what's so bad about Wolf?

[falkon]

I shoot Wolf .223 (55gr JHP) in my mini 14 and have not had a problem with it. It's a little dirty but has never caused a jam, failure to fire, case repture, etc... People are always bashing wolf, why? Is there a reason why I should stop shooting wolf and start shooter more expensive stuff?

 

[Beren]

A little dirty? Now we know you're lying.

Underpowered, reportedly by as much as 400fps compared to M193. Oh, and yes, it does stink horribly.

But if it runs in your gun, I'd say have fun with it. It's cheap!

 

[KaceCoyote]

I only shoot wolf, nothing else if I can help it. Consider that one.

 

[Cueball]

I talked to a gentleman the other night when I bought my first .223 about ammo. He suggested staying away from Wolf because of the steel casings instead of brass. His reasoning was that he had seen damage caused to the gun internally from the steel against steel contact. I'm probably going to stay away from it and go with brass cased surplus ammo in bulk. Still a decent deal.
Hope that helps a little.

 

[Rockstar]

Key information in this thread, "I shot Wolf.....Mini-14...."

 

[Marnoot]

I shoot just about nothing but wolf in my AR-15 and have not had a single hiccup with about 1000 rounds through it. The new polymer coated, rather than lacquer coated, kind works great. No signs of chamber damage. I think in many cases Wolf-hatred is nothing more than gun snobbery. It's economy ammo, it is what it is. No I would never use it for anything but plinking, but it's great for that. Granted it might not run well in some guns, but as long as it runs well in mine, I will continue to use it. I couldn't afford to shoot as much as I do if I didn't run Wolf through my AR. If you don't like it, don't use it.

 

[MechAg94]

I have about 500 rounds of Wolf that I am currently shooting through my Armalite that was pretty cheap. It has worked very reliably. Much better than some cheap no-name brass ammo I made the mistake of buying a few years ago. That stuff caused me some problems. The primer section would come out while ejecting. One got jammed around the bolt. Left a little sliver of brass that got into the bolt and was causing me problems until I disassembled the bolt.

I just bought a case of brass .223 though. I'll probably favor name brand brass in the future. We'll see. When you see 1000 rounds for $110 or so, it is hard to pass up.

 

[Commissar Gribb]

I think in many cases Wolf-hatred is nothing more than gun snobbery.

there's some truth to this i think but here's my take.

I have 2 ARs, a 9mm a 45 and an AK that I shoot regularly

All of them have fired wolf ammo and all except my bushmaster AR function flawlessly.

for whatever reason, my bushmaster rifle will shoot 3 rounds and then double feed with wolf ammo however it wont with white'chester or NATO stamp.

I find that the dirtiest wolf ammo so far is the JSPs they sell.

 

[Domino]

I have had excellent results with Wolf and other Russian brands in all of my guns. Like said before, if your gun functions with it than shoot it.

 

[Cpl Punishment]

I really like Wolf.

Let me say that I AM shooting it through Russkie guns (AK-47 and Mosin Nagants) that were designed around such ammo.

Funny thing is, the AK is MORE accurate with Wolf than it was with Winchester ammo. Also I can get Wolf locally for $99/1000 for 7.62x39. It's cheap enough that reloading doesn't make sense.

Also the steel in the casings while harder than brass, is mild steel and no where near as hard or tough as the ordnance steel used in good firearms. I don't know how well these new MIM parts would hold up though.

 

[1 old 0311]

The range where I shoot I asked about shooting this. They had a customer with a new Bushmaster fire 6 rounds till one got stuck tight in the chamber. Another broke the extractor on a Glock. If you know both weapons you realize this is strange. I used to shoot it with no problem but have since stopped.

Kevin

 

[KaceCoyote]

Wolf, Ammo for -real- guns.

 

[iamkris]

It is dirty, slightly less accurate (for me) than other "factory" loads. Other than that, I shoot it a lot

 

[mattw]

I have never used wolf ammo in any of my rifles or shotguns (do they make shells?) but my 1911 doesn't seem to like wolf. I decided it was the laqured casings that they use. Am i wrong? I could be, i thought the reason why they were green looking is because they were laqured.. something about the russian cold. I think i heard that somewhere but i might have made it up.

 

[Commissar Gribb]

They had a customer with a new Bushmaster fire 6 rounds till one got stuck tight in the chamber....If you know both weapons you realize this is strange.

I've had similar problems here- the solution is not to use wolf in a gun that doesnt like it. like I said before- I've shot a lot of cheap wolf ammo through my Stag Arms rifle and have never had a problem. NEVER. and this is a rifle that I threw together from parts

thousands and thousands of rounds later I haven't had any trouble in any of my other firearms.

like has been said, wolf now coats their cases without the old lacquer finish which may have caused trouble with cases sticking in a chamber or causing excess tension on an extractor.

 

[swingset]

5,000 rounds in my Bushmaster AR's, never a problem whatsoever. None, nada, zip. No stuck shells, no broken parts, no wear that can be attributed to the ammo.

That metal-to-chamber myth is retarded, btw. The case is coated with polymer, and the case itself is SOFT metal. Don't believe me? Take a Wolf case and step on it...it'll crush.

