Moe Mentum
Member
I hope things aren't that bad in Jersey, that you have to resort to reloading aluminum.
Reloading aluminum cases
- Thread starter Jersey Doug
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gwpercle
Member
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
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...
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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.
scattershot
Member
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.
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Jersey Doug
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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) ?????
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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Freischütz
Member
I reloaded lots of 9 mm Par aluminum cases. Other than lots of split cases after five reloads there was nothing special about them.
Ole Joe Clark
Absent Comrade
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
Have a blessed day,
Leon
mmb617
Member
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.
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.
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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.
jag312
Member
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.
bigggbbruce
Member
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.
Moe Mentum
Member
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.
