Issue with A-MERC 45 ACP brass

Ozzieman · June 9, 2012, 12:28 PM

Odd Brass.
I have been helping a friend reload some 45 ACP (he doing all the work using my equipment) and I came up with an odd problem.
In the attached photo are two 45 ACP cases. The one on the left is marked A-MERC the one on the right is PMC and comparing the PMC to all the other brass I have they are all the same.
He picked up 500+ once fired A-MERC and when sized I noticed that it was a little tough going through the sizer but no real issue. It was when we started belling the cases I noticed a BIG difference.
The arrow shows where the expander die stops. It shows a very sharp line where the case was expanded.
Both cases were sized and belled on the same dies with no adjustments.
When I started measuring differences I found that the outside diameters for both (below the expander) were the same. But where the expander opened the case (not the upper bell) the A-MERC was a full .005 inches wider.
The cause is that the case is MUCH thicker.
A-MREC thickness is .012 to .013 and the PMC and all the other brass that I have is .009 to .010.
I have never seen or heard of A-MREC and the brass didn’t come with boxes.
Anyone ever reloaded A-MREC
Thanks

**Mal H** · June 9, 2012, 01:14 PM

Sorry, but I've gotta ask why you are even attempting to reload Amerc brass?

A quick search here and just about any other reloading board on earth will show you why it is not only futile, but often dangerous.

A-MERC (amerc) brass should be trashed after you shoot the factory loads. (Frankly, I wouldn't even be willing to do that.)

PMC brass on the other hand has worked well for me after many reloads (mostly 9mm). Others have reported some problems with it, but IMX it's fine.

Adamantium · June 9, 2012, 01:22 PM

I don't reload Amerc either. Almost everything in the gun world has at least some supporters but Amerc is the exception to that rule. I'd sell it as scrap.

Ozzieman · June 9, 2012, 02:44 PM

A quick search here and just about any other reloading board on earth will show you why it is not only futile, but often dangerous.

I did, but most of what I read people complained about was it being steel or just soft or berdan primers. These are brass and not berdan.
The reason we are trying to reload it was because he got it cheep and that’s about the only reason and even cheep it looks like it was WAY too much with what every one is saying. I think he gave 25$ for the lot.
You say dangerous, why? Some complained about it being an alloy? But dangerous!

All of it was once fired and looked normal other than the cases are thicker.
Please don’t think I am disagreeing with you, I’m not, just wondering why you consider it dangerous.
Luckily we have it ready for priming so all we are out of is his money and the work, no components.
So, any one need brass, seems like we have enough to make a nice ashtray.

mrawesome22 · June 9, 2012, 03:31 PM

If it is thick, one safety concern would be, no room to expand and release the bullet.

Sent from a highly hacked Android device using Tapatalk 2.

Ozzieman · June 9, 2012, 05:58 PM

no room to expand and release the bullet.

I don’t believe that would make it dangerous, inaccurate and unreliable, that I can believe. But if that had been the issue then it would apply to factory new.
Again, any one need 500 one time use ashtrays?

crowbeaner · June 9, 2012, 06:37 PM

I scrap all Amerc brass anyway. there is FAR too much good stuff out there for junk loading.

moxie · June 9, 2012, 07:07 PM

By all means throw them away!

One of the main problems with AMERC is off-center flash holes. Lucky you didn't break the depriming pin on your sizing die. Other dimensional variations have also been reported. Yours are typical. Junk!!

Waldog · June 9, 2012, 11:35 PM

I pitch every Amerc and S&B case I find. Not worth the trouble.

armoredman · June 10, 2012, 12:28 AM

I found AMERC brass with off center and incomplete flash holes, among other things. They make excellent scrap.

bfoosh006 · June 10, 2012, 06:04 PM

My 2 cent....
$25 bucks is not a good deal if it ka-booms in your gun. I'm sure you would gladly pay 5x that to have your favorite gun back in one piece... not to mention any part of you body. And I'm sorry to say A-Merc has a horrible record. Do us and yourself a favor, crush that brass and recycle it.

jheitertusa · June 10, 2012, 06:21 PM

Quote:

I pitch every Amerc and S&B case I find. Not worth the trouble.

Strange. I wouldn't touch A-MERC, but I have loaded countless S&B brass in 9mm, and never had a problem. As far as I'm concerned, it's as good as anything else out there. Perhaps there are problems with it in certain calibers, or rifle calibers?

Scimmia · June 10, 2012, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Strange. I wouldn't touch A-MERC, but I have loaded countless S&B brass in 9mm, and never had a problem. As far as I'm concerned, it's as good as anything else out there. Perhaps there are problems with it in certain calibers, or rifle calibers?

S&B tends to have tight primer pockets with little or no chamfor on the edge. This can make seating primers difficult, especially if using Wolf/Tula primers, so a lot of poeple just dump them instead of fighting it. I've reloaded a lot of S&B as well, it's good brass aside from the potential primer pocket issues.

