First batch of 45 ACP

[squib]

I don't own a case gauge for 45 ACP yet, so I took the striker out of my Glock 21 and checked some at random while I was loading to make sure it would load and eject.



I was going based on what the Lee reloading manual 2nd edition had listed, it said 4.0gr minimum with 5.2gr maximum load, so I picked something in the middle.

NO need for a case gauge.
Use the USPS flat rate method.

size the case.

plunk it in your barrel chamber.

"If it fits it ships" USPS

 

[Zerex]

.45 ACP, Head Spaces on the case mouth.......crimp 45 ACP at your own peril.
Crimp rounds,that have a flat rim, like 45 long colt, 45-70, etc.
Bottleneck cases, at your discretion.

If they slip past the chamber, you are fucked.

 

[Far king]

I doubt hammer vs. striker made any difference. Had a revolver behave the same way.

.45 ACP, Head Spaces on the case mouth.......crimp 45 ACP at your own peril.
Crimp rounds,that have a flat rim, like 45 long colt, 45-70, etc.
Bottleneck cases, at your discretion.

If they slip past the chamber, you are fucked.

Wrong the extracted holds it in . And you must crimp the bullet !

 

[Darth]

Wrong the extracted holds it in . And you must crimp the bullet !

?

Did you mean to quote me here?

 

[Far king]

O

?

Did you mean to quote me here?

?

Did you mean to quote me here?

No Darth l was responding to zerex don’t know how that happened.

 

[Darth]

O


No Darth l was responding to zerex don’t know how that happened.

Ahh, quote feature in the fritz!!!!

 

[repete]

Damn, this is getting confusing!

 

[Depick]

Nice setup! I love the fact you have a dedicated room. That’s my hope for the next house. I want a dedicated gun room. I use a very similar recipe for my .45 acp load with HP-38.

 

[dsdmmat]

.45 ACP, Head Spaces on the case mouth.......crimp 45 ACP at your own peril.
Crimp rounds,that have a flat rim, like 45 long colt, 45-70, etc.
Bottleneck cases, at your discretion.

If they slip past the chamber, you are fucked.

Taper crimp for auto loaders, roll crimp for revolvers.

 

[RooftopKorean]

Nice setup! I love the fact you have a dedicated room. That’s my hope for the next house. I want a dedicated gun room. I use a very similar recipe for my .45 acp load with HP-38.

Thank you, if I can do it with limited space in a Brooklyn apartment you can do it where you are.

 

[RooftopKorean]

Shot some of my reloads and they worked fine. That being said, I was reloading some more yesterday night and found that three of my reloads had some of the copper jacket sheered slightly.

I did some Googling, found some suggested the mouth be widened slightly. I found it odd that my resizing die didn't do this. I used a tool with a rounded edge to widen the mouths on a couple of the brass slightly to see if it would resolve the issue, which it did.

Is there an actual reloading tool that would do this to make my life easier than me having to do this to 400 casings manually?

I obviously took apart those rounds and discarded the deformed bullets, reused the casings as they were undamaged.

 

[Zerex]

How does .45 ACP headspace? | [July Updated]

How .45 ACP Headspaces: A Comprehensive Guide The .45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol) is a venerable cartridge with a long and storied history, particularly known for its use in the M1911 pistol. A crucial aspect of understanding any cartridge, especially for safe and reliable operation, is its...

thegunzone.com

Headspace on Extractor?...that is a desperate situation to recommend, and not true, even if it may work with bad ammo that slips past the edge in the chamber.
Many extractors are modified for better extraction, not headspace and depend upon that chamber design.

read up.

 

[Rondo223]

Shot some of my reloads and they worked fine. That being said, I was reloading some more yesterday night and found that three of my reloads had some of the copper jacket sheered slightly.

I did some Googling, found some suggested the mouth be widened slightly. I found it odd that my resizing die didn't do this. I used a tool with a rounded edge to widen the mouths on a couple of the brass slightly to see if it would resolve the issue, which it did.

