A cartridge casing for rifles is made from a high strength aluminum alloy. A method for making such cartridge casing includes the steps of (a) forming a cylindrical blank from an aluminum alloy having a tensile strength greater than 80,000 psi, and (b) rotating the blank at a rate greater than 500 rpm and forcing the blank into a die, the die having a bore with progressively reduced interior diameters which are less than the external diameter of the blank. In the method, the forcing of the blank into the die results in the finished cartridge casing having a distal end with an external diameter which is less than the external diameter of its proximal end.