Aluminum Case Ammo

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No company makes aluminum cased ammo because they think it makes for better ammo.
They make it to be cheap.

It is a scourge on the range, making clean-up and maintenance more difficult and time consuming. Unlike steel case ammo (which I also dislike) that can be quickly screened magnetically, the aluminum empties must be manually sorted out from brass cases. Or they get left on the ground causing unsightly pollution.

Funny thing….
There are a few commercial range/stores around here that sell brass, steel, and aluminum cased ammo. But, they won't let you shoot the steel or aluminum on THEIR ranges!

Maybe customers should be charged a hefty deposit when they buy aluminum cased ammo? They only get their deposit back when they bring back a full box of empty shells!
 
It was supposed to be less expensive.

But, it doesn't seem to have made a significant difference compared to similar brass cased basic practice ammo.

Some guns don't handle it well. Same can be said for steel case ammo. Hard to predict without testing. Sometimes ejection issues.

Some greater risk of case rupture with some blowback weapons such as submachine guns.

That's my $.02 and experience.
 
Have shot some in 9mm, 357 and 38 Special. All Blazer.
Don't recall any problems.
Would probably buy some more if it was Cheaper than the Brass Cased.
 
Yeah, the aluminum case was a cost saving measure for Blazer when it came out. Hard to extract with a revolver due to the case swelling upon firing. I quit them after the first box I bought.

I've read steel cases are very hard on extractors. It makes sense to me when compared to brass. Steel cases kinda went away with the Russian & Chinese ammo ban under Clinton. No cluse if they're still sold or not as I don't look for them.

GA Arms is my go-to for affordable range ammo. Good stuff.
 
I bought a case of steel cased, zinc coated, 115 gr 9mm range ammo earlier this year. Worked fine in my Sig P365, P320, and P226.
 
The primary advantage of aluminum cases is they are usually cheaper than comparable brass cased ammo. Aluminum cases are not reloadable, so no need to pick up your fired cases.
 
I had a boatload of Wolf steel cased 9mm. The lacquer coating on the cases would jam my Browning HP after five shots. The mystery metal jacket on the bullets caused more sparks than a cheap Hollywood action movie.

But it worked outstandingly in my Hi-Point carbine...which is what I save the remaining rounds for.

Blazer aluminium was never a problem except it was very dirty ammo.
 
I have shot the blazer aluminum stuff before. Seems to work but if you reload to me i want the brass. I have shot a lot of the steel stuff out of a glock but according to our range guy glock wont warranty the gun as stated in the above posts by bobsguns it hard on the extractor. I still shot a lot steel because it was cheap. I agree blazer is dirty. The steel stuff had problem with the coating and primer sealer gumming crap up to the point of complete tear down. I do have a box of wwii 45 ammo made by chrysler in wwii.
 
I had a Blazer .45 ACP case get so stuck in a moon clip that I broke the (commercial) demooner tool. That ended my use of the Blazer.
 
I use the aluminum case ammo only where I cannot get recovery on brass. I only recently was able to get a deal on a case and a half of blazer that was cheaper then brass on sale. It is going to be used only at one range, so should last me a long time as most places I shoot allow recovery. I have had 2 jams with s&w m&p while using the aluminum cases none with my other pistols. Those may have been caused by running a 9 barrel in a 40 slide.
 
Our LE academy bought a bunch of Blazer aluminum cased 9mm about 10 years ago due to availability and price. We had no end of trouble with it on the range... malfunctions, bullets loaded backwards, primers sideways or upside down. Problems at a much higher rate than with other ammo. That was the first and last time the academy used it.

A few months ago, I ordered a case of Blazer brass cased 9mm. Apparently I checked the wrong box, because I received aluminum cased. The real burner was that the brass was cheaper! So far my wife and I have shot about 1/2 of the case out of her Glock and my M&Ps without issue, which seems to indicate an improvement over my previous experiences with the aluminum cased Blazer. That said, when we burn it up, I will not be ordering more aluminum!
 
So many people write that "I heard somewhere" or "the guy at the range said",regarding steel cased ammo,all BS...Look up "Rockwell Hardness Scale" and you'll see the steel case will not harm your gun or any part in it...Steel ammo cases are made from cheap steel,meaning soft,while your gun and its parts are necessarily made from much harder steel...Kinda like saying,with a little intentional
exaggeration for scale,that if you hit the bumper of your car with aluminum foil it will dent it...
 
I shoot a lot of aluminum Blazer .380 and I've never had a problem. It's generally cheaper and it's definitely lighter weight than brass or steel.
By the way, I did research before trying aluminum the first time. I saw people in the forums saying bad things but they had no concrete facts to back anything up. Like I said, I haven't had any issues at all.
 
It was supposed to be less expensive.

But, it doesn't seem to have made a significant difference compared to similar brass cased basic practice ammo.

Some guns don't handle it well. Same can be said for steel case ammo. Hard to predict without testing. Sometimes ejection issues.

Some greater risk of case rupture with some blowback weapons such as submachine guns.

That's my $.02 and experience.
My Charter Pitbull doesn't like it. They won't eject well.
 
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