Reloading .45 GAP?

[massnee]

I am planing on reloading .45 G.A.P. and need some info. First, what is your best per round cost for reloading .45gap (including purchasing brass)? My reloading application will be for shooting 0 to 20 feet (I will want to mimic my carry ammo…do not want to use light loads).

I also need a reloading recipe, which includes online venders (where to buy brass, where and what primers, powder, and bullets).

 

[EddieCoyle]

I did a quick search online for you and came up with some .45 GAP load data.

Here
Here
Here
and Here.

I've reloaded them with W231 using the data on the Winchester site (3rd "Here" down).

I'm not sure where you're located but if you're outside of Mass (which I doubt given your name) you can find very good brass at a good price from Starline. They won't ship to Mass however, and neither will most of the bullet, powder, or primer manufacturers or distributors.

You're better off getting your primers and powder locally anyway because the money you save by ordering online will quickly be more than used up by the hazmat fees you'll pay to get it shipped to you.

Since you're not supposed to use lead bullets in a Glock, the cheapest reliable alternative for plinking/practice is to use the plated bullets. A quick Google search turned up several manufacturers. I've had success with the ones made by made by Rainier and Berrys; again - good luck getting them shipped to Mass.

As far as cost goes, MidwayUSA.com is a good "one-stop" place to find prices on all of this to get an idea of the per-round cost. Since I've done all the Googling for you, I'll leave the math up to you.

 

[Lugnut]

I've always wondered why someone would buy brass instead of just buying ammo and saving the brass or even picking up range brass. Obviously finding range brass for 45 GAP is not easy. Maybe Starline is superior to other common brass like Winchester, CCI, etc. But for regular IPDA, 20-30ft shooting accuracy isn't as important for pistol cartridges I'm guessing. I'm seriously curious as I've just bought WWB and CCI Blazer brass and will be saving that brass as long as I can.

 

[EddieCoyle]

I've always wondered why someone would buy brass instead of just buying ammo and saving the brass or even picking up range brass. Obviously finding range brass for 45 GAP is not easy. Maybe Starline is superior to other common brass like Winchester, CCI, etc. But for regular IPDA, 20-30ft shooting accuracy isn't as important for pistol cartridges I'm guessing. I'm seriously curious as I've just bought WWB and CCI Blazer brass and will be saving that brass as long as I can.

It depends on the caliber. For 45 ACP with it's relatively low pressure, you can use almost any old range pickup, and then re-use it until you can't read the headstamp.

Other calibers, like the .45 GAP operate at a much higher pressure. These calibers cannot be reloaded as many times as the .45 ACP. You're fine with once-fired brass, but you're taking a chance with random range pickups. Who knows how many times they've been loaded? For common (inexpensive) calibers like 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP it is cheaper to buy loaded ammo and save the brass. This is not the case with calibers like 10mm, .44 Special, or .500 Magnum. It is three times more expensive to buy .500 Magnum than it is to make it from components.

I'm not sure where .45 GAP falls on this continuum.

 

[Lugnut]

It depends on the caliber. For 45 ACP with it's relatively low pressure, you can use almost any old range pickup, and then re-use it until you can't read the headstamp.

Other calibers, like the .45 GAP operate at a much higher pressure. These calibers cannot be reloaded as many times as the .45 ACP. You're fine with once-fired brass, but you're taking a chance with random range pickups. Who knows how many times they've been loaded? For common (inexpensive) calibers like 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP it is cheaper to buy loaded ammo and save the brass. This is not the case with calibers like 10mm, .44 Special, or .500 Magnum. It is three times more expensive to buy .500 Magnum than it is to make it from components.

I'm not sure where .45 GAP falls on this continuum.

Ahh, that makes more sense. I only have started with the exact calibers you mentioned- 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP so I've been buying ammo. I'm carefull to inspect all the range brass I find- particularly the .40 S&W.

Thanks, and sorry for taking this slightly OT.