Small Primer hole in 45ACP

T

tommyherman

Inactive
purchased 500 Brass once fired cases on line..... great buy, however I have noticed several 45ACP cases that have a small primer hole. Normally the 45 takes a Large Pistol primer, that being said has anyone encountered this and will the cases with the small hole work with a Small Pistol Primer?
 
Yes, the small primer pocket .45s will work with a small pistol primer.
I have done it. The powders I used gave 25 to 40 fps less than standard large primer cases. I have read reports that others make no difference.
 
Seems like I heard it's something to do with reduced lead from small primers for hippie states and indoor ranges. I think all blazers are small, I've got a hundred or so stashed away for a rainy day.
 
Ahhhh, another "45 ACP small primer pocket" thread :)

They do exist in the wild; however, they will not breed in captivity :p

Originally for lead-free primers (required at some indoor ranges, etc.). CCI makes them under the "Blazer" label. I think Federal does too (not sure if they are under their "American Eagle" label. There are probably others.

They can be loaded with regular small primers. Logic would dictate that with all else being equal, the resulting round would have a little less punch than their large primer counterpart. Who knows.

What do I do with them? I process/recondition the brass for reloading, along with their large pocket brethren. Then segregate them for storage in a coffee can. I have a few hundred. I may never load them; but then again, who knows. "Never" is a long time. They would be perfect if I knew I was going to shoot somewhere I wouldn't be able to retrieve my brass.
 
^^^
Very clever, Mr. Morris.
I just pitch 'em, being too lazy to switch primer systems.
Just have to do some sorting, but once done that takes care of it.
At least until next time I scrounge brass.
One more unneeded hassle for those of us who reload.
 
They would be perfect if I knew I was going to shoot somewhere I wouldn't be able to retrieve my brass.
Click to expand...
Now that's a good reason to keep the irritating little buggers.
There are brass loss matches here and there.
And even indoor ranges where it's impossible to retrieve the brass that goes downrange.
 
Yes, there have been many threads on this. As said, many choose to toss them but they load and shoot exactly the same. Only inconvenience is finding them before you prime. My personal opinion is that it seems to be a fad that has passed. I very rarely find them in my range pickup anymore, and I pick up a lot.:rolleyes:
 
These came about because non-toxic primers using DDNP instead of Lead Styphnate sensitizer have higher brissance. In large primer size you have to enlarge the flash hole to 0.125" to prevent them from backing up hard enough top blow a leak. For small NT primers, the standard flash hole is proportionally bigger enough you don't need to change it. So the switch to SP primers was made for NT primers, but then going on to use small pistol primers for standard loads meant they don't have to have different tooling except the headstamp. Saves them a little money.
 
I keep a few hundred around to load for camping trips and desert expeditions where brass retrieval may not be feasible or enjoyable.
 
I understand the frustration as I feel it also, but a few of you are only hurting yourself by being so annoyed that it seems to cloud reality.

They are STILL made of brass and look at 'em -- they aren't cinder blocks. They are small & don't take up space. Throwing them out is ignorance unless you are 90 years old & have no heirs.

Hate as much as your sanity demands but don't be so clouded as to miss:
these are the future of .45 ACP brass. So you don't -HAVE- to use them, but down the road, the SP brass will gain market share and I would bet that eventually, they take the lead. And when that happens... you COULD have swapped all the brass you threw out in a fit of rage to all the youngsters who have no desire to buy, stock or use large pistol primers.

Me? Yes, I load them specifically for use on indoor ranges where I lose a lot of brass. For sure, I also wish they did not exist, but I wish a lot of stuff didn't exist and that seems to be wasted energy.
 
Very clever, Mr. Morris.
I just pitch 'em, being too lazy to switch primer systems.
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Some actually like them, waist not want not.

All you need is a guy that has a SP system that runs like a top and you get what you want for free.
 
Hate as much as your sanity demands but don't be so clouded as to miss:
these are the future of .45 ACP brass
Click to expand...

