45 acp Flash Hole Size

C

chris downs

New member
So while I am cleaning .45 acp primer pockets, I notice two very different sizes of flash hole. The picture I attached shows the one with a small hole with lots of different head stamps. But about 1% or so have this relatively huge flash hole. All the huge flash holes have been Winchester brass. But as the pic shows, not all (by far) Winchester brass has large flash holes.

So far there are so few that I am discarding them. But, should I care?
 

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About 0.080 flash hole on some new Starline Large Primer Pocket I have sitting here (as measured using pin gauges). I have seen larger by several thousandths and smaller by the same depending on manufacturer. I have not looked at any of the newer .45 ACP that uses the small pistol primer.

Does the difference in your images matter? I guess it depends on how much uniformity you want in reloading? I wouldn't worry about it unless you want uniformity in which case I would have no reservation in trashing a few. I want to think that Federal was up around a 0.100" diameter flash hole but not sure.

Ron

Ron
 
Why don't you get a little hand tool called a Flash Hole Uniformer and make the small holes the same size as the regular holes .
In these days of shortages there is no sense trashing perfectly good brass .
Also be aware of 45 acp primed with Small Pistol Primers ... I would also save this for the day you have small pistol but no large pistol primers ... you will still be able to reload 45 acp .
If all this is to much of a bother I will take the brass and put it to good use , I hate to see usable brass go to waste .
I was the guy who would sweep up our free public range and save all the fired brass from the trash cans .
As long as a decapping pin will go in and out the flash hole I really don't care what size they are .
Gary
 
gwpercle said:
Also be aware of 45 acp primed with Small Pistol Primers ... I would also save this for the day you have small pistol but no large pistol primers ... you will still be able to reload 45 acp .
Click to expand...

I so far have a total of exactly one small primer .45 acp case. What kind of percentage of new .45 acp is small primer pocket?
 
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