Federal 45 ACP primer surprise
- Thread starter Vulcan Bob
- Start date
GCF
Member
Got a few of these recently, branded Federal. Curious as to they would work - w/ standard load data.
OP
Vulcan Bob
Member
The ammo in question shot just fine and accuracy seemed on par with my shooting skills. Just loaded up a box of em with a 200gr H&G over 5.2gr of WST with a standard small primer of course. Brian Pearce in Handloader mentioned the small primer issue briefly with the opinion that the small primer in the .45 ACP might be a bit more accurate than with the large and did mention a full bore test of the issue may happen some time in the future.
Safety First
I think the overriding issue is whether or not the extra large flash holes do indeed cause a rise in pressure. In theory, the larger hole speeds up the burning rate of the powder.
I'm finding an increasing amount of SP .45 ACP brass. No point in wasting them. I just set them aside until I have enough to do a run of about 250 rounds or more.
I think the overriding issue is whether or not the extra large flash holes do indeed cause a rise in pressure. In theory, the larger hole speeds up the burning rate of the powder.
I'm finding an increasing amount of SP .45 ACP brass. No point in wasting them. I just set them aside until I have enough to do a run of about 250 rounds or more.
retarmyaviator
US Veteran
That guy's letter was the biggest crybaby letter I have ever seen in years of reading Blue Press. He basically wanted other shooters to stop using small primer brass because he was too stupid to tell the difference.
His level of common sense and intelligence also comes into question when you ask why was he putting so much pressure on the handle to set off the primer in the first place. If it was not seating as easy as the previous primers he should have stopped there.
If all goes back to inspecting your brass BEFORE you start reloading not after.
Update: Since my original post about this individual I have been given very good reason to believe he had automated his reloader which is in direct violation of Dillon's warranty. This being the case the accident he described was all his own fault.
Last edited:
retarmyaviator
US Veteran
Exactly! It is as simple as that.
Twoboxer
Member
My 1911 arrived in May, and I began firing an average of 100 rounds each week. In June I bought 2000 rounds of Blazer 45ACP and in July began picking my brass up off the range floor with an eye to reloading. When I began reloading in August as a complete rookie, I measured the primers on my brass and picked up 1k of SPP.
Last week I couldn't understand why primers were suddenly falling out of the primer pocket!!! Prior to this run I'd had a lot of trouble with my Lee Auto-Primer, and so I was quite accustomed to picking up primers from the floor. But this was different. The primers were just falling out as I was tossing to toss the brass into the "finished" tray!!
Finally I looked at the brass, and saw the "Speer" headstamp. On a lark I decided to measure the primer pocket . . . and I discovered it was a LARGE primer pocket. I immediately scanned the rest of my brass and tossed out the dozen or so Speer cases I had accidentally picked up.
Who wudda thought - a large primer when a small primer obviously does the job perfectly well
(On a semi-serious note, as you can see my perspective is just a bit different.)
(Fully serious now, when a long-existing standard is changed, it should not be done QUIETLY.)
Last week I couldn't understand why primers were suddenly falling out of the primer pocket!!! Prior to this run I'd had a lot of trouble with my Lee Auto-Primer, and so I was quite accustomed to picking up primers from the floor. But this was different. The primers were just falling out as I was tossing to toss the brass into the "finished" tray!!
Finally I looked at the brass, and saw the "Speer" headstamp. On a lark I decided to measure the primer pocket . . . and I discovered it was a LARGE primer pocket. I immediately scanned the rest of my brass and tossed out the dozen or so Speer cases I had accidentally picked up.
Who wudda thought - a large primer when a small primer obviously does the job perfectly well
(On a semi-serious note, as you can see my perspective is just a bit different.)
(Fully serious now, when a long-existing standard is changed, it should not be done QUIETLY.)
Fishslayer
US Veteran, Absent Comrade
We've been seeing the red Federal boxes of SPP green .45ACP for quite awhile at the local Walmarts. Those boxes are slightly smaller than the LPP boxes. I think it's about 1/4" difference or so. And that's the ONLY way to tell without opening the box. The SPP headstamp on these is "dot" Federal "dot."
I sort by headstamp anyway and have accumulated a nice stash of the SPP brass. If we have a replay of the Great Primer Drought of '09 I will be in better shape than last time. LPP were impossible to find. The SPP brass will run with SRP in a pinch.
I sort by headstamp anyway and have accumulated a nice stash of the SPP brass. If we have a replay of the Great Primer Drought of '09 I will be in better shape than last time. LPP were impossible to find. The SPP brass will run with SRP in a pinch.
You still need to be careful with some brands. In addition to Blazer "Clean Fire" being small primer, regular Blazer (not "Clean Fire") are Small Primer as well.
And I agree with Twoboxer. Somebody shoulda said something sooner!
I'm pretty sure the "dot" Federal "dot" and "dot" Winchester "dot" brass is made under contract by S&B. If you measure the case head diameter of said brass you'll find it a couple thousandths smaller than regular Fed or Win, just like S&B. I read an article about S&B making brass for other companies (sorry, no source) during the big ammo shortage a few years back.
As far as I can tell this "dotted" brass functions fine, at least in .45ACP, but I segregate it just because I like my brass sorted.
retarmyaviator
US Veteran
How many years noticed needed to be given? SP 45 has been on the market for a number of years.
I wasn't aware of it until less than a year ago but I don't remember reading or hearing any notice being given on any web site, publication or LGS. I found out like everyone else - when my machine went wonky...
Fishslayer
US Veteran, Absent Comrade
I belong to a few reloading forums and it's been an off & on topic of conversation on all of them for some time.
I'm going to guess it might be a regional thing. I'm too lazy to search but I bet we'd find that it pops up in different parts of the country at different times. I started reloading in '09 and IIRC we started seeing the the SPP Federal about 2010/2011. I bought a LOT of used brass from the east coast & not a single SPP in 'em.
I know at one time our local Walmarts have had both flavors of Federal with no real rhyme nor reason.
It WOULD be nice if Federal would put a label on their "green" & "not green" .45 though.
FWIW I've run a few batches of my target ammo with the SPP brass & noticed zero zilch difference between them.
Last edited:
retarmyaviator
US Veteran
I ran some through my chrono using the same load and bullet as with LP, there was no noticeable difference at all.
Thinking about it, I guess the ammunition manufacturers don't really want us making our own since it cuts into their piece of the pie so they're not going to say anything. I suppose the primer folks could have put a statement on their Large Primer boxes - "caution some 45acp is now small primer", or something like that. Truth be told I don't bother to read what's written on there now so it wouldn't make a damn anyway...
safarihunter
Member
I find them more and more at the range. Looks like I'll just have to keep a separate can for the sp brass. No big deal. After all they are "free"
I've bought Federal 230 gr HST, Lawman in the same weight and caliber, Winchester Ranger T, 230 gr GDHP and Starline brass-all for 45 ACP and have yet to run into a SP. Don't know where you guys are getting that stuff. Must be a Wally World/Federal/Blazer thing.
Last edited:
Twoboxer
Member
"On the market" is not the same as "notice".
People who shoot pistol, even lots of pistol, wouldn't notice or pay attention to primer size, since it's largely irrelevant . . . unless or until you are a reloader.
A good place for those notices would have been reloading manuals and where (and with) reloading equipment/supplies are sold. I wasn't "into" this at the time the switch first began, but no one has ever mentioned seeing a "notice". Just the change itself.
