Questions about steel and aluminum cased ammo
- Thread starter lionking
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lionking
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Tried it in my P226 today it functioned flawless and was as accurate as any other ammo, that said once it is gone won't be getting more. It may be ok but still don't want to wear and tear the gun even if it is soft steel. I tried Tula steel case .45 once in my SIG 220 it wouldn't even load in the magazine and in my USP it started failing to chamber after enough of it. Steel case rifle ammo well yeah in a AK or SKS that is what I use because that just seems natural but 9mm, .223 and such is cheap in brass I don't feel the need to get steel.
dogtown tom
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I highly doubt a hot steel case would ignite gunpowder any more than a brass or aluminum case would. Sparks/muffle flash do.
FL-NC
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Some guns like my S&W shield and Mrs. Fl-NC's LCP want nothing to do with steel case ammo. On the other hand, my Glocks eat it like candy- my "range" Glock 17 has thousands of rounds of steel case ammo thru it, without a single hiccup of any kind. I can say the same for my SA Milspec 1911.
I reload but keep some aluminum cases ammo on hand for when shooting when I can't recover brass. Never had a problem with it, but haven't shot a while lot of it. I have seen extraction problems with steel cases in some guns and a buddy had 2 failure to fires with that Winchester steel cased. He had 2 of those bulk packs and had 1 dud in each even after a couple firing pin strikes.
The steel cased may be a bit harder on extractors but I wouldn't think 45O rounds is enough to be an issue.
As far as aluminum cases goes, a few years ago I had the chance to shoot a vintage Tommy gun. The guy bought a case of Blazer aluminum cased ammo and his Thompson ran it with no problems
The steel cased may be a bit harder on extractors but I wouldn't think 45O rounds is enough to be an issue.
As far as aluminum cases goes, a few years ago I had the chance to shoot a vintage Tommy gun. The guy bought a case of Blazer aluminum cased ammo and his Thompson ran it with no problems
Steve762us
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Steel & aluminum is fine. The "lacquer sticking hot chamber" is an urban myth.
Great stuff to shoot where policing brass is prohibited or impractical.
Great stuff to shoot where policing brass is prohibited or impractical.
huntsman
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I’ve run aluminum case through all my handguns with the only issue being my LCP.
I like .45acp Federal aluminum in my .45 Blackhawk convertible because to empty all I do is tip up gun open gate and rotate cylinder, hulls drop right out.
I got a “deal” on 5 boxes of blazer aluminum in .40 S&W, ran them all through my gen 2 G23, according to online experts the gun should’ve gone kaboom, but didn’t.
I like .45acp Federal aluminum in my .45 Blackhawk convertible because to empty all I do is tip up gun open gate and rotate cylinder, hulls drop right out.
I got a “deal” on 5 boxes of blazer aluminum in .40 S&W, ran them all through my gen 2 G23, according to online experts the gun should’ve gone kaboom, but didn’t.
For practice steel and aluminum cased ammo is a perfectly good low cost alternative to brass. Neither steel or aluminum is as ductile as brass and doesn't return as close to original dimensions after expanding when fired as a brass case. I have had occasional cases sticking in the chamber when using steel and aluminum cased ammo in higher quality handguns made in the US and Europe with tighter tolerances but not yet in a military com block gun like my Makarov where steel cased ammo is the common fodder. How bad the problem is depends upon brand of ammo and the gun you are using it in. Because of this I wouldn't recommend using steel or aluminum cased ammo for self defense unless that is the only type of ammo you can find or have shot enough of it in your gun to be satisfied with its reliability.
Koroner
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I only shoot steel cased 5.56 in my Gallils. I heard it can void some ARs warrantees.
I've shot a lot of aluminum cases in handguns, no problems (and no bending over to fleece cases).
I've shot a lot of aluminum cases in handguns, no problems (and no bending over