Anyone try reloading aluminum case for 9mm?

[Yoder]

I've had a few aluminum cases end up in my range brass. I've loaded about 5 of them and they worked fine. What's the problem with aluminum? I've always heard you can't or shouldn't reload them.

[gghbi]

I've had a few aluminum cases end up in my range brass. I've loaded about 5 of them and they worked fine. What's the problem with aluminum? I've always heard you can't or shouldn't reload them.

If I recall correctly the aluminum does not have the ductility and will work harden and crack if reloaded repeatedly. Let us know how they work.

[USMC3531]

In my experience they split after 2 or 3 loading.

[pennlineman]

Brass also splits after a while. I do have .38 special brass reloaded I don't know how many times from the 80's. The automatic calibers are usually lost before they wear out. I find much more than I lose though. I guess the aluminum would be okay I a pinch or for a match that you can't gather your brass. But with so much 9mm bras laying around on the ranges I don't bother with aluminum.

[bogey1]

I do them in 44mag, they work fine.
Also tried them in 9mm with no problems either.
USMC I get about the same results with 44mag. And I wouldn't even call mine mags,
they are light loads.

[Yoder]

When I first started reloading 9mm I kept track if how many times I loaded a brass case. I got up to five times and decided it didn't matter. Now I load them until they crack.

Aluminum seems to work well. I've only shot a few but they worked fine. I can see that they would crack faster.

[Tim Ault]

If I recall correctly the aluminum does not have the ductility and will work harden and crack if reloaded repeatedly. Let us know how they work.

This . it will split/crack long before a brass casing will .

[Kramer]

Back in the late 1980s I reloaded the 9mm, 38 spl, 45 ACP aluminum cases to see what would happen.

The de-capping pin punched a new flash hole, standard primers fit and I usually only got one reload before the case would split.

[Bib]

All the aluminum cases I see anymore are boxer primed. I've reloaded a few 9mm and 45...they loaded and functioned just fine. I was thinking of seeing how many loadings they would handle....then my elevator made it to the top floor and I realized: 1) I don't want them splitting in my gun when they fail and 2) I have enough range brass to probably last me the rest of my life so why even bother?

[JenniferG]

I've learned from working with aluminum on bicycles that once aluminum is bent or changed from it's original casting it has a tendency to have unpredictable sudden catastrophic failure. I'd stick to brass, it's cheap enough why fool around with something you may regret and already know is unreliable. I have been reloading for over 30 years and I don't even use brass that I do not know the origin of. Brass picked up at the range is especially suspect. I've had 45 acp cases rupture with Federal brass that had a cannelure so I don't reload brass with a cannelure either.