New reloadable non-brass cases - seen them?

[Welder]

https://www.ssusa.org/articles/2017/2/13/goodbye-brass/

Has anybody seen these in person? Curious to hear your thoughts if so. The requirement for special dies and the additional worry of leaving the forward half of the case in the chamber during a hard extraction are enough for me to stick with good old brass for the present.

The claims of 40 loadings and prices cheaper than brass might sway some people though.

[mtnbkr]

The lower price is offset by the specialized equipment. I don't track loadings, but in my mild handgun loads, brass lasts nearly forever. Handgun brass isn't exactly expensive in it's own right. Rifle brass is a bit spendier, especially in some of the chamberings I shoot (6.5x55 and 35whelen), but is dirt cheap for others (223 and 308), so it balances out. Picking up brass with a magnet is a nonstarter for me because the only shell chucker I shoot without a brass catcher is my 9mm and I don't reload for that.

+P velocities without +P pressure? New powders can do that. I'm checking out RL17 in my 308 and getting an honest 2720fps with excellent accuracy with no pressure signs and a below-max load out of a 20" barrel using a 180gr bullet.

I won't be making the move anytime soon. It seems like a good way to suffer vendor lock-in.

Chris

[octagon]

In theory it offers a number of positive features( Lighter,cheaper,easier pick up,stronger,lower pressures and/or higher velocities,possibly slicker) However it needs a proven track record of use and must be balanced with it's detracting factors(specific reloading dies) before it will work out on a large scale. For someone looking for range ammo who doesn't reload or who hasn't yet purchased a reloading die set in that caliber and/or who picks up brass or has to in larger quantities it can make sense right away. For others it may not right now.

I don't worry too much about the concept as I used a similar type ammo but with polymer upper case in rifles when shooting with the German Army back in the late 80s early 90s. It has a brass(or metal of some sort) case head for extraction but the rest of the case was polymer. I never saw and when I asked there wasn't case separating issues so I expect with good design and almost 30 years of time the concept could be well developed.

[Flintsky]

The only upside to this in my opinion would be the magnetic pick ups of brass.

[JohnO]

I have an inkling that this stuff will be as popular and prevalent as Caseless Ammunition.

[cheby]

It may be a little better than brass or a little cheaper... BUT the brass is FREE. I always pick up more brass than I shoot. That is the whole point of reloading to me - cost consideration. If I have to buy brass I'd shoot factory ammo unless I shoot Open with something like 38Super

[Drang]

More volume!

or

More derp!

(Where "derp"=kaboom!)

[HCM]

Existing thread on these: https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?20404-New-2-part-casing-design

[Welder]

Existing thread on these: https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?20404-New-2-part-casing-design

Thanks for linking - I somehow missed it 9 months ago. Has anybody had any experience with these yet?

[HCM]

Thanks for linking - I somehow missed it 9 months ago. Has anybody had any experience with these yet?

Not on the market yet AFAIK.

[Welder]

Not on the market yet AFAIK.

https://www.shellshocktechnologies.com/shop/

I was able to add them to the shopping cart. :) So far only 9mm cases out, in batches of 500, 1000, 1500, and 10k. Also the dies, and they're $100.

Not sure how long they've been on the market though.

[Lester Polfus]

I guess I'll have to take a look at this in 10 years or so.