Aluminum ammo

[TimSr]

When you ask a question this unusual without any explanation, you can expect responses that question your wisdom. Sometimes if you just let people know your final destination, they can come up with a better route for getting there.

I question how many will crack just from resizing and reseating.

 

[Sam1911]

Just did some quick math. Assuming the cases are constructed the same way, roughly...

There's about 60 cases per lb. for brass .45 Colt. That works out to 0.2667 oz. per case.
The weight ratio of Aluminum to Brass is 168.48 lb./cu.ft vs. 535.68 lb./cu.ft. or 0.3145:1.

So an 0.227 oz. brass case will weight about 0.0839 oz. in Aluminum.

So in a 6-shot revolver or speedloader you'll save about 0.5484 oz. That's 239.9 grains of weight savings per reload. So about the same as having (or losing) one FMJ .45 bullet.

If you can put on your pants and tell by the weight whether you've got one .45 FMJ bullet in your pocket or not, this might make a lot of sense!

...

To "flesh out" jmorris' point: The human bladder can hold up to maybe 17 oz. Let's say if you've REALLY gotta go there's probably 15 oz. in there. That's about a pound of water weight.

If you go "tinkle" you'll drop TWENTY NINE times more weight than you will changing to aluminum cases in your .45 Colt.

Every bit counts.

As the scientists would say, "Naww, gonna be like a fart in a hurricane. Don't waste yer time, son!"

 

[Nature Boy]

I like RC's suggestion. Eat a salad

 

[jmorris]

Along the same lines, since the 1980's different companies have made plastic cased ammunition.

A friend gave me 1000 rounds of it once because it was nothing but problems in a semiauto and he knew I had a Contender in .223.




USAC was the outfit that made them back in the early '80s.

Stuff even came with a little hand loader but you had to use their special heeled bullets due to the lack of neck tension (same problem aluminum has just worse).





The idea isn't new and not dead either, there are still several manufactures out there trying to make them good enough that people will buy the stuff. Someone will figure it out some day. I wouldn't expect 45 LC to be offered anytime soon though.

 

[Tcruse]

I have reloaded aluminum cases as many (or more) times as brass cases in 9mm and .45ACP. I have seen fewer problems with the aluminum cases than with "general range pickup brass". Also, I saw several test results that show the aluminum cases are measurably stronger than brass. I also expect to see people reload the new steel boxer primed cases from Winchester.
I normally load either FMJ or plated bullets a "most accurate" power level. I am using HP-38, PFE-Pistol, TightGroup, and Clays International.

 

[Sunray]

"...bright idea to make cases out of aluminum..." CCI. Their Blazer line is Berdan primed and not reloadable. No "Mexican Matching" it either. Al is not elastic like brass so you can't resize it properly.
And it's not particularly good ammo.
Isn't so much the weight that causes high shipping costs for ammo as it is the Hazmat fees. Those'll be the same for any case material.

 

[rogn]

Current 9mm Blazer is boxer primed and will reload with no changes in technique. Ive tried a few cases a many as 3 times without any issues. But there seems to be little point to it.
Now if yer planning a trip to Mars then a tad of weight might become significant. On my bench a boxer primer 45 ACP Blazer weighed 29.5 gr and a boxer primed brass case weighed 83.3 gr.- a difference of 53.3 gr. So 8 cases would be about an ounce. Load them with 165 gr bullets then thats 65gr off the std load, another ounce and a fraction is saved. The 1911 loaded with a full mag and one in the chamber and youve lightened your load by over 2 ounces. When is launch?

 

[rogn]

Just had another thought, there is some polymer ammo available now- that should really drop the weight load.

 

[jmorris]

CCI. Their Blazer line is Berdan primed and not reloadable.

Not all of it. Despite the fact that it says on the box it isn't and the "NR" on the head stamp stands for non reloadable there are folks that do it. I know a guy that did it for months before all the cracked cases eroded the chamber of the Kart barrel and he had to replace it.

He now uses brass only.