Is trimming .45 ACP brass really necessary?

[detroitcharlie]

I've started reloading .45 ACP brass for my S&W 1911 and have come across conflicting information about case length. I had been trimming my cases to be between .892 to .898 in. Now I am wondering if it is really necessary. I checked the lengths on some bulk reloads I bought that I have been shooting with no jams or problems and they all measured between .800 up to .985. I've been seating all the bullets so the end result conforms to the correct finished dimensions and run them through the Lee factory crimp die.

Any thoughts?

[matrixcs]

I never trim 45acp. If I were using them for self defense I would only check for over length and probably discard. Brass that is short in a 1911 is dangerous because headspace is determined by length and a high powered short case may cause head separation..not something pleasant. If those dimensions are correct on the bulk reloads I would stay away from them.

[detroitcharlie]

I never trim 45acp. If I were using them for self defense I would only check for over length and probably discard. Brass that is short in a 1911 is dangerous because headspace is determined by length and a high powered short case may cause head separation..not something pleasant. If those dimensions are correct on the bulk reloads I would stay away from them.

I figured... good advice, thanks.

[seaboltm]

I have never trimmed 45 nor 9mm brass.

[jmorris]

I hope not, I haven't trimmed one in many hundreds of thousands of rounds.

[detroitcharlie]

I hope not, I haven't trimmed one in many hundreds of thousands of rounds.

This is reassuring, I've been reloading .45 ACP for a year now and this verifies that the 'know-it-all' at the range is a verifiable nitwit, or maybe extremely OCD.

[Freischütz]

I trim 45 ACP brass but only because I use it in a revolver. My standard bullet is 452423 which uses a roll crimp.

[bangerjim]

I only trim rifle brass. Waste of time for pistols.

banger

[jmorris]

For the most part I only trim "bottle neck" cases, be it rifle or pistol.

[JWT]

I don't trim for my 45

[Skunk1]

I never trim pistol brass, only rifle. Never had a problem.

[L1A1Rocker]

Something you'll notice if you measure 45acp brass. As it gets used (a LOT) it actually shrinks. No, trimming in not needed.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

According to Dean Grennell in some of his writings, 45ACP cases tend to grow shorter with firings and tend to be a problem if it goes far enough. He did a lengthy investigation on the subject in one of his handloader books and made a jig for shortening 308 cases to a uniform length. His uniform cases did a much better job in terms of accuracy. LLS

[oldfart1956]

Well...you can. The first 3K pieces of .45apc range brass I bought I cleaned and resized and trimmed every single piece. (Lee case trimmer) Some of the cases never touched the trimmer blade. But a lot of them did. The trimmer squared up the case mouths but overall length wasn't really off by much. I then knocked off any sharp edges at the case mouth. I felt better having done it and eliminated at least one item that (probably won't) cause a problem. I did the same thing with 3K of .40 S&W. I tried to do it with 3K of 9mm. but after 100 pieces of brass failed to find a single case long enough to trim! Go figger? In theory the self-loading rounds are supposed to headspace on the chamber end/mouth. In reality...most aren't long enough to even come near the end of the chamber. Just for giggles measure from the end of the chamber to the hood (assuming a 1911) and see how long it is. Now mind ye, you might actually have a short chamber. Then it will matter. I don't trim any more. Audie..

[M-Tecs]

I've started reloading .45 ACP brass for my S&W 1911 and have come across conflicting information about case length. I had been trimming my cases to be between .892 to .898 in. Now I am wondering if it is really necessary. I checked the lengths on some bulk reloads I bought that I have been shooting with no jams or problems and they all measured between .800 up to .985. I've been seating all the bullets so the end result conforms to the correct finished dimensions and run them through the Lee factory crimp die.

Any thoughts?

I don't trim 45 ACP. Your trim length is good but your other numbers don't add up.

min and max trim length for 45ACP.

Hornady 7th lists
max .898
case trim length .893

Lyman 49th lists
max .898
case trim length .888

[Mk42gunner]

I can't remember ever trimming brass for a handgun. For a rifle yes, but it still is one of my least fun things to do pertaining to handloading ammunition.

The only way I can forsee me ever trimming .45ACP brass would be if I had a for real bullseye gun and was serious about bullseye shooting. Then I can see it making a difference; but not with a rack grade gun shooting at targets that are generally larger than a coffee can. This isn't likely to happen, my eye sight is already going bad enough that I can't clearly see iron sights anymore.

Getting old is not for sissies. I can live with the constant back, hip and knee pain; it just makes me wish I was a little more careful lifting things when I was younger. The thing I really miss is clear eyesight.

Robert

[detroitcharlie]

Something you'll notice if you measure 45acp brass. As it gets used (a LOT) it actually shrinks. No, trimming in not needed.

Yeah, I've actually noticed this, once it slips below .825 I throw it in my recycle bucket, just to be on the safe side.

[detroitcharlie]

Well...you can. The first 3K pieces of .45apc range brass I bought I cleaned and resized and trimmed every single piece. (Lee case trimmer) Some of the cases never touched the trimmer blade. But a lot of them did. The trimmer squared up the case mouths but overall length wasn't really off by much. I then knocked off any sharp edges at the case mouth. I felt better having done it and eliminated at least one item that (probably won't) cause a problem. I did the same thing with 3K of .40 S&W. I tried to do it with 3K of 9mm. but after 100 pieces of brass failed to find a single case long enough to trim! Go figger? In theory the self-loading rounds are supposed to headspace on the chamber end/mouth. In reality...most aren't long enough to even come near the end of the chamber. Just for giggles measure from the end of the chamber to the hood (assuming a 1911) and see how long it is. Now mind ye, you might actually have a short chamber. Then it will matter. I don't trim any more. Audie..

Good thoughts- thanks.

[detroitcharlie]

I don't trim 45 ACP. Your trim length is good but your other numbers don't add up.

min and max trim length for 45ACP.

Hornady 7th lists
max .898
case trim length .893

Lyman 49th lists
max .898
case trim length .888

Thanks M-Tecs, noting those numbers for future reference.

[hermans]

45 ACP brass get shorter as you work them, no need to trim them

[Virginia John]

Straight wall cases do not require trimming.

[Hickory]

No need to trim 45 acp brass, you'll end up loosing
them before they get long enough to trim.

[ioon44]

I agree that 45 ACP brass get shorter as you work them, no need to trim them. As the case gets shorter the head grows larger and when they will not fit into a RCBS shell holder I sent them to the scrap bucket.

[DR Owl Creek]

45 ACP brass get shorter as you work them, no need to trim them


I shoot more 45 ACP than any other type. I've never trimmed any of my 45 ACP, mainly because I'll probably loose it before I wear it out.

Dave

[W.R.Buchanan]

Pointless to trim pistol brass. any that I reload are probably not going to be reloaded by me again as I won't pick them up after shooting the them.

I question one number? Where did you get .800 to .985 in your first post? Was that a typo? That's nearly .200 in variation which is a bit loose. I doubt a case that was .985 would allow the slide to close.

I just measured two .45 cases I picked up at the range the other day. They were both once fired, and .887 in length.

Randy

[ReloaderFred]

The thought of trimming any handgun brass makes a shiver run down my spine as I look at the 5 gallon buckets full of them in many different calibers on my shop floor. I don't trim handgun brass, period, and I've shot well over 700,000 rounds through lots of different handguns. They still shoot tight little groups on paper, when I do my part.

Hope this helps.

Fred