The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Reloading => Topic started by: alfsauve on October 31, 2025, 10:54:10 AM
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Yep, now that I'm back into the big bore handgun.
Bought to batches of range sweepings the past weekend. One from a favorite recycler, who deprimes, sorts and polishes them for me. He cautioned there might be SPP cases in the batch. Bought a second batch from a LGS that was polished but not sorted or deprimed.
Oh bother. I'm a Large Primer guy. That's the way God created .45ACP and the way it should be made. The fact that I started loading them in 1970 when that's all there was...
Visually I start to blur and doubt what I'm seeing. After a hundred I wasn't sure. I have a brass rod that is LP diameter. I tried taking them 1, or 2 or 3, at a time and inserting the rod in the primer hole. If it didn't go in then Small Primer. But that wasn't going to hack it for 2,000 primers. WAIT WAIT. What if I printed a .45ACP loading block with LP size studs in the bottom? .45ACP like 9mm are base heavy and naturally fall into holes bottom first.
Below is a test print. Don't make fun of the colors. I was printing small horses to give away to little girls at halloween. More on that in another thread. As you can see the SP cases stick up higher. Then I printed a full size, 50 round block with a retention fence. The fence keeps the cases in the block as you shake it. The block is just the right height so the LP cases sit flush with the top. Time permitting I may reprint the block with chamfered holes to make it easier for the cases to "home". Ran through a batch of 1,000 cases this morning easy-peasy. Found about 100 SP one an 1 still primed case, and one .40SW.
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Set the SP brass aside and when you have enough offer them for sale, There are reloaders that don't like switching their presses from small to large priming and will make use of them.
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I really like all the things you are doing with the 3D printer. Maybe I get one someday. I can see all kind of applications in the shooting sports....I suppose it just takes some imagination for other things.
The 3D printers should be getting a little better defined in capabilities and reliability. Are they down in price?
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This is embarrassing:
It's not just that I'm not the first one to come up with this idea for separating SPP and LPP brass. Other, probably many others, have already designed this and shared it on line.
What's embarrassing is that about 5 years ago, I down loaded someone else's design and actually printed it. There's being 10x10 block with square holes, so I can claim a little more elegance in that mine has rounded, chamfered holes. Yes, I found it this morning in my Storage Cabinet of Stuff.
I'm keeping my SPPs. Hoarding? At some point down the road I might have enough that I can have a special loading session with just SPP.
Yes so many things you can make for yourself. My .45 Mooner was downloaded and printed in 3D. Now that I'm actually using it, being plastic, I'm printing a backup with PETG, a tougher, less brittle filament, instead of PLA that I used on the first print. Also adding a base so it sits flat and doesn't rest on the bolt head.
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I like it. Maybe you can use the SPP brass for loading .45 Super? Just a thought.
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I haven't sorted the second batch I obtained but cursory exam it appears to be mostly SPP. Beggars can't be choosey. I'll save the SPP brass and load it somewhere down the road. Might even be easier to put aside the LPP and only use the SPP for the time being. All for revolver so there won't be any "lost" brass. These two batches or ~1,000ea will last me for a long time.