Followup on "Day of the .45"

[JimT]

I cleaned the .45 Colt cases I had fired on the "Day of the .45" .. let it run all night and they were bright and shiny by morning. I sized and de-primed them, the ran them through belling the case mouth. Years ago when we were experimenting with heavy bullets in the .45 Colt I ran into the problem of "bullet pull." Heavy recoiling loads would cause the 4th and 5th bullets in the cylinder to break the crimp and pull forward, protruding out of the cylinder and locking it from rotating. To prevent bullet pull I took the RCBS expander and turned the expander ball off ... then turned the straight shaft into a tapered shaft. With it I can just "bellmouth" the case enough to start a bullet without shaving it. The sized case helps hold the bullet from "jumping the crimp."

I found this works well with the 454 Casull also and used it all the years I shot the 454. Some people worried that leaving the case tight would squeeze the bullet diameter down undersize. Quite frankly, it does not matter if it does. With the high pressure loads the bullet is instantly expanded out to the chamber mouth diameter and what you sized it to does not even enter into the equation. With low velocity low pressure target loads it may make a difference in some guns, though my guess is it won't be enough to quantify. At least I never found it to be so.

The cases are all primed now and ready to load. It has been some time since I have reloaded .45 Colts and I found it pleasure to be working with a cartridge that is easy to hang on to. I reloaded a jillion 380's and 9 em ems and found the little cartridges a pain in the ascend to handle. And you get used to them after a few thousand! They start feeling "normal" and that is just wrong! I had primed about 750 9 em ems and when I was putting things away I spotted this HUGE cartridge laying next to some of my dies. I couldn't figure out where I got such a huge empty from! I picked it up and it turned out to be a 30-30! That's what messing with little bitty cartridges can do to your head!

People have been telling me that the 9 em em is more efficient now with the new techo-advanced bullets. That may be though I personally doubt it. Drop a couple empty 9's into an empty .45 Colt case and tell me again how they work just as well.

[Griff]

Love loading my 45 Colt. Since I probably shoot more out of the Uberti 1873 rifle, I have to watch the OAL closely. And like you're doing, I use a minimum bell. I think it keeps the case mouths from splitting as soon.

[gamekeeper]

They start feeling "normal" and that is just wrong!

love it...

[Nate Kiowa Jones]

................................................................

People have been telling me that the 9 em em is more efficient now with the new techo-advanced bullets. That may be though I personally doubt it. Drop a couple empty 9's into an empty .45 Colt case and tell me again how they work just as well.

I never bought in to that either. Why would you only techo-advance 9mm bullets. Doesn't make any sense not to techo-advance all the other cals as well.
The modern 9mm ammo may be better. But, like and old cop buddy of mine that is now gone, His favorite saying, "A 9mm aint nothing but a 45 set on stun"

[Bill in Oregon]

Just loading and shooting my 1911 alongside the Glock 48 em em, those jolly .45s feel like they were made for grownups in contrast to the 9s.
When I ask the concealed carry instructors who use our range why they carry the 9, they cite speed of followup and capacity advantages. I am not a good enough shooter to benefit from such things and feel pretty well armed with eight ACPs in the magazine and the wonderful single-action trigger.

[JimT]

People love to argue calibers for inter-personal conflicts, but I can attest to the fact that anyone with self-awareness does not stand still and let someone pop at them with a little .22 Long Rifle pocket pistol.

[Grizz]

People love to argue calibers for inter-personal conflicts, but I can attest to the fact that anyone with self-awareness does not stand still and let someone pop at them with a little .22 Long Rifle pocket pistol.

it would be fun to re-shoot this or add 22LR gel penetration

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Handgun_gel_comparison.jpg

it wouldn't surprise me to see it landing in the general vicinity of these.

†

[JimT]

Need to re-shoot it with Hardball and 357, 41, 44 and 45 Colt hard-cast Keith bullets.
I remember one test with the .44 Magnum and the Keith load .. they had 26 inches of ballistics gel I believe it was, and the bullet went in one end and out the other and whacked a few things in their lab.

[piller]

If someone starts shooting, I was taught to look for cover and shoot back. A . 45 ACP does well in that scenario.
I am not interested in being shot, and do not want to participate in a study as the target. The extra rounds for the 9mm are for those who want to miss faster.

[JDL]

My true belief is that a self defense handgun round starts with a "4"!

[Old Savage]

Lots have beliefs, who has experience?

[Catshooter]

I do.

All cartridges short of the main gun on an Abrams can fall short from time to time. But the .45 has worked well for me.