45 ACP brass with small pistol primers?

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  • My Toy

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 31, 2008
    1,189
    Westminster
    Last time I was at the AGC pistol range I did my usual scavenging for brass (looking for 45 ACP in particular) and picked up some 45 ACP with small pistol primers. This was new to me as I have always hand loaded using large pistol primers. When and why did the SP primer thing start and where can I find load data using the SP primers in 45 ACP? Are the small primers magnum or standard?
     

    Topher

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 8, 2008
    4,816
    Fredneck
    It has been a thing for a while now... Years....
    I think it is easier on the Manufacture to re-tool between calibers.
    I have not looked but I believe their is reloading data for small pistol primers.
     

    ras_oscar

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 23, 2014
    1,662
    Whatever your reloading recipe says you need. Blazer is one of the manufacturers I've found that uses small pocket primers in 45ACP. I usually set all the smalls aside until I'm done with the majority of the cases and then switch out to the small prime arm. My Lee manual second edition has no alternate data for small pocket primers. I use standard (small or large)and have never had any issues.
     

    ihriec

    Active Member
    Aug 10, 2013
    492
    I’ve reloaded many 45acp rounds, most with LPP but a couple hundred with SPP using the same LPP recipes. I didn’t notice any performance differences in my Remington R1 1911.
     

    John from MD

    American Patriot
    MDS Supporter
    May 12, 2005
    22,641
    Socialist State of Maryland
    SPP in centerfire pistols started as a means to keep the lead content down in "Green Ammo" marketed towards indoor ranges. I don't know if that is still the case. I haven't found any in some years at my range.
     

    Darkemp

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 18, 2009
    7,801
    Marylandistan
    Is anyone looking for large pistol primers- if so PM me, cleaning out old stuff and I’ve got a bunch that I don’t plan to use.
     

    SavageShooter

    Active Member
    Jan 10, 2014
    643
    Arbutus, MD
    CCI/Blazer Brass & Federal Brass also makes the 10mm in small primer now. The load data is the same for SP or LP primer in .45 ACP and 10mm. I was out The AGC pistol range three weeks ago and scored 175 once fired LP primer. Lucky find, only found 10mm brass one time.
     

    j8064

    Garrett Co Hooligan #1
    Feb 23, 2008
    11,635
    Deep Creek
    We often find misc. range brass at Hooligan shoots. Over the years I've accumulated more than I'll ever need, but we continue to scrounge some stuff.

    For loading 45 acp I prefer LP cases and try to isolate the SP's. I give them away. It's usually easy to eyeball the difference, but... :secret: Trying to seat a LP primer in SP case usually doesn't work very well... :innocent0

    As has been said there are brands of 45 acp factory ammo loaded with SP primers. Blazer is a head stamp I often see. All the load data I've read says the powder charge is the same for either size primer. But since the loads I've developed for my firearms works very well - I see no need to start messing with success.

    ;)
     

    Rockzilla

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 6, 2010
    4,495
    55.751244 / 37.618423
    Originally was in "Win NT" headstamp ammo years ago "Non Toxic"
    emailed Speer back then as their "current manual" didn't mention it.
    was basically explained "load as normal" The SPP stuff is my "shoot
    and lose pile" hence it gets left behnd...


    -Rock
     

    JohnC

    Active Member
    May 29, 2019
    311
    Baltimore, MD
    Last time I was at the AGC pistol range I did my usual scavenging for brass (looking for 45 ACP in particular) and picked up some 45 ACP with small pistol primers. This was new to me as I have always hand loaded using large pistol primers. When and why did the SP primer thing start and where can I find load data using the SP primers in 45 ACP? Are the small primers magnum or standard?


    I found a bunch of federal .45 SPP brass last week there as well. I wonder what kind of monster is punishing us scavengers...
     

    GuitarmanNick

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 9, 2017
    2,221
    Laurel
    I just started loading .45 ACP and have no large pistol primers so my first loads will be using small primer cases. Having a choice of cases to use may not be such a bad thing considering the craziness of the last 6 months.
     

    alucard0822

    For great Justice
    Oct 29, 2007
    17,633
    PA
    CCI/Blazer Brass & Federal Brass also makes the 10mm in small primer now. The load data is the same for SP or LP primer in .45 ACP and 10mm. I was out The AGC pistol range three weeks ago and scored 175 once fired LP primer. Lucky find, only found 10mm brass one time.

    I like the SP brass, the 10mm SP brass especially. More case head surface for hot loads, so brass lasts much longer. have seen some knowledgeable reloaders load the 45 spp brass up to 45 super loads, in appropriate pistols of course. I like to use super-marked brass, just to help keep separate, and normally use the SPP brass for lost brass matches, but have loaded it to +p and no problems. The Federal NT SPP 10mm brass is gold, best stuff to load 600FPE+ in, and it lasts where LPP brass might last only a couple times. Only downside is that there is no good way to separate SP from LP brass quickly, I usually just process it through my progressive press, and put all the SP in a bin after they stop the press trying to seat a large primer. Really wish ALL auto calibers were just spec-ed with SPP
     

    cstone

    Active Member
    Dec 12, 2018
    842
    Baltimore, MD
    Pick small or large depending on your preference. Then find another .45 ACP reloader who has chosen the opposite primer size. Agree to provide their size preference in exchange for your size preference, and make two reloaders happy.

    Primer size has never made a difference for my loads and I have tested both sizes. I actually prefer SPP as it means I don't need to swap the primer feed on my hand primer or press when doing any handgun calibers.

    Be safe.
     

    My Toy

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 31, 2008
    1,189
    Westminster
    Whatever your reloading recipe says you need. Blazer is one of the manufacturers I've found that uses small pocket primers in 45ACP. I usually set all the smalls aside until I'm done with the majority of the cases and then switch out to the small prime arm. My Lee manual second edition has no alternate data for small pocket primers. I use standard (small or large)and have never had any issues.

    Makes sense that the load data would be the same between LP and SP in 45 ACP because SP ignite similar powder charges in other cartridges with no problem.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,658
    I use standard SPP and same recipe for powder.

    Me too. I haven’t done a ton of 45 reloading so far. But my limited testing of the same loads at least CCI SPP vs Winchester large, velocity, SD and ES were all broadly similar. The LP has a very slight edge. Not going to worry about 10fps. Maybe a really hot load might see larger differences come out, but that is with 5gr of bullseye and 230gr bullets.

    Blazer uses small pistol primers in all loads from what I’ve seen. Some federal is SPP and some is LPP. I think someone else uses SPP and LPP. CCI?

    Dunno. I’ve got about 150-200 pieces of SPP brass. It’s kind of nice having the option to load either. Especially since I’ve got about 1k LPP left, but several thousand SPP.
     

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