45 ACP brass ? do any manufacturers use just large primers

[Jim Curlee]

Just wondering if certain manufacturers use just large/small pistol primers, or is it just a crap shoot when you buy brass?

Thanks
Jim

[Hossfly]

I’m not finding it on the boxes where they say spp or LPP. I just went thru 4000 and found =+ 800 spp and keeping for hard times.

[rintinglen]

"Green" or "Lead-Free" are the sure fire tip offs for SP primed 45 ACP. The lead styphnate-free primers are made only in the small size, reportedly because they are hotter and a LPP with the same secret compound might cause excessive pressure. IME Federal is the brass is most likely to be found with small primers.

[imashooter2]

First it was .40 S&W littering the range like snowflakes, and now some damned fool decides they'll load .45 with small primers. Ignorant. Just ignorant. [smilie=b:[smilie=l:

ETA: buying brass, I’d ask which primer and if the answer was wrong I wouldn’t buy.

[ddixie884]

I believe Star-Line .45s are all LPP............

[Earlwb]

I expect that there will be a inexorable change to SPP over time. They have to reduce or eliminate lead pollution. It is driving bullet design and manufacture already with coated bullets or jacketed bullets or all copper bullets. Thus you cannot trust that you will always be getting a box of ammo from any company that is going to be LPP as they might have changed over.

[2A-Jay]

All my Hornady .45acp brass is LPP, a couple thousand reloaded all LPP.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

Never ran into any with spp. But I haven't loaded it for a long while either.

[ioon44]

I have never seen a small primer Remington or S&B .45ACP case, but then that don't mean they don't.

[robertbank]

As Ringtinglen pointed out the need for SPP in 45ACP arose to meet the lead free demands that exist in the marketplace. The move to SPP was driven by the need to provide lead free cartridges. Manufactureres were not able to make LPP work using the lead free compound hence the switch. Not cleaning up after yourself is perhaps ignorant...using SPP ammo is not. I have found SPP in Win and Federal brass. The boxes I have seen are marked Lead Free. I don't reload the SPP in 45acp, preferring to stick to LPP, so I toss them SPP cases in my recycle bin. If I got more of them I would separate the and sell them off to guys who want to reload them.

Take Care

Bob

[Burnt Fingers]

I've never seen a SPP Remington, Hornady, or Starline.

Federal and CCI are the two that have the SPP as far as I remember.

[alamogunr]

I've got a lot of both. When buying once fired, it is usually specified. I like the SP brass because I don't have to change the primer setup on the Dillon 550. I've got enough LP brass to make it worth while to set up for a large run of .45 ACP when I'm loading for sons or grandsons. If I lose an appreciable amount, I don't worry about it.

I have never had a problem with primer sizes being mixed.

[Bmi48219]

Federal and CCI are the two that have the SPP as far as I remember.

I’ve seen a lot of Blazer & some Winchester & Speer SPP too.

[Polymath]

I see a lot of Blazer Brass with SPP pockets, Not a big deal, load a tray with empty cases, mouth down, then separate out the SPP, I save these until I have a box or two then load them. Inspection of cases is just part of my loading practice.

[frkelly74]

It was just sort them out and use the appropriate size primer, Load and shoot. Now though I am about out of Small pistol primers , So try the small rifle primers. They work in the 38s but my G2C doesn't always fire them. No problem in the 1911 45 spp though. Plenty of wham to make them scram.

[dannyd]

Look on the bright side: in the 45 acp use can use SP, SR, LP and LR. So any primer will do :)

[robertbank]

Are large rifle primers useable in 45acp? LRP are longer than LPP are they not.

Take Care

Bob

[wilecoyote]

...lrp in 45acp? why ? pressure spike will soar, with all the risks involved.

also Fiocchi produces .45acp somewhat-green ammo with spp.
reloading their brass I find no difference compared to those with lpp _

[dbosman]

Large rifle primers are taller than large pistol primers. They should also have thicker cup metal.

[dannyd]

Large rifle primer work in 38 Special. Standard deviation TC Encore rifle 6ft/s, TC Contender pistol 9 ft/s, and GP100 revolver 6” inch barrel 13 ft/s. That’s the best numbers I have ever gotten with that load

Milled out the primer pockets

283922


Other shooters using them in 45 ACP

[dswancutt]

The most common SPP 45 Auto brass that I have encountered are Blazer, Speer and Federal. I have a few Win NT and a GFL.

[Liberty1776]

The .45ACP and large pistol primers have been paired since 1904.

And sorting between LPP and SPP pockets is a royal pain. (The worst is when you're reloading along and inadvertently try to prime a SPP shell with a large primer. Ruins an 8-cent primer these days, and is really annoying.)

That said, did such a stubby cartridge really need a large primer, even back in 1904? It's not like it's got to ignite a .45LC's powder.

Browning chose the LPP for some reason. More standard for military priming? Who knows.

The fact that some manufacturers have switched to SPP for .45ACP tells me it decreases manufacturing and supply line costs.

And for people who don't reload, they don't even notice the difference.

Also, as Alamogunr said above, "I like the SP brass because I don't have to change the primer setup on the Dillon 550."

You'd think changing out the primer feed system in a Dillon 550 would be a small thing.

But changing out the primer feed is something I really don't like to do. It requires a wrench, careful adjustment, and time...not to mention finding the LPP bar in the spare parts department. I'm psychologically averse to changing out the primer systems. I even bought a second 550 so one could be set up for small primers, the other for large.

