.45acp aluminum cases

caligula · September 30, 2020, 01:16 AM

A buddy of mine just gave me a can of used .45 ACP brass. The mix included a big batch of aluminum shells. I have no experience with aluminum cases and I thought it a good idea to seek out experienced insights. Anyone out there have any savvy on this?

**Aguila Blanca** · September 30, 2020, 01:29 AM

What do you want to know?

Can they be reloaded? No.

Nathan · September 30, 2020, 10:14 AM

Sort and toss

Marco Califo · September 30, 2020, 10:47 AM

Separate out the aluminum and discard.
Regular brass (yellow) or Nickel plated should be reloadable. Some people will separate out small primer 45 ACP, Blazer (brass), USA, Aguila, etc and save those for hard times.

caligula · September 30, 2020, 03:29 PM

Thanks, Guys! Not the first time I almost shot myself in the foot with a bad idea. Will discard and pray for better times -

Nick_C_S · September 30, 2020, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Will discard and pray for better times.

If you're struggling to find 45 ACP cases to reload; just wait 'till you start looking for primers right now.

T. O'Heir · October 1, 2020, 01:09 PM

Make a few drawer pulls and recycle the rest. Most Al cases are Berdan primed anyway and Al is not elastic like brass. Doesn't resize properly.
Mind you, Al cased CCI Blazer ammo isn't horrible stuff. Tried some Blazer .38 Special long ago(before there was such a thing as Blazer Brass). Wasn't as accurate out my revolver(my old Smith 19, I think.) but every round went bang.

rmh3481 · October 1, 2020, 11:30 PM

I just finished shooting a couple boxes of Federal Champion Aluminum 9mm ammo. It was boxer primed.

**Unclenick** · October 4, 2020, 02:15 PM

Neither aluminum nor steel should be reloaded. It can be and folks have done it, but often to their regret. On another board a fellow showed close-up photos of a ring of little pits around the chamber of his 45 Auto 1911 barrel. They turned out to be gas cut pits, same as you see on some old rifle bolt faces where they are caused by leaky primers. In this case, though, the steel cases he had been reloading had developed small cracks just forward of the head that had let the little gas jets out to blast the pits into the chamber. Aluminum will do the same thing. Neither is as malleable as brass, and resizing fatiques them quickly, causing the cracks.

hdbiker · October 7, 2020, 02:38 PM

Just for the hell of it I once loaded some aluminum case boxer primed .38 Spl. just once, it worked fine. hdbiker

**Unclenick** · October 7, 2020, 02:47 PM

Yes. Same with steel. On a progressive, if you missed sorting one out, you feel extra resistance sizing a steel case, but it's OK to shoot again—once, as you said. The fellow with the pit scoring had reloaded his several times, thinking he had discovered a cheaper reloading approach.

The trick is figuring out how many times it is safe, and that will depend on how big your chamber is and how small your die is. So it can vary by the gun and the resizing die dimensions. I should also mention that aluminum always has an oxide layer once exposed to air, and the oxide is abrasive, so I would expect die life to be compromised by a steady diet of aluminum, too.

TruthTellers · October 8, 2020, 05:34 PM

So, it's okay to reload aluminum cases once? I'll have to start picking up all the .45 cases I see that are Aluminum now.

I've often thought that it would be nice to buy able to buy aluminum cases brand new, already sized, and ready to be loaded on the bench. The weight savings is nice for the revolver calibers and .45 ACP.

Steel case I see no reason to reload.

caligula · October 10, 2020, 11:22 PM

Again, thanks for all the input, guys. I decapped the batch and put 'em in a jar at the back of the cabinet. If I ever run into a herd of their brothers and sisters I'll think up a great experiment of some kind.

mehavey · October 11, 2020, 08:21 AM

Aluminum can be reloaded -- once.
It pretty much cracks after that.

Logs · October 11, 2020, 09:10 AM

I was at a gun show pre-Covid and there was a guy trying to sell 500 steel cases of 9mm to folks that reload. He said steel is not hard to reload, but I had never known anyone to load it.

**Unclenick** · October 12, 2020, 09:19 AM

Again, you can reload them once, but they are hard on your carbide sizing die.

Here's what happens when you reload them more than once. Those marks in the chamber are pits. There is one at about 5:30 which is right at the edge of the feed throat that cuts through it and lets you see the depth of the pit. The shadow in the image stops you from seeing that they go all the way around the inside of the chamber.

September 30, 2020, 01:16 AM	#1
caligula Member Join Date: November 1, 2017 Posts: 42	.45acp aluminum cases A buddy of mine just gave me a can of used .45 ACP brass. The mix included a big batch of aluminum shells. I have no experience with aluminum cases and I thought it a good idea to seek out experienced insights. Anyone out there have any savvy on this?

