Boomstick Bruce Posted July 3, 2019 Share Posted July 3, 2019 So i use the same .452rnfp for both 45 Colt and acp. (Missouri bullets #4). Last loading session I had about 60 45acp rounds that wouldn't chamber in my new 1911. I thought maybe the chrome plated barrel was the problem so I fitted a spare barrel I have to the gun and discovered the same problem. So I check my dies thinking I did something wrong and changed the settings. Then I checked the bullet diameter thinking maybe they are 454 and not 452. Nope not the answer either. So I start checking each round I made and notice the messed up ones are all "A-merc" on the headstamp. Anyone else run into this problem? Is the brass thicker or something? I'm lost on this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Hangtree Posted July 3, 2019 Share Posted July 3, 2019 You did resize the brass first, didn't you? If so, what resizing die are you using? Amerc brass gets very poor reviews online, mostly due to enlarged primer pockets and irregular thickness. Toss it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971 Posted July 3, 2019 Share Posted July 3, 2019 I take all A-merc brass I find and toss it in my scrap brass bucket. That brass has far too many flaws to reload. Google "A-merc" brass to get the story on that brass. There is plenty of information on the web. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jefro, SASS#69420 Posted July 3, 2019 Share Posted July 3, 2019 Just now, Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971 said: I take all A-merc brass I find an toss it in my scrap brass bucket. That brass has far too many flaws to reload. Google "A-merc" brass to get the story on that brass. There is plenty of information on the web. This^ Good Luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michigan Slim Posted July 3, 2019 Share Posted July 3, 2019 Yep, A-merc is bad stuff. Pitch it in the scrap bucket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boggus Deal #64218 Posted July 3, 2019 Share Posted July 3, 2019 A-Merc, CBC and S&B all go right in the scrap bucket! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goody, SASS #26190 Posted July 3, 2019 Share Posted July 3, 2019 The worst thing about A-Merc, which obviously does not apply in this case, is the undersized rims. They will just flat stay in the rifle chamber after firing because there is nothing for the extractor to grab. Hideous stuff! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Aggie Rifleman, SASS#55213 Posted July 3, 2019 Share Posted July 3, 2019 AMERC brass gets tossed or made into dummies for other purposes (molds for leather loops). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boomstick Bruce Posted July 3, 2019 Author Share Posted July 3, 2019 thanks everyone! im so glad its not just me having problems with this stuff... filed under "things i wish i knew when i started reloading" lol i have about 60 loaded 45acp to pluck now... anyone want to buy this stuff??? lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 Posted July 3, 2019 Share Posted July 3, 2019 18 minutes ago, Boomstick Bruce said: anyone want to buy this stuff? Smash the mouth and sell to scrap dealer. It's worth way more as scrap than it is as a cartridge case. Their .38 special cases are just as bad. They (reportedly) redraw mil surp rifle brass into pistol cartridges. How they remain in business is anyone's guess. This is one good reason to read the SASS Wire. We've been warning folks off A-Merc brass for about 10 years now. Good luck, GJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene, SASS # 27489 Posted July 3, 2019 Share Posted July 3, 2019 Well, since they are already loaded and pulling 60 bullets is a pain...If you have a buddy with a Lee factory crimp die, have him run those rounds through it, I'm thinking they will be shootable. Then toss them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 Posted July 3, 2019 Share Posted July 3, 2019 Lee FCD die did not cure the problems with .38 special A-merc cases I loaded 10 years ago. The dimensions were too large at the base and rim, which the Lee FCD die CANNOT reach. I will not fire an A-merc even if it seemed to load well. I'd rather toss out the ammo than fire it! Good luck, GJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boomstick Bruce Posted July 3, 2019 Author Share Posted July 3, 2019 21 minutes ago, Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 said: This is one good reason to read the SASS Wire. We've been warning folks off A-Merc brass for about 10 years now. 1231 posts and you'd think i'd have seen it by now maybe make a thread about what brass not to use and shape it like a target and maybe i could see it then again, with as many misses i had at the last WB match i shot, maybe that wouldn't help either Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 Posted July 3, 2019 Share