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Thread: A variety of .45 ACP cases!

  1. #1
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    A variety of .45 ACP cases!

    I purchased 1,000 pieces of .45 ACP brass to keep myself busy reloading this winter. I tumbled them and when taking them out of the tumbler noted the following headstamps on the first 100 cases:

    CBC, FEDERAL, PERFECTA, S&B, R-P, WINCHESTER, AGUILA, REM-UMC, F(?)A USA, A USA,.F.C., MIDWAY, WCC 42, HRTRS, SPEER, X-TREME, *---* (Starline), ECS 42, WCC 94, HPR.

    Almost a collection! The ECS 4 2 is brass, not steel.

    900 to inspect still. I'll add to the list if there are more headstamps.

    DG

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
    metricmonkeywrench's Avatar
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    Some days the sorting is more fun than the actual loading, though there is that anxiety over getting 47 pieces of a particular "good" box of brass.

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    Isn't that the truth! I like things to come out even-- like a whole box! The odd leftovers are the first to be fired off.

    DG

  4. #4
    Boolit Master Wag's Avatar
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    How many small primers vs large primers?

    --Wag--
    "Great genius will always encounter fierce opposition from mediocre minds." --Albert Einstein.

  5. #5
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    Did you get any of the old FA (Frankford Arsenal) military that take the odd size primer?

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    No FA yet. So far, all large primers. I do have a couple of loaded FA .45 ACP cartridges--did not know that about the primer size.

    DG

  7. #7
    Boolit Master derek45's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by curiousgeorge View Post
    Did you get any of the old FA (Frankford Arsenal) military that take the odd size primer?
    I went to a gunshow back in the 1990's and bought two gallon sized bags of 45ACP at a great price.

    Got home and found they took a "meduim" sized primer.

    this is an accurate GIF of that day....

    .


    NRA LIFE Member

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  8. #8
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    Some more, out of the next batch of 250 cases:

    PMC, Blazer, Fiocchi USA, WCC 70, A USA, MAXXT *** (three little letters, to small to make out even with magnifying glass!), WCC 84 MATCH, PROGRADE, FA 32. Zounds! You're right-- I can see that the primer in the FA is a bit smaller than the rest.

    Some of these headstamps I've never heard of.

    DG

  9. #9
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    I have some somewhere around here with almost 30 different head stamps, when I find them, I'll list.
    The unexamined life is not worth living....Socrates
    Pain, is just weakness leaving the body....USMC
    Fast is fine, but accuracy is FINAL!....Wyatt Earp

  10. #10
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    ECS 42 cases as noted are steel.
    They were loaded by Evansville Chrysler- Sunbeam. I'd cull them out and not reload them being steel.
    https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/...to-cartridges/

  11. #11
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    What does everyone consider the most "desirable" headstamp for 45 ACP brass? Or does it even matter?

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    Addressing several previous posts questions and statements:

    I don't know if there is a best, but some are not so good as others. For example, there was American brass back in the '70s and '80s. Everyone had trouble getting them to reload well...the brass seemed thin. Some guys would just sort them out and trash them. I'd put Winchester and Starline up near the top.

    Yes, the ECS cases were steel, but apparently they made some brass also as I'm looking at one. First I can recall seeing. I've got 4 or 5 boxes of the steel cases (original--unfired) and they used to be very common, but are now somewhat sought by military collectors. Back when I was just starting in the reloading hobby I was told by several people not to attempt to reload them as they'd wear out your reloading dies. I didn't, for several years, but eventually couldn't resist trying. It worked out fine, but after two reloadings I trashed them because they formed rust inside the cases. Also, after two reloadings the mouth of some of the cases would split. However, the information about the dies wearing out did not seem to be true in actual practice, and the economics of it was that were it true one could load a lot of ammo before having to replace the dies and be economically ahead. I think the same holds true today. One or two boxes of .45 ACP ammo at retail prices exceeds the cost of a die set.

    I wonder how I've been able to reload .45 ACP off and on for about 56 years and never heard about the different sized FA primers? When I said that I've got a couple of loaded, unfired ones I should have stated that they're in the nature of collector cartridges, quite old and tarnished. I think the head stamps are very early, maybe 1916 as I recall. Looking at this one specimen, 1932 that I've found makes me wonder if perhaps a small pistol primer would work? Anyway, I'll just put it in the jar of curiosities in my shop, unless someone would like to have it (free) for their collection.

