Jump to content
SASS Wire Forum

A bit of weirdness


Buck D. Law, SASS #62183

Recommended Posts

In a recent match I had a case fail to eject leaving some rounds in my rifle. Naturally I kept the case to inspect and determine the problem. When I took a look I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The first thing that caught my attention was the beveled head, but then I saw the real problem. Perhaps someone familiar with the manufacturing process for brass can enlighten me as to what happened at the factory. Since then I've done some reading regarding A-Merc brass and found that apparently poor quality is common.

 

 

20151227_112842-1_zpsoa3tywx4.jpg

 

 

 

20151227_113204-1_zpss3zducsk.jpg

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have real problems with Amerc in 45acp....all of them in the scrap bucket. I've also had some .38sp to not fit the Dillon 650 shell plate well and discard them as they come up.

 

Kajun

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I won't knowingly keep them. The case head is a slightly smaller diameter, so if there is the least bit of dirt or resistance in the chamber it will pull free of the extractor, staying in the chamber. Ain't worth it for the 2 cents or so 38sp brass value.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

With years of commercial reloading experience cas ammunition,

A-MERC brass was tossed in the scrape bucket.

 

It did not fit shell plates most of the time.

Instead of taking time to try and make it work, scrape bucket is where it went.

Same with aluminum cases.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I ONLY use AMERC in my practice loads. And I only use them because I have so many given to me and already have them reloaded.

 

I won't use them in matches.....period.

 

 

..........Widder

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I ONLY use AMERC in my practice loads. And I only use them because I have so many given to me and already have them reloaded.

 

I won't use them in matches.....period.

 

 

..........Widder

I assume yours have a groove for the extractor. :) It'd be a great case for people who worry about dry firing their rifle. It WILL NOT come out! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A-Merc brass has long been excoriated here on the wire, and I've been a member of that posse. It is less than worthless - it is a pest upon the shooting world.

 

(Excoriated => to criticize (someone or something) very harshly)

 

It has seemed like their idea of quality control on the brass they "restamp" from other scrap cases runs as deep as snow falls in He-double-hockey-sticks.

 

Now, would you like to know how I really feel? I feel ashamed to even toss that stuff in the scrap bucket to take to the recycler.

 

:lol::excl:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

After having several jams in my loading machines and in my rifles I finally narrowed it down to AMERC brass. Sat in front of the TV looking at headstamps on thousands of .38 brass and tossed all the AMERC brass in the trash. Problem solved.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Never had any AMERC brass, but have the same problem with Blazer brass. Gradually thinning it out, I only use it in revolvers. Anybody else have trouble with Blazer brass?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have real problems with Amerc in 45acp....all of them in the scrap bucket. I've also had some .38sp to not fit the Dillon 650 shell plate well and discard them as they come up.

 

Kajun

 

My experience as well. Not worth taking the chance or the headache. Scrap all A-MERC brass I find. Or give it to my 'friends' :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is is not just AMERC brass, either. Anything from the Philippines, CBC brass from Brazil(?), PMC brass from Korea, and many more, are not suitable for what we do. Crap like that gets in our brass stream from our buying "range brass" that the seller has pretty much sorted all the good brass out of and sold the rest.

 

Those people who talk about whipping out, on their 650, some 500 rounds per hour (or whatever the number) KNOW what they have. They may have 2-3 thousand empty cases (or more), and only 4-5 head stamps. Starline DOES make and stamp their brass for others, such as Precision and several others.

 

I pretty much only use 4 head stamps. That's one way to address these kind of malfunctions...just not using unknown head stamps. Takes a bit of looking to sort it out, but it's not hard to determine which ones to pass on.

 

I started by looking online for a reference. These references are not real easy to navigate, but start with a collector's website like this one:

http://www.cartridgecollectors.org/headstampcodes

 

which will NOT give all the answers, but will help a lot. Another way is, when you run into a rough spot in the process, STOP and pull that piece of brass and put it in a small can. Pretty soon you'll see that it's the same head stamps all the time that give you reloading headaches. ALSO, inspect your reloaded ammo....you'll find a lot of problems right there.

 

Thre are probably better ways to do it (buy all new Starline and don't worry about it at all), but I had a lot of .38 brass to start with.

 

Cat Brules

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Odd, I have been reloading about 1700 rounds of CBC brass for almost 2 years. (Started out with 2 cases of Magtec factory ammo till I could reload.) Other than the primers needing a little more force to seat the first time I reloaded them they have not given me any issues. Most have been reloaded at least 10 times.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No problems when I load CBC, PMC (love it - it's good brass), PPU. I can even load S&B if I watch for tight primer pockets and ream them first time I find them. Been finding A-USA - which is Armscorp - brass that loads well. Even seeing some brass Tula (Russian) now, and it loads well for me.

 

Amazing that foreign producers can turn out good brass and a Florida company can't (A-Merc)...

 

Good luck, GJ

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have had ONLY ONE failure to eject from my Marlins,,,, yup yu guessed it,,,,amerc...... pure junk!!!!

 

I even pulled a case apart once that had split along the cannelure,,, it still pulled out the bottom half... but not a-merc

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't care for the Amerc brass, and try to discard it when I find it. My biggest problem comes from seating primers in Winchester 38 Brass.... they seem to be much tighter than all the others. When I blew up a full tube of primers on my 650 it was when I was trying to seat a primer into a 38 Winchester case. Hummm?

 

Snakebite

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't care for the Amerc brass, and try to discard it when I find it. My biggest problem comes from seating primers in Winchester 38 Brass.... they seem to be much tighter than all the others. When I blew up a full tube of primers on my 650 it was when I was trying to seat a primer into a 38 Winchester case. Hummm?

 

Snakebite

Have same problem with Winchester brass. Not as bad with Winchester primers but federal will at times squash sideways. Really do not need experience of igniting primer in m 650.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you do not distinguish between your rifle and pistol brass, I can understand putting it in the "sell for scrap" bin, but... it's good pistol brass. If it fits your shell holder, what's the problem?

 

I also have found CBC brass in 45Colt to be easy to load, never encountering a problem. And to whoever is using small primer 45Auto brass... STOP!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I only load and shoot Starline cases. Avoids all the problems. Cheap brass is like cheap tequila .....More head ache than pleasure

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.