Economical Source for .45ACP Ball ?

[Metaldoc]

I'm pretty new here and am finding a wealth of info. I also shoot the minis and larger and finding 5.56 and 7.62 is fairly easy and for decent prices.

BUT..... having just got into a SA Mil Spec 1911A1, finding a good buy on .45 ammo is another story.

Anybody out there find some good sources you would like to share ?

Thanks for any and all help,

Metaldoc :usa:

[BigDaveS54]

Try Wolf .45ACP. Not the most accurate but ok at 25yds. and under and it's dirty also. On the plus side it's cheap and goes bang. I've used it in my SA Mil Spec. with no problems.

[Ray P]

Most of the ammo sellers in Shotgun News have sales on 45ACP occasionally. Many have internet sales that save you over their advertised SGN prices.

I've bought 230 gr FMJ .45ACP from Wolf (Russian), Fiochhi, Sellor & Beliot (Czech), Blazer (US), Armscor (Phillipinnes), PMC (ROK) and various types of Federal (US). All have shot with standard deviations in velocity about the same as Milspec. The Fiocchi was funny; the ammo is advertised online as US or Italian made, but the box I bought said Made in Hungary.

Consider any of the following suppliers, all have worked well for me.

J&G www.jgsales.com
Cheaper Than Dirt www.cheaperthandirt.com
Keisler's www.keislersonline.com
Midway USA, www.midwayusa.com
Natchez Shooting Supply, http://original.natchezss.com/index.html
Outdoor Source www.outdoor-source.com

[Metaldoc]

Thanks BigDave and Ray P. I appreciate your help. I've heard good and bad about Wolf, but think I may try some. I clean my guns pretty much after each range session anyway.

I hadn't even thought about Shotgun News. Thirty years ago I never missed an issue. Thanks for the tip.... on the SGN and on the other suppliers. I have used CTD before, but not some of the others.

Aim Surplus has been good for rifle ammo and currently has some decent .45 ACP so I think I'll give them a try on that.

How about Gun Shows ? Any deals there? I haven't gone for years, but if there is ammo there it might save on some of the freight charges.

Metaldoc :usa:

[Ray P]

My last ammo purchase from a gun show was a couple of boxes each of Armscor .357M and S&B .45ACP. The prices at the shows are usually fine in the single-digit quantities; but if you are buying a season's worth of ammo (500-1000 rds), you are better off going directly to the same sources many of the gun show retailers use, like Keislers or the others mentioned above. As far as the S&H goes, you pay for it either way, the retailer just adds it as part of his markup per box.

Usually during the winter slow time, good ammo sales are avilable if you buy 500 rds or more. Some times the sales include shipping.

This is debatable, but I figure that the cost of cheap ammo (under $10/box or $0.20/rd) is still less than the start-up costs and component costs of reloading, at least until I get to about 1500 rds per year per caliber. I'm not there yet.

[azshooter]

Best price is right here

http://www.dillonprecision.com

:D

[gossman]

If you live in the Pacific Northwest (and who wouldn't want to) BiMart is closing out the bulk packs of UMC. A box of 250 .45 230gr. hardball is running $49.95, around 10 bucks a box. Problem is that they are metal cases not brass so there is no reloading the empties. Good price for busting targets. :2guns:

[Ray P]

Another inexpensive ammo source, and a good deal on the new *brass* blazer 45acp.

http://www.ammoman.com

[benji]

u screwed up. should have paid a hair more, got a used "fully loaded" spld, and had better sights, beavertail, speed safety, ported, throated, beveled mag well, trigger job, etc. Save you $500 when you have a smith work yours over into a usable pc.

[Metaldoc]

I beg to differ........ I don't feel like I screwed up at all. My mil-spec is shooting everything I put through it as is. Doesn't need all the tinkering. I like 'em plain jane and functional.

I'm not a paper puncher trying to put all the rounds through one ragged hole. At 25 yards I can put all the rounds on a bouncing bowling pin and that is good enough for me. It just naturally shoots where I point it, fires every time, and that makes a good self defense gun.

Different strokes for different folks....... if you want yours all gussied up then go for it, but don't assume those of us that like 'em out of the box are screwed up.

metaldoc :usa:

[gossman]

Metaldoc, benji is an idiot. Read his ramblings under el jefe, gunkid, benji, etc... it is all crap. I doubt his mommy let's him have an air soft gun let alone a real firearm. He is most likely a 11 year old kid locked in a room with only a computer as a companion. Other than Harvey the Rabbit, we are his closest communicators.

