Alum, cases!!

[43PU]

I don't know where this goes, but feel free to move it. I was loading some 9mm up in my Dillon 550 and I saw that I loaded a alum case CCI. and it got me thinking.... how many times can you reload a alum case 9mm? well I figured I should do some experimenting. I'm blessed to have a Very Close shooting range (my side yard). My load was 3.6grn of 700X under a Lee 358-125 RFN sized to 357. seated to 1.010. I would load and then shoot, find the bras....aluminum and then load and shoot and so on... before the wall split I loaded it 12 times!!!! meaning that it had been loaded 13 times!! I noticed that on load 9 the primer pocket started to loosen up, on load 11 it took ZERO pressure to put the primer in, and then on the last load the pressure of the handle falling seated the primer. However on load 12 a very small split in the side wall occurred, My friend and I was astonished and I am still astonished!

So if your desperate don't throw those Alum cases away!! I can now load them up for hunting to finish Game off and not worry about my brass case!!

43PU

[groovy mike]

Thanks for sharing that. I have reloaded them 1 time but wondered if I was the only one....

[abqcaster]

I'll have to remember this. last batch I got was berdan primed though...

[FLHTC]

I save the steel cases when I find them free of rust. The ammo companies don't have dies made from unobtainium so commercial dies will work fine. Steel cases are great when you don't want to worry about retrieving them.

[UBER7MM]

I'll have to remember this. last batch I got was berdan primed though...

+1

The Blazer ammo I bought was also Berdan primed, but that was in the last Millennium. I stopped buying them because I couldn't hit the side of a barn from the inside with a pistol. They seemed to group well enough in a camp carbine though.

I might be tempted give it another try. Thanks for the heads up!

[dtknowles]

I tried some aluminum 9 x 19 cases but they split on the second reload. Small test maybe 25 cases, not all of them split. I have some 380's I loaded but have not shot.

Tim

[Nobade]

Keep in mind that aluminum oxide is pretty hard on sizing dies....


-Nobade

[Camba]

I did FL sized 5.56x45 steel cases and they did good for a couple of reloads. I was happy to know that I could resort to that if I would not find brass. It was purely experimental but I am with Nobade, they may be detrimental to the dies for continuous use.
Camba

[FLHTC]

Keep in mind that aluminum oxide is pretty hard on sizing dies....


-Nobade
The aluminum oxide you speak of is a mineral, not the chalky substance produced from aluminum corrosion.

[nagantguy]

One of the very first things I did when I bought my very first press an rcbe painter was reload some 9×19 blazer cases, don't remember how many times but a few! Mostly to see if it could be done.

[Nobade]

The aluminum oxide you speak of is a mineral, not the chalky substance produced from aluminum corrosion.

OK. Whatever it is, I tore up a 45 ACP die by doing this. Back when aluminum 45 cases just hit the market I thought reloading them was a good idea since they were all over the ground at the range and free. The decap pin does punch a new hole in the middle, and I found out even though they had two flash holes they used normal boxer primers. Eventually the resize die became so scored and oversized I had to buy a new one.

-Nobade

[coffeeguy]

I tumble before resizing so that mitigates the issue of aluminum oxide...ALL aluminum forms an oxide coating very quickly, even from the factory, and I use carbide dies. I can see where it would be a problem after long-term use, though...They mainly say not to reload aluminum cases because it work-hardens so quickly, but if you shoot light loads and go easy on the expander die you can still get a few firings out of them.

If 'don't reload aluminum' is a safety issue, well, at some point any case will split if fired enough; just use common sense. If it's an issue of damage to the firearm, most manufacturers' warranties are automatically void if reloaded ammunition is used so it's a moot point. I've had good experience with boxer-primed steel cases, it just takes a tad more 'oomph' and there's a little more springback but they work fine...Personally if I ran into a large supply of aluminum cases I'd take full advantage of them, whether or not I'd eventually wear out a sizing die.

[Big Boomer]

Several years back when aluminum cases first appeared (Blazer I think) they were Berdan primed, but you could knock the primer cup out anyway and Boxer prime the cases by removing the anvil. I was using carbide dies but I cleaned the aluminum cases well and used some oil to lube the case and make certain no sizer die damage would occur. I loaded and fired the cases a few times just to see if it could be done. It can, but it is pretty much useless effort unless one just wants to do it. To me, there is too much good brass available to fool with it any more. Just my .02 cents. Big Boomer