Know this has probably been talked to death, but the claim that aluminum cased bullets are stickily deposable after shoot, is that correct? I have a few that ended up in my brass .38 special run and it sized and crimped fine but haven't shoot any finished ones?

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I have never had any 9mm survive the load process without splitting. I haven't run across any 38Spl as I don't get much range pick-up except for my own brass.

I've read posts from guys that have reloaded aluminum cases.

But you're more likely to damage/scratch up your dies than it is worth reloading disposable cases.

Times will have to be bad, really bad for me to fool with aluminum or steel.

They have to be less than desirable for me to fool with nickeled brass.

For flash, I do keep my western belt loaded with nickel .45 Colt.

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GOA
USA Shooting Supporter

I reloaded a few steel .223 cases just to see if it was possible.

It was and went very smoothly.
I did cringe when trimming with the thought of how much damage I caused on my trimming tools.

If I recall CCI Blazer aluminum cases are Berdan primed.While it is possible to reload Berdan cases it is quite a chore and not worth the effort involved.

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SWCA#2288
SWHF#407

I'm using my 1972 the RCBS carbon steel dies had purchased back then. Bullets are coated .38 wadcutter, straight sided case went through the process with very little force (seemed less than with brass). I don't know about multiple reloading these over and over but with the light 2.7 of bullseye, the one shot cases went together fine??????????

Aluminum will load, and split. Your gun, your choice, your risk.
Aluminum work hardens and becomes brittle MUCH faster than brass.

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Science plus Art

Well more power to ya Jersey!
For the few test samples it is a win.
Try them out.

Cdog,what is the deal with nickled brass and reloading?

I just resized about 50 bottleneck rifle cases, and had 4 maybe 5 that had cracks in the neck. They were all R-P cases, and I suspect they cracked when I resized the inside of the neck. I mashed them with my trusty ballpeen hammer that I've had since 1948-49 and threw them in the brass scrap bucket.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

The question begs an answer........Why reload aluminum cases when there are so many brass cases available????

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

Back when I was a lot poorer. 50 years ago. I bought lots of Remington UMC steel cased 45 acp's. I reloaded them tool. Never had any problem running them through a light weight Commander.

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S&W Accumulator

Shooting every weekend over decades testing the custom guns I build as a past-time do have a few brass cases laying around. My range lets me help myself to the piles of discarded brass, so arrive with two boxes of ammo, go home with four boxes worth of brass, sometimes less as 9mm dominates the discarded selection.

When don't know about something I post here for the best advice and aluminum cases is something I know nothing about. Thanks to all for the guidance on this subject..

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I've had much shorter lifespan from nickel.

The nickeled brass seems to be considerably less malleable than brass. From .223 to .45 Colt, too many split necks and case mouths

Spend more for a shorter lifespan. No thanks.

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GOA
USA Shooting Supporter

I have reloaded nickel plated brass (.357 mag) and the necks do split after 2-3 reloads.

I had a bunch of brass given to me 10 or 12 years ago. in it were probably 100 or so aluminum cases. Not one to waste any thing, I loaded up 6 cases to see if it was workable to use them. They loaded fine and functioned fine in my gun, so I loaded up the rest and used them one more time the next time I went to an indoor range.

It may be possible to reload aluminum cases, but CCI used Berdan primers in their aluminum cases, so it is hard to remove the primer. The aluminum case may survive one reloading, but that is all and even after the first firing, it is a weak case. I would not reload aluminum cases, such ammo is designed for a single use and should be regarded as such.

Nickle plated brass, in my experience, will split or crack much sooner than plain brass. It is my understanding that the nickel plating process causes hydrogen embrittlement within the brass.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

I routinely reload nickel 38 special and 357 mag cases. Some split, some last for years.

IMHO ---- Why is this even being discussed. Its recommended Not to reload so why do it. Possible to ruin a firearm, hurt yourself or worse a bystander.
My answer is NO do not reload.
Jim

With all the brass laying around (especially from all these new shooters) there is no reason to mess with steel, or aluminum cases.

I hope things aren't that bad in Jersey, that you have to resort to reloading aluminum.

