Why I Should Not Use Steel Cased Ammunition

[Vulcan71]

I would not use ammunition in any weapon that has a steel case or a steel based case (plated by NI, CU, brass, etc) because steel cases damage firearms. In order for the steel cases to feed correctly they need to be plated or coated and most are coated by lacquer or a special polymer that gums up chambers and causes jams.

Additionally, steel does not relax as much as brass, when the pressure drops, so there tends to be more breech friction with steel. Finally the steel case causes additional wear on the extractor. I have seen many broken extractors. In closing if steel cases are good products then why use brass at all. FYI, many ranges do not allow steel case ammunition. I would not take my word for it call the weapon manufacture and let them give you information on steel cased ammunition because it can void warranties.

In regards to some misconceptions on wolf and other brands as long as they are of modern manufacture they are non-corrosive and they are most likely boxer primed. In some cases the GP and primer is of lower quality (dirty or soot canon).

I would stay away from Tula as I found many steel cases split apart running to the case head. I sent a message to the company with the lot # by e-mail and never received a response from them. Note: I found them at a range.

Many firearm manufactures hold reliable the ammunition manufacturer if the ammunition damages the firearm so only quality firms will reimburse. Basically you get what you pay for.

Steel is usually used during a material shortage during war time or if the price of brass goes up to a point where consumers will buy at a price point.

I hope this helps people and saves many firearms.

[Vulcan71]

Up-date
IN AR-15 & AR-10 semi-auto rifles with barrel lengths less then 20" you will have problems with steel ammo due to timing issues with the gas blow-back system on the bolt carrier (there are rare exceptions). Since steel does not expand and contract as quickly as brass you will have more blow back into the bolt carrier. This will happen with semi-auto pistols in the chamber as well since steel cannot seal as well as brass.

[blkbd]

I think this would be better off in the Ammo forum.

[BlitzPig]

He has posted it in the FNX forum as well.

Have some issues with it Vulcan?

I've never had any trouble with it.

[Bbasso]

over a 1000 of RWS ammo through my FNP45 without a single issue....
I stopped using that (when I ran out) when I heard this too.

But If I were to find a stellar deal on it again, I'd store it for the upcoming Apocalypse.

[Visceral_Malice]

So, those millions of Russian weapons that only fire steel cased ammo are all in trouble, eh? The steel cases ammo issues are highly exaggerated. Most of the issues dealing with steel cased ammo is due to piss poor steel cased ammo. Steel does not expand like brass, yes, but the major issue with that is more fouling in the chamber/bolt area. The lacquer "gumming" issue is a myth. 5.7mm has a lacquer coating, do you see gumming in those weapons? I shot a lot of steel cased ammo out of my AR when I had it. A LOT. I mostly shot silver bear and sadly it was cleaner than a lot of American ammo I had use (remington, winchester). I never had a single issue with it. I bought 1000 rounds or so when cheaper than dirt had them for $4.50/20. I only shoot steel out of my ak and makarov and shoot mostly steel cased 9mm out of my Steyr.

Wolf, however, has been shown to have some nasty results in AR's, but that's because Wolf is just extremely cheap and crappy ammo.

[Pooprocket]

Didn't I see this post somewhere else?

"I don't intend to make a habit of it, but I just put 80 rounds of berdan primed, steel cased, lacquer coated Brown Bear .223 through my FS2000. When I got home I stripped and cleaned the rifle. There were no signs of wear on the extractor. This carbine has only seen 100 rounds including this Brown Bear. Additional there really wasn't a whole lot of cleaning required. This surprised me, as I was told the lacquer was going to make a mess of the gun.

As I said, I wouldn't make a habit of shooting crap ammo, but I wouldn't go as far as say I would never shoot it out of any weapon." - Me from some other thread.

It's like fast food. Too much may kill you, but on occasion it is a guilty pleasure.

[HK SD9 Tactical]

Thread moved to ammunition forum.

[EngageM1A]

I wouldn't sweat shooting steel cased ammo that much. My friend shoots pretty much only wolf out of his ARs and he can afford not too, the stuff runs fine. The steel on is actually pretty soft on russian shells and i've heard people say it will scratch bores and chambers up, i don't think there is much you can do with ammo that can actually scratch a hard chromed chamber. There's that saying if you're worried about it though, "russian ammo for russian guns"

[cetane]

Man, I saw the avatar and just assumed it was therm. Wow was i wrong.