Homemade 45 acp shotshell die
I found a suitable donor die in my stash, an RCBS 44mag/SPL die. Ran a file across it and found that it was way too hard to machine.
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o...ps7a2bb183.jpg
So I heated it up to take the heat treat out of it.
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o...ps495c6987.jpg
At that point I drilled and tapped it 1/2-20 and and reamed the inside to resize the case and form the neck down portion.
With the cases formed I then machined down a grade 5 bold to act as a mandrel to push the over shot wad down below the crimp. The crimp mandrel was made with a 1/2" ball end mill and slides over the over shot wad mandrel.
This way you only use the one die, just remove the insert to form and replace it to seat the over shot wad and crimp.
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o...psbb497e50.jpg
With the old Remington shot rounds I am about out of I had to use a specific magazine but the new formed cases feed with all that I tried, in my "farm" 45 at least.
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o...psea6281f4.jpg
Cases are made from cut down 308 brass. Now all I need to do is make some over shot wads and cut down some .410 wads, to load a few up.