45 ACP with Small Pistol Primers

[Real Sniper]

Been doing some looking for 230 gr FMJ 45 ammo and saw several brands (American Eagle & Federal Champion) which use small pistol primers instead of large pistol primers. Marketing says it's to reduce cost and make it more affordable for target shooting and practice. Fed Champion I've seen as cheap as $15.00 for a 50 rd box. Anybody have any experience with it?

 

[xopher88x]

I get the Federal small primer stuff at Wal-Mart. It's fine for the range. Always goes bang.

 

[blujax01]

I reload and pick up range brass. It used to be that I separated and threw away the small primer stuff. As time went on, the throw-away pile kept getting bigger and bigger.

Now I separate the large primer from small primer and reload both. For the record, the last 1000 I sorted were about 60/40 large to small primer.

Performance wise there's not one whit of a difference between the two and in the not-too-distant future I expect the large primer stuff to ride off into the sunset.

 

[bpeddicord]

I noticed a lot of the shooters at the IDPA club where I compete were simply discarding the small primered 45ACP brass. I started collecting and reloading the brass and have had no problems. Most of the small primered brass I have collected is Federal and appears to be only once fired.

 

[Fishslayer]

The SPP .45ACP is usually NT, "Non Toxic" for indoor ranges. The primers are lead free and there's no exposed lead in the bullet(Total Clad, Total Jacketed, etc).

I sort by headstamp anyway & save the SPP stuff. During the last Great Primer Drought LPP was hard to come by and SRP will work in the SPP brass.

I've loaded a few batches & there's no real difference in performance that I could tell.

 

[steveno]

the last time I looked American Eagle had large primers or at least the last two boxes I bought. the Champions had small primers.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

If it weren't any good a major ammo company wouldn't put it on the market. Buy the stuff and shoot is since it's a good price...