SPP .45 ACP

[NC FNS]

I know Blazer was using small pistol primers in their 45 ACP rounds, but just picked up a box of red box Federal, and they are also using small pistol primers now. Doesn’t Federal own CCI? Maybe a cost-saving measure?
I’ve been sticking to reloading cases using large pistol primers, but maybe I’ll give the small ones a try…

 

[NikA]

SPP brass in my experience is just as good. SPP cheaper/more available right now. Some Federal range ammo using SPP, defense ammo seems to have stuck with LPP for the most part.

Annoying to me: I have a handful of Blazer .45 cases that are LPP, so can't even sort solely by headstamp.

 

[the_leper_colony]

...Annoying to me: I have a handful of Blazer .45 cases that are LPP, so can't even sort solely by headstamp.

Yeah, I've basically put all of my large primer .45 brass in storage, and I'm just using the SPP cases because I've got a bunch more of those primers. Bought another 500 small primer cases at a gun show a while back because they were cheap - the guy looked relieved that I wanted them all, and knocked another couple bucks off each bag (volume discount I guess ;^)! Kind of funny, but you can find real bargains on the SPP cases, because so many folks refuse to use 'em.

 

[DGW1949]

I know Blazer was using small pistol primers in their 45 ACP rounds, but just picked up a box of red box Federal, and they are also using small pistol primers now. Doesn't Federal own CCI? Maybe a cost-saving measure?
I've been sticking to reloading cases using large pistol primers, but maybe I'll give the small ones a try…

Yeah, Federal went to small primers for .45ACP awhile back. I believe Winchester has too. I have one old dark green box of Remington 230-FMJ with a $14.95 sticker on it which were made with LP's but who knows what they're using now days.....What I do know is that down-sizing the primers in U.S. produced .45ACP ammo seems to have become a trend. Far as I know, S&B and PMC are both still using LP's, and I suspect that is going to continue for the foreseeable future.....So I dunno, but it seems to me that unless things here change, you may have to get used to using European boxer-primed cases, or resign yourself to reloading with small primers....I've heard it said that small vs large primers don't matter. On the other hand, that's what I would expect them to say.

DGW

 

[contender]

I've been a brass scrounge all my reloading life. And as a person with a lot of the LP cases,, I'll stick to that. But I have to CAREFULLY sort any brass I find that I didn't already load myself to assure I don't get small primer brass mixed in with my LP stuff. I load a lot on a progressive Dillon, and that can be a problem.

I've never tried the SP brass in .45. Reloading manuals & load charts all call for LP primers,, so I stick with the manuals.

I look at it like; "If it ain't broke,, don't fix it!" Apparently some ammo tech weenie decided to throw a monkey wrench into things.

 

[sandspider500]

So far I've seen SPP primer brass with head stamps from Hornady, Federal(3 different stamps)Blazer, gfl, winchester, speer(3 different), and Xtreme. The spp brass I've loaded for 45 super shows less expansion in the web/case head than 45 ACP LPP brass.

 

[The Norseman]

I like the versatility of having 45ACP cases
with Small Pistol Primers. I can use either
Small Pistol primers or Small Rifle primers.

 

[NC FNS]

I load a lot on a progressive Dillon, and that can be a problem.

I figure you’ll know (boom?) when a SPP case gets to the priming station….

 

[contender]

"I figure you'll know (boom?) when a SPP case gets to the priming station"

Not necessarily. But when it doesn't seat the primer,, and if you don't catch it,, you'll get the primer sent out to the side tray, (on my 650) and you'll realize you have just charged & seated a round w/o a primer. It takes a couple of cycles for the unused primer to rotate around to the tray.

 

[s4s4u]

I'm fairly sure it isn't the reason, but small primers allow you to step on it a little, provided the gun is up to the task. Small primer brass is needed for 450 SMC, and you can approach 45 Super with standard brass and small primers as they can handle more pressure than large primers. I keep all the SP brass I come across just for that.

 

[Sam Summey]

I've been a brass scrounge all my reloading life. And as a person with a lot of the LP cases,, I'll stick to that. But I have to CAREFULLY sort any brass I find that I didn't already load myself to assure I don't get small primer brass mixed in with my LP stuff. I load a lot on a progressive Dillon, and that can be a problem.

I've never tried the SP brass in .45. Reloading manuals & load charts all call for LP primers,, so I stick with the manuals.

I look at it like; "If it ain't broke,, don't fix it!" Apparently some ammo tech weenie decided to throw a monkey wrench into things.

Vista Outdoors came up with SP 45 brass to avoid having to make as many LP primers and avoid having to make a two setup changes on their case priming equipment. Seems with that change the only cases using LP primers are 45 Colt, 44 SW, 44 Mag and 38 & 44/40, all reality all of these calibers are extremely low demand.

