45 acp data with Federal brass

[cabezaverde]

In studying 45 acp data, I have encountered a number of sources that specifically list Federal cases for a data set. The two sources that come to mind are Ken Waters Pet Loads and the some of the Lyman manuals.

What is different about Federal cases that would make these sources call for them specifically?

[243winxb]

Bullseye pistol shooters have liked the Federal factory ammo for competition for years. There primers for pistol and bench rest rifle shooters are used by many. The 205M is used a lot with 6ppc.
What is different about Federal cases that would make these sources call for them specifically?None that i know of. I have had some Remington 45acp brass that when seating the bullet, it just fell into the sized case. Starline brass is what i now use, works great.

[runfiverun]

case thickness.
fed is usually thinner, giving more capacity. [in the acp, it can be thicker in other cals]
all good data will specify case,primer used in the data.

[HeavyMetal]

Nothing special about Federal brass but like all good reloaders Ken Waters knew that case's do vary in capacity by brand / case headstamp and this makes a difference in pressure which makes a difference in performance which....well I think you get my drift.

Ken was very specific about all the components in his reloading articles so it would be easy for the reader to duplicate them and get very repeatable results as per his testing.

I have found his writing very accurate although some of the components he used are / were hard to come by in certain areas.

As an example I have never seen Alcan pistol Primers.

So as far as the brass goes? Nothing special just be aware when you use any load data from any source you should always start on the low side and work up from there.

By the way Kens Idea of using measurements of new commercial ammo to work up loads was and is a very good suggestion and beats the heck out of trying to "read" a primer!

[beagle]

I'll second the case thickness theory. I've noticed that and lower pressure signs with Federal brass in both the .45 ACP and 9mm./beagle


case thickness.
fed is usually thinner, giving more capacity. [in the acp, it can be thicker in other cals]
all good data will specify case,primer used in the data.

[sagacious]

A much more likely reason that a book reflects the use of Federal brass is that Federal supplied the brass in that caliber to the testing lab free of charge. Federal sells brass and ammo, and they then benefit from free advertising in one of the best places to have name-brand product placement-- the loadbooks.

Strong support for this can be found in the front of any loadbook that specifies the brand of brass used, such as the Lyman Handbooks. There is an acknowledgement to Federal Cartridge Co for it's support and assistance in the production of the handbook. There is also an acknowledgement to Olin/Winchester (and other companies), doubtless for their contribution of WSM-caliber brass, etc.

[WHITETAIL]

+1 with HeavyMetal.:castmine:

[NuJudge]

I've never been able to tell the difference on target with any of the different major brands, so I don't separate .45 acp any more.

I have had trouble loading older .45 acp Remington brass, in that it's so much thinner than all the others that it sometimes does not develop enough neck tension.

[HeavyMetal]

with a "standard" target load, like 3.5 grains Bullseye in a 45 auto case, pressure is never gonna be an issue unless some foreign object gets in the case and reduce capacity ( stranger things have happened!) Mixing case's not an issue with these power levels and I wouldn't mess with case expansion testing either.

For those that are looking to extract the "ultimate" performance from the round they have then Ken Waters techniques should very much be observed.

I will also quote my Grandfather, a very wise fellow in his day, when asked about souping up loads for guns like 30-30, 38 special, and the 45 auto:

If you need a Magnum Buy a Magnum!

Good hourse sense then and now!