Reloading aluminum pistol cases

[titsonritz]

Are you sure they were aluminium and not steel? A lot of steel case .45 auto were loaded in ww2 and just cuz I reloaded some. It's possible to do., if not advisable. Never tried reloading the al cases, which are usually berdan-primed by the manufacturer. Never ran across any ww2 aluminium cased ammo.

Thinking the same thing.

 

[RVTECH]

I might do it, just to know I could, as an disaster preparedness exercise

Seems to be a little over dramatization with this aluminum case debacle.

If you currently load brass 9mm aluminum is no different. It seems to go through the sizing die a little smoother but for all intents and purposes sizes, flares, primes & seats the same as brass - disaster prep or not.

Oh, and lets not leave out .45 ACP alum - I have a lot of it to load as well!

 

[BSDave]

I had a coworker that would reload 380 and 45acp aluminum case. He would only do it one time and a little on the light side he told me. He said they would crack after the second or third reloading so he stopped.

 

[RVTECH]

He said they would crack after the second or third reloading so he stopped.

I'll say this one more time - for light to medium loads, ONE TIME ONLY, let 'em fly field rounds !

 

[Papercidal]

They can be reloaded once or twice but not worth the effort. They do make great dummy rounds though.

 

[RVTECH]

They can be reloaded once or twice but not worth the effort.

Actually it is if you happen to be chasing jackrabbits through the desert with a semi auto and don't want to stop and pick up brass. Heck I have ejected .357 from a revolver doing this and neglected to pick it up or dump it in my hand due to sometimes fast moving and shooting of these fast moving creatures!

Great sport - been doing it a LONG time!

And how is it 'not worth the effort' ? It takes no more effort to reload aluminum than brass.

 

[DizzyJ]

They do make great dummy rounds though.

Wow!! That's a great idea!! Didn't even think about that!

 

[CLT65]

I have a bag of about 500 Wolf .45acp steel cases that I pulled out the dumpster at the range a while back. They were just sitting there on top in a box. They weren't even rusty. I've reloaded steel cases before and they seem to do fine, definitely not ideal like brass, but better than aluminum. If I didn't have a bucketful of 45 brass already, and I ever shot where I couldn't pick it up, I'd load some up.

 

[Member 38805]

Tried it decades ago when the Blazer .45 ACP first hit the market. Found a bunch in the trash at my gun club and picked them all out to take home. A short trial told me they're not worth using for the short life span they have as reloadable cases. Tossed them in the trash, and never considered them again.