American Ammunition ("A-Merc") - Beware!

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North Bender

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This stuff has been posted on before but not for a couple years.

I was punching out primers and cleaning some 45 Schofield last night getting ready to do some reloading. I was having a real difficult time removing some primers and couldn't figure out the problem. Then I found a split case ... from factory ammunition???

So I started looking over the cartridges and found the problem was all related to some "American Ammunition" I had purchased some years ago. The reason I was having so many problems depriming was that the flash holes are not centered. I have to hand it to the Lee recapping die, that thing is tough.

I read up on A-Merc ammo. There are so many problems posted about it that it should not be on the market.


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"Then I found a split case ... from factory ammunition???"

I'm assuming that the split case was also A-Merc. Yes, a split case is uncommon, but very possible, with ANY ammunition brand.

I've had several over the years - Federal, Winchester, Remington.

Cause is probably either a flaw in the brass blank strip as it came from the smelter or an issue during the drawing process.

Uncommon, but not unknown.

As for A-Merc, yeah, it's crap.
 
There aren't many times you can make a "broad brush" statement and not fear contradiction on the board but for once I can say the following

A-merc is complete crap.

And not feel like I'm oversimplifying the problem
 
"Then I found a split case ... from factory ammunition???"

I'm assuming that the split case was also A-Merc. Yes, a split case is uncommon, but very possible, with ANY ammunition brand.
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Yes, the subject is A-Merc. I realize split cases can happen. Like I indicated, it's a suprise to have it happen with factory loaded ammunition.
 
I'm wit h Silenthitz. In over 35 years of shooting, and 30 years of handloading, I've never before seen primer holes off like that. Pretty sad, and says a lot for the company that produced them...

none of it good.

Daryl
 
It is indeed awful stuff. I tried to make some dummies up with some AMERC brass and couldn't even do that. Awful, just awful.
 
Any Amerc I run across gets thrown away. Someone offered to give me some once . . . I accepted then trashed just to get out of the system. I don't believe I'd even shoot their loaded ammo. If the brass is that crappy what kind of QC could they possibly have for powder charges, bullet depth, etc.?
 
Dayum, I've never seen flash holes that far off center before! Guess I won't be buying any of that stuff.
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I was thinking the same thing. Doesn't seem like you'd need too much QA/QC to get the flash holes better centered than that.
 
Any Amerc I run across gets thrown away. Someone offered to give me some once . . . I accepted then trashed just to get out of the system. I don't believe I'd even shoot their loaded ammo. If the brass is that crappy what kind of QC could they possibly have for powder charges, bullet depth, etc.?
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Are you serious? Give ME the ammo.... Ill shoot it : )

I wouldnt reload the stuff but ill shoot it if its free :D
 
Over the years I've seen PMC .45acp brass that had the flash holes way off center. On A-MERC it seems that it's all that way.
 
Junk

I posted in the reloading forum a few months back regarding some A-Merc 9mm brass. I had never used it bfeore, got some free brass that included a few of these. Total junk. Not only are the primer pockets off center, but the brass is so soft that when you resize it you deform the case. I now make sure I sort all of this brass to the recycle bin.



http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=398636
 
I had some A-merc .44 Russian cases that would not hold a primer very well. Since then, I have bought no more of their ammo and treat their cases like aluminum Blazer after shooting.
 
I have not found A-merc to be the best for reloading, or shooting the 1st time. I bought 4 boxes (cheap) when I bought my USGI .30 M1 Carbine. I experienced 1-3 FTF (failures to fire) on 1st use. When resizing I typically ended with 2-4 neck splits. I lost 5, or 6 with each reloading cycle. I was loading 13.3 grains of Alliant 2400. I reduced the loading to 12.5 grains of 2400 and still lost 4, or 5 cases per 50.

I have reloaded these original 200 rounds 4 times, and am down to about 130-140 cases. I put them in a separate box and will reload them if I get pressed for cases. However I bought a bucket full from Georgia Arms, so I doubt I'll be using them any time soon.

As I said, "Not ... the best", but I'll not be throwing them out. They have worked for 4 reloadings ... well most of them.
 
Easily the worst factory ammunition I've ever encountered.

A-Merc, also at one time called American or American Delayed Expansion or ADE.

It is NOT the same thing as American Eagle which is good quality "generic" practice ammunition made by Federal Ammunition.
 
Where is this crap made? If you say USA, we are in worse trouble than you may think. China can do better, and that would be very sad.
 
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