Sorting .45 ACP brass

[gmerkt]

In general, sorting by brass maker/headstamp isn't as important with pistol cartridges as it is with rifle. I go to the trouble of sorting .45's just because. For one thing, all one brand are apt to be more consistent as to case length. But for sure I always sort Remington cases out separately. This is because the case walls at the mouth are thinner. This can cause bullet pull/tension issues. So when I was loading cast bullets in .45 ACP, I'd save the Rem. cases for this b/c the cast bullet is .452, not .451 like the jacketed typically are.

By accident, I discovered that the Redding steel .45 ACP sizing die has an inward taper at the mouth to slightly undersize them.

Some reloaders like those small pocket .45 cases. Progressive guys. They might have their rig set up to run 9mm which has small primers. If they want to switch to .45 ACP, they don't have to change the priming fittings on the progressive press if they use the small primer .45's.

 

[Rascal01]

The only thing I sort in 45 acp is large vs small primer pockets.

Or the odd berdan case that warps decapping pins.

 

[Helocat]

Some reloaders like those small pocket .45 cases. Progressive guys. They might have their rig set up to run 9mm which has small primers. If they want to switch to .45 ACP, they don't have to change the priming fittings on the progressive press if they use the small primer .45's.

Some progressive guys just set up a small primer and a large primer machine.....

I find sorting headstamps helps with seating consistently as different brass has different wall thicknesses. Over time I have learned what loads like the others, like in 9mm WIN, Speer, Starline and Blazer all load the same so they are sorted and loaded as one. So for me I do find sorting by headstamp helpful.

 

[gmerkt]

Some progressive guys just set up a small primer and a large primer machine.

Taken to an extreme, a guy could have a progressive rig set up for every cartridge he loads. Sure would save time.

 

[Helocat]

Taken to an extreme, a guy could have a progressive rig set up for every cartridge he loads. Sure would save time.

That is what the auto drives are for on the progressives makes each press act like its 2 or 3 machines for run times. But a dedicated brass processing machine is getting more and more attractive. I can leave and run the Imortalbot Small vrs large pocket detection on it.vrs setting it up on one of the machines now.

 

[Sundance]

Haven't heard of A-MERC before, why do you toss them, why do you consider them inferior? enquiring minds want to know...

THEY SUCK!!! Just loaded a couple hundred .45's and found 4 that have severely deformed cases (case bulge like putting the bullet in side ways). All 4 were A-MERC. Tore them down and measured them. Turns out the case OD is fine (obviously, or they wouldn't fire) but the ID is .435 inches. Case wall is .016 (normal is .012), so the .451 bullets swell the case to the point they won't fit in the chamber .
Sorted a couple thousand rounds and found a couple dozen. My grandson now has some brass to melt.

 

[Sundance]

Taken to an extreme, a guy could have a progressive rig set up for every cartridge he loads. Sure would save time.

Doesn't everyone do this?

with the Dillon, the slowest part is changing primer size. If loading the same primer size, caliber changes are about 15 seconds.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

only 45acp i separate is LPP from SPP. usually give away the SPP 45acp brass

 

[Pacific NW Rider]

I might be able to help you with a quick way to sort the small and large primers. Don't decap them first as its much harder to tell the difference quickly. Find a rectangular plastic 45 bullet tray, like ammo used to come in. Dump your cases into a container and scoop them into the plastic tray. You will notice that they generally fall case head down. Once full use something flat to keep the cases in place then flip them over placing them case head up. Set them on your bench and lift off the tray. You can now pick out one type or another very quickly. I sorted 500 cases in a few minutes. This method also works for separating .380 from 9mm but you don't have to flip them.

 

[RVTECH]

only 45acp i separate is LPP from SPP. usually give away the SPP 45acp brass

Same here - and the SPP brass (what little I find) goes in with the aluminum and gets loaded with light 'let 'em fly' field rounds!

 

[Throckmorton]

I used to hate the small primer brass and then....shortages!!! right now i have a slew of small primers, almost no large on hand, and REAL GLAD that I was given 300 or so small primer brass.
ya just never know...ya know ?
as to OP'S question nope never sort pistol brass

 

[Nak]

Sorry. I hope the guy who came up with SPP 45 is rotting in hell. Just my opinion.

 

[arrowshooter]

I toss MaxxTech due to the same issues that Sandance depicted. It was the only brass that would make the Lee Factory Crimp die struggle, so I just toss'um if I ever find them. I only buy small primer to shoot at the indoor range since I have to leave it there.

 

[ditchtiger]

A-MERC. I thought I was the only one having issues with them.

 

[HighlandLofts]

For the average guy head stamps do not matter. I never separate any pistol brass by heas stamps.
Load it and shoot it.

 

[Throckmorton]

A-merc brass is horrible stuff.

 

[JuglansRegia]

I toss the small primer brass and sort by headstamp only because some brands slip in and out of moonclips easier than others

 

[DizzyJ]

For the average guy head stamps do not matter. I never separate any pistol brass by heas stamps.
Load it and shoot it.

I've noticed CBC brass definitely makes a difference compared to other brass.