I have enough .45 ACP brass that is properly made to last a lifetime, so I have the luxury of hating these things all i want.
 
Cannot be true!

If you have THAT much .45 brass, why pick any up?
If you NEVER pick up a single piece... you'll never run in to a .45 with a small primer pocket. ;)
 
I don't shoot 45 acp, and I'm not understanding the hatred. I load a lot of pistol calibers, including 45acp, and switch between large and small primers all the time, and am not understanding the dilemma this poses. Is it just a matter of the annoyance of them getting mixed in with the regular cases?
 
and switch between large and small primers all the time, and am not understanding the dilemma this poses.
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Think of it like walking barefoot in grass loading LPP 45 brass, a SPP case would be like stepping on a pile of dog poop.
 
purchased 500 Brass once fired cases on line..... great buy, however I have noticed several 45ACP cases that have a small primer hole. Normally the 45 takes a Large Pistol primer, that being said has anyone encountered this and will the cases with the small hole work with a Small Pistol Primer?
Click to expand...

These small primer cases have caused a number of explosions in progressive reloading presses. The reloader was using large pistol primers and a small primer case appeared above the priming mechanism. I heard of a Dillion 650 or 1050 that totally fragmented (no pictures) and this Hornady LNL.

http://forum.pafoa.org/ammunition-reloading-25/244584-lnl-ap-explosion-fire.html


Yesterday I switched my powder drop from my old Lee setup to the Hornady powder drop that came with the press. I got the insert so it flares and drops powder at the same time. I got the case flare looking good and dialed the powder drop to 4.7 gr of Titegroup for my .45 ACP rounds. It worked great. Deviation was maybe .05 gr over ten drops. I started loading rounds one at a time, checking the OAL which was 1.26 and very consistant. The last round I loaded I re-sized/deprimed. Next stage inserted primer. Now I don't remember if this felt smooth or was difficult. It may have been a small primer .45 case and I'm using large, or it may not have seated or it may have seated fine. I honestly don't remeber what happened. I indexed to the next stage to drop powder and flare the case when I heard a primer pop and then a loud bang. Then the powder hopper with almost a full pound of powder burst into flames and looked like a rocket engine with two ft of flames coming out the top. I immediately took off to find a fire extinguisher. I tore through all the cabinets and couldn't find it. I filled up a pitcher with water and ran back downstairs. Luckily the powder burned out without catching the ceiling on fire. I dumped water on the powder hopper since it was still on fire. Looking at the carnage I think the primer did not seat into the round and when the slide went back to pick up the next primer it went off blowing the 100 primers stacked on top of it. It blew apart the primer tube and it shot out of the saftey shroud. This was sharp and blowing up, so I guess it punctured the powder hopper and lit all the powder. Loading pistol rounds the hopper is very close to the top of the primer tube.

Lessons learned:

1. Always have a fire extinguisher at your reloading bench.

2. Verify all .45 brass is large primer type. I'm not sure if this was the cause but it could have been. It could have also been a crushed primer. Some brass just sucks and the primers don't seat.

3. Install metal cover around powder hopper on the side closest to the primer tube. This should prevent anything from blowing through the cheesy plastic hopper tube and starting a 2in rocket engine on the top of my reloader.

I sent Hornady an email telling them what happened to see if they replace the parts. If not I will make some calls. All I know is if the primers explode, (which happens) the powder hopper should not be effected. If I was loading rifle cases it would have been up higher and may not have been an issue. I've used this press for two years so I know what I'm doing, I was really shocked that I've never heard of this happening to anyone else. Be careful out there. Here are some pics of the parts and my ceiling.
Click to expand...
 
Can't stand 'em

Personally, I can't stand the SP cases...means I have to spend time sorting out the LP from the SP. I do save the SP cases though. I figure some day I may have enough to make it worth my while to load them up. As others have mentioned, they would make good ammo for where you cannot reclaim your cases.

U.L.
 
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