Posted July 3, 2019 Well, sticky threads or FAQs are not supported on this forum by regular posters. So, if no one asks, no one provides experience-based replies. Good luck, GJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twelve mile REB Posted July 3, 2019 Share Posted July 3, 2019 I use A-merc fairly successfully in my pool of 38 special practice brass. When it doesn't work I get to practice malfunction drills. It does in my experience work its way out of the practice brass it splits sooner. How deep is my practice pool? Purchased 20k once fired last year of which approximately 500 were A-Merc. Most of my problems are in the reloading phase rather than function but they just are not worth much just starting the 3rd cycle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.N. Double Posted July 3, 2019 Share Posted July 3, 2019 9 hours ago, Boggus Deal #64218 said: A-Merc, CBC and S&B all go right in the scrap bucket! A primed S&B case always looks funny to me -- good to see some validation. I haven't had any malfunctions (yet), but maybe I'll start setting aside the S&B and CBC brass. What don't you like about the CBC brass? @Boomstick BruceSorry for the off-topic question, but I haven't found any AMERC brass. I also haven't read any posts about it on the Wire in my short tenure as a member, so thanks for asking the question (again?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Too Tall Bob Posted July 3, 2019 Share Posted July 3, 2019 A-merc and S&B brass go right into the scrap bucket for me. I completely agree with Garrison Joe on these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boggus Deal #64218 Posted July 3, 2019 Share Posted July 3, 2019 14 minutes ago, C.N. Double said: A primed S&B case always looks funny to me -- good to see some validation. I haven't had any malfunctions (yet), but maybe I'll start setting aside the S&B and CBC brass. What don't you like about the CBC brass? @Boomstick BruceSorry for the off-topic question, but I haven't found any AMERC brass. I also haven't read any posts about it on the Wire in my short tenure as a member, so thanks for asking the question (again?) Either primer pocket is too tight and or shallow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 I can fix fix S&B .45 auto brass by running a Dillon pocket swager on it, which bumps the tight primer pocket diameters out to American diameter standards. I have no problems with CBC brass, and load it like all the rest of my mix. Should I find a tight primer pocket in one (in perhaps a really old case), it will also respond well to a Dillon pocket swager. I've never found a pocket too shallow in either of those brands. CBC is Brazilian made and the main headstamp on Magtech ammo. Both of those brands run well after the pocket is properly sized. Some folks may not find it worthwhile to fix a piece of brass, but with the swager mounted on the same bench as my loader, it's a quick fix for me. Fiocchi, another European brand I find in range brass often, will also have a few tight pockets that can easily be swaged out. Surprisingly, I've not had RWS (German) cases show a tight pocket, nor the Privi or Tula imports. Good luck, GJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Church Key, SASS # 33713 Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 Bruce - Spare yourself the grief and go down to the Ace Hardware in Stephens City, VA (just below Winchester). They sell once-fired .45 ACP from the Quantico FBI range for $45 per K that is even cleaned. Last batch I saw was by Norma. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawMan Mark, SASS #57095L Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 Shot some factory A-Merc ammo through a 625 Smith and Wesson once. The brass was so badly out of spec that it warped my moon clips to where the cylinder wouldn't close. Ruined two clips getting the crap ammo out of them. Found i had a kimber that would chamber them...shot them up and won't have any more of that stuff on the place. if i get any of the brass in range pickup, it goes directly into the scrap bucket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badlands Bob #61228 Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 I've found that the 38 special Amerc brass won't even fit on the shell plate of my Dillon 650. The rim on the brass is too thick. That's when I pull them out, crush them and throw them into the brass bucket along with the occasional piece of 357 brass that I have turned into a funnel. I'd also like to see the person flogged who came up with the idea of using small pistol primers in 45 acp. but that's another discussion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Barleycorn, SASS #76982 Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 A-merc = Trash can Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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