First off, I never buy the stuff. Or the aluminum, either. But I have shot the aluminum I'd gotten in trades years ago. Never impressed. Just simple range fodder. I never cared to keep it around long or even track it's accuracy. Wanted it gone.

Several years ago, did some trading and got a box of Blazer 230 grain with the brass case. Meh. Sat around forever.

Yesterday I was out at the range and was a bit startled firing it from my Springfield. I'd been shooting a variety; Speer Gold Dots, Ranger T Series, SXT's, Golden Sabres, Winchester JHP's...checking for accuracy in the new pistol. Even shot a few variations of hand loaded FMJ's (a bit stout) and lead projectiles.

Then came the Blazer - just to get rid of it.

First thing I noticed was it went Kablamo! Like 10mm Kablamo. Almost hurt my hand. I've loaded some max loads. Shot hundreds of thousands of 45 rounds. This was different.

And the groups were okay - not bad nor great. But it was the recoil and blast that was impressive.

I know they had quality control issues a bit over 10 years ago. This ammo might have been that old. I've had it several years, stored indoors, room temperature.

I must say, it was the most potent 45 ACP I've ever put down range.

Any experiences with it? I'm wondering if it's always been that way?

NOTE: I did load up some 230 grain Precision Deltas many years ago with some hefty loads of Power Pistol when it first came out. Long story - but they were like this. I quickly dispensed with that notion.

Its been before old whats his name was in the W H and I bought half shopping cart of it and forty also at W M.
I always liked it and it was cheaper than I could load it with Zero 230 ball.
When photo bucket worked back then I posted a pic of it in thirty ammo cans with it stacked on my washing machine.
I was so proud of my self
Edit:then spear went stupid with the small primer thingy,I quit buying it.

Agree the small primer'ed 45 ACP is to be avoided.

I just thought the stuff I shot was exceptionally hot for standard FMJ.

I've shot some of it that I've bought in the last year or so and didn't notice any abnormal hotness about it. Accuracy was so-so, not terrible but not great. Decent practice ammo for the price.

quote:

Originally posted by Jager:

Agree the small primer'ed 45 ACP is to be avoided.

Can you tell me why? I'm sort of new to .45 ACP, any information would be helpful to me.

Specifically, I was thinking of setting up to load this caliber. I already load 9mm, so I saw the same primer size as a good thing. What do I need to know about this?

My use for reloaded stuff would be range only. I would use store-bought for carry.

For most of us, set up to load the large primer 45ACP, its just a PITA when you have to stop your run and look at the primer pocket. I segregate and will load it when I have enough brass to make it worth while. Then I will leave it on the range for the next poor sucker.

RMD

quote:

Originally posted by rduckwor:

For most of us, set up to load the large primer 45ACP, its just a PITA when you have to stop your run and look at the primer pocket. I segregate and will load it when I have enough brass to make it worth while. Then I will leave it on the range for the next poor sucker.

I should clarify my situation: I am currently loading 9mm only. Small primer, of course.

Up to now, I have not shot enough .45 ACP to make it worth my while to get the dies, etc. to load .45, but I have a P245 and it looks as if I'm going to be getting a 1911, so it might be worth while to start loading .45 -- I would use my handloads on the range only, not for carry.

In that context, does it not make sense for me to use small primer cases for .45, so that I only need to deal with one primer size? One size to buy, and not have to change anything in the primer area of the press?

Or, am I missing something, in my admittedly limited knowledge?

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by Jager:

Agree the small primer'ed 45 ACP is to be avoided.

Can you tell me why? I'm sort of new to .45 ACP, any information would be helpful to me.

Specifically, I was thinking of setting up to load this caliber. I already load 9mm, so I saw the same primer size as a good thing. What do I need to know about this?

My use for reloaded stuff would be range only. I would use store-bought for carry.

Sorting out small primer vs large primer brass is a PITA for most people if you're sorting a lot of mixed headstamped brass. I don't see the small primer .45 too much these days. Holding the small primer aside until you have a sufficient quantity to load is one answer though.

There's nothing wrong with small primer brass, and nothing wrong with catridges made up from small primer .45 brass. People just don't like sorting it.

I have a few thousand small primer brass in one lot. It's great range brass if picking up the same brass and running it through again. It's really not that complicated to sort.

I do my reloading on lee handpresses, as in the little vee-shaped hand presses that you hold in your lap. Same way I've been doing it for 30 years. A thousand rounds is a full day of reloading for me, so I do a few hundred at a time. I usually just shoot a few hundred at a time.

It's not a big deal for me to sort the brass before I begin resizing and decapping. Every step of the reloading process involves a separate press and sorting isn't much additional effort. It's not uncommon to come back from the range like I did this morning; about eight hundred brass in a small canvas mechanic bag, mixed 9mm, 45acp, .40, .223, etc. Sort, then go to work.

I imagine if someone is doing thousands of rounds, then it becomes a pain. If someone is used to a progressive press, it might seem like a lot of extra work, too. It's all relative.

The small primer brass is less favored, often comes a bit cheaper if you can find it sorted, and I'm happy to keep using it until it's not good or just disappears in the ether.

sns3, I would have thought you to be more tech than a Lee hand press. Gees..I've owned 30 different presses, both progressive and single stage. The big Redding was my favorite single tool. I could process over 2000 45s in short order then off to tumble. Howz come you dont have a bench mounted press?

I've been using the lee presses for a long time now; since my late teens or so, I think. These are just the hand presses; the vee shaped ones that you hold in your lap. I keep several, one with each die so I don't have to keep threading in a new die.

If I'm going to watch the news, I'll sit down with a pile of brass and resize and deprime. When I get a chance next time, I'll expand it, then when I have time, prime with a lee hand prime. I put the primed brass in a tub made from a cut-out laundry detergent bucket, by my desk. My powder measure, scale, etc, is on the desk, and when I need ammunition of have a few spare moments, I put 50 primed brass in a loading block charge it off the powder measure, use a separate press to seat, and a separate press to apply a light crimp. I store them in 100 round boxes, and usually make enough for a week; typically about 300-500 rounds.

I don't tumble anything. When I lube the cases, I use a bit of Hornady Unique (in a small tub) on my fingers. After handling the cases that many times, they're clean enough. I used to tumble, but don't even have a tumbler presently.

When the kids are in town, we generally deplete a lot of my ammunition, if it's built up; sometimes I have stock, sometimes not, always powder and primers and bullets, and plenty of brass.

I'm thinking of stepping into the modern era and picking up a Dillion, but at the moment I'm too lazy.