[punchie]

gossman:
BINGO

[JAD1225]

Actually Metaldoc, you did very well! The SA mil spec WW11 is probably the best deal going on a quality 1911. There are no MIM parts in your pistol. (metal injection moulding). When you go to the upper end fancy Springfields, there are a lot of MIM parts. Pretty funny actually, charge you more money for a fancy, all cosmetic, looker, that is made with cheaper junk parts! Your WW11 parkerized will serve you long and well. Don't fret on the sights; unless you are into bullseye. For a personal defense, combat weapon; no one ever uses the sights. When the SHTF, you will be up close and personal, the last thing on your mind will be the perfect sight picture, point and shoot will be all you usually have time for. I read a recent article by a Mike Conte (training officer for the Mass State Police) in which he stated that in all his years on the job, no matter what their training, in the "fun house", everyone points and shoots! I have often thought that Brad Steiner with his ''point and shoot" philosophy was right on the money; and his ideas go back to the Shanghai Metro Police from the 1930's. back in those days, the British ruled the place, they had more gun fights than any other police ever, even today. They were commanded by Fairbairn and Sykes, who developed the "shoulder point" system for the up close and personal, in the dark confrontations. These techniques were later taught to the US OSS during WW11. Still the best way to practice in my opinion. If the gun fits your hand properly, it will point just like pointing your finger. When you point your finger at something, you don't "sight" down it do you? Yet you know your finger was pointing at the object, don't you? I like to shoot at pins, etc; but always throw in some point shooting practice. Its what you are going to do when its for real anyway; so you might as well practice to be good at it! Sorry to go off so long like this, but oversize sights are only relevant for target shooters. For self defense, you don't want anything to snag on the draw, and you could literally have no sights on the pistol and do just as well. Practice point shooting, bring the gun up to approximatly shoulder height, point and shoot, use ranges from three to seven yards. Try it, you will find that at real life, save your butt distances, the sights are as I said irrelevant. Well, now that I have rambled way off subject, I will get back to where this thread belongs. Wolf is junk, the Armscor ball is pretty good, S&B is also good. Actually, any ball excepting the Wolf is good ammo. And yes, I agree that Benji is an idiot! Got me so riled up that I forgot what the hell the thread was about!

[Metaldoc]

JAD1225

Thanks for your support and good info..... I didn't know about the MIM parts ( or absence of them ) in the Mil-spec model. That's good news to me. In my business I am seeing a lot more of MIM stuff coming in the door, used in all facets of industry and ag machinery and it just doesn't stand up like good ol' steel. And generally there is not a good repair for it either.

I agree with you on the point and aim type of shooting. I have always practiced an instinctive type of aiming and shooting and it has worked well for me in all kinds of shooting from hunting to trapshooting to rifle and handguns. Years ago Daisy Air Rifles promoted a college shooting program I believe was called "Quick-skill" which was just looking at what you wanted to hit without lining up sights and aiming. After a bit of practice, people were hitting small targets thrown in the air. The military tried it for a while and called it "Quick-kill" but don't know that it was ever in widespread use.

Like you said, when you point your finger at something you aren't aiming it. If your gun becomes an extension of your hand and you let your body and mind coordinate things, the gun will shoot where you are looking. Does take some practice, but in a pinch when the conscious mind is too slow, good trained reactions are much more dependable. Guess I got a little longwinded here too.

Metaldoc :usa:

[JAD1225]

Metaldoc, I still have a Daisy Quick Skill system! Use it all the time. I set it up across the living room and shoot at it while I am watching television. My wife gets so damn mad; she picks up the pistol, takes careful aim and can't hit the damn thing; then I'll pick it up and just "fire from the hip" without hardly taking my eyes off the TV, and it goes "beep" and lights up. Usually she will just give me one of her "go to hell" looks. Oh well, she can't hit a nail with a hammer either; no eye hand coordination whatsoever; but she is a "looker", and can cook, so I guess I will keep her. I wish Daisy would have kept that system on the market. The only problem they had with it was the little copper piece in the cartridges that kept breaking off (you can only bend a piece of metal so many times before it breaks ) I have managed to keep mine shooting so far.

[Metaldoc]

JAD1225
I figured most people would wonder what the heck was a Daisy Quick Skill system and it turns out you have one ! Is that part of the secret to your intuitive shooting ability?
As for your looker that can cook...... by all means keep her ! If she tolerates your shooting habits so much the better !

Mine is a looker and cooker too.... and on top of that can darn near out shoot me :o But it's nice she at least enjoys shooting. It sure keeps me on my toes. :unsure:

Metaldoc :usa:

[Oldjad01]

WalMart has Winchester White 100 per box 230gr ball 45 ammo for $19.96 which is about as good as what I can find. I am biased against anything 'Wolf', most indoor ranges won't let you use it and its dirty so I never look at it although it is cheaper.

[Geno]

The SA milspec WWII 45 is getting rave reviews for quality, you got a good one. I know someone who has one and it is very good indeed. He paid a little over $400 for it, a bargain.