Aluminum 45 ACP cases

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I have about 250 pieces of primed, never fired, aluminum .45ACP cases. Does anyone know of any reason I can't use the load data I would normally use for brass cases? These will not be reloaded.
 
I see no reason you wouldn't use regular data. Do you normally load at the top of data, or a bit less?
 
There's been lots of discussion on RMR's Facebook page about reloading never-fired aluminum cases. I understand you resize for neck tension and work up a load.

Emphasis: work up!
 
Sounds fine to me.

Cooper bullet in aluminum case may tend to corrode faster in a humid environment, especially salt air environment. So you may not want to make these part of your "keep forever", SHTF, do-or-die ammo stash. But to load and shoot within a reasonable time they should be fine.
.
 
Just wondering, where does one buy never fired aluminum cases?
Or are this Blazer cartridges that have had the bullets pulled
 
I bought these from RMR. May be pulled. I may pull the de capping pin and re size. I'm a bit concerned about set back. These will be walk in the woods, shoot targets of opportunity and not have to look for brass. No, I don't usually load at the high end. These will be 230 gr ball with probably 5 gr bullseye or maybe 230 gr HST with 6 gr CFE P.
 
When I experimented with reloading 9mm and 45 Auto aluminum cases some years ago, I found my standard loads developed less muzzle velocity -- about 1/6th, roughly 15% -- when used with aluminum cases. Also half the 9mm cases split and most of the 45 Auto cases stovepiped if they cycled at all. I suggest working up 45 Auto loads with this in mind. I don't recommend reloading 9mm, I also recall their primer pockets were quite loose. My tests were qualitative in nature -- did they go boom -- not quantitative -- so I didn't work up loads.
 
Dog Soldier said:
I reload fired 9MM aluminum cases. I fire these when the snow covers the ground. I just hate to lose my brass.
Click to expand...

I do the same with the .45, for the same reason, but like D'Artagnan, lot of stovepipes. I will use the ones I still have left on a revolver, if I ever get one.
 
I have never loaded the .45 ACP Aluminum.I do have 2 .45 ACP revolvers. I just love shooting a Luger. The aluminum 9MM cases work great in my SS Mitchell Luger. The Luger has to be loaded throttle down so it can handle about anything.
 
I used to reload them years ago. They had to look like new or they split. If they last on the ground any amount of time there junk. I'd get usually two reloads out of them. Nothing except short life seemed any different then brass. I only loaded 9mm & 45ACP.
 
I was never a fan of aluminum cased ammunition for anything except the cost.

I did use it up until it messed up a firearm.

I also knew a guy that was proud of the fact that he was so smart he figured out how to reload aluminum cases even though they were non-reloadable. Sure most split upon the 2nd firing but they were free.
About 6 months in he noticed erosion in the chamber and it cost him a new barrel. He learned two things after that, the first was the difference between "can't" and "shouldn't". The 2nd was that any case he picks up off the ground is free and there's a reason why people pick up the free brass ones and leave the aluminum ones.
 
jmorris said:
I was never a fan of aluminum cased ammunition for anything except the cost.

I did use it up until it messed up a firearm.

I also knew a guy that was proud of the fact that he was so smart he figured out how to reload aluminum cases even though they were non-reloadable. Sure most split upon the 2nd firing but they were free.
About 6 months in he noticed erosion in the chamber and it cost him a new barrel. He learned two things after that, the first was the difference between "can't" and "shouldn't". The 2nd was that any case he picks up off the ground is free and there's a reason why people pick up the free brass ones and leave the aluminum ones.
Click to expand...
Same goes for steel. I've loaded a bunch of them in 223. While I reloaded enough that it made replacing the mandrel in my die worth while but I don't load them anymore because of the amount of brass I have. It does bother me a bit too loose the brass in the field & woods but I have enough I get over it. I'd say I loaded better then 1K before I started noticing I had a problem with the neck being to tight. Measuring the mandrel showed I'd with .001" away.
 
I personally would have no issue with the aluminum 45 acp cases purchased pre-primed. I've been down the road of testing both 9mm and 45 acp aluminum cases. In my experience aluminum can work fine. It doesn't last as long as brass. You do not want to wet stainless steel pin clean. The cases have some type of corrosion protection that is removed if wet tumbled and they will oxidize as soon as they are removed from the tumbler. Dry media tumbling has worked well. I have no issues with the guns they are used in.

I agree that brass is a more durable case material and if available it would be my first choice to use. I still keep aluminum reloads around for shooting at meets that time doesn't allow you to pick up your spent cases or weather conditions outdoors may keep you from retrieving them. As far as issues with long term storage, I have not found this to be an issue.

This photo shows what happens if you wet stainless steel pin clean the aluminum cases and then use them. It is the results of rapped intergranular corrosion after the wet tumble.
25972491875_f2e0c5b128_z.jpg
 
These will be walk in the woods, shoot targets of opportunity and not have to look for brass
Click to expand...
IMHO, steel cases are better for this purpose, they rust away to practically nothing in a few years, the aluminum sit there a very long time, as will brass.
 
I wish some one would do an in depth study on reloading boxer primed Aluminum cases. I have used these reloaded once in a $2,000 dollar Luger. I have never had problems.
Many others who own valuable handguns that were ruined by Aluminum cases. There must be a technology that we are unaware of?
 
Dog Soldier said:
I wish some one would do an in depth study on reloading boxer primed Aluminum cases. I have used these reloaded once in a $2,000 dollar Luger. I have never had problems.
Many others who own valuable handguns that were ruined by Aluminum cases. There must be a technology that we are unaware of?
Click to expand...
Can you point me to where the "many" are that claim aluminum cases have damaged their guns?

In my humble opinion this is another item where people focus more on the use of a different material compared to the norm. You hear this a lot when plastic is used in place of metallic items. The case is nothing more than a container to hold the primer, powder and bullet until it is fired. If a design can afford the same required properties in one material as another, then the lower cost option maybe the better design choice. There are no special properties of brass that other metals can't duplicate. If someone feels there are, I would love to hear them.
 
I have used these reloaded once in a $2,000 dollar Luger. I have never had problems.
Click to expand...

I have been electrocuted, unintentionally, before and didn't have any problems but I don't go around trying to point out it can't hurt anything, anymore that I'd say your going to die if you get shocked.

The attached photo below are the only parts I have handy that were damaged because of the use of factory aluminum cased ammunition.

I have seen the previously mentioned barrel erosion from reloaded cases as well as breech face erosion and erosion of a firing pin stop of all things all in firearms using aluminum cases.

Only one of the firearms gave any indications that the ammunition would have caused problems, unfortunately it was only found out after it destroyed things.

It has only fired brass cased ammunition in the decades since and no more kabooms but I did dig up some left over CCI blazer to make this video.



All that said, I shot it for a long time myself until it cost me more money on a single occasion than I had saved by using it for years. That was all without ever even thinking about disregarding the warnings against reloading the stuff.
 

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jmorris said:
I have been electrocuted, unintentionally, before and didn't have any problems but I don't go around trying to point out it can't hurt anything, anymore that I'd say your going to die if you get shocked.
Click to expand...
You were actually dead & brought back of is this just a matter of using the wrong word?
 
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