45 Colts short cases and fat chambers
Posted: 21 Jan 2023 16:21
The recent urge to load some 45 Colts lead me to get out the BlackHawk and check the dimensions and the assorted lots of empty brass for fit . I haven't done a lot of shooting over the last 3-4 years, but I've done a far bit of tool swapping that has been mostly good .
I noticed a significant crud ring in the chambers and although I don't recall shooting any 45 S&W in it that doesn't mean anything really . So I cleaned that up finding it to be mostly just soot not actually scale of some sort .
Then I got to thinking maybe I should check the case lengths . I mean you know I have 250 Winchester cases from factory I bought in 98-99' and have 35-38 cycles on them , yeah 10,000 rounds of mostly 250-265 gr cast bullets at 35 to the pound is a ton and half of lead and 8# of Unique, a pound of H110 , some H322 and 2# of Red Dot. I found those older cases were only 1.265 instead of 1.285 .....2/100 is a long way when your loads are by the data 18kpsi already. It would also explain why I had to reset the crimp enough times to remember it as a thing .
I've changed out the RCBS carbide dies that took the body down to .469 so it could blow back out to .481 in the RBH for a set of steel RCBS a Lyman AA in Deluxe 3 die set (circa 1974) and a loose Lyman steel sizer .
I sized a few pieces to set up and check dies and dimensions, I did change dies to reduce wear via sizing so I should make sure I did that . Well the RCBS set kind of killed the happiness leaving a .471 mouth and .474 body not really a lot better than the carbide dies . The Lyman steel die was better giving me a .477 body and .474 mouth . The 1974 carbide Lyman was a pleasant surprise at .4755 . Closer to what I wanted and probably great in tighter chambers than the Ruger .
I remembered that I had about 100 cases I'd set aside for a Rossi M92' and it's fat .490 chamber and .450 groove . I had used an FCD 45 ACP for it and short sized it in an effort to figure out why golf balls were in a world of hurt out to 75 yd then everything went sideways. Different thread completely.
So I sized a few and knocked out the primers with the loose primer punch .478 in the gutted 45 ACP FCD .
I spent $2.75 for a 5/8-18 x 1-1/2 bolt that I'll drill and tap 1/4-28 for a spare RCBS decapping pin and jamb nut and cut an 0 ring groove in it . Then I'll have a carbide sizer for the 45 Colts that makes a .478 OD that will accommodate the .454 cast .
I have 3-400 new Star line and Winchester cases so it looks like I have 250 older Winchester cases to trim to 1.105 for the Schofield reamed 1917 . A guy has to get his money out of this brass .... On the other hand if I only get to cycle it 4-5 times before it lets go it'll have 40 cycles on it so I guess I probably did ok on it .
I noticed a significant crud ring in the chambers and although I don't recall shooting any 45 S&W in it that doesn't mean anything really . So I cleaned that up finding it to be mostly just soot not actually scale of some sort .
Then I got to thinking maybe I should check the case lengths . I mean you know I have 250 Winchester cases from factory I bought in 98-99' and have 35-38 cycles on them , yeah 10,000 rounds of mostly 250-265 gr cast bullets at 35 to the pound is a ton and half of lead and 8# of Unique, a pound of H110 , some H322 and 2# of Red Dot. I found those older cases were only 1.265 instead of 1.285 .....2/100 is a long way when your loads are by the data 18kpsi already. It would also explain why I had to reset the crimp enough times to remember it as a thing .
I've changed out the RCBS carbide dies that took the body down to .469 so it could blow back out to .481 in the RBH for a set of steel RCBS a Lyman AA in Deluxe 3 die set (circa 1974) and a loose Lyman steel sizer .
I sized a few pieces to set up and check dies and dimensions, I did change dies to reduce wear via sizing so I should make sure I did that . Well the RCBS set kind of killed the happiness leaving a .471 mouth and .474 body not really a lot better than the carbide dies . The Lyman steel die was better giving me a .477 body and .474 mouth . The 1974 carbide Lyman was a pleasant surprise at .4755 . Closer to what I wanted and probably great in tighter chambers than the Ruger .
I remembered that I had about 100 cases I'd set aside for a Rossi M92' and it's fat .490 chamber and .450 groove . I had used an FCD 45 ACP for it and short sized it in an effort to figure out why golf balls were in a world of hurt out to 75 yd then everything went sideways. Different thread completely.
So I sized a few and knocked out the primers with the loose primer punch .478 in the gutted 45 ACP FCD .
I spent $2.75 for a 5/8-18 x 1-1/2 bolt that I'll drill and tap 1/4-28 for a spare RCBS decapping pin and jamb nut and cut an 0 ring groove in it . Then I'll have a carbide sizer for the 45 Colts that makes a .478 OD that will accommodate the .454 cast .
I have 3-400 new Star line and Winchester cases so it looks like I have 250 older Winchester cases to trim to 1.105 for the Schofield reamed 1917 . A guy has to get his money out of this brass .... On the other hand if I only get to cycle it 4-5 times before it lets go it'll have 40 cycles on it so I guess I probably did ok on it .