Would AC amps and DC amps read the same given a single meter switched
between the two?

Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired

G'day Dan,
they will normally read pretty close, but the meter (and you get what you
pay for...) will read an average of the applied AC or voltage.

This difference in reading will apply more to non-sinusoidal waveforms.

Some of the fancy meters will read "True RMS", but for most typical
applications a cheap meter will be close enough. To check the alternator
output in an aircraft....... Well, you could always log the data and apply a
calibration correction if you needed to be super-accurate.......

Hope this helps,
Peter