Minimum .45 ACP case length?

The Starline .45 ACP cases that I bought new are going on 7 reloads.  As expected all the lengths are now shorter than in the beginning, some less than the supposed minimum of .888.  Should these be discarded?  I've had only one split case up to now.

They'll all load and shoot well, at least from the short line, and they still might be fine for the long line. I wouldn't throw them away.

Send them to me Beeser and I will dispose of them safely.

Len

Ok, I probably wouldn't dispose of them. I would just save them back until my other stuff wore out. I think this batch might have a couple hundred more reloads left.
 

I have a bunch of those myself OldMaster!  Does a 45 case ever wear out??  Im just starting loading 45, but these were loaded countless times by my dad back in the 60s-70's...  last a few lifetimes

They eventually split.  Other than that they get shorter with use.  For precise 50 yd ammo my bias says to use newer (longer) cases so the headspace is minimum. But any gun built on a welded up and refitted factory barrel is going to have excess headspace; it is the nature of the process.  My 1983 Clark has a welded up Colt barrel and is very accurate in spite of at least 0.020" of excess headspace.  So it doesn't matter as much as we might think.  Nevertheless, I would go for the longer cases at 50 yds.  Hardly anybody welds up barrels anymore anyway, since oversize barrels are so easy to get.

Again, I think you are confusing things to worry about when trying to shrink a group from 0.5 MOA to 0.45 MOA in a precision rifle, with a pistol that, if you are a very good shot and the gun is very accurate and the load is very accurate, you might, on a really good day, reach 4MOA.
Ideally, all cases would be the exact length from breech to the beginning of the throat. After decades of Bullseye shooting history (almost a century?), you will not find many competitors who worry about cases in .45 Auto--it is a very simple cartridge to load and shoot accurately and variations in cases just doesn't have any effect on target.
Now, after that, test and find out for yourself and let us know the results.

I think the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit answered this on their Facebook photos page:

"The "spectacular instant disassembly" reportedly occurred with a safe, standard load... just done way too many times for the case to withstand it any longer. As the gunsmith noted, "Guys, when you have about worn the headstamp off your pistol brass, throw it in the recycling bin! That is, unless you LIKE having it blow up in your hand and break your pistol..." Most things have a definite service life, and the same is true of cartridge cases."

[quote="noylj"
you will not find many competitors who worry about cases in .45 Auto--[/quote]
Not exactly.. Some of us worry about all trivialities.. The sum of them all, equals a winning combination.. Headspace alone will not yield much.. But in combination with many other points of detail, it does make a difference. I've worked for more than one top flight shooter, and they all want every bit of accuracy possible out of the gun..They can shoot one magazine at 50 and tell you if the gun is shooting tight and on call.. The other criteria is, the gun must be reliable..
If a gun were capable of a .452 group..(One exact hole)the worst novice would shoot a better score than they would with a 4 inch gun.. When the shooter is at or near the top of the competitive ladder, every advantage is needed. I assure you, the best in the game are not shooting 3 inch guns..