Gamey .45 "no filler" load fer pistolas

[Delmonico]

One note here, not to hijack the thread, but if there is a good bullet pull between the case and the bullet, a good taper crimb works well.  If the bullet does not fit the case well, a rolled crimp that is tight to make up for it often pulls the case away from the bullet even more, I taper crimp everything now.

[Arcey]

We had a great deal goin’ with bullets a few years ago.  The ones I used for the rifle didn’t have a crimp groove.  I used a 9mm taper to crimp ‘em, n’er a problem.

The Lee factory crimp die is the best I’ve used though.  If they don’t have a crimp groove they will after you run ‘em thru that thing.  If they do have a crimp groove and you don’t wanna seat ‘em there – seat ‘em where ya want ‘em.  You’ll have all the pull you want and no bulge under the crimp.  Great l’il tool.

[Marshal Tac]

I think I have a handle on the who, what, why and where of this spiffy little round.... Just a couple of questions for my own edification..... can you make 'em run though an Italian '73 rifle? or are they pretty much just a revolver round? (More directly, is there a mod for the '73 that can make 'em work in it?) I am trying to stick to one load/caliber for both my hoglegs and my smokepole.

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[Adirondack Jack]

At this time, there is no '73 mod for this short a round.  I've been told that spring loaded cartridge stops have been tried in '73s, but never been "doped out" sufficiently.  As the Cowboy .45 Special gains traction, I expect some enterprizing smith to get that figured out, but for now it's not been done.

Though I understand the rationale of sticking with one load for the pistols and rifles, once ya try this little pup in yer pistols, ya might re-think all that,

[Marshal Tac]

Thanks for anwering my question AJ. I am just starting to figure all this smokey stuff out, and have only been shooting CAS for about a year now, so I am not sure I am ready to convert to a "new" cartridge just yet... I have some experience reloading, but as it stands now, my only set up is for .45 Colt on a Dillon Square Deal B and a MEC Jr. for the 12 Ga. Since converting the SDB is a pain in the hind quarters, and I would still need the .45 Colt set up for my rifle, I think I will hold off until I either demonstrate a need, or come into the money to finance a new reloading set up. I really like the idea and concept behind the .45 Special. It sounds like it was a long time in coming, and will do well for it's intended purpose...

It's kind of ironic; my first "cowboy gun" was a dual cylinder .45 Colt/.45 ACP Cimarron Thunderer, with the intent of having a new gun that would shoot a caliber I aleady had on hand (.45 ACP... I got 7 other guns in that cal.) Since my discovery of CAS and the sport, I have bought 3 new pistols in .45 Colt, a rifle in .45 Colt and 2 new shotguns, and almost stopped shooting anything else..... Then I hear about the .45 Special and it's intent to turn a .45 Colt gun into the balistic equivalent of a .45 ACP... It's almost like I am chasing my tail!

[Adirondack Jack]

Well, MT, when ya git ready, and ya git a .45 acp die set, ya will be able to crank out ammo for the bottom feeders and the round guns with only a change of the shell holder

I literally had my Dillon 650 converted to ACP in one minute, two if ya count changing powder in the hopper, and ran off some acp fodder with only a slight tweak of the seating die depth.  Two more minutes, the diullon is back in Cowboy .45 Special mode   When I ran LONG COLT for the rifles, I would run off 1000 of them and be good for a long time, and keep the press set up for the stubbies the rest of the time.

[Cyrille]

Hey this does pose a question about the "stubbies" i.e. the .45 special.  I strictly "handload" that is I do it manually as I have no press and do not need to  fabricate a jillion bullets at a sitting. So which company will be the first to produce a manual "handloading'' set for this particular caseing? "Inquiring minds want to know."

[Adirondack Jack]

I've never used a Lee loader or any of those tools, but I suspect the .45 colt lee loader might work, if not, a combination of pieces from the acp and colt loaders probably would.  Can't say for sure though.

[SFT]

Although I haven't reloaded once fired brass, I found that only the 45acp dies were needed to load the new .45 special cases, which went very quickly and smooth as silk.  Starline did their usual precision job when they produced this new case for Adirondack Jack, and I expect the durability to be the same in re-using the brass.

Since the effort required is pretty low, this may lend itself very well to very basic handloading such as you do.  Just for my edification, are you using one of those hand presses that look like a C-clamp or something else?

[Cyrille]

Nope, I use a "Lee Loader"set, strictly a manual tool kit that contains a sizer/crimper combination die, a decapping rod, a primer seating rod, bullet/primer seater, plastic dipper, decapping chamber and neck-sizer. My main tool is a plastic/rubber headed mallet witout which I could not operate. I also weigh my powder charge on a balance scale both when I load BP or smokeless.
  I intend to use this "new' .45 special brass mainly for smokeless if I like it. The  LC will be my BP brass of choice.

[Cyrille]

Nope, I use a "Lee Loader"set, strictly a manual tool kit that contains a sizer/crimper combination die, a decapping rod, a primer seating rod, bullet/primer seater, plastic dipper, decapping chamber and neck-sizer. My main tool is a plastic/rubber headed mallet witout which I could not operate. I also weigh my powder charge on a balance scale both when I load BP or smokeless.
  I intend to use this "new' .45 special brass mainly for smokeless if I like it. The  LC will be my BP brass of choice.