45 acp steel penetrators vintage
Hi kids,
Back again. Have a question maybe the vintage guys can answer about vintage 45 ACP steel penetrators (no insult intended). I picked up some ancient 1943 head stamped steel cased steel penetrators, and also brass cased steel penetrators. I am calling them penetrators because they are hard to remove from a magnet. They were purchased at a yard sale. My question has to do with history, effectiveness, performance, and collectability.
I know that brass was a vital war metal hince the steel pennies. Also I have reloading data for 45 ACP and 45 Long Colt. Is it worthwhile to take these apart because of age or collectabity.
Back again. Have a question maybe the vintage guys can answer about vintage 45 ACP steel penetrators (no insult intended). I picked up some ancient 1943 head stamped steel cased steel penetrators, and also brass cased steel penetrators. I am calling them penetrators because they are hard to remove from a magnet. They were purchased at a yard sale. My question has to do with history, effectiveness, performance, and collectability.
I know that brass was a vital war metal hince the steel pennies. Also I have reloading data for 45 ACP and 45 Long Colt. Is it worthwhile to take these apart because of age or collectabity.
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Might be collectable. I always threw the steel cases away. I never saw steel bullets in a 45acp. The only bullet I really like for the acp was the lyman 230 gr round nose. 0 -
I got a whole mess of them 43 stmped steelies. I doubt they're "penetrators" unless yours got painted noses. Since they're corrosive I don't shoot them. One of these days I'll pull the balls and reload them.
I doubt if there are "collectability" aspect, them being corrosive and all my .45s are too pretty to use those ammo through. I figure '43 balls are the same as '11 balls performance and effectiveness. I do wonder what the "dud" rates are from sitting for '60 some years in questionable storage.
If they're too many duds in the box just pull them apart (like you mentioned). Use the old powder for fertilizer or start the grill with.0 -
There was quite a bit of this ammo floating around a few years ago. Is yours by some chance marked EC? Steel cased means that it is harder on the extractor than brass and corrosive means that...Well, it is corrosive. These days people panic over the word corrosive but all that you ahve to do is clean the pistol with plenty of (preferable) hot soapy water. There is not much collector value here unless you have sealed Spam cans or at least full boxes. 0 -
Thanx for the input folks. I love the answers. I have found the answer I think. From an ancient tome known as Speer reloading book dated 1979. It says thet they are .45 Remington-Thompson introduced in 1923 and never intended for a handgun. The case is about .100 longer than the .45 Acp. Thats what they spec to. The slugs look exactly like 230 grain round nose. The only difference is they are hard to remove from from a magnet. My mistake calling them steel penetrators. Improper nomenclature. I have these shells most of them have brass casings. Go to a gun show with a magnet it is fun and you get funny looks from those planted there trying to entrap the unwary.
Some of them will be reloaded in .45 Long Colt. That should stop thoses pesky dinosaurs out of the trash and garden.0 -
If I recall correctly, there was a metal penetrating load for the .45 ACP during the 30s and later there was a need for a round that woulld penetrate auto bodies that the mobile bandit gangs (Barkers, Parker, Dillenger etc) used. The .38 Super and the W-W .357 metal piercing loads were also intended for this application. Obviously mostly a Law Enforcement market. The .45 load was a cone shaped bullet in the 185-200 grain range so it had a bit more velocity for the penetration effect desired. 0 -
The ones 62fuelie is talking about are the ones look like the bullet was put through a pencil sharpener to put a point on them.
The ones llama girl was talking about in the begining was just the old steel shell balls of WW2. As for the Remington-Thompson being .100 longer I don't know. Maybe a precursor to .45 Magnum?
And the magnets and the unwary sounds like my rambling of bouts of delusion.
So is the shells sticking to magnets or the actual bullet sticking? 'Cos the '43 steel shells do look like brass from the coating the put on.0 -
Ladies and gents,
I frequent the local gunshows with Llama girl and we both take magnets with us.
The magnets stick to the bullets/projectiles themselves and never to any of the cases we tested.
These rounds in question and some others culled from a variety pack box bought at another show before that are aged and have a dark petina on them.
Also, there is no paint on these rounds but are round nose.
After the last show up in Little Valley, NY; I advised Llama girl that the rounds may have been intended for the Thompson machine guns of WWII and other such chambered guns of the time.
I acquired some 8mm Mauser ammo from 1943/44 that were Turkish made and are either 154gr or 175gr cromed steel cored rounds. I R Saving them for now.0 -
A lot of ordinary, non-armor-piercing rounds used tin plated mild steel jackets especially from Europe. Steel can be plenty soft enough for jacket metal. It can actually lower the engraving pressure because it can be thinner than copper or gilding metal. It is strong enough but easier to indent.
Those may simply be steel jacketed Remington-Thompson rounds. Norma used to sell a steel jacketed 44 softpoint here and I understand some Brenneke soft points are steel jacketed. They are not intended to pierce armor at all.0 -
Made for certain model of Thompson submachinegun. 0 -
So, can one fire these from a Gov..45acp or should they be disposed of?
Llama girl is going to wanna shoot these unless told otherwise.[:0]0
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