The supply must be drying up ... I checked my local indoor shooting range for the cheap mixed once fired brass I've been buying for years (Precision Once Fired Brass) to get another 1500 count bag and for the very first time ... "Out of Stock" was on the 9mm Luger... What is going on ...That Is BAD !
Gary

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Certified Cajun
NRA Member

Yes, aluminum cases can be reloaded. But many are Berdan primed and case life is very short (sometimes just one or two reloadings). Steel cases can be reloaded, but lose their elasticity/mailability quickly. Yes they both can be reloaded but even today with the shortages, one would have to be very hard pressed to reload any except for a "I wanna try it" experiment...

I've had no experience with steel or aluminum cases. From reading these posts, loading such cases sounds like more of a stunt than anything practical. Even with the current component shortage, it might be worth the wait to get brass cases.

I just reloaded a couple of aluminum cases, just to see if it could be done. I got six loads from them, before I lost them. This was in .45 ACP, and they took small Boxer primers. Shoot away.

At my range I spend as much time picking up free brass no one wants as do shooting. Reason I started this thread is the range got a huge shipment of aluminum .44 special so wanted to ask here if worth retrieving, don't need them at all. I only shoot and reload straight cased revolver rounds. For a while was bringing everything home so have 9mm and .45 auto cases hanging around need a home.

Do have another question don't know the answer to. The ratio I have of .38 special verses .357mag and .44 special verses .44 mag are 80% verses 20% to special cases.. Can I trim magnum cases down to special lengths with some kind cutting machine that isn't overly time consuming ????

On the nickel one shot cases have a few hundred of, because mine came in the form of the higher power .38 +P assumed that companies utilized nickel for high pressure applications. This is to say although my weekend shooting is brass wad cutters through 8 3/8th barrels was thinking it best on the hotter loads going to do for my little Body-Guard J-frame needed nickel as "proper" (for the lack of a better term) ?????

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I reloaded lots of 9 mm Par aluminum cases. Other than lots of split cases after five reloads there was nothing special about them.

I don't reload steel or aluminum and I sure don't waste my time picking them up. I found some nice Hornady .243 brass shells the last time I went. Already have them sized, trimmed, and waiting to be primed.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

There's always brass on the ground at my range too and I usually come home with more brass than the number of rounds I fired. I've got lots of time and pick up any brass that looks to be in good shape and in one of the 3 calibers I reload. I never bother with the steel or aluminum because brass is plentiful. I do get the occasional nickle plated 9mm case and have reloaded them without any problems but I don't track how many times they've been reloaded so I can't say if they have a shorter lifespan than plain brass or not.

I can almost always find .223 and 9mm brass, but have to watch as sometimes I get .380 mixed with the 9mm as it's hard to tell the difference at a glance. I don't find a lot of .45 acp which I do want, but I have learned to spot the difference between that and .40 which I don't want, on the ground before I waste time picking it up.

OP, in your last post you said” don’t need them at all”...it sounds like you answered your own question.
Why bother and take the chance of damage, etc. if you don’t need them at all?

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“Look life in its iron face”

With regard to 9mm brass...once-fired may not be plentiful at the moment, but that will probably change as it always has. Once-fired 9mm brass is very cheap, probably the cheapest of all brass when dealers have it. Once-fired with the same headstamp (preferred) is only minimally more than the second rate mixed stuff.

Sounds like a BIG waste of Time.(trimming) But then the headstamp will be incorrect. Why bother 38 special brass lasts a LONG time,



There is no difference in 38 special and 38+P brass. Only the head stamp, so the shooter knows that it is a +P load.


As to the original question NO do not load aluminum. Just because someone gets away with it once or twice it was not intended to be reloaded.

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Still Running Against the Wind

I have a source of free nickle plated 9mm cases. Free is the key word. I don't care how many reloads I get, I just more cases.

I use a Forster trimmer, set to desired trim length..I shorten 44 mag cases for my Mdl 24. Takes about 30 seconds per case..

Speer are the most common brand of aluminum cases I find at the range and are Berdan primed. Who else makes them that might be boxer primed? I would use them for rubber and wax bullets without a powder charge for use during the long cold winter in my basement.

Just be patient, you will collect a lot of .38 special brass, as well as .357's. No need to trim now, .38's can be reloaded many times before splitting. But to answer your second question, they can be trimmed.