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Ammo and Reloading Factory Ammunition, Reloading, Components, Load Data and more. |
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#1
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Which Case Trimmer do you prefer for Bullseye accuracy loads .45acp?
Hi,
i've been using a Frankford Arsenal cast trim prep center for my rifles and it's proven to be a very good tool at least in my experience. ...i'm hoping to begin bullseye pistol shooting as such, I called Frankford Arsenal for advice on how to set it up for pistol....i was informed that unfortunately this particular unit is not made for pistol case trimming. that said....which case trimmer would you prefer for accurate bullseye type reloading.....mostly .45acp and .38 special...and perhaps 9mm Luger? thank you as always |
#2
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Hmmm following this thread out of interest since the debate of trimming pistol brass has seemed to subside.
I would expect Guys that shoot precision anything would recommend a uniformed primer pocket for sure. Maybe even a de-burred flash hole that adds a slight cone shape to the flash hole. And of course premium components such as match primers, some type of VV powder and match projectiles. |
#3
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Trim length is only an issue for roll crimp, which you will be doing on the 38spl in your target semiautomatic. You still have a little leeway, maybe up to .005" since the wadcutter has a rounded edge and the seating plug shouldn't hit the brass.
I find the phenomenon that pistol brass seems to shrink with resizing instead of growing. Last edited by smoothy8500; 01-14-2022 at 9:46 AM.. |
#4
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Smoothy....as always your responses make so much sense and are very appreciated...thank you.
....so far all i've done is to deprime and clean the cases on a Lee universal decapping die.... but i've not yet sized the cases. ...i measured a bunch of my mixed brass .45acp cases and there does seem to be a small variability in case length (i didn't resize so i've not yet experienced that data). i've read some forum posts that state that the case mouth on straight wall calibers establish headspace....as such the case length is felt to be very important when making accurate bullseye reloads. i've read other posts which seem to disagree at least from a practical perspective, stating that it is rare to have to re-establish case length..even for bullseye shooting. |
#5
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I don't trim bullseye pistol brass. I currently load for a 32SWL Pardini, a Model 52 Smith, and a lightly stroked Gold Cup. Never trimmed for any of them.
I also don't put a whole lot of effort into building super-accurate pistol loads, as I generate a tons more variance on the target than the ammo does. Might be just me though. |
#7
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That's what I had read quite a bit in the past when Bullseye was more popular back in the 80's and 90's. On a highly tuned pistol with tightened slide, match bushing, cut lugs, etc, headspace could be a factor but not dramatically nor worth the effort.
Last edited by smoothy8500; 01-14-2022 at 2:59 PM.. |
#8
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Do not trim 45 Auto cases. In rifles, you heads pace on shoulder. In auto Pistol cases, you head space on case mouth. Increasing head space gap hurts accuracy, just like rifle accuracy. Pistol cartridges, at least up to 44 Mag have NEVER grown or needed trimming.
Sort sized cases and practice with shortest and shoot matches with longest. Thankfully, 45 Auto is very forgiving and really wants to be accurate. |
#9
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Quote:
I don't know anyone that trims 38 special or 45acp cases for normal reloading or even for match ammo. The only reason I could come up with to trim 38 special or 45acp would be for converting them to some shorter cartridge.
__________________
Randall Rausch AR work: www.ar15barrels.com Bolt actions: www.700barrels.com Foreign Semi Autos: www.akbarrels.com Barrel, sight and trigger work on most pistols and shotguns. Most work performed while-you-wait, evening and saturday appointments available. Last edited by ar15barrels; 01-14-2022 at 10:05 PM.. |
#11
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Years ago I asked this question myself. No one could answer it so I did a little experimentation.
I could be wrong but I swear that some of my cases actually got shorter. Maybe it was due to the 45 ACP headspacing on the mouth. I don't know. I have never trimmed a 45 ACP case. Then again I am a terrible shot so YMMV. |
#13
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My recommendation ( I used to shoot a lot of bullseye) is to get a gauge to check your completed reloads, if they fail the gauge, set those aside for practice.
I also use a Lee factory crimp die as the final step in reloading (on a Dillon 650). I don't trim pistol cases. case guage: https://www.brownells.com/reloading/...rod119786.aspx |
#14
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Re: roll crimping
I have tried trimming 38 Spl, 357 Mag, and 44 Mag cases to increase accuracy. I ran tests on trimmed and matching headstamps and untrimmed mixed cases. Sorry, but in every cartridge, mixed/untrimmed were either very slightly more accurate or statistically as accurate as trimmed/matching. I don't think pistols have the inherent accuracy for such fine details to matter. |
#15
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Quote:
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#16
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There was a video out where some guys tested this. They ran some really hot loads, and reloaded the same one/few pieces of brass repeatedly checking brass growth rate. They found what you did: 45 brass length shrinks on repeated firings. They also found the cause of the shrinkage was due to the case head compacting, with the extractor groove getting smaller over the course of firings.
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