Aluminum Ammo

[steve0322]

I'm a fairly new shooter and not as knowledgeable about the subject as you fine gents. Is there any issue with aluminum cased ammo? Trying to research online has only brought me to forum after forum without much info, so I figured I would ask the local forum. I have a .45 Sig 320 and a 9mm Shield and put about 50-100rds of each whenever I go to the range, which is about every 2-3 weeks. Since I don't reload, is there any other reason that I shouldn't use aluminum? Like I said, I'm not doing torture tests and mostly shooting indoors. I like the price as long as it doesn't hurt the guns.

 

[shibumiseeker]

Shoot away. In ye olde days the aluminum cased ammo was a lot cheaper than brass, but not so much any more, though it still is a little cheaper.

But if price is your shooting consideration, consider reloading. At the volume you shoot you'll make back your equipment in less than six months, and while invariably there will be the naysayers who say it costs thousands to start reloading. It doesn't. Then there's the folks who say they don't have room for reloading gear. You can start with a setup that fits in a shoebox and can be done anywhere. It's easy to do and many people find it a fun hobby unto itself and for .45acp plinking ammo your shooting costs will be half or better once you learn how to source components properly.

 

[throttletony]

aluminum case ammo is fine.
It's a bit cheaper and can't be reloaded, if you're ok with that, then go for it.
It seems like Blazer and Federal are the most common ones that I see in aluminum

For rifle, there's also steel cased ammo, but that wasn't the question.

 

[steve0322]

I'd love to get into reloading at some point. I'm sure my gf will poo-poo on it. I thought I was into making my own beer at one point, but that faded. I'm sure she'll throw that at me when I do decide to reload. I was curious if it was fine, since 9mm was $9.99 and .45 was $14.95 for Federal aluminum at the Avon Walmart the other day.

 

[12many]

I shoot that federal aluminum case in both my G36 and 9mm Shield without a hitch. It is definitely cheaper. I used to reload a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away then life got in the way. The aluminum cased ammo helps me keep my costs manageable. Wally world is now carrying the perfecta which is the old Tula Brassmaxx (Fiocchi out of italy) and is similar in cost to the aluminum. I have not had any issues with it in my shield, G43 or LC9, but have yet found or tried any .45acp in the G36

 

[dieselrealtor]

I shot a fair amount of the Federal aluminum case 9mm when my press was in storage,
zero failures & acceptable accuracy for plinking.

 

[Mycroft]

Both 9mm and 45acp should be fine, though I did have a serious issue with 38 special several years ago. Apparently when you shoot aluminum cased 38's in a light weight revolver (S&W 642) the recoil can partially extract the bullets from the cartridges far enough to jam the cylinder after 2-3 of the 5 shots.

 

[Uncle Chan]

Both 9mm and 45acp should be fine, though I did have a serious issue with 38 special several years ago. Apparently when you shoot aluminum cased 38's in a light weight revolver (S&W 642) the recoil can partially extract the bullets from the cartridges far enough to jam the cylinder after 2-3 of the 5 shots.

Depends on the gun. My Colt Series 70 hates aluminium cased 45acp. Jams every time. My Beretta 92F loves it. YMMV.

 

[steve0322]

I bought a couple boxes of Federal aluminum in 9mm and .45. Zero problems, but did seem a little dirty. I noticed quite a bit of charred flakes on my arms. I've never noticed it before, but maybe I wasn't paying attention closely?

 

[hondaCBR]

My friend just ran 100 rounds of Federal 9mm aluminum through his new Walther CCP today. No problems. We did not know if his gun would be picky on ammo but that is the first trip to the range with the gun so we are still trying to find out.

 

[Cameramonkey]

The only negative is for range owners. They may not like it because they cant use a magnet to separate it from the brass like they do steel cased.

You can tell a bit about a range owner if they ban aluminum cased ammo. It means they are lazy and dont want to sort your ammo out by hand before recycling it or reloading it. (or sending it off to whomever does)