Are aluminum cases a gamble?

[Oracle]

I first want to state I am not a reloader (yet). All of my 357 and 44 magnum brass gets shared around amongst my friends.
My question is are they a bit of a gamble strength wise? Is there an inherent risk of the casing splitting, separating or expanding in the cylinder? The rounds are usually a bit cheaper, are the few cents saved per round worth risking a cylinder?

 

[Empe]

Yes the aluminum cased ammo should work fine in your revolver. As you noted aluminum ammo costs less than than brass case .
I've put hundreds of rounds of the aluminum cased 9mm ammo through my Glock 34 with no issues whatsoever. If you're not planning on reloading you can save $$ using it.

 

[Muley Gil]

I went through the NRA Law Enforcement Handgun/Shotgun Instructors course with a Glock 19 and aluminum Blazer ammo. Shot close to 500 rounds with nary a problem.

 

[scattershot]

No problems with aluminum cased ammo. I’ve even reloaded some of the brass with no issues.

 

[Dave from Pa]

No problems with aluminum cased ammo, works better than a lot of the others.

 

[Dave Lively]

Never had a problem with aluminum cased ammo but I have not shot a lot of it. In general aluminum is more susceptible to metal fatigue than other metals but unless you try to reload the cases that doesn't matter.

 

[stansdds]

The little bit that I have shot has been CCI Blazer aluminum. No problems with reliability and just as accurate as their brass cased Blazer ammo. The big thing about the aluminum case is that it is not intended to be reloaded, it is intended to be used only once.

 

[OKFC05]

As stansdds says above, quality factory aluminum loaded cases such as CCI Blazer are excellent, and I have watched one sponsored competitor rise to Master shooting 50,000 rounds a year of Blazer 9mm. For the first time it is shot, it is accurate and safe. I have shot several cases of it in competition over many years with zero problems from it.

Heed the advice NOT to reload it, and you will have no problem with aluminum. When aluminum is fired, it work hardens severely and WILL FAIL IF RELOADED, maybe not the first time, but certainly MUCH quicker than brass. Aluminum cannot be annealed as simply as brass, and fired aluminum is for recycling not reloading, for safety.

Yes, I know personally some adventurous types who have reloaded .38 aluminum and shot it in .357 revolvers without injuring themselves or the guns, but they quickly produced a growing pile of split cases, and a .357 revolver shooting .38s is probably the least affected by split cases of any type of handgun.

 

[jeeps]

It's ok for range ammo,but not for duty ammo. The crimp is weak on the bullet and gets weaker in long term storage. Most military does not use them.

 

[Rlg#17]

I’m not getting really what you consider a gamble? Often brass will split along the length of the case, and case heads are known to fail. Some military calibers even have available a, “broken shell extractor” for that caliber if the case head is ripped off during the extraction step.

I have had zero problems when using aluminum cased ammo, and have used it extensively at a class when nothing else was available, and they were high round count days.

I have reloaded both 9mm and 45 GAP CASES that were aluminum with absolute success. They weren’t full charge, red line loads, but they fed, fired, and extracted as any brass cased ammo would.

Blazer or federal aluminum wouldn’t have been with us as long as they have if they were a “gamble.” Have you had any issues, or are just wondering?

Regards from the Commonwealth,
Rick Gibbs

 

[Pisgah]

There is no added risk of case failure, and actually case failure is not such a big deal, as long as we are talking about a normal load. A split case will mean a lot of extra gas and particles exiting the gun, but the cylinder will hold without any problem and be none the worse for wear.

 

[gwpercle]

The aluminum cases are not reloader friendly .
Brass is more expensive and can be reloaded ... aluminum is one shot deal ... you can reload them but the aluminum is brittle and tends to crack and split in just a few reloadings .
Aluminum cased blazer has been on the market for a number of years ... test it in your gun to make sure it likes it before buying a large quantity ! Some pistols don't care for the stuff and wont eat it .
Gary

 

[Paul in Nevada]

I have seen aluminum cases split or crumple at the mouth with cartridges that had been repeatedly chambered and ejected. A friend was using Blazer range ammo for carry. One magazine had three damaged rounds. He changed his ways after I showed him the defects. Used as intended, aluminum cased ammo is fine.

 

[VictorLouis]

I've probably fired thousands of Blazer alloy in 9mm, and many hundreds of .38. i don't have any experience with .357 in it, but I would try it wil confidence.

 

[Nevada Ed]

as mentioned in the above logs, it is for target use and maybe SD use, but

it is also intended to be only loaded into a gun, just one time, with the round being
sent down range, before it is extracted and then tossed into the garbage can.

 

[gfors]

Never a problem with 9mm. However, I’ve had .357 cases stick in my 686-6

 

[max]

My experience has all been with 9mm and I have had no problems in many thousand rounds. My largest purchase was 8200 rounds on one of my trips South where I could buy it at Academy. In those days it was around $4.00 per box.

 

[GB]

I have a M&P in 45acp. It will shoot all manner of brass and steel case is no problem. But, aluminum will not work. Clean, dirty, hot or cold it will not run. Aluminum works fine in all my other auto and revolvers. If your unit runs aluminum great if not, well then plan B.

 

[ReloadforFun]

In semi-auto handguns, repeatedly chambering the same round will loosen the bullet, for any type of casing.

 

[Oracle]

The "gamble" is dollars-worth of damage for cents worth savings.

I buy quality revolvers, semi autos and rifles so I buy quality ammo. I don't take my rig to Wally Molly for oil changes for the same reason.

I have no intentions of reloading, so, I will pick up a box of the aluminum 357 ammo and see how it shoots.

Thank you for your input, I appreciate it!

Don