a shortened case.

If you reload, you have to be familiar with the FTX bullet, and with Hornady's reloading recommendations. The FTX is a pointed jacketed bullet with a plastic tip. Think of a JHP with a pointed plastic tip, which makes the bullet longer. It's designed mainly for tubular magazine guns, to protect the primers of the cartridge in front of the bullet. To keep the OAL within SAAMI spec, the case has to be shorter. This creates less internal volume, so a powder load in such a case will create higher pressure than in a standard length case. Hornady is specific in their load data NOT to change the recommended OAL of these bullets, or to use different powder data when loading them. Hornady makes the FTX bullet in several calibers, and all those use shortened cases when loading with it.

I’ve heard that, but why wouldn’t they simply seat the bullet deeper. I guess the ogive would go into the case mouth?

Loading the cartridge deeper into the standard length case would change the pressures when using standard bullet load data, because the deep-seated bullet will decrease the internal capacity of the case.

I'd much have preferred to find ammo that wasn't loaded with the FTX bullet, but the ammo situation makes us all willing to use what we otherwise would not. This load is not a high-power load, and will fit the charge hole of my M25, but reusing the brass for reloading was going to be problematic., especially when I found brass of the standard length and had to keep them separate.

 

[AJ]

Just like .45 ACP cases with small primer pockets, I would never throw anything reloadable away, especially .45 Colt brass. Too hard to find it in .45 Colt.

Guess I am lucky. The Range Officers at our local range save any .45 Colt cases that they find and give them to me. Got almost a 100 cases the last time.

 

[STORMINORMAN]

Case length (and "maximum"OALs) in revolvers is mostly determined by the length of the cylinder: you can load 'em practically about as long as you wish as long as they will still fit...

No need to cram the bullet in so far as to effect any pressure concerns in shorter cases. If you are roll crimping you do need to take uniform case length into consideration if you want consistent performance.

Cheers!

P.S. There are some revolvers with relatively short cylinders: I don't really know why...?

 

[Dvus]

Just like .45 ACP cases with small primer pockets, I would never throw anything reloadable away, especially .45 Colt brass. Too hard to find it in .45 Colt.

For some maybe, but when I'm loading a run of 1000+ rds. of .45 Colt, 20 short cases is too much of a pain in the butt to worry about trying to save. If I had a hundred of them, it might be a different story,...maybe.

 

[BC38]

For some maybe, but when I'm loading a run of 1000+ rds. of .45 Colt, 20 short cases is too much of a pain in the butt to worry about trying to save. If I had a hundred of them, it might be a different story,...maybe.

Save them for a rainy day. Set them aside and eventually you will have your 100. Then you can do like others have suggested and make the adjustments to load them at the end of your run.
That's what I'd do. But then I'm a pack-rat.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I save the Hornady brass that was shortened for the FTX bullet for when I load a FTX bullet. I have done that mostly with the .357 Magnum and 45-70. I don't bother with the 45 Colt because I see no reason to use a FTX bullet in that cartridge. (but who knows in the future lol)

 

[gregintenn]

Loading the cartridge deeper into the standard length case would change the pressures when using standard bullet load data, because the deep-seated bullet will decrease the internal capacity of the case.

A shorter case would have no bearing on this.

 

[BC38]

A shorter case would have no bearing on this.

True - as long as you maintain the OAL and don't push the bullet further into the case to try to get the crimp groove lined up with the case mouth. If you do that it would have the exact same effect as pushing the bullet further into the standard case - it would reduce the interior volume and thereby raise the pressure.

If the brass is only 0.010" shorter that isn't a huge difference.
If the brass is 0.100" shorter, then that is a much bigger deal.
Using brass that is 0.100" shorter is almost the same as loading 44 magnum loads into 44 special brass - which is 0.125" shorter than 44 magnum brass (1.285" vs 1.160").
Obviously a bad idea.

The moral of the story, if you are going to use short brass, sticking with recommended OAL is way more important than crimping in the cannelure

 

[Imissedagain]

Will measure the unfired Hornady 460 200gr FTX brass, as I pulled the bullets on two of them, and compare it with the new Starlines.
Curious.

.010" is not an issue for me but .100" would be as stated in other posts.
.010" is a high E string on many electric guitar or three pieces of looseleaf paper.

Only fired two of twenty, in the 3.5", and have 16 to run in the longer barreled one.
Pulled them to see if the powder was the same as H110. Looks similar but they are different.

The FTX style bullets might have some use in a 45 Colt Winchester '92 but we hunt with fishing rods in Florida.

 

[Hair Trigger]

To clarify the length difference, the SAAMI spec for the .45 Colt case is 1.285" MAX. The trim-to length is 1.275", per the Hornady manual. The "short" cases, for loading the 225 grain FTX bullet, should be trimmed to 1.215".

The COL for a regular .45C is 1.600", the COL for a .45C using the FTX bullet is 1.645", but since the ogive is longer than for other .45C bullets, in order to seat it to proper depth, the case has to be shortened, or the cartridge would be even longer. The overall bullet length is also longer than a 250 grain JHP, due to the plastic tip.

At any rate, I made a deal with another forum member who likes the FTX bullet and loads for it, but can't find a good supply of the shorter case. he swapped me some standard length cases for my shorties.

 

[gregintenn]

So does the FTX bullet have an ogive long enough that it couldn’t be crimped into a standard length case at the specified OAL? That’s the only reason I can deduce for the shorter cases.

 

[BC38]

IIRC the case is shorter to allow the crimp to be in the cannelure of the FTX bullet. Or at least that is what I *think* I recall reading.

 

[Bruce in WV]

This short brass is the Hornaday LeveRevolution line of ammunition specifically designed to upgrade the ballistics of bullets used in lever action rifles.
Lever action rifles with tube feed actions traditionally use round nose bullets to avoid setting off the cartridge in front of them under recoil. This advanced bullet design included a soft, pointed tip that was both safe and more effective.
Reloaders for lever action rifles who buy bulk FTX bullets need these cases to feed properly in their rifles.
I reload these for my 45 Colt Marlin 1894. Anybody here with this "short" brass who would like to sell it please contact me. I can also trade my full length 45 Colt cases for your Hornaday 45 Colt short cases.

The Hornaday manual specifies case trim length of 1.215", and C.O.A.L. of 1.645 with the 225gr FTX bullet specifically made for this round. The manual lists recommended loads in the rifle section.

I believe this is true for reloading all the cartridges listed here, at the Hornaday site:

https://www.hornady.com/ammunition/handgun/45-colt-225-gr-ftx-leverevolution#!/
https://www.hornady.com/ammunition/handgun/357-mag-140-gr-ftx-leverevolution#!/
https://www.hornady.com/ammunition/handgun/41-mag-190-gr-ftx-leverevolution#!/
https://www.hornady.com/ammunition/handgun/44-mag-225-gr-ftx-leverevolution#!/
Rifle Ammunition - Hornady Manufacturing, Inc

 

[Drm50]

What Bruce said. All Hornady brass loaded with flex tip is short stroked.
If you have a Marlin rifle the OAL is critical . Rifle will jam up and you will have to drop lever to clear. I’ve had it happen with 45-70, 44 mg and 375.
For some reason never in 30/30, 32 or any of the other bottle necks.
I look a Flex tip as an answer to a problem that didn’t exist.

 

[Imissedagain]

460 brass.
Case lengths of unfired bullet pulled FTX brass:
1.7700"
Case length of once fired FTX brass:
1.7910"
Case length of new Starline brass:
1.7920"