45 ACP +P and 9mm +P brass = regular brass?

[IMtheNRA]

Is there a difference between +P and regular brass other than the headstamp?

 

[evan price]

Thicker web.

 

[The Bushmaster]

There is no difference. The head stamp just lets you know what you have from the factory so you won't load +P or +P+ in a weak gun. I have weighed both non +P cases and +P cases and found them to average out to the same weight and some +P to even be lighter.

 

[jfh]

Bushmaster got it right; I went through the same exercise one time....

However, I have a propensity to shoot minimum Major loads (about 4.8 gr of 231 under a 200LSWC, and that's a low enough pressure round I can recycle cases indefinitely. I have some with the headstamp nearly illegible now--perhaps 50 reloads?

Those cases are segregated--for higher-pressure loads, I do use (new) Starlines, and move them to the "fodder" pail after about 10 cycles.

Jim H.

 

[Steve C]

The .45 ACP +P brass is different from the standard brass the 9mm +P is the same. The quote below is from Starline but other manufacturers follow the same specifications.

From Starline Product Information:
45 Auto+P is a strengthened version of the 45 Auto with the same external dimensions. A thicker web and heavier sidewall at base strengthens the case in potentially unsupported areas. This case has approximately 2 grains less internal capacity than the standard 45 Auto.

9MM+P has no difference from the standard 9mm Luger other than headstamp designation for load segregation. Due to standard case design, will handle +P pressures with no problems.

 

[Walkalong]

That may well be true for Starline, which is really good brass by the way, but with most brands there doesn't seem to be any difference.

 

[strat81]

In 9mm, I've seen no difference in weight with major brands of +P and non +P cases. Can't say for .45.

 

[KODB]

No difference in any 9mm case I've weighed.
With the Starline 45 +P cases: does anyone reduce their charges when using this case (i.e. like military rifle cases that some folks will reduce their charge a bit in)?

Regards,
Bob

 

[Clark]

There is a great difference between Starline +P 45acp and all other 45acp brass.

There is no cross sectional difference between RP 9mm brass, RP +P, and RP +P+.

 

[CZ57]

I believe the Starline statement because of the lesser chamber support for the .45 ACP in 1911s. 9mm is 9mm, IMO, and all made to withstand todays +P pressure, which is nothing more than yesterday's Standard pressure.

This is an easy problem to solve by weighing brass from the same manufacturer, +P and standard.

 

[SilentArmy]

Try a caliper to measure the case thickness near the head. I have never learned much from a scale about thickness of brass. Few scales are sensitive enough to detect such a small difference. There is a difference in +p brass as well as in Doubletap.

 

[brickeyee]

"I have never learned much from a scale about thickness of brass. Few scales are sensitive enough to detect such a small difference."

A powder scale is MORE than sensitive enough.
I can even sort brass by weight and get a nice 'normal' distribution.
Once in a while it even gets two peaks and you know the brass is unlikely to be from the same batch or manufacturing machine.

If the outside dimensions are consistent and the weight is NOT the same the metal has to be somewhere.

 

[rcmodel]

+1 on the scale.

If your reloading scale is not able to detect differances in brass weight, you need to buy a better reloading scale.


rcmodel

 

[SDefender]

I have measured the Starline .45 auto +P brass vs. the Starline regular brass vs. various other manufacturers brass by filling to capacity with Bullseye, tapping the side of the cases to settle the powder and filling again and tapping, then leveling off the powder.

I found the Starline .45 auto +P case to consistently hold 1 grain less powder than Starline non +P brass. I also measured lots of other OEMs once fired cases, +P and non +P but do not recall the measurements at the moment.

I will not be near my stats for several days, but memory serves as ~18 grains total with tapping to settle the powder and ~ 14 grains without the settling.

 

[SilentArmy]

Weigh that stuff up and load the heavy ones to +P pressures cuz after all, they were heavier and the weight couldn't possibly be in the case head! And post some pics of some 1911 KB's when you are done because they seem to get less exposure than Glock.

 

[spencerhut]

I've weighed +P and regular .45 Automatic cases from Starline and the +P are absolutely heavier.

 

[BlindJustice]

Starline .45 ACP +P as stated in their product
information, is different

Also, what Starline states about their 9MM also
applies to .38 Special standard and +P.