Is there an actual reloading tool that would do this to make my life easier than me having to do this to 400 casings manually?

I obviously took apart those rounds and discarded the deformed bullets, reused the casings as they were undamaged.

Your expander die should be able to be adjusted to leave a slight bell on the case mouth that will accept a bullet without shaving the jacket while sizing the inside of the case. This more so needed when loading cast bullets. Your seating die should also size the outside of the case as well as put a slight taper crimp on the case mouth.
This will allow the cartridge to fit the chamber properly and headspace on the mouth of the case.

 

[repete]

Shot some of my reloads and they worked fine. That being said, I was reloading some more yesterday night and found that three of my reloads had some of the copper jacket sheered slightly.

I did some Googling, found some suggested the mouth be widened slightly. I found it odd that my resizing die didn't do this. I used a tool with a rounded edge to widen the mouths on a couple of the brass slightly to see if it would resolve the issue, which it did.

Is there an actual reloading tool that would do this to make my life easier than me having to do this to 400 casings manually?

I obviously took apart those rounds and discarded the deformed bullets, reused the casings as they were undamaged.

Turn the resizing die STEM in just a little bit and see what happens. I have the same problem because I don't segregate brass by head stamp nor do I trim them, that means they are different lengths thus some may get flared a lot some will be perfect and some may not get any flare at all. Watch what brand is shaving and pull them, if you get a lot of them then run a batch of just those.

 

[Xae289]

Shot some of my reloads and they worked fine. That being said, I was reloading some more yesterday night and found that three of my reloads had some of the copper jacket sheered slightly.

I did some Googling, found some suggested the mouth be widened slightly. I found it odd that my resizing die didn't do this. I used a tool with a rounded edge to widen the mouths on a couple of the brass slightly to see if it would resolve the issue, which it did.

Is there an actual reloading tool that would do this to make my life easier than me having to do this to 400 casings manually?

I obviously took apart those rounds and discarded the deformed bullets, reused the casings as they were undamaged.

So if you're using a Lee 4-die set, your 2nd die the expander/powder-thru die is what you use to set how much you bell your case mouth. If you're shaving copper jacket, you should bell your cases more. With the Lee expander die, all you need to do is turn it in until you have enough bell that the bullet is sitting on a barely noticeable flare on the case mouth. Other brand dies should have a similar ability to adjust how much you bell the mouth.

As far as crimp, yes, I think crimping is beneficial for most situations. For one, if you over-bell the mouth, crimping can fix it. Two, it helps secure the bullet in place so you won't get bullet set-back when chambering, unloading, and re-chambering a round. In a revolver, it resists bullet-pulling under heavy recoil.

A Lee factory crimp die is a very good tool. It not only makes it very hard to over-crimp and buckle a case, but also has a carbide ring that final sizes the loaded cartridge to squeeze it back into spec.

A taper crimp is the proper crimp for a semi-auto cartridge. It won't roll the case mouth in like a roll crimp, so it is still able to headspace on the case mouth.

 

[RooftopKorean]

Well @Xae289 and others have said, I forgot to use the expanding die... Now I feel stupid.

Expanded all my remaining clean brass, primed, charged, and loaded all of them.

Amazon delivered my Lee crimp die. I ran all 300 rounds I made today through the crimp die, worked like a charm.

 

[squib]

OP I see a manual turret press in your future.

 

[RooftopKorean]

Huh? Why do you say that.

 

[squib]

Huh? Why do you say that.

loading pistol cases on a single stage press is slavery.

 

[Defilade]

View attachment cart.MP4

 

[RooftopKorean]

loading pistol cases on a single stage press is slavery.

I have a progressive press already. As I stated earlier I like to do first time loads of a new caliber I am loading on a single stage first for the first batch.

 

[RooftopKorean]

I got bored

 

[Zerex]

Loading 100 45 LC for Cowboy, on a single stage only takes a short while..............
I rarely fire more than 100 at one time, except at Trap.

 

[Depick]

loading pistol cases on a single stage press is slavery.

I love reloading pistol rounds on my Rock Chucker.