Then I needed to reload .38 SPL and .32 H&R Mag for our Cowboy Action Shooting. So both presses are set for small primers.

Now I want to load .45LC. Back to large primers.

I wish all handgun ammo employed small primers.

[alamogunr]

The .45ACP and large pistol primers have been paired since 1904.

And sorting between LPP and SPP pockets is a royal pain. (The worst is when you're reloading along and inadvertently try to prime a SPP shell with a large primer. Ruins an 8-cent primer these days, and is really annoying.)

That said, did such a stubby cartridge really need a large primer, even back in 1904? It's not like it's got to ignite a .45LC's powder.

Browning chose the LPP for some reason. More standard for military priming? Who knows.

The fact that some manufacturers have switched to SPP for .45ACP tells me it decreases manufacturing and supply line costs.

And for people who don't reload, they don't even notice the difference.

Also, as Alamogunr said above, "I like the SP brass because I don't have to change the primer setup on the Dillon 550."

You'd think changing out the primer feed system in a Dillon 550 would be a small thing.

But changing out the primer feed is something I really don't like to do. It requires a wrench, careful adjustment, and time...not to mention finding the LPP bar in the spare parts department. I'm psychologically averse to changing out the primer systems. I even bought a second 550 so one could be set up for small primers, the other for large.

Then I needed to reload .38 SPL and .32 H&R Mag for our Cowboy Action Shooting. So both presses are set for small primers.

Now I want to load .45LC. Back to large primers.

I wish all handgun ammo employed small primers.

Since I was quoted, I'll return the favor. I prefer LPP in .44 Spec/Mag,.45 Colt and .475 Linebaugh. But, I don't load these on the Dillon. All these are primed on a RCBS "automatic" priming tool. I don't prime anything on the reloading press itself.

[robertbank]

Liberty1776 Well you are wrong on a few counts. The switch to SPP when offering lead free cartridges arose when the manufacturers ran into issues using LPP. I understand the companies just could not make the lead free primers work. They moved to SPP. AFAIK there has not been a large scale switch to SPP in the .45acp cartridge. I suspect the percentage of SPP in 45acp cartridges remains relatively low.

I have been using a 550B for about 30 years. I have never needed a wrench to change primer arms. You remove two screws with an Allen Key, change to charging arm from SP to LP. I then lower the ram and wiggle in the primer cup and tighten the two screws. I then unscrew the primer tube retainer nut and withdraw the SPP tube and replace it with the LP tube. Place the tube retainer nut and you are done...opps also re-attach the return spring for the primer arm.

All that take no more than 5 minutes. You find that difficult? In any event you have a 2nd press for LPP. Carry on.

I recently traded a gun a friend wanted for an unused, but early 550B press. The newly acquired press will now load only 10MM and 45acp pistol cartridge. I load a lot of 9MM and 38spl for competition and less than a lot of 10MM and 45acp so until this deal came along I did both on one press. I load all my rifle on a single stage RCBS Rockchucker, and make GC's on another Rockchucker.

You could send the major manufacturers your concerns and preferences. You might get a positive response but I would not expect much more than a thank-you form letter. I rather suspect the audience for your suggestions is quite small.

Take Care

Bob

[charlie b]

I would not mind a change to small primer format for all cartridges. Saves stocking two sizes of primer and changing my press setup between cartridges.

[Burnt Fingers]

The .45ACP and large pistol primers have been paired since 1904.

And sorting between LPP and SPP pockets is a royal pain. (The worst is when you're reloading along and inadvertently try to prime a SPP shell with a large primer. Ruins an 8-cent primer these days, and is really annoying.)


When you feel resistance STOP. I've yet to ruin a primer when a 45 ACP SPP case hits station #2. I feel the resistance and stop. I don't try and strongarm a primer in.

[TNsailorman]

I am one who would rather all pistol primers were large primers and the same for rifle. Everyone has his opinion. I like simplified and I would not trust small primers in large cases.

[358429]

Large rifle primer work in 38 Special. Standard deviation TC Encore rifle 6ft/s, TC Contender pistol 9 ft/s, and GP100 revolver 6” inch barrel 13 ft/s. That’s the best numbers I have ever gotten with that load

Milled out the primer pockets

283922


Other shooters using them in 45 ACPI see this and wonder; would doing the (work for milling the cases for accepting rifle primers), make my semiwadcutter hollowpoints shoot straighter?
Is this a chronograph target, or a paper target?

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

[243winxb]

Small Pistol Primers vs Large Pistol Primers. 45 acphttps://www.starlinebrass.com/articles/small-pistol-primers-vs-large-pistol-primers/

[rototerrier]

I too prefer lpp, but for different reasons. They handle and flip better and vibratory primer fillers seems to work more consistently with them. They are just all around a little easier to work with. Same reason I prefer loading 45 over 9, bigger and easier to work with.

I have accumulated boxes of spp 45s. If I ever run out of lpp I'll switch to using them... But it'll be a cold day... Before that happens.

[Plate plinker]

The LPP was due to the military trials of the 1911 way way back in time. Something to do with machine tolerances and the interchanging of parts from the test guns. The larger surface area of the LPP allows for the lack of tight tolerances. This I was told from a very knowledgeable source.

[Burnt Fingers]

I am one who would rather all pistol primers were large primers and the same for rifle. Everyone has his opinion. I like simplified and I would not trust small primers in large cases.

One problem with this would be greatly reduced case head strength on smaller cases like 9mm and 357 mag.

[rockshooter]

I recently ran across some CCI Blazer 10mm brass with SPP.
Loren