[coltbullet]

Hi

Is it safe to use reloaded ammo that are sold by folks at Gun Shows on a new 1991A1 ?

Thx

 

[shane45-1911]

I personally don't use anyone's reloads in ANY of my guns.

 

[Colt shooter]

I tend to agree with Shane, unless I knew very well the person who is doing the reloading. Even still, I would need complete confidence in their reloading practices.

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[dsk]

I once had a very dangerous squib load in my Officer's ACP. The commercially reloaded case was missing powder. Any reloaded ammo is only as safe as the reloader's QC. Considering that new PMC or Sellier & Belliot (sp?) ammo can be purchased very cheap there's no reason to buy questionable reloaded ammo.

I might mention that, although more reloaded .45 ACP ammo is fired through 1911s than any other handgun, the 1911 is one of the most dangerous guns to fire reloads from. Two factors: One, many throated barrels leave the underside of the case exposed; Two, when a case does rupture it will blow the mag out and burst through the sides of the frame underneath the grips. I know at least one person who's hand was saved because his 1911 was wearing steel-lined Pachmayr wraparounds.

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D. Kamm
USGI M1911/M1911A1 Pistols Website
http://www.geocities.com/M1911_M1911A1

 

[dla]

Before I started reloading, I bought & shot reloads from gunshows by the thousands for both 9mm and 45acp.

Quality and price was excellent.

Some people, for whatever reason (since I've never seen them post data justifying their position), feel better buying/shooting dirt cheap "new" ammo produced by underpaid workers in third world countries. I don't have a problem with reloads.

Unless your .45 has been "throated" by some kitchen table gunsmith, you'll find that it is very tollerant of a wide range of loadings. Back when people used Bluedot powder, you'd hear stories of case blowouts/gun blowups from double-charging. But with bulkier powders it is very difficult to "blowup" a 45.

If you ever get a round that doesn't cycle the slide, stop shooting and investigate to make sure you don't have a bullet lodged in the barrel. Firing a second round won't blowup a modern high-quality 45 but it will destroy the barrel and possibly damage the slide.

The biggest problem with reloads is that perhaps 1 out of 5K will have problems with the primer not seated/backwards/too high.

Have fun.

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Have a great day!

 

[PigPen]

Originally posted by dsk:
...snip...Considering that new PMC or Sellier & Belliot (sp?) ammo can be purchased very cheap there's no reason to buy questionable reloaded ammo.

Actually there is at least one very good reason to shoot high quality reloads instead of 3rd world Military surplus. That would be to reload lighter (say 180 gr.) bullets to less than a mil. spec. velocity. Firing these "lighter rounds" at steel plates or targets at the range is much easier on the shooter and his pistol while continuing to provide the same benefits.

Another is that lead bullets can be hard to find in original factory loads and some ranges (mine amoung them) does not permit FMJ ammunition on the steel targets.

To actually answer your question; No reloads per se will not have a deliterious effect on your 1991.......a bad reloader will definitely have a bad effect.

My solution has been to deal with a reloader with a good reputation only. I have had good experience donig that.

PigPen

 

[NAA]

You have to draw a distinction between "commercially" reloaded ammo and "junk" reloaded ammo (of questionable source) that's on some guy's table at a gunshow. There are reputable commercial reloaders out there. Usually, the load data will be available to the buyer, so you can decide if it's something you want to use (or not).

The "junk" ammo comes with the qualifier "Yeah, it came with this gun I bought, I don't know what load it is..." or maybe it's someone's handloads with the data scribbled on the box. Other than buying it, so you can scavenge the components (I'm talking about the brass and bullet only) if it's cheap enough. I'd stay away from this kind of reloaded ammo.

Other than that... why not get into it yourself? You can get some great deals on starter reloading kits. Even with a single stage press it doesn't take long to make up 250 .45ACP cartidges.

Just my 2 cents.

NAA.

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Colt 1911: Best damn "Government" in the World!

 

[TangoRomeo]

Originally posted by dla:
Back when people used Bluedot powder, you'd hear stories of case blowouts/gun blowups from double-charging

Not to split hairs here, but is it possible you meant to say Bullseye powder? IIRC Bluedot is a rather bulky, slow burning powder (as handgun/shotgun powders go). By the way, I still use a fair amount of Bullseye. I use it when I can't get WW231 locally.-TR

 

[NAA]

WW231 powder?? Hey, am I the only one that finds it just a bit too dirty? Used to use it a lot, switched to 700X. Currently, my pet load is 5.2 grains of Red Dot (no, this is no misprint!) with a 200 gr SWC. Mv is about 850 fps. If you want to use Bullseye - try 4.9 grains with the same bullet.

Good Shooting! NAA.

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Colt 1911: Best damn "Government" in the World!

 

[champion]

Load your own or buy factory.

 

[TangoRomeo]

While I don't like the idea of shooting someone else's reloaded ammo, I will confess to having done so. Three or four years ago I found myself in a situation where the only ammo I could get was 3D brand remanufactured ammo, and I have to say, it worked just fine. The 223 Rem stuff was pretty darned accurate, too!

NAA-

Yeh, I still use 231. I agree, it's pretty dirty stuff, although not nearly as bad as the old stockpile of Unique I'm still trying to use up. I've been working on that for almost 10 years now! I have found that with both these powders, they burn a little (but not much) cleaner if loaded close to maximum pressure levels. I've been hearing good things about Red Dot in 45acp for years. Guess it's about time I gave it a try. Sorry everyone - didn't mean to turn this into a reloading thread!

-TR