 

[Paul B]

IIRC, Winchrester may have been the first to use SPP in their .45 ACP ammo. It was supposed to be the primers used something other than lead stypnate in the priming mix. I E-mail Winchester asking if they were suitable for reloading and I got back an answer that said, no, you can't reload them. They then went ont about there being a catastrophe should you mistakenly use an SPP case while priming LPP brass.

Well, being somewhat of an adventurer sort I prime ten cartridge cases with five using Winchester SPP and five with CCI SPP. I used my favorite practice load of 5.0 gr. Unique and the 200 G.H&S SWC. Both loads shot to the same point of impact as my regular LPP .45 ACP ammo. I saw absolutely no change at 25 yards and in close from 10 feet to 21 feet any difference would not have been a problem.

I do carefully examine any range pick up brass for the .45 ACP for primer size or signs of them possibly having been loaded more than a few times so mixing the with LPP brass doesn't happen.
Paul B.

 

[Sam Summey]

IIRC, Winchrester may have been the first to use SPP in their .45 ACP ammo. It was supposed to be the primers used something other than lead stypnate in the priming mix. I E-mail Winchester asking if they were suitable for reloading and I got back an answer that said, no, you can't reload them. They then went ont about there being a catastrophe should you mistakenly use an SPP case while priming LPP brass.

Well, being somewhat of an adventurer sort I prime ten cartridge cases with five using Winchester SPP and five with CCI SPP. I used my favorite practice load of 5.0 gr. Unique and the 200 G.H&S SWC. Both loads shot to the same point of impact as my regular LPP .45 ACP ammo. I saw absolutely no change at 25 yards and in close from 10 feet to 21 feet any difference would not have been a problem.

I do carefully examine any range pick up brass for the .45 ACP for primer size or signs of them possibly having been loaded more than a few times so mixing the with LPP brass doesn't happen.
Paul B.

Performance between SP and LP primers has been debated for many years, I believe conclusively that there is no difference. BTW 40 S&W has always been SPP. 45 brass with the small hole goes into the scrap bucket at my house. This avoids problems while reloading. I don't like to "dick" with my LNL progressive.

 

[Whisky Tahoe Foxtrot]

For reloading purposes, small primers use less space. Less space for the primer means more brass around the pocket.
I choose small primer pockets any time I get a choice.

 

[DGW1949]

For reloading purposes, small primers use less space. Less space for the primer means more brass around the pocket.
I choose small primer pockets any time I get a choice.

That's fine, but not me....I won't even buy factory .45 ACP ammo that don't use large primers.....Not saying that you are wrong, just saying that I've seen a lot of changes over the years in how things get made, and for the biggest part, it has usually been about cost savings on their end, which BTW, never get passed on to the consumer....So to heck with 'em, that's my take on the matter.

DGW

 

[jn 41]

I have loaded a few hundred SPP brass. They work fine. Just have to look for them and keep separate from LPP brass.

 

[mr surveyor]

The last few years I have actually saved "pick-up" brass from the range with small primers. I don't use the stuff, but recognizing the possibilities of being required to in the future (no more large primers) I go ahead and deprime, clean and process it ... and store it back just in case.


jd

 

[Uncle Howie]

Most of my .45ACP is Starline/LPP.

I plan to pick up a batch of SPP at some point, "just in case."

Could be the difference between shooting and dry firing, when the primer supply starts to dry up again!

 

[sandspider500]

I've trimmed 100 454 casull cases to 45 Colt length so I can keep shooting. Spp are down around $45-$50.

 

[Rich/KY]

Have reloaded some SPP and if there was any difference between it and LPP brass in terms of function or accuracy it wasn't obvious. Do keep some on hand in case I run out of LP primers but the vast majority of my 45 brass is LP and still have a lot of LP primers (6K) to run through before I make the switch. Have noticed that the SPP brass is not as common as it has been in the past, at one time it was all over and at one time in my brass scrounging was at least equal to LPP brass. That was in WI eight or ten years ago and seldom find it now, here in Eastern KY.

 

[gunzo]

Contender said "some ammo tech weenie decided to throw a monkey wrench into things"

Weenie ?? You're being far too kind.

 

[magpouch]

I belong to a small club and I save any brass I can. Lots of people shoot but few actually load. At any rate lately the 45 acp I find is 50/50 small to large primers. I haven't loaded 45 in a while because the last session I put up a lot, but I'm happy to sort free 45 brass by primer size, and will be even happier to load small primers when the time comes. Just easier and cheaper to stock up...

 

[Bigbore5]

I use the sp brass for Ruger only loads in the Blackhawk