September 30, 2020, 01:29 AM	#2
Aguila Blanca Staff Join Date: September 25, 2008 Location: CONUS Posts: 18,460	What do you want to know? Can they be reloaded? No. __________________ NRA Life Member / Certified Instructor NRA Chief RSO / CMP RSO 1911 Certified Armorer Jeepaholic

September 30, 2020, 10:47 AM	#4
Marco Califo Senior Member Join Date: April 4, 2011 Location: LA (Greater Los Angeles Area) Posts: 2,598	Separate out the aluminum and discard. Regular brass (yellow) or Nickel plated should be reloadable. Some people will separate out small primer 45 ACP, Blazer (brass), USA, Aguila, etc and save those for hard times. __________________ ............

September 30, 2020, 03:29 PM	#5
caligula Member Join Date: November 1, 2017 Posts: 42	Aluminum shells Thanks, Guys! Not the first time I almost shot myself in the foot with a bad idea. Will discard and pray for better times -

October 1, 2020, 01:09 PM	#7
T. O'Heir Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 12,453	Make a few drawer pulls and recycle the rest. Most Al cases are Berdan primed anyway and Al is not elastic like brass. Doesn't resize properly. Mind you, Al cased CCI Blazer ammo isn't horrible stuff. Tried some Blazer .38 Special long ago(before there was such a thing as Blazer Brass). Wasn't as accurate out my revolver(my old Smith 19, I think.) but every round went bang. __________________ Spelling and grammar count!

September 30, 2020, 10:14 AM	#3
Nathan Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2001 Posts: 6,328	Sort and toss

October 1, 2020, 11:30 PM	#8
rmh3481 Member Join Date: August 25, 2015 Location: Western Pa Posts: 53	I just finished shooting a couple boxes of Federal Champion Aluminum 9mm ammo. It was boxer primed.

October 4, 2020, 02:15 PM	#9
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,061	Neither aluminum nor steel should be reloaded. It can be and folks have done it, but often to their regret. On another board a fellow showed close-up photos of a ring of little pits around the chamber of his 45 Auto 1911 barrel. They turned out to be gas cut pits, same as you see on some old rifle bolt faces where they are caused by leaky primers. In this case, though, the steel cases he had been reloading had developed small cracks just forward of the head that had let the little gas jets out to blast the pits into the chamber. Aluminum will do the same thing. Neither is as malleable as brass, and resizing fatiques them quickly, causing the cracks. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

October 7, 2020, 02:38 PM	#10
hdbiker Senior Member Join Date: December 19, 2012 Posts: 297	Just for the hell of it I once loaded some aluminum case boxer primed .38 Spl. just once, it worked fine. hdbiker

October 7, 2020, 02:47 PM	#11
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,061	Yes. Same with steel. On a progressive, if you missed sorting one out, you feel extra resistance sizing a steel case, but it's OK to shoot again—once, as you said. The fellow with the pit scoring had reloaded his several times, thinking he had discovered a cheaper reloading approach. The trick is figuring out how many times it is safe, and that will depend on how big your chamber is and how small your die is. So it can vary by the gun and the resizing die dimensions. I should also mention that aluminum always has an oxide layer once exposed to air, and the oxide is abrasive, so I would expect die life to be compromised by a steady diet of aluminum, too. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

October 8, 2020, 05:34 PM	#12
TruthTellers Senior Member Join Date: October 22, 2016 Posts: 3,883	So, it's okay to reload aluminum cases once? I'll have to start picking up all the .45 cases I see that are Aluminum now. I've often thought that it would be nice to buy able to buy aluminum cases brand new, already sized, and ready to be loaded on the bench. The weight savings is nice for the revolver calibers and .45 ACP. Steel case I see no reason to reload. __________________ "We always think there's gonna be more time... then it runs out."

October 10, 2020, 11:22 PM	#13
caligula Member Join Date: November 1, 2017 Posts: 42	Again, thanks for all the input, guys. I decapped the batch and put 'em in a jar at the back of the cabinet. If I ever run into a herd of their brothers and sisters I'll think up a great experiment of some kind.

October 11, 2020, 08:21 AM	#14
mehavey Senior Member Join Date: June 17, 2010 Location: Virginia Posts: 6,886	Aluminum can be reloaded -- once. It pretty much cracks after that.

October 11, 2020, 09:10 AM	#15
Logs Senior Member Join Date: November 26, 1999 Location: BLUEGRASS STATE KY USA Posts: 1,780	I was at a gun show pre-Covid and there was a guy trying to sell 500 steel cases of 9mm to folks that reload. He said steel is not hard to reload, but I had never known anyone to load it. __________________ NRA LIFE MEMBER