BigJimP · June 11, 2012, 03:07 PM

A-Merc ...cases are brass....but there is something different in the alloy / making it a lot harder to resize...and often it won't pass thru a "case gague" -- so it probably won't feed properly in your gun.

Like others I just trash any A-MERC cases I happen to pick up - sweep up at my local range. ( Many of us sweep up range brass at our local indoor ranges...especially ranges where they rent guns / there is a lot of once fired brass laying all over --- yesterday, I picked up almost a full gallon bag of range brass...mostly 9mm ...but some .45 acp / some .38 spl )... I clean it first, then sort any of it out that doesn't look ok ( dents, whatever ) ...and case markings ( like NT cases too - or A-Merc or S&B )...

I also trash all S&B cases...because the primer pocket is tapered...and typical primers won't seat easily ( and often crush ).

It takes awhile to sort brass ...after you've cleaned it ...( and I suppose you could recycle it if you wanted to bother ) ...but I just trash A-MERC and S&B in any calibers I find.

m&p45acp10+1 · June 11, 2012, 06:17 PM

When I first started reloading I had a few A-Merc cases. I could not get primers to seat in them, so I pitched them. After that I just regarded them as garbage from then on. I rarely see them these days, when I do they go to the scrap bucket.

jheitertusa · June 11, 2012, 06:51 PM

Quote:

I also trash all S&B cases...because the primer pocket is tapered...and typical primers won't seat easily ( and often crush ).

Winchester small pistol primers go in fine using my Lee Classic Cast turret press when loading 9mm... I haven't crushed one yet. I consider Winchester primers pretty typical. I'm wondering if it's not an issue relegated to progressive presses. If you lived nearby, I'd take all that S&B brass off your hands.

Ozzieman · June 11, 2012, 07:17 PM

Thanks every one for the horrible news.

I told my friend that all 500 are in a plastic bag and they will go out Sunday in the recycle bin.

bfoosh006 · June 11, 2012, 08:06 PM

See if the local metal scrapper / recycler will take 'em. You might get at least a few bucks back, or wait until you get a bucket full of berdan brass to go with it. ( I know you can relaod berdan brass, but not everyone goes through the trouble. )

armoredman · June 12, 2012, 12:20 AM

Save them and all other brass scrap for a trip to the scrap dealer - might as well make some money off of them.

June 9, 2012, 12:28 PM	#1
Ozzieman Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2004 Location: Northern Indiana Posts: 6,117	Issue with A-MERC 45 ACP brass Odd Brass. I have been helping a friend reload some 45 ACP (he doing all the work using my equipment) and I came up with an odd problem. In the attached photo are two 45 ACP cases. The one on the left is marked A-MERC the one on the right is PMC and comparing the PMC to all the other brass I have they are all the same. He picked up 500+ once fired A-MERC and when sized I noticed that it was a little tough going through the sizer but no real issue. It was when we started belling the cases I noticed a BIG difference. The arrow shows where the expander die stops. It shows a very sharp line where the case was expanded. Both cases were sized and belled on the same dies with no adjustments. When I started measuring differences I found that the outside diameters for both (below the expander) were the same. But where the expander opened the case (not the upper bell) the A-MERC was a full .005 inches wider. The cause is that the case is MUCH thicker. A-MREC thickness is .012 to .013 and the PMC and all the other brass that I have is .009 to .010. I have never seen or heard of A-MREC and the brass didn’t come with boxes. Anyone ever reloaded A-MREC Thanks Last edited by Ozzieman; October 1, 2016 at 05:19 PM.

June 9, 2012, 01:22 PM	#3
Adamantium Senior Member Join Date: June 6, 1999 Location: El Paso, TX Posts: 1,021	I don't reload Amerc either. Almost everything in the gun world has at least some supporters but Amerc is the exception to that rule. I'd sell it as scrap. __________________ New gun, same ol' shot.

June 9, 2012, 06:37 PM	#7
crowbeaner Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2007 Location: Upstate SC Posts: 1,943	I scrap all Amerc brass anyway. there is FAR too much good stuff out there for junk loading. __________________ If you want your children to follow in your footsteps, be careful where you walk. Beware the man that only owns one gun; he probably knows how to use it. I just hope my ship comes in before my dock rots.

