1943 FA 45 acp brass

[bedbugbilly]

A number of years ago, I inherited some things from a local World War I veteran. He had been in the Veterinary Corps. during the war. Among the things was a cloth sack that had about forty rounds of WW I issue 45 ACP. It actually looked very good considering it was probably 80 years old at the time. At the time, I had a nice Colt 1911A1 that had been brought back by a Navy pilot after WWII. I loaded up some of the old WWI issue ammo in a magazine and gave it a try. Surprisingly, all but one round went off. What was left of the ammo, I gave to a guy I knew who had a kid that was starting a cartridge collection. I wish I had saved a couple but he was thrilled to death to get them so it all worked out fine. If I remember correctly, the head stamps were marked "17" for 1917. Knowing the primers were corrosive, the 45 got a extra good cleaning.

[Outpost75]

Here are some practice targets I shot with old .45 ACP ammo:

Attachment 159044Attachment 159045

[Scharfschuetze]

Knowing the primers were corrosive, the 45 got a extra good cleaning.

Years ago while I was with the 101st Airborne up in Thua Thien Province in I Corps, we decided to take some target practice out on the perimeter. I had a couple of magazines of 45 tracer ammo that I decided to use up. Those 45 tracers look like pumpkins flying through the air and were fun to shoot. I cleaned the 1911A1 (Remington Rand) well, but as we didn't have any RBC or other solvent, I just scrubbed the bore well with the old LSA and left a film of it in the bore. I had no idea that the ammo was corrosive, so I reassembled the 1911A1, put it in my holster and forgot about it. About a week later I gave it a pre op check and found that the barrel was so rusted that I couldn't make out the rifling. Sucked to be me, but as my primary weapon was an M60, I soldiered on and replaced the barrel once the supply sergeant could find a new one.

My DCM (Now the CMP) 1911A1 actually has a chrome lined barrel and would have precluded that little embarrassment.

[Ironnewt]

I came across a large number of .45 ACP brass marked "FA 42". I ended up scapping all of it. The primers were copper color and standard large pistol primers would not fit. The cases seemed to all have shallow primer pockets. Pain in the butt as I did not realize the issues with this brass until after it was in the case feeder of the Dillon 650 I was using. Live and learn.

[lightman]

I've got some FA cases from the 30's in m collection.

[ioon44]

Scharfschuetze: Speaking of TZZ .45 brass, a brass dealer in the Fla. Keys said he was going out of business back in the early to mid-1990s and had an ad in Shotgun News. A bud and I responded to his ad and bought the remainder of his .45 ACP TZZ '90 plus all he had left of other mixed headstamp brass plus all the .38 Spl. and .357 Mag. brass he had. He made us a really great deal. My bud took all the mixed headstamp .45 brass and I took all the TZZ '90 brass. Deprimed, cleaned and removed the primer crimp on the several thousand I have and have used it ever since. Very nice brass. Have not had a problem with it, though I am using it less and less as I come by range brass that I pick up and process when I visit the range, being a brass scrounger by nature. Big Boomer

The TZZ 90 brass is Israeli Mil Surplus made in 1990, and is really good brass for loading.

[elk hunter]

I don't know why Frankford Arsenal made 45 acp ammunition with the odd size primer but you do still find some around today. I have about 1000 of those special size primers, I think they were made in the 1930's, the packages are marked "100 primers NO 27 for cartridges cal .45 primer composition FA 70". Even though there is no reason to keep them I just can't bring myself to throw them away.