[Bret]

I'm thinking about picking up a Taurus Judge which is chambered for 45LC and can also shoot 410 Shotgun shells (perhaps it's the other way around). My Hornady dies that I purchased over ten years ago are marked "45ACP/AR/WIN/LC". So, I figured that I'm already a step ahead because I don't have to buy the reloading dies. I was in a gun shop recently and noticed that they have Hornady dies for "45ACP/AR/WIN" and a seperate Hornady die set marked "45 COLT". Why would Hornady change things and seperate the 45 Long Colt from the 45ACP die set? Is it simply a way to get people to pay more money for basically the same thing or is there really a necessary difference between the die sets?

 

[Colorado4Wheel]

Love your Sig. It's almost as good as mine.

The 45 ACP uses a taper crimp die and the LC would use a roll crimp die. You can use a Roll on the ACP you just don't crimp, you de-flare it.

 

[Bret]

The 45 ACP uses a taper crimp die and the LC would use a roll crimp die. You can use a Roll on the ACP you just don't crimp, you de-flare it.

I understand that the 45ACP takes a taper crimp and the 45LC takes a roll crimp. The thing that I don't understand is why at one point Hornady sold die sets that were for both the 45ACP & 45LC, but then later decided to separate the two. I have a taper crimp die for loading 45ACP. The seating die in the set appears to have a roll crimp built in. So, I'd think that I'm good to go for both cartridges. That is, unless something else is different that I'm unaware of.

 

[Colorado4Wheel]

I don't know why they changed. The newer version has different item #'s for even the sizing die. I just like your sig and had to say something. It's kinda pointless because Hornady doesn't provide a crimp die in their 3 die set. I think your fine but I really don't know why they do what they do. If you size them and have enough bullet tension then you don't have a issue I would think. Some old coot will be along shortly to make the thread more interesting I am sure.

 

[Zombie Steve]

I'm no old coot, but I'm wondering if you could use the same dies. I have a separate set...

Did Hornady really call them "Long Colt"? This term is really akin to using the term "clips" for magazines. There was only the .45 Colt and the .45 Short Colt.

Anyway, there's a lot of adjustment between the two, but I don't see why you couldn't use one set. You definitely need a different shell holder.


:dunno:

 

[PCJim]

Are both dies marked like this, or only the seater die? I ask because the difference in case length could pose a problem between the two and might also present depriming issues. While the 45LC would require a roll crimp as opposed to the taper crimp of the 45acp, this could still be accomplished with a single die.

 

[Bret]

Did Hornady really call them "Long Colt"?:

Here it is on the right stack second from the top.

Perhaps they thought that "LC" was better than "C" since they didn't have enough room to write out "COLT".

Taking a close look at Hornady's website, I noticed that the belling dies and the seating dies are the same between the 45ACP and 45 Colt die sets. That makes the sizing die the only difference. Is there a difference between case wall thickness? Are 45 Colt case walls thicker or thinner than 45ACP case walls?

 

[fredj338]

Manuf modify their products all the time. Customer input & manuf research gives us a better product. It would be diff to get good results using 45acp dies to load 45colt. The roll crimp is one issue, case size the other (0.474" vs 0.480"), the variation in bullets, some 45colt use larger dia, upto 0.454" for lead, than 45acp. They are really two completely diff rounds & should be loaded on separate dies for best results. Kind of like trying to make 380 dies load 9mm, close, but no cigar.

 

[Colorado4Wheel]

I did a quick Google Search of "Hornady 544554" This is what I found.

mapwd - Out of curiosity, what is the model number of the Hornady die set?

If it is set #544554 and for "45 ACP/AR/WIN/LC" then you might want to keep it if you ever plan on shooting .45 Colt. That set is lousy for reloading .45 ACP, but great for .45 Colt (the LC part of the description). The crimp die is actually a roll crimp, not a taper crimp which is required for ACP rounds.

http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-177154.html

StarMetal
12-24-2009, 02:20 PM
That is all that counts Joe. You get no argument from me.
If it works, don't change but if accuracy evades you, look at the dies first.
I don't blame die makers because everyone shoots something different so they need to reach a happy medium. Some shoot nothing but "J" word stuff, others shoot soft boolits and others shoot hard lead.
For instance, I bought the Lyman neck die for my 45-70 BFR so I did not have to full length every time. But it does not size the necks enough and the expander does nothing at all. Boolits are way too loose. The die was made for rifles and soft boolits.

I have a set of Hornady dies like that. They are for the 45 Colt, 45acp, and the 45 Auto Rim. Now you know Jim that's not right. They end up not sizing 45 acp brass not only not tight enough to grip the bullets but in some instances won't even fit the chambers of various 45acp's.

Joe

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/arc...p/t-70812.html[/url I want extra credit for helping on a "Hornady Question".

 

[Bret]

You get extra credit. Your searching skills are obviously better than mine. The thing is that I've never had trouble with the sizing die when reloading 45ACP.