June 9, 2012, 07:07 PM	#8
moxie Senior Member Join Date: October 17, 2006 Location: TX Posts: 513	By all means throw them away! One of the main problems with AMERC is off-center flash holes. Lucky you didn't break the depriming pin on your sizing die. Other dimensional variations have also been reported. Yours are typical. Junk!! __________________ If you want to shoot...shoot...don't talk! Tuco USAF Munitions 1969-1992 RVN 1972-1973

June 9, 2012, 11:35 PM	#9
Waldog Senior Member Join Date: March 28, 2007 Location: SOCAL Posts: 359	I pitch every Amerc and S&B case I find. Not worth the trouble. __________________ I am the Christian Conservative that CNN warned you about!! “Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance and the gospel of envy.” Winston Churchill

June 9, 2012, 01:14 PM	#2
Mal H Staff Join Date: March 20, 1999 Location: Somewhere in the woods of Northern Virginia Posts: 16,955	Sorry, but I've gotta ask why you are even attempting to reload Amerc brass? A quick search here and just about any other reloading board on earth will show you why it is not only futile, but often dangerous. A-MERC (amerc) brass should be trashed after you shoot the factory loads. (Frankly, I wouldn't even be willing to do that.) PMC brass on the other hand has worked well for me after many reloads (mostly 9mm). Others have reported some problems with it, but IMX it's fine.

June 9, 2012, 02:44 PM	#4
Ozzieman Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2004 Location: Northern Indiana Posts: 6,117	A quick search here and just about any other reloading board on earth will show you why it is not only futile, but often dangerous. I did, but most of what I read people complained about was it being steel or just soft or berdan primers. These are brass and not berdan. The reason we are trying to reload it was because he got it cheep and that’s about the only reason and even cheep it looks like it was WAY too much with what every one is saying. I think he gave 25$ for the lot. You say dangerous, why? Some complained about it being an alloy? But dangerous! All of it was once fired and looked normal other than the cases are thicker. Please don’t think I am disagreeing with you, I’m not, just wondering why you consider it dangerous. Luckily we have it ready for priming so all we are out of is his money and the work, no components. So, any one need brass, seems like we have enough to make a nice ashtray.

June 9, 2012, 03:31 PM	#5
mrawesome22 Senior Member Join Date: November 9, 2005 Location: Ohio, Appalachia's foothills. Posts: 3,779	If it is thick, one safety concern would be, no room to expand and release the bullet. Sent from a highly hacked Android device using Tapatalk 2.

June 9, 2012, 05:58 PM	#6
Ozzieman Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2004 Location: Northern Indiana Posts: 6,117	no room to expand and release the bullet. I don’t believe that would make it dangerous, inaccurate and unreliable, that I can believe. But if that had been the issue then it would apply to factory new. Again, any one need 500 one time use ashtrays?

June 10, 2012, 12:28 AM	#10
armoredman Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 5,299	I found AMERC brass with off center and incomplete flash holes, among other things. They make excellent scrap.

June 10, 2012, 06:04 PM	#11
bfoosh006 Senior Member Join Date: February 17, 2009 Posts: 1,089	My 2 cent.... $25 bucks is not a good deal if it ka-booms in your gun. I'm sure you would gladly pay 5x that to have your favorite gun back in one piece... not to mention any part of you body. And I'm sorry to say A-Merc has a horrible record. Do us and yourself a favor, crush that brass and recycle it.

June 11, 2012, 03:07 PM	#14
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	A-Merc ...cases are brass....but there is something different in the alloy / making it a lot harder to resize...and often it won't pass thru a "case gague" -- so it probably won't feed properly in your gun. Like others I just trash any A-MERC cases I happen to pick up - sweep up at my local range. ( Many of us sweep up range brass at our local indoor ranges...especially ranges where they rent guns / there is a lot of once fired brass laying all over --- yesterday, I picked up almost a full gallon bag of range brass...mostly 9mm ...but some .45 acp / some .38 spl )... I clean it first, then sort any of it out that doesn't look ok ( dents, whatever ) ...and case markings ( like NT cases too - or A-Merc or S&B )... I also trash all S&B cases...because the primer pocket is tapered...and typical primers won't seat easily ( and often crush ). It takes awhile to sort brass ...after you've cleaned it ...( and I suppose you could recycle it if you wanted to bother ) ...but I just trash A-MERC and S&B in any calibers I find.

June 11, 2012, 06:17 PM	#15
m&p45acp10+1 Senior Member Join Date: May 3, 2009 Location: Central Texas Posts: 3,930	When I first started reloading I had a few A-Merc cases. I could not get primers to seat in them, so I pitched them. After that I just regarded them as garbage from then on. I rarely see them these days, when I do they go to the scrap bucket. __________________ No matter how many times you do it and nothing happens it only takes something going wrong one time to kill you.

June 11, 2012, 07:17 PM	#17
Ozzieman Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2004 Location: Northern Indiana Posts: 6,117	Thanks every one for the horrible news. I told my friend that all 500 are in a plastic bag and they will go out Sunday in the recycle bin.

June 11, 2012, 08:06 PM	#18
bfoosh006 Senior Member Join Date: February 17, 2009 Posts: 1,089	See if the local metal scrapper / recycler will take 'em. You might get at least a few bucks back, or wait until you get a bucket full of berdan brass to go with it. ( I know you can relaod berdan brass, but not everyone goes through the trouble. )

June 12, 2012, 12:20 AM	#19
armoredman Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 5,299	Save them and all other brass scrap for a trip to the scrap dealer - might as well make some money off of them.