Only 2nd time I've loaded 45 ACP. I don't have 50 matching cases so I have a mix of Speer and Winchester cases. Most of the Winchester cases have very large flash holes. Has anybody run into this before, or do I have some that have been "modified". I have no idea where I got these, but either I picked them up, or they were given to me by somebody who doesn't reload.
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Winchester 45 ACP Cases with large flash holes
- Thread starter TimSr
- Start date
brasscollector
New member
Yep, the large hole threw me off when I first seen it as well. Loaded those shells many many times by now and nary an issue. Happy shooting!
Thanks. I feel better now. I do have a bunch of other misc cases to load, but these were just tumbled. For my own curiosity, I'll mark these with a Sharpie to see if give me different numbers on the Chrony.
Must be a low pressure 45 ACP thing. In all my years of loading I've never run across it before. I would think it would be a problem in magnum pressure applications.
Must be a low pressure 45 ACP thing. In all my years of loading I've never run across it before. I would think it would be a problem in magnum pressure applications.
"..."primer powered" wax loads or such..." Not likely with an ACP. Possible though.
"...At first, they said not to reload these cases..." They first said they were not reloadable, but they eventually said it was because they wouldn't be selling the NT primers. Anyway, NT brass uses SP primers. Winchester head stamped the NT ammo with 'NT' oddly enough.
I'd just load 'em.
"...At first, they said not to reload these cases..." They first said they were not reloadable, but they eventually said it was because they wouldn't be selling the NT primers. Anyway, NT brass uses SP primers. Winchester head stamped the NT ammo with 'NT' oddly enough.
I'd just load 'em.
Jim Watson
New member
Lot of guessing going on here. Sport45 has the start of it right.
First generation Winclean had large primer pockets with large flash holes to vent the "hotter" Dinol into the case without cratering or backing out the primer.
I don't know the initial policy but the last I looked, they said it was OK to reload.
Then they went to small primers because Dinol is first, "hotter" and it does not take as much to light a pistol powder charge, and second, because it is more expensive than styphnate. Headstamp is NT for Non Toxic.
They said not to reload, but most folks ignore them. I know shooters who look for small primer .45s so they can use the same primers in .45 and .38 etc and not have to change out the primer feed on progressive loaders.
I have seen small primer .45s without NT headstamp.
Are they using regular small primers or just quit marking for NT but still lead free? I don't know.
First generation Winclean had large primer pockets with large flash holes to vent the "hotter" Dinol into the case without cratering or backing out the primer.
I don't know the initial policy but the last I looked, they said it was OK to reload.
Then they went to small primers because Dinol is first, "hotter" and it does not take as much to light a pistol powder charge, and second, because it is more expensive than styphnate. Headstamp is NT for Non Toxic.
They said not to reload, but most folks ignore them. I know shooters who look for small primer .45s so they can use the same primers in .45 and .38 etc and not have to change out the primer feed on progressive loaders.
I have seen small primer .45s without NT headstamp.
Are they using regular small primers or just quit marking for NT but still lead free? I don't know.
Last edited:
brasscollector
New member
They appear to have large primer pockets to me. The winchester cases in question have no NT stamping that I can see.
I run my 45s with CCI or Winchester LP primers, W231/HP38 and I have never seen/experienced anything odd using cases just like those. Perhaps another powder might react differently to the increased exposure to the primer blast, but that would be beyond me.
^This^First generation Winclean had large primer pockets with large flash holes to vent the "hotter" Dinol into the case without cratering or backing out the primer.
I don't know the initial policy but the last I looked, they said it was OK to reload.
I run my 45s with CCI or Winchester LP primers, W231/HP38 and I have never seen/experienced anything odd using cases just like those. Perhaps another powder might react differently to the increased exposure to the primer blast, but that would be beyond me.
These are large primer pocket. I do have some other case with small primer pockets that I actually noticed before trying to prime them, and separated them.
I loaded up the ones with large flash holes, and marked them so I could see if there was any difference with them. They were obviously fired with large flash holes the first time, so I figured I'll give them a try with my new Hi Point That I only bought because I didn't have anything in 45acp to play with. I'll be testing them this afternoon, weather permitting.
I loaded up the ones with large flash holes, and marked them so I could see if there was any difference with them. They were obviously fired with large flash holes the first time, so I figured I'll give them a try with my new Hi Point That I only bought because I didn't have anything in 45acp to play with. I'll be testing them this afternoon, weather permitting.