[cutter]

Every so often I come across a .45 ACP casing that will not accept a large pistol primer of any manufacturer. The casings in question are head stamped "WIN NT" and appear to be made to accept a small pistol primer. I have measured the primer hole and it is consistent with a small pistol primer diameter. Anybody know anything about this? I don't get enough of them to complain when I buy brass and don't notice them when I am scrambling to pick up brass on the range before the RSO jumps my butt for picking up brass that didn't come out of my gun (They are kinda' anal about that at Knob Creek even when it is in a caliber that you are shooting.)

I am wondering if they can be loaded with small pistol primers, finished off, and fired or if they take some kind of oddball super ninja primer.

Like I said, I don't get many, but I hate to toss them.

 

[RockAndRoll]

There were some odd primers used in the .45s up through the early '50s or so. Most were either military of "off-brand" cartridges.

Some were made with small pistol primers, but you need to check the pocket depth before reloading, since some of those were deeper than normal. Otherwise, shoot and be happy.

 

[d'Artagnan]

What you have is a "non-toxic" (NT) Winchester 45 case. Federal also made 45 Auto cases with small pistol primers for their non-toxic (meaning no lead) ammo. Some Speer and CCI brass cases and CCI NR (non-reloadable) aluminum 45 Auto boxer-primed cases were also made with small pistol primers. All reload just fine, I know, I've done it. Yes, as an experiment I reloaded the aluminum cases too. The story I heard was Federal started using non-toxic small pistol primers in their 45 Auto NT load when the non-toxic large pistol primers they were using proved too powerful. Even when the less powerful NT small pistol primers were used in their 45 Auto cases, they had to increase the size of the flash hole and crimp the primer to prevent it backing out. Incredibly, Federal then decided to enlarge all their pistol ammo flash holes, which caused Speer/CCI to do the same. From the reloading standpoint -- which is not Federal's primary, secondary, or tertiary, concern -- this lack of uniformity (large/small primer pockets, large/small flash holes, Federal-made Speer/CCI/Blazer/*I*-headstamped cases, Speer/CCI-made FEDERAL-/.FEDERAL./*I*/.*I*.-headstamped cases) is just another reason to consign all Federal/Speer/CCI brass and most Independence (*I*) cases to the recycle bucket.

 

[cutter]

Thank You!!! I have been looking for this answer for some time. I don't bother with the NT cases because I have so few of them. Yes I have been saving them in their own lonely little bucket ever since I started reloading. I think I have 12. If it ever gets to 50, I may put up a batch of them. I'll use those when I anticipate losing the brass. My biggest complaint is that they really throw off my rhythm when I am priming.

 

[nikto]

I once had 2000 of the too thin remington cases. I got RCBSto make me an under-sized sizing die and loaded them up and sold them to somebody who lived far from me, so I woudn't get them back. I got that idea from Dean Grennell

 

[BigEd63]

I've seen some of the brass that came from some of the Win/USA bulk (100ct) .45ACP that had way too big flash holes in some of the cases. Like someone had bored them out.

 

[.45 COLT]

I've seen some of the brass that came from some of the Win/USA bulk (100ct) .45ACP that had way too big flash holes in some of the cases. Like someone had bored them out.

Speer says to bore out the flashholes to use their plastic bullets. Never seen any from the factory that way though.

DC

 

[BigEd63]

Yeah at first when I found some laying at the range I thought WTF would anyone shoot plastic or wax bullets at a regular public range???

Was not until I noticed this with some bulk WW/USA I bought at Wally Mart just for the brass btw.:erm:

Low priced bulk/promotional stuff with low QC.:nope:

 

[Garand]

I've been getting a few of them the last couple of years. I save them, reload them and use them at "lost brass" matches where I don't care about the brass.