I know that it's been a long time since the topic was updated, but I wanted to add this information that I found on another forum today because freedom munitions is still using this crap internally stepped case and there are more recent topics concerning kabooms.
http://www.xdtalk.com/threads/9mm-detenation.344305/#post-5971249
and
http://www.czfirearms.us/index.php?topic=85963.0
found this info out here, and they also have a lot of photographs:
https://forum.cartridgecollectors.org/t/new-headstamps-from-freedom-munitions/15778
Freedom Munitions is a retail outlet for the sale of commercial ammunition. They, along with a number of related company were owned by Howell Machine in Lewiston ID. In 2013 Howell Munitions and Technology was formed took over the set of companies which included:
Ammo Load Worldwide-loading machines including case manufacturer machines. Been in business for 35 years and sell widely to loading companies
Freedom Munitions-Commercial ammo sales
X-Treme Bullets (previously West Coast Bullets)-plated bullet manufacture. Been around for almost 25 years.
Howell Machine-Supplier of custom equipment to ammo industry since 1989
Ammo Components-Sells new brass, processed brass, bullets, primers and powder
Twin Rivers Loading Company-Sells custom contract loading services
All these companies except X-treme Bullet are located in Lewiston, however it appears that Freedom Munitions is, or was, a Limited Liability Company (LLC) registered in Houston Texas.
Originally the company over all of these was to be named International Munitions and Technology and this is where the IMT code originated. Before the new name was registered, but after brass with the IMT code was produced, they decided to change the name to Howell Munitions and Technology.
There are also cases marked AmmoLoad which were sold by Freedom Ammo before the IMT cases. There is now a new code being used, FM for Freedom Munitions.
The brass with both AmmoLoad and @IMT@ has reportedly been sold to other companies who have loaded and sold it. I have a box of ammo by LAX with the @IMT@ headstamp.
Recently another Freedom Munitions headstamp showed up with just the IMT but without the @ type symbols. These were from a reloader out west who found the following fired cases at a range, only one of which had the @ symbol. The cases were likely reloaded since they included both brass and nickel primers. As you can see in the blowup of the headstamps, there is no indication of the @ type symbols on the headstamps. I suspect that they are early headstamps, or even development cases that found there way to a reloader.
It is interesting that an earlier headstamp used by Freedom Munitions (AMMOLOAD) also shows up on the website of the Anatolia Cartridges Co Ltd, on brass washed steel cases. The normal headstamp of this company is MECA. Sorry for the poor quality of the image below, but I just checked the website at
http://www.anatoliafisek.com and the website still illustrates the steel AMMOLOAD headstamps in both 9mm and 40S&W.