What's wrong with A-MERC brass?

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evan price

evan price

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I see it over and over in threads- people saying not to bother saving A-MERC brass... scrap it.. it's no good... etc.

Why?

I have yet to have a problem with A-MERC .45 ACP. I reload any .45s I can find. My only criteria is that brass can't have any heavy corrosion on it or any damage. Never had a problem. Tumble, load, shoot.

Why the American Ammo hating?

I've seen Federals once fired that I can push thr primers in with my thumb. I've seen WIN brass that has a tight primer pocket and it sounds like I am crushing the primer when it seats. I have not yet found ANY brass .45 that I won't reload except for damage.
 
The main problem is that it's junk...

In my experience, both the 9x19mmP and .45ACP A-MERC brass are much too soft.

When you attempt to resize the case, the carbide insert in your sizing die will push up a raised ring of brass where the insert ends. No other brass does this (with the exception of some Chinese 9x19mmP cases).

I pick the A-MERC brass up at the range and throw it in my scrap box. That's all it's worth in my opinion.

Forrest
 
I just reloaded and shot 150 in 44 mag...

And they were fine for what I intended. No problems what so ever. They were 1x fired range pick ups. No trimming, primer pockets were plenty snub enough and I will use them till they trash out. The only possible thing I noted was a few slightly off center flash holes. For the loads I made (LRNFP) they were just fine. I also used Winchester for another batch with JHP's for hunting loads and in an 1894 Marlin and my S&W 629 Mt gun both with open sights, there was not any discernable difference. I don't think I'd go out and buy them but I will take all I can find...

Patty
 
I know there were reports of the AMerc brass splitting on it's very first firing.

All I know is that the few boxes of AMerc 30 carbine ammo I bought were junk. I couldn't get through 10 rounds with second and third strikes before a single one would fire. Wolf fired fine though. :confused:

Out of every thousand or so pieces of brass I sort, I only come across a few AMercs so no love lost tossing them to be safe.

Justin
 
Aside from the fact it sucks? Poor consistency. Few (if any) loads past 1x firing. Abrupt case failure.

As for your Winchester problems, some winchester ammo (9mm, in my experience) is crimped from the factory. A primer pocket reamer or swager fixes it quickly.
 
I was also a sceptic until I picked so some brass after a match, with a little over 100 pieces of A MERC (.45ACP) brass mixed in. Running them through the sizer after tumbling, all but 6 split. Enough for me, the rest went into the trash.
 
In the tens of thousands of cartridges that I've handloaded through the years, the only cases that have had their rims torn off during the resizing process were a pair of A-MERC 45ACP brass cases that I had inadvertently picked up from the range floor.
 
Here are some of the problems I've had with it.

  • Splitting on the 1st firing
  • Off-center flash holes that snap off the decapping pin
  • Primer pockets too loose to hold a primer after one firing
  • Case crushes during resizing
  • Brass too thin to provide neck tension sufficient to hold a bullet

If I find it, I crush it.
 
Loading .45 (mixed brass from range) yesterday I ran across a dozen A-Merc I couldn't even get into the shell holder plate...chucked em in the scrape can.
 
A-Merc brass is junk unlike alot of others replying here I dont sort by head stamp but I know its an amerc as soon as it hits my resizer, and if I miss it there not very often it will get stuck on my case flare and it feel like IM goin to rip the handle off my 550:banghead:. You cant give the stuff away around here so scarp it and save yourself the head-ache:cuss:
 
Odd.

I just loaded 230-gr Rainier RNs into 100 Federal American Eagle, 100 WWB, 50 CBC and 50 A-MERC on my Lee Pro1000. No problems of any kind with any of the brass. Case mouths are secure. Primer pockets are good. Brass shows no funny business.

Maybe it's a Dillon problem.
 
I made the mistake of buying a couple of boxes of loaded ammo (9mm).

CRAP - it was filthy, inconsistant, inacccurate and the brass garbage.
 
I use Lee single-stage equipment. It, and I, hate AMERC brass for all of the reasons listed above.

The most common issues are ill-formed flash holes and primer pockets or overly-hard brass; those problems usually identify the range pickup as AMERC before I get too far in the reloading process. I've broken decapper pins and primer seaters on this stuff.

It's genuine junk.
 
When I first got my .30 M1 Carbine I bought 4 boxes of Amerc 110 grain FMJ rounds for it. I've fired 3 of those and had about 6 fail to fire, 4 fail to fire - but then fire on 2nd try, 8 fail to eject.

I've reloaded the ones I brought home from the range. I find them easier to reload than Remington cases (might be due to softer, or thinner metal). I've had no failures to fire, or extract with reloads. However, I've had 1 partial head separation and failure to extract. I'm on about the 4th reload for each case.

I still reload with them. I'm just more critical whether, or not I keep the empty for trimming and reloading. After 4 reloads, I'm down to less than 100 of those initial 150 Amerc rounds I started with. I'll keep using them until they are gone, but I will not buy any more.

I sure do not understand the 'vinegar' folks seem to hold for Amerc cartridges. The ammunition is cheap, most does fire on 1st try, it is re loadable and thus works as practice/plinking ammunition. t just takes a little extra effort when using it. I find this the case (pardon the pun) with most cheaper/cost effective items.
 
A 44 Amerc update...

Round 2: This is my 2nd reload of the AMERC 44 mag cases and I reloaded them through my RCPS RC press using a Lee TC die set. No lube, no trim (measures fine) no cracks, snug primer pockets, loaded with 10. of unique/240 gr laser cast RNFP's for use in my 1894ss marlin and S&W 629 Mtn gun. Perfect function and feed. Plenty good accuracy...

As I mentioned, I wouldn't specifically buy AMERC brass I will use it till it it cracks or something untoward looking happens. I simply prefer the Win nickel brass but free is nice and it works fine in 44 mag anyway.

Patty
 
I don’t sort by head stamp (just for the small primer NT brass), however rounds culled during processing, reloading, and from the case gage are mostly A-merc. It’s not as good as any other but IF it gets loaded and passes the case gage it’s going to be fired.
 
"Not all of it is as bad as the 45 ACP."

That's true. I ran across some A-Merc .38 special brass in some brass I bought from the range and it wouldn't fit in any of 4 shell holders I have in that caliber. It wasn't anywhere near .38 brass specifications in the area of the rim. Some is worse, and I don't trust the metallurgy in any of it....

I do know one guy that used Loc-tite to keep the primers in some A-Merc .45 acp brass one time. He couldn't do it a second time, because about half of it split upon firing.

Hope this helps.

Fred
 
I have 98 Amerc .45ACP brass just sitting in the shed. One of these days I'll toss em in my brass scrap box.
 
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