.45 ACP Speer cases have small primers?

[G-Mac]

I've got a whole bunch of once-fired .45ACP brass...Winchester, Federal, and Speer.

I was sorting through it the other day and I noticed that the Speer brass has small primers.

Any reason for this or are my old eyes just playing tricks on me?

Any advantage or disadvantage to using one over the other? Right now, I'm just sorting it by brand.

 

[Andy Griffith]

Those have got to be from from some "NT" loads.
(Non-toxic and heavy metal free primers).

AFAIK, if loaded with small primers they should be ok.

However, I'd only keep them if all you have is small primers to load with, otherwise I'd just toss them in with the scrap brass to sell to the metals dealer so I wouldn't accidentally get one in with the regular large primer brass and cause a malfunction on my press.

 

[G-Mac]

Thanks Andy.

 

[mistergizmo]

Federal, Winchester and Speer have been producing these for a while. Federal and Winchester at least mark their headstamps with "NT", but Speer doesn't. For reloaders like me, sorting these small pistol primer cases is a pain as my progressive press balks at pushing a large primer into the smaller hole.

Small pistol and rifle primers will fit, but you've got to work up new loads for proper accuracy and semi-auto functioning.

 

[G-Mac]

Small pistol and rifle primers will fit, but you've got to work up new loads for proper accuracy and semi-auto functioning.

Thanks mistergizmo. I've got enough of the large primer brass to keep me busy for a while. I'll probably seperate out all the Speer and not use it.

 

[buckshotshorty]

I too just recently got some of those. My research tells me that those are used in clean range or frangible ammo. A guy from my club tells me he loads them with small pistol primers and they work fine.

 

[Jack Flash]

An older gentleman told me that way back when, PDs reloaded their own ammo. Back in those days, they may issue .38 Special, .357 Mag, and .45 ACP. To keep things simple, they were able to acquire all these cases with large primer pockets.

The subject came up when I asked him about some .38 Special brass I found with large primer pockets. Whether this is factual or not, it's what he told me. Maybe something similar going on with .45 ACP brass w/ small primer pockets?

 

[m1gunner]

I like the small pocket 45acp. cases. I am flush with small primers, and out of large primers.

Would you like to sell them?

 

[VonFatman]

G-Mac,
You might stash/stow them and when it's worthwhile, offer them up to the members. I've done it a couple times. Gets them out of my hair and helps a fellow reloader. Each time I've given them away the recipient was well pleased with the gift...beats the heck out of sending them to the recyclers, especially in these tough times. (IMHO).

BTW...
Watch out for Fiocchi too! I've culled a number of these out of the batch(s) of range brass I've picked up.

Bob

 

[cmj8591]

I just finished with a case of Federal non toxic 45 auto. They have the small primer pockets. I have kept them separate so that one of them does not make its way into my progressive. I think they are going to end up as scrap. I can't even give them away at my club.

 

[RobO]

Gordy-
Me and another local guy just bought dies to reload .45acp. Most of our brass is once fired "non toxic" small primer brass. Let me know if you want to get rid of your small primer brass!

 

[maglvr]

Imagine my surprise recently, when I went to reload some Buffalo Bore (Star-Line) 45-70, Headstamped "45-70 MAG" only to find out they had small primers!!

 

[tlen]

When I sort my range brass I just throw away the small primer .45 ACP brass so they won't mix with standard brass.
Another problem is .40 S&W Federal NT brass that has crimped in primers. I toss those as well.
I wonder why they just don't make all the NT ammo with AL cases to eliminate these problems.