When reloading .45ACP with Small Pistol Primers.....

Empe

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...do you use the same load data as for large pistol primers ?
Any load data I have found lists loads using the large primers only .
 
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I have, yes. I have heard some say they lose a bit, others say they do not.

If you got any less pressure/velocity, I believe you'd need your chrono to see it.

If the question you are ultimately asking is if you should BUMP up your powder charge since you are using a smaller primer, I would say absolutely not, because there is no way to support such a move, especially when we consider the wide range in performance of differing brands of primers.

Like changing *ANY* primer, it is prudent to start fresh and re-work your load, especially if the load you had been using were some kind of max or high-end load.

There are no shortcuts to proper procedures at the load bench.
 
I haven't tried it with .45 ACP small primer brass, but the advice to work up the load is certainly the best advice.

Some years ago, 7.62x39 brass was available with both small and large primer pockets. Maybe both are still available though I haven't loaded for the cartridge in several years. Chronographing loads with both size primer pockets showed virtually no difference. Point of impact was also the same. Despite different sized primers, the cartridges were 100% interchangeable.

Just a guess, but I would expect similar results with the .45 ACP.
 
Started reloading 45acp with srp after I traded off all my spp for lpp. I didn’t change anything except the primer feed but my loads are midrange stuff. Don’t see a difference between them. Might make a difference if you're shooting bullseye.
 
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I've been using SRP in my .45 small primer brass.... as a matter
of fact, I use SRP in all my handgun calibers. I've never seen
any difference what so ever. Only thing you have to be aware
of is the harder primer cup on the small rifle primers.
 
Okay...thanks for all the replies .I sort of figured the load data would be the same whether using small or large primers but didn't know for sure.
I have several hundred pieces of .45 brass that use small primers. I know people who throw them out but not me .
You never know when you might need them .
 
In my opinion, ridding yourself of SP .45 brass only makes fiscal sense if you are in your 60’s or going blind and soon quitting all operations at the load bench.

There will soon be a day when zero new .45 brass will be made with LP primers. And the availability of component LP primers will follow.
 
I did have to put a spacer to increase the power back into my ruger vaquero mainspring when I started using srp in small primer 45acp brass after I fit an acp cylinder to the revolver. While it ran fine with cci lpp 45colt loads I had lightened it a hair too much for cci srp 45acp.
 
I love small primer brass. Only one primer to worry about stockpiling. It works in everything.
 
If only someone made .45colt with small primers. I built a couple of thin spacers to go under small primer .455 webley brass that I use in my .45colt vaqueros last year.
 
SPP -vs- SRP in the 9x19

Since some have mentioned comparisons between using SPPs & SRPs in a given cartridge I'll include a test I did a while ago:

The "fps" readings in the chart's graph below are the average of the (3) different incremental charge weights, for each powder, (10) rounds each, for a total of (30) rounds per graph bar.

Total tested: (180) rounds chronographed with my LabRadar at an indoor range.
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Forum thread: Primer comparison, SPP -vs- SRP in 9x19
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Not something I would lose any sleep over. I know the initial reason for using small primers because that was the only size lead free primers were made in. I do not know if that is still the same reason. I use both cases.
 

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