So I have been into shooting for a few years now. Since myself and friends tend to shoot a lot, almost weekly in summer sometimes, we found that aluminum case ammunition was most cost effective in our area sine none of us were interested in going through hassle of reloading ammo. We have run thousands and thousands of round of aluminum case ammo through all types of semi autos and never had any malfunctions or issues. But, I purchased a Walther PPQ M2 this week and took it to the range for the first time. I put about 200 rounds of aluminum case and 100 rounds of brass through the gun (a relatively light day of shooting compared to what we normally feed our guns) and had zero issues, the gun runs smooth and accurate with no malfunctions. But upon taking the gun apart i found a ton of aluminum shavings, mostly on the underside of the slide. I gave it a good cleaning and all seems okay, but when i fed home defense rounds into the gun it seemed to be chambering a little rough.Does anyone have experience with the aluminum issue? or is it a non issue if the gun gets cleaned well? And since im in experienced with hollow point ammo, does it typically feel slightly different to chamber a round?
Aluminum Cased Ammo
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Welcome to TFF. I don't shoot any ammo that I cannot reload, so I have zero experience with the aluminum cases you speak of. Just from a shooting standpoint, aluminum is much softer than brass, so those aluminum shavings you find after shooting makes sense to me. When the weapon cycles ammo from the mag into the chamber you are getting shavings from the aluminum working against the hard steel surfaces of the mag and the slide.
If the weapon cycles a little rough when you change ammo, sounds to me like it needs a good cleaning. You could very well be feeding some of those shavings into the action and into the chamber. If it were me, I'd clean the action, slide rails and the chamber. The chamber sounds like it could use a very good scrubbing with a bronze bore brush and maybe some Hoppe's #9 solvent and snug fitting patches. Don't forget to use a good lubricant on the slide rails when you finish cleaning. You might think about giving the mags a good cleaning, too, if you are getting that much case shaving in the action.
If the weapon cycles a little rough when you change ammo, sounds to me like it needs a good cleaning. You could very well be feeding some of those shavings into the action and into the chamber. If it were me, I'd clean the action, slide rails and the chamber. The chamber sounds like it could use a very good scrubbing with a bronze bore brush and maybe some Hoppe's #9 solvent and snug fitting patches. Don't forget to use a good lubricant on the slide rails when you finish cleaning. You might think about giving the mags a good cleaning, too, if you are getting that much case shaving in the action.
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Some of the aluminum that got scraped off the cartridges has been deposited in the chamber and should be completely cleaned out. Factory SD ammo is probably the truest dimensioned ammo available, so it should always chamber and cycle without problems. Find a solvent that works at removing aluminum and scrub the chamber and bore very well. Inspect as well as you can, then a very light oiling (should not be any liquid on the surface) will protect the chamber and bore.
I gave the gun one hell of a cleaning when I found the shavings, I'll have to double check the feed ramp when I'm in from of the gun again and see if there's any residue left. Also, seemed to be feeding the same ballpoint aluminum just fine, just the sig 9mm hollow points seemed to feel weird.
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Hassle? Reloading is a hassle? First time I've heard it called a hassle!
I am like Jim, in that I don't buy any ammo that I can't reload. I have picked up a few of the aluminium cases that were boxer primed and have reloaded them too, just to see if it could be done.
I am like Jim, in that I don't buy any ammo that I can't reload. I have picked up a few of the aluminium cases that were boxer primed and have reloaded them too, just to see if it could be done.
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I have no intention of getting into reloading now or in the future. I have enough hobbies for now, so getting involved in yet another one would be a waste of time, effort, and money. Sometimes I pick up my brass to give to a friend who reloads, but also sometimes I leave it for the local "brass picker" who comes to the range a couple of times per week to pick up the good stuff. I presume he sells it to reloaders.
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Yeah it's not a hassle if you enjoy doing it
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I've used quite a bit of aluminum cased rounds before, (9mm and .40 S&W). For 9mm, I don't bother, I can find brass cased cheaper (almost never buy it though because I reload..). For .40, I only buy aluminum case. Reasons: I cant find .40 in steel case, brass cased is normally more money and I don't shoot it enough to justify reloading (yet). I'd need to buy dies (~$35-50, lone wolf barrel $100, most likely the lee bulge buster ~$20). So for now at least, an initial setup cost of around $165 more isnt worth it. I've kept .40 brass and down the road if I get a ton of it, I'll probably load it up!
As for your issue, I've shot quite a few aluminum cased rounds through my Glock and I've never once seen aluminum shavings anywhere in my gun.
As for your issue, I've shot quite a few aluminum cased rounds through my Glock and I've never once seen aluminum shavings anywhere in my gun.
Me too! I picked up between 500 and 600 rounds of 9MM brass at my gun club. I also picked up about 250 aluminum 9MM cases to see if I could reload them. So far they've worked as well as brass cases, and when these hit the ground (for the second time) I don't bother to save them.
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Keep some aluminum cased 9mm on hand for those places that I can't retrieve my brass cases. I have not shot a lot of it but I have never had a problem when I did shoot it and I have never noticed any aluminum shavings. My first guess would be a burr on the lips of one or more of your magazines.
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There is a test reloaders use to insure good positive feeding and it's called "the Plunk test". If I had the problems you mentioned, I would remove the barre from my gun and test the "fit" (and chamber cleanliness). Drop one of yor SD rounds into the upended barrel and it should fall into the chamber and seat with a "thunk". Invert the barrel and the round should fall out. If the round doesn't pass the test, then inspect and clean the chamber...
You're right about "needing" another hobby. Reloading is habit forming and can become quite involved (I have 4 presses, 3 powder measures, 3 scales, 13 die sets, 5 Lee Loaders, and 1.38 metric tons of assorted tools and equipment, not to mention mebbe 8K cases and four or five thousand bullets of varying calibers, and styles and 30+ lbs of gunpowder
)...
You're right about "needing" another hobby. Reloading is habit forming and can become quite involved (I have 4 presses, 3 powder measures, 3 scales, 13 die sets, 5 Lee Loaders, and 1.38 metric tons of assorted tools and equipment, not to mention mebbe 8K cases and four or five thousand bullets of varying calibers, and styles and 30+ lbs of gunpowder
)...
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You reloaded some aluminum case's? I remember when they first came out, we were told they couldn't be reloaded. How did you do that. Just courious as I have no intention of ever using any. Friend of mine got some steel cased Wolf ammo for his rifle. I had no desire to put them in my rifle but they did all fire well with no miss fire's.
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Yeah, I have. You just do it exactly like you would any brass case. I don't reload hundreds of them, as I mentioned I tried a few just to see if it could be done.
I have been reloading steel .45 ACP cases for years and have also reloaded the wolf steel cased .223 stuff.
I have been reloading steel .45 ACP cases for years and have also reloaded the wolf steel cased .223 stuff.
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