If polymer Wolf hurts your chamber, then your gun is teh suck.

I wouldn't run it in a tight-chambered match gun - but for your garden variety AR or Mini or AK or pistol - it's the cherries. It stinks, it's sooty, and it's SLIGHTLY underpowered, but it's also nearly half the price of the good stuff. For range time or messing around, there's nothing better.

 

[lee n. field]

I shoot Wolf .223 (55gr JHP) in my mini 14 and have not had a problem with it. It's a little dirty but has never caused a jam, failure to fire, case repture, etc..

Because a stuck Wolf .223 case broke the extractor on my mini-14 the first time I fired Wolf in it, back in 2000. Maybe they make that stuff differently now. I don't care. It's not enough cheaper than UMC cheap stuff to risk it.

 

[Commissar Gribb]

5,000 rounds in my Bushmaster AR's, never a problem whatsoever. None, nada, zip. No stuck shells, no broken parts, no wear that can be attributed to the ammo.

That metal-to-chamber myth is retarded, btw. The case is coated with polymer, and the case itself is SOFT metal. Don't believe me? Take a Wolf case and step on it...it'll crush.

If polymer Wolf hurts your chamber, then your gun is teh suck.

I wouldn't run it in a tight-chambered match gun - but for your garden variety AR or Mini or AK or pistol - it's the cherries. It stinks, it's sooty, and it's SLIGHTLY underpowered, but it's also nearly half the price of the good stuff. For range time or messing around, there's nothing better.

exactly! good to see someone who isn't frightened by hear-say and one-off horror stories.

It's not enough cheaper than UMC cheap stuff to risk it.

cheaper enough for me

and with a zero percent ammo failure rate on my end, I'm not about to change.

gotta love ammoman.com

223 RUSSIAN 62gr. FMJ
NEW POLYMER COATING
BRAND NEW
20 ROUND BOXES
100% NON-CORROSIVE
WOLF MANUFACTURE

$129-1000 rounds

12 cents a bullet!

hmm... AIMsurplus has a similar deal on silverbear...

 

[R.H. Lee]

His reasoning was that he had seen damage caused to the gun internally from the steel against steel contact.

What does that mean? Isn't there all kinds of other 'steel against steel contact' happening in a firearm?

I shoot Wolf in both my SKS's all the time without any problems.

 

[modifiedbrowning]

I'v got a lot of Wolf through my AR and never had problems until recently. My AR-180 had problems with feeding as the bolt would not return to full battery. I then had to kick my charging handle to clear the stuck case. I had to do this about every fifth shot.
My AR -15 had a shell get stuck in the chamber so tightly that I bent an aluminum cleaning rod trying to clear it. I had to buy a steel rod to get the shell out of my gun.
No more Wolf for me.

 

[Zach S]

IMO, its dirty, its weak, and it stinks. That just about sums it up for me. Otherwise I really dont have any problems with it.

Havent tried the new polymer stuff. I havent used wolf ammo in a long time. However with an addtional $400/month going for two truck payments, that dirty, weak, and funky ammo is starting to look more appealing.

 

[Father Knows Best]

I use Wolf 7.62x39 in my AK, and it works great. I don't use Wolf in any of my other guns. For my .308 guns, I stick to NATO milsurp or new commercial ammo. My Garands get only LC and PS milsurp. I load my own for my handguns, except when I get a really good deal on a case of new commercial .45ACP or 9 mm (gotta get new brass somewhere!).

 

[geekWithA.45]

>>>Dirty, weak, and stinks

LOL!

I also find it to be inconsistent, to the point where I can perceive slight differences in recoil. And whats with the 5 foot fireball every 5 or 6 rounds?

I think it's absolutely fine for plinking applications where precise accuracy isn't an issue, and that's what I use it for.

 

[rockstar.esq]

I then had to kick my charging handle to clear the stuck case. I had to do this about every fifth shot.
My AR -15 had a shell get stuck in the chamber so tightly that I bent an aluminum cleaning rod trying to clear it. I had to buy a steel rod to get the shell out of my gun.
No more Wolf for me.

Perhaps your gun would work better if you weren't "kicking the charging handle" and "bending cleaning rods" I'm sorry to hear that you were having trouble but you sound like you treat your gun pretty rough. If that's the case, you might not be able to blame the ammo or the rifle.

For the record, my Mosin shoots great with wolf but I had five 9mm's in a box fail to go off despite solid firing pin hits. I also had a number of failures to feed as a result of the bullet being improperly seated. I maintain that each gun likes something in particular and even similar guns won't always have the same tastes. I believe in shooting whatever you find works the best for each particular gun. Although Wolf 9mm doesn't work for this gun, I wouldn't hesitate to try it in a different gun. Nor would I expect every Mosin to shoot as well with wolf as mine does.

 

[No_Brakes23]

I have had nothing but trouble with Wolf 9mm, (Back in '99).

But I have never had any trouble whatsoever with Wolf 7.62x39.

But a lot of indoor ranges don't like it, so the Yugo stuff on strippers is about the cheapest I can find.