What’s the status of aluminum case handgun ammo?

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Interesting that you can reload aluminum in a pinch. I doubt I ever would but I might be less inclined to leave them for the lawn mower now.
 
beag_nut said:
Well, that performance (splitting) is about ten times as bad as what I get from brass cases. If that much.
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Im not saying its a substitute for brass, simply it can be used if needed, and youll likely get more than one loading out of most of it.


Ive been told, and more than a few times, it cant be done, even by people "after" I posted it up that I did, in fact, do it.

I simply did it out of curiosity to see if it could be done. It can, and for the most part, it works. Now I know, and I learned something.

Still have all my fingers and toes too. :)
 
I used my normal 9mm carbide sizer die. No lube. Didnt seem to be an issue.

Would lubing them help with case life? Im guessing not.

Running them "dry" didnt seem to be a problem though, and I had no issues with them feeding or cycling.
 
beag_nut said:
Because I reload whatever cases I shoot, I won't go near the aluminum stuff, since it is non-reloadable.
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I'm pretty much the same conviction. But, one shooter pointed out to me a very valid reason for shooting the disposable case stuff: He shot in matches where shooters were not allowed to pick up their brass after firing, this to keep the match going forward at a reasonable speed. O.K. so now I'me a little more tolerant of such ammunition.

Not my shooting protocol, though. Man, empty cases are gold to me!

Bob Wright
 
Back in the mid-80s, I soured on the Blazer.
Was not enough cheaper over white-box alternatives, and the consistency was awful. Especially with the revolver ammo. Even with a single box, it never seemed to hold to even minute-of-watermellon

But, that's a personal observation, based in memory and relative inexperience more than thirty years' ago. Might not be worth 2¢
 
I shoot primarily Federal aluminum 9mm and 45acp. When I can find the brass version I get those but they tend to be scarce as I suspect so many folks have learned about these inexpensive rounds found at Walmart around here.

The aluminum can be had for a little over $30/200rd box. So you can get 1000rds same day for pretty much the same price as you can get the dirty steel cased stuff online.

As for function I've never had any problems at all. Ever since I discovered it I much prefer it over the Tula I used to mainly shoot.
 
I'm finishing off the last of the CCI .357 125gr SJHP mid 90's purchase. My experience has been good, ejects easily from the revolver with the cylinder being fouled with .38 SPL carbon buildup. The brass cases seem to stick a bit more when they've expanded. Wouldn't mind trying some of the current ones.
 
I think some seem to be misunderstanding the purpose here of trying to reload them. For me, it wasnt to use them as a replacement for my brass cases, simply an experiment to see if it could be done, and what to expect.

Who knows what things will bring down the road, and what might only be available. Lesson learned, for me anyway, it is feasible. Not in the least saying, its what you want to do.

Then again, brass is brass, or maybe "aluminum", if you get 5 loads out of it, that is 5 more rounds of practice, use, whatever, you didnt have before. Didnt cost you anything either.

Ive got plenty of brass. The rest goes in the burn barrel. I did store away that little tidbit about being able to reload them in a pinch though. :)
 
beag_nut said:
Because I reload whatever cases I shoot, I won't go near the aluminum stuff, since it is non-reloadable.
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Actually, as AK103K noted, it's possible to reload some of the Boxer-primed Blazer aluminum cases, though I would not use them in a semi-auto. I loaded some .45 ACP Blazer aluminum cases with light loads to try out of my Dad's 625, they worked fine, though I consider doing that a one-shot (pun intended) deal, I don't think I'd try getting two reloads out of them. I have some Blazer .45 ACP cases sized, deprimed and flared, ready for when I get a .45 ACP revolver. Note: These .45 ACP cases use small pistol primers.
 
I primarily use Federal Aluminum ammo for range use in 9mm and .45acp.

I love it and have had no issues.

Can't say the same for other budget brass brands like Winchester white-box and Rem UMC.
 
Not sure how many read the article in Guns&Ammo a few issues back about the use of polymer cases being advocated by some (including the companies making the polymer cases, not surprisingly)?

These cases have steel faces which certainly doesn’t help reduce weight. So I’m wondering, aluminum v. polymer, who wins with less weight? Also, I would think the aluminum cases being crafted from a single piece of aluminum would be heartier that the polymer cases with a steel face glued on?

I wonder if Uncle Sugar is evaluating aluminum cases for military & police use?
 
Since they are available for civilian sale, you can bet they were tested and evaluated (and obviously found wanting) long ago, as were the polymer/brass based ones. You don't see them in use in the military, now do you?
 
entropy said:
Since they are available for civilian sale, you can bet they were tested and evaluated (and obviously found wanting) long ago, as were the polymer/brass based ones. You don't see them in use in the military, now do you?
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It’s always a question of when they tested the cases, technology is a moving target, better manufacturing techniques, better alloys, better designs, etc. The 1st Blazers were of dubious quality but that was back in the late 70’s ... going on 40 years ago.
 
I've shot it when I got a good price or didn't want to pick up brass. I think I've had fewer problems than with brass cased ammo. I've shot it in 9mm, 40S&W and 45ACP.
 
I have not had any issues with running current aluminum ammo. As far as reloading, it can be, but the cases don't last long. One or two reloads before the neck area will start to develop cracks. Dry media clean only. I learned this after wet tumbling outdoor range pickup. It corrodes and I believe this corrosion cause stress risers.

I keep a few boxes of it reloaded just in case I end up somewhere I can't pick up my cases.

25972491875_f2e0c5b128_c.jpg
 
I never tumbled my Aluminum cases. There is a coating on most Aluminum cases that it to helps keep it from sticking in the chamber and I did not want to remove that.

One of the problem with Aluminum is that it work hardens much faster and easier than brass. It is also harder to anneal than brass. This is a big reason that the Aluminum splits so much sooner than brass cases.
 
I'm going to guess that lower-pressure rounds, (like .45 ACP) last longer than high-pressure rounds. (Like .40.)

I suppose it's amusing to prove it can be done. I have also been told that steel-cased commie ammo can also be reloaded, it just has the opposite problem, it's too hard on your dies.
 
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