    DG

  13. #13
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    I used to buy PMC mil-surp .45 ACP ammo back when it was advertised from South Korea (might still be made there, I don't know). Both the loaded ammo and the brass were very high quality - I probably still have some laying around.

  14. #14
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    Der,
    A small pistol primer is too small for the Frankford Arsenal cases. Several companies made primer pocket reamers just specifically to convert the cases from FA spec to standard large pistol size. From where I'm sitting I can see an old Lyman primer pocket reamer with the wooden handle and a Wilson reamer. Put the case in the Wilson holder (for the old trimmer system they and C-H had/have) and replace the trimmer with the crank handle with the HAND turned primer pocket reaming tool. After 20 cases I had blisters on my fingers, but I've shot those cases multiple times in my BH. Good brass, but a pain to ream the primer pocket, at least with the tools I have. I had a large supply of those cases years ago, but eventually gave them to a collector. Saved enough just to play around with and will set up and re-cut the primer pockets on about 5 at a time so I don't repeat the blistered fingers mistake again.
    Last edited by curiousgeorge; 12-03-2022 at 08:47 AM.

  15. #15
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    I've had mine for awhile....the price tag says $2.50!

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    DG

  16. #16
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    PMC -- I used to handle their ammo line when I was a dealer in the '80s. I'm not up on their recent history, but I think the name of the original S. Korean company was something like Poonsang Metal Manufacturing Co. When their ammo became popular it was sold by distributor in Nevada that called themselves the Patton and Morgan Co. For awhile they advertised that PMC meant Perfect Metallic Cartridge. I still have several boxes left of calibers I don't use. It was, and probably still is, good ammo. Their original big sellers were the Korean War standards like .45 ACP, .30-06, and M1 Carbine. Since they got the specs. from the U.S. and were the supplier for the S. Korean Army, the ammo was pretty good stuff and just about exactly like our production. I fired lots of the '06 ammo in my M1s, FMJ. Supposedly they originally got their brass by harvesting U.S. artillery shells left in the field. Just trivia......

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Der Gebirgsjager View Post
    PMC -- I used to handle their ammo line when I was a dealer in the '80s. I'm not up on their recent history, but I think the name of the original S. Korean company was something like Poonsang Metal Manufacturing Co. When their ammo became popular it was sold by distributor in Nevada that called themselves the Patton and Morgan Co. For awhile they advertised that PMC meant Perfect Metallic Cartridge. I still have several boxes left of calibers I don't use. It was, and probably still is, good ammo. Their original big sellers were the Korean War standards like .45 ACP, .30-06, and M1 Carbine. Since they got the specs. from the U.S. and were the supplier for the S. Korean Army, the ammo was pretty good stuff and just about exactly like our production. I fired lots of the '06 ammo in my M1s, FMJ. Supposedly they originally got their brass by harvesting U.S. artillery shells left in the field. Just trivia......
    Yup. That’s what I remember. I bought their ammo in the late ‘70’s from a distributor in Conroe, Texas. I seem to recall the 45 ball was ridiculously cheap, like $3-$4 per box of 50. Even a poor college kid was able to afford that.

  18. #18
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    Today's progress report: 13 boxes tumbled and ready to de-prime and resize. That should leave 7 boxes yet to process (in the tumbler) but it looks like it will come up short of 1,000.

    Newly noted head stamps are: WMA 17*, GFL, Super Vel**, MAXTech**, LAX**, GECO**, COR-BON**, SIG**, FC 71 MATCH**

    *I'll have to look this one up. It's definitely WMA, not WRA or WCC, so must date to WW I.
    ** Only once case of each of these so far. Hmmm....I thought LAX was an airport...!

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    So far only one outright cull-- looks like it was a bad jam!

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    DG

  19. #19
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    A few years ago was sorting out 38 Spec. Mostly just to get brass and nickel separate, Ended up with 35 different headstamps. Kind of interesting BUT dumb. Did end up finding a whole box of large primer 38 Spec. GW

  20. #20
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    Der,
    The glue finally gave way on my price tag and it fell off, but I distinctly remember that it was under $3.00. I saved the plastic case it came in, but took the tool out, drilled a small hole in the handle, and hung it on the shelves on one of my loading benches. As I was going through my 45 ACP brass that had the FA mixed in, if I found one I could deprime and ream the primer pocket right then.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check