Streetking
Member
Anyone have any issues with shooting steel cased ammo from a chrome lined bore? I have heard various opinions but would like to hear from someone who has shot a lot of it from their AR and either had problems or not.
Steel cased 5.56
- Thread starter Streetking
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lysanderxiii
Member
What brand?
Some are better than others.
Some are better than others.
jogar80
Member
Never any issues with any brand
Averageman
Member
Yes, I have had one issue.
The case would not eject and was stuck in the chamber. I tried a couple of methods before using a solid (unsectioned) cleaning rod to tap it out.
The case would not eject and was stuck in the chamber. I tried a couple of methods before using a solid (unsectioned) cleaning rod to tap it out.
Fla_dogman
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I've just started shooting Monarch brand 223/ FMJ's. So far the have work flawlessly.
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Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk
Ibmikey
Member
To each his own, i shoot brass case ammo in my AR's and reload the empties. I have extracted several steel cases from friends rifles, why shoot something that you know beforehand is eventually going to stop your rifle from functioning?
briansmithwins
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I've shot several thousand rounds of steel case with no extraction problems ever. Admittedly, most of that wasn't through ARs. I usually shoot brass cased ammo after shooting the steel case and haven't had any problems from those either.
BSW
Averageman
Member
There is a lot of truth there.
carbine85
Member
If you are shooting 10K rounds you might experience shorter barrel life. With the money save you can buy another barrel.
For some reason people think the AR shouldn't shoot steel but the AK is okay with it.
Stay away from Tulammo. It's very dirty and inconsistent.
For some reason people think the AR shouldn't shoot steel but the AK is okay with it.
Stay away from Tulammo. It's very dirty and inconsistent.
benEzra
Moderator Emeritus
I've run a fair amount of Tula and Wolf steel-case through my Rock River 16" midlength with a Wilson chrome lined barrel and 5.56x45mm chamber. Have had one failure to extract in maybe 700? rounds, with Tula, due to what appeared to be an out-of-spec case (it looked as if the rim was machined too think for the extractor to fully seat). For inexpensive plinking and casual matches, it's adequate, but it wouldn't be my first choice for a go-to magazine.
ColoradoShooter77
Member
I reload brass case ammo for 19 cents/round. I don't need to mess with dirty, inaccurate, crap ammo that is hard on extractors.
Sebastian the Ibis
Member
I've shot thousands of rounds of steel .223, and had 2 or 3 stuck cases. Just make sure your BCG is well lubed. Dry BCG + dirty chamber + steel cased has caused stuck cases for me. I think this was also always with Lacquer coated .223, but I can't be 100% sure.
If you keep everything cleaned and lubed as you should have no issues.
I don't know why people think steel cased ammo is hard on extractors. The FTE's I have had have all involved the extractor ripping the rim off (most of these involved cheap Remington bird shot loads in my 870). However, I have had a few other issues with various steel cased ammo.
The only other times I have had problems with steel cased .223 is when it accidentally makes it into 7.62 AK. The walls blow out and it looks like spent 7.62, if you don't read what it says on the rim, you think you got a bad batch of weak rounds.
At the end of the day, steel cased is more than adequate for plinking and suppressive fire (of old broken furniture) but I'd use something else for hunting, precision work or SD.
If you keep everything cleaned and lubed as you should have no issues.
I don't know why people think steel cased ammo is hard on extractors. The FTE's I have had have all involved the extractor ripping the rim off (most of these involved cheap Remington bird shot loads in my 870). However, I have had a few other issues with various steel cased ammo.
The only other times I have had problems with steel cased .223 is when it accidentally makes it into 7.62 AK. The walls blow out and it looks like spent 7.62, if you don't read what it says on the rim, you think you got a bad batch of weak rounds.
At the end of the day, steel cased is more than adequate for plinking and suppressive fire (of old broken furniture) but I'd use something else for hunting, precision work or SD.
FL-NC
Member
My GF's del-ton has no issues. I occasionally get a stuck case on my mix-master AR. A clean chamber and good lubrication (I use white lithium grease from auto zone) is key to function on all AR's, esp. with steel case IMO.
lysanderxiii
Member
The Army shot 36,000 rounds of it through several M16s once with one malfunction attributable to the ammunition. (The control ammunition [brass cased] suffered three ammunition attributable malfunctions.)
I think ammunition attributable malfunctions, are largely manufacture related.
I think ammunition attributable malfunctions, are largely manufacture related.
Mosin Bubba
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Normally I'm a fan of steel case ammo, and I run a lot of it through pistols and an AK. But I'm willing to pay for brass cased ammo for the AR.
For one, Wolf ammo isn't all that accurate. I mostly just plink offhand, so that's usually no big deal, but the AR shoots well enough to see a difference.
For another, that bimetal ammo traveling down the barrel at 3000 feet a second is pretty hard on the bore. Lucky Gunner did a test on this.
I guess one new barrel per four or five cases isn't that much money, and it would take me a very long to shoot it that much anyway. But brass ammo does give me one less thing to worry about.
I think those differences are worth the extra money, but shooting steel would be no big deal either. And those $5.50 boxes of Tula at Walmart are admittedly very tempting.
For one, Wolf ammo isn't all that accurate. I mostly just plink offhand, so that's usually no big deal, but the AR shoots well enough to see a difference.
For another, that bimetal ammo traveling down the barrel at 3000 feet a second is pretty hard on the bore. Lucky Gunner did a test on this.
I guess one new barrel per four or five cases isn't that much money, and it would take me a very long to shoot it that much anyway. But brass ammo does give me one less thing to worry about.
I think those differences are worth the extra money, but shooting steel would be no big deal either. And those $5.50 boxes of Tula at Walmart are admittedly very tempting.
FL-NC
Member
As far as what I use the stuff for, its mostly for drills 25 meters and in. My further drills are a 12" gong at 100 meters, and a Larue target at 200. I concede that it isn't very accurate, and that I use it in my "training" AR. No, I don't run it through my Colt SBR or my Larue. Cheap ammo in a clunky gun for training.
Ibmikey
Member
Bend over ( great for those belly muscles) and pick up your brass for reloading to keep ultimate shooting costs down and always have proper functioning ammo in your weapons. I shoot enough that staying with reliable ammo is impariative for wear on the rifle's and assurance the weapon will fire when called upon to do so. I find one stuck case in 800 rounds to be totally unacceptable and users of steel all report such stoppages..
Steel in my Makarov or other Combloc pistols seems to be right at home but when my Browning High Power's are fired (or any of my 100 other pistols) they eat brass just like Originally designed to do.
Steel in my Makarov or other Combloc pistols seems to be right at home but when my Browning High Power's are fired (or any of my 100 other pistols) they eat brass just like Originally designed to do.
briansmithwins
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I haven't had a stuck case after literally thousands of rounds of steel case ammo.
BSW
lysanderxiii
Member
That data, to me shows a hot burning propellant with erosion issues. It is perfectly matched to tests run back the 1970 by the Army with gilding metal clad steel (GMCS) jacketed bullets and various propellants.Normally I'm a fan of steel case ammo, and I run a lot of it through pistols and an AK. But I'm willing to pay for brass cased ammo for the AR.
For one, Wolf ammo isn't all that accurate. I mostly just plink offhand, so that's usually no big deal, but the AR shoots well enough to see a difference.
For another, that bimetal ammo traveling down the barrel at 3000 feet a second is pretty hard on the bore. Lucky Gunner did a test on this.
I guess one new barrel per four or five cases isn't that much money, and it would take me a very long to shoot it that much anyway. But brass ammo does give me one less thing to worry about.
I think those differences are worth the extra money, but shooting steel would be no big deal either. And those $5.50 boxes of Tula at Walmart are admittedly very tempting.
Those tests also showed that there was minimal impact on barrel life with GMCS jacketed bullets when using milder propellant.
lysanderxiii
Member
No, they do not.
Many never post on-line at all, many never post much about their ammo, and some post the opposite, like the above, and me.
lysanderxiii
Member
Where in STANAG 4172 does it forbid steel cases?
Several times the U.S. military has approved steel cases for unrestricted use. It never has implemented it because the return on investment just isn't there, never on technical grounds.
Never said it did. Shoot crap ammo if you want. I won't.
Dirty, lower velocity, poorer accuracy, less effective non-fragmenting bullet. What part of that do you not get?
And for the record I do shoot steel on occasion. With my bullet and powder charge.
M
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