Reloading aluminum cases; safe or not?

Longshot338

Longshot338

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I have some CCI Blazer .45ACP aluminum cases I picked up while scrounging for brass.

They have NR (Not Roloadable) stamped on the rim.

I looked in the case and it is boxer primed. I figured "why not", so I ran it into my resizing/decapping die. No problems so far. I then tried seating a primer; no problems there. It seated with regular tension, and had was flush with the rim.

The case wall material is thinner than the brass cases I have, so I don't forsee any problems with case pressures rising unless it has a thicker base.

Why are these non-reloadable? I'm not arrogant enough to presume the manufacturer didn't know what they were talking about when they stamped it NR, nor am I dumb enough to try it without sound opinion in favor of it by ppeople more experienced with reloading pistol casings than I am.

Just curious if anybody had tried this and what the results were, and if it is worth it or not?

Alec
 
There is a chance that they are "Non-reloadable" by decree of lawyers for liability reasons.

I haven't tried it yet, but I've inspected a few and am thinking about giving it a try.

If you got the brass, probably not worth it, and I have the brass, so I'm in no rush to do so.

Here is what I figure:

You'd probably get away with 1 or 2 reloadings, but they would not last.
I think we'll find that alum' is quite a bit more brittle then brass, and they will probably crack very easily, which isn't a big deal . . . in a low pressure load . . . however, could be danger in high pressure applications.

A cracked case could result is flame cutting damage to a chamber.

Also, if a case cracks, you're going to get a POOF into your face, so don't try it without safety glasses on.
I once had a brass 357 case crack on me shooting my revolver and I got a fairly strong poof which actually "bit" me on the ear.
Had I been the kind of cowboy that shoots without glasses, I could very well have lost an eye that day.
I have 38 special Nickel cases crack on me all the time, no ill effects that I've noticed so far.

I've yet to have a 9mm brass case crack on me. I do not currently shoot 45.

The case itself is not a load baring, it's the chamber that takes the abuse. As long as the case is properly seated into battery when it gets fired, I don't think the gun could possibly blow up even if the case fails, just you might eject a rim with the rest jammed in the chamber. And remember, that kind of failure can cause damaged to your chamber.

The way I see it, you should get at least ONE solid safe reload out of them.

I'm thinking of trying it myself under somewhat controlled circumstances. Like picking a couple cases. Loading them up. Maybe shooting them individually, as in not a loaded mag, and continuing like this until I get a failure.

I would not load up entire batches of them until I know what to expect.

So, what I've discussed so far is just me brainstorming based on an educated guess. I really have no idea what to expect.

I'm curious if anyone is going to chime in with known reasons why you can't reload them.
I guarantee someone will chime in with "Don't because you're not suppose to" kind of thing.
 
I have a Norino 1911 whih is pretty robust from what I understand. Its not a $2000 Kimber or anything I would be afraid to experiment with (within reason).

If I do end up trying this I will take every precaution necessary; maybe a stout pair of leather gloves isn't a bad idea either in the event you do get gas exiting the chamber/slide area.

I don't have any need for using these casings as I have 2600 brass pieces to load. I am just curious more than anything else.
 
I reloaded them before and they usually crack the case after the first reloading. But if you want to save your good brass and want to get some range time in. Then reload them, fire and toss them in the recycle bin.
 
I have no idea if this notion has any merit whatever but something about "aluminum" plagues me. A dissertation I once read about the merits of SS cleaning rods vs aluminum sectional ones claimed, among other things, that a property of aluminum is that it can cut into steel. Maybe it was to do with aluminum oxide or something, I forget. Anyhow, you begin to see my concern.

Are these Blazer cases not coated with a thin lacquer like some steel cases are ? If so, I expect in firing / reloading you wear it off, no ? I don't mean to mislead anybody with this hypothesis. My concern may not be relevant but it remains a concern for me nonetheless. Anyone reading who can clarify ?
 
Just for fun I reloaded 3 of them 3-4 times in 40s&w haven't seen a issue yet. Quite light loadings but they have worked. Aluminum doesn't like to be reformed too much before cracking normally.
 
I have reloaded them several times and what happens to mine are the primer pockets loosen up to the point the primer fell out after being fired.

This was in 9mm and 45acp. I just recently found some 38 spl I plan to reload as well.
 
The reason aluminum and steel cases are coated has to do with oxidation, which both metals are extremely prone to and brass is not. Neither metal could be stored for even a year in some climates with out so much corrosion as to make them unsafe to fire.
The cleaning rod information you mentioned earlier is incorrect. The reason SS is a preferred rod is that it is much, much harder and doesn't collect imbedded debris as does the much softer aluminum. These imbedded particles of carbon and other hard materials act like sand paper in an aluminum rod and I expect you get the picture from there........
As far as loading alum cases, although I've never done it, I can see no reason why not, if you inspect them carefully and don't load the snot out of them. I suspect you'll only get a load or two as aluminum doesn't have the elasticity properties of brass, but other than short life there should be no other downside. I have split many 38 spl, 357 and 44 RM without any damage to firearm. I have 2 boxes of factory 38-40 that split more than 1/2 on the first firing in my Colt lightning. I did some reading and found this is quite normal as the chamber is way bigger than the cases and the chamber shoulder is .150" farther forward than loaded ammo. This had to do with some problem encountered way back in the old days, and this was the soultion. WEAR SHOOTING GLASSES !!
 
Thing is with aluminum, as stated above is that it work hardens quickly and will crack much sooner than brass will. Another thing to keep in mind is that aluminum cases, if not lubed or laquered can possibly cause some galling in your dies(the aluminum rubs off and sticks to the steel). Otherwise, I see no reason it would be unsafe, you just won't get mileage out of them.
 
"..."Non-reloadable" by decree of lawyers..." Nope. This time it's metalurgy. AL is not elastic the way brass is and does not go back to the factory dimensions.
 
sunray said:
"..."Non-reloadable" by decree of lawyers..." Nope. This time it's metalurgy. AL is not elastic the way brass is and does not go back to the factory dimensions.
Click to expand...

It's still the reason they say NR on it though, you can reload them but they cover the butts legally.
 
Member of our local club reloaded 9mm Blazer NR cases to save money. Replacing an extractor when the case head split negated the saving many times over.
 
Tried a few 9mm a couple times. Primer tension was the issue I noticed after 2 or 3 firings. Never had any crack.

I've got a couple hundred primed that will get loaded sometime and used in the snow or someplace I don't want to worry about picking up brass.
 
vagrantviking said:
Tried a few 9mm a couple times. Primer tension was the issue I noticed after 2 or 3 firings. Never had any crack.

I've got a couple hundred primed that will get loaded sometime and used in the snow or someplace I don't want to worry about picking up brass.
Click to expand...

That's a good reason for reloading once I would say, but is it safe?
 
Just because a person can do something doesn't always mean that you should do it. As others have stated brass is not that expensive and guns and possibly body parts are. I see that people reload steel cases as well but I am not sure why you would want to. I guess some people just want to prove that they can do things.

Graydog
 
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