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Freedom Munitions will stop making stepped brass


Absocold

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Thank you for your email. We are in the process of setting up a new 9mm brass case manufacturing machine. We hope to have it online very soon. The new case will not have the step you observed in our current production.

I sent an email to them saying their 9mm brass was unsuitable for high pressure reloading and I wouldn't be buying any more of their new ammo. Got the above reply.

Nice to see them switching.

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But I still wouldn't load the "new" FM brass with a major load. Not worth the risk of getting an old style piece of brass by chance. I do however use it in my bunny fart IDPA loads without issues. Hell I even load Tula brass for my IDPA loads. Lol

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But I still wouldn't load the "new" FM brass with a major load. Not worth the risk of getting an old style piece of brass by chance. IF YOU INSPECT EACH CASE YOU WOULD CATCH IT EASILY.I do however use it in my bunny fart IDPA loads without issues. Hell I even load Tula brass for my IDPA loads.I USE TULA BRASS FOR 9MAJOR OVER AND OVER. Lol

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But I still wouldn't load the "new" FM brass with a major load. Not worth the risk of getting an old style piece of brass by chance. IF YOU INSPECT EACH CASE YOU WOULD CATCH IT EASILY.I do however use it in my bunny fart IDPA loads without issues. Hell I even load Tula brass for my IDPA loads.I USE TULA BRASS FOR 9MAJOR OVER AND OVER. Lol

Haven't had a Tula KB yet, but I have had one budge pretty bad with 128pf loads.

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Stepped brass isn't an issue if you're not shooting 9 major.

If the case separates in the chamber its going to be a rough match. 9mm is inexpensive enough that there's no need use it to save a few pennies. Just my opinion of course.

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I shoot, reload, shoot again at minor PF with no problems. I get the same chrono results as other mixed brass. Not that I loved it but I didn't mind others thought it was no good and left it on the ground for me to find.

That's good to know. I have a thou or so I was going to throw away. Maybe I'll just put it in the classifieds.

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Freedom Munitions, AmmoLoad and IMT all use the same case. It can separate in the chamber and leave you with a dead gun. Why these newcomers would design a case with an obvious stress riser makes no sense. You don't see this in any other 9mm case maker, with good reason.

8371382713_b9bfcca8ac_c.jpg

Edited by 9x45
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anti bullet set back....

in itself a good idea, in practice causes bigger problems.

miranda

I don't think those ledges had anything to do with "anti bullet set back", I think it was purely a by product of their manufacturing technique.

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anti bullet set back....

in itself a good idea, in practice causes bigger problems.

miranda

I don't think those ledges had anything to do with "anti bullet set back", I think it was purely a by product of their manufacturing technique.

where to start?

first... :-p pbbbbbbbbbbt

second... I can well imagine the step is in there for no good reason at all.

so yes I agree that is is quite possible for it to have nothing to do with anti bullet setback.

I state it as a reason for the ledge because it is a reason.

third... manufacturers often do things for reasons... one of my favorites

is the one that goes along the lines, "this way is cheaper for us to make it"

implying that any other way costs more money.

as a follow up to the above you would be surprised at how often

I hear "I didn't think it was a problem."

That last one is not an actual reason... almost the opposite.

It sounds suspiciously like the reason you gave...

"it was purely a by product of their manufacturing technique."

which means they didn't think about it.

I'll give them credit for the anti setback...

miranda

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I keep .22, .30 and .35 cal broken shell extractors in my range bag. Never needed them myself but at least a couple times a year someone at the range needs to borrow one. Don't buy them online, they're stupidly overpriced. Get .22 (5.56) and .30 (7.62) at an Army/Navy surplus store for pennies.

Brownells has one for calibers larger than .30 cal but it's $125. I made the .35 cal extractor I have by bending open a .30 cal one a bit and then wedging a small piece of wood between the two halves. With pistols you have to remove the barrel and put the extractor in a vise, doing it the normal way risks breaking the extractor and/or ejector.

Once you have all three you're set for just about anything. The only guns bigger than .35 I've ever seen with case head separation were all M2 .50 BMG's.

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anti bullet set back....

in itself a good idea, in practice causes bigger problems.

miranda

I don't think those ledges had anything to do with "anti bullet set back", I think it was purely a by product of their manufacturing technique.

where to start?

first... :-p pbbbbbbbbbbt

second... I can well imagine the step is in there for no good reason at all.

so yes I agree that is is quite possible for it to have nothing to do with anti bullet setback.

I state it as a reason for the ledge because it is a reason.

third... manufacturers often do things for reasons... one of my favorites

is the one that goes along the lines, "this way is cheaper for us to make it"

implying that any other way costs more money.

as a follow up to the above you would be surprised at how often

I hear "I didn't think it was a problem."

That last one is not an actual reason... almost the opposite.

It sounds suspiciously like the reason you gave...

"it was purely a by product of their manufacturing technique."

which means they didn't think about it.

I'll give them credit for the anti setback...

miranda

The step is too far down to be effective with bullet setback, if the bullet went that far with a normal ogive bullet, there would be a big piece of unsupported case at the mouth. (and probably cause feeding problems). I've never seen stepped cases with a Freedom headstamp, all the ones I see are Ammoload or IMT, I'm not convinced Freedom makes cases, I suspect they just reload what they get back on their credit program. I've never sent any brass in on that program. I reload the calibers I use, certain cases go into the recycle bucket (stepped included) and I give calibers I don't reload to friends.

Edit: Added some pictures. I put a 124gr MG RN into a cross sectioned Ammoload case (I was curious on the construction, initially I thought it was 2 piece) and pushed it all the way to the step. Little to short for my liking and depending on the powder it could be a very compressed load.

post-56380-0-42046000-1448310937_thumb.j

post-56380-0-25822200-1448310995_thumb.j

post-56380-0-70462500-1448311012_thumb.j

Edited by Bkreutz
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I've never bought any FM loaded ammo. Didn't mean to spread any rumors, just my observations. Sorry, I stand corrected. I really don't understand the "why" to the stepped brass either. Maybe the original idea was to strengthen that area of the case?

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