Anyone with experience with S&B 45 ammo?

R

Romulus

New member
I bought 500 rounds of this ammo to see if I would like it, the price certainly was right, about 8 bucks for a box of fifty. My verdict is mixed: accurate, snappy but manageable recoil, I got excellent groups. The cons are high flash, lots of smoke, and my Gummint Model barrel has been soaking for the last three days in Hoppe's since the carbonifickerous cruddy encrustations are terrific - scrubbed and scrubbed to no avail...has anyone else noticed this, or can it be ascribed to a bad batch of ammo?
 
used the same ammo in my SS Colt Gov't. about 300 rounds so far. very dirty and smokey. tight groups. cleans well but just takes a bit more effort.
 
Has been my practice ammo ever since at the recommendation of a dealer friend. Just like the other post my experience is it produces good groups, smokey and cleaning will take extra effort on the initial cleaning after a range session and a repeated process on the barrel on the second day just to have it mirror clean.
 
I've used a lot (thousands of rounds) of S&B 230 grain FMJs in my three 1911A1-types, my Sig P-220, and my HK USP Tactical. No problems at all: zero misfires, more accurate than I am, good value for the price, and not really much harder to clean than other target/plinking loads.

S&B, Fiocchi, Winchester white box and Federal American Eagle are all first-rate practice rounds. IMHO, all of them are preferable to Remington's UMC "practice brand".
 
I, too, have used a lot of S&B, mostly for bowling pin matches.

I like it, but haven't noticed the problems that you're reporting. I shoot most of it outdoors during the day, so I probably wouldn't be as cognizant of the smoke or flash.
 
I use S&B .45 ammo 95% of the time, and buy it by the case. I haven't really noticed that it was dirtier, nor did I notice excess flash.

I keep my .45 lubed, but I don't clean it after each session. I only put 50 rounds through it each week, and I wait a few sessions before cleaning. Personally, I'd rather wear it out by shooting it rather than by scrubbing it or trying to get the bore to look shiny.

straightShot
 
Good stuff

I use it and have recommended it to others. Never had a problem with it, and since I clean my 1911 thoroughly after every range session, don't worry about the fact that it's slightly dirtier than other brands. Anything's cleaner than Wolf--that stuff is filthy...

freedomlover
 
gs, what problems have you encountered reloading Sellier&Bellot brass?

And thanks to you all for your responses...I think I'll stick with this ammo, shoots lovely, I'll put more elbow grease into the cleaning...
 
250 rounds of both .45 and .40. zero problems. i didn't think it was any dirtier than other ammo. smelled like dirt when fired. gs: what problems did you have reloading the brass?
 
Some of the .45ACP S&B brass has primer pockets so tight that on a Rockchucker it is extremely difficult to seat the primers. 9mm is not so bad.
 
I've reloaded thousands of rounds of S&B brass in both 9mm and .45ACP. Never had a problem with the primer pockets. YMMV.

M1911
 
GS,

I, too, am interested in knowing what problems you've had with S&B brass. I've heard of some problems with primer pockets, but I've not encountered any in the S&B that I've reloaded.
 
S&B flash.....

I've had good luck with the S&B .45 hardball. Wilson Combat recommends its. Its priced right......I just bought 1000 rounds for $7.99 a box from natchez shooters supply. When its gone, I plan to buy more.

Funny you should mention the flash. At a night IDPA match last December, our squad determined that thee S&B was the LOWEST flash ammo being used. Much less than the South African PMP I was shooting at the time. That is when I got interested in S&B.

I haven't noticed it being any dirtier than any other budget hardball I've shot,...and cleaner than some[PMP].
 
The primer pocket tend to be smaller not necessarly crimped like military. So when you reload you either have to swage the s&b or I just use Remmington primers which are the only primers I find will load 99% of the time with s&b also with some military brass as well. My problem is Remmington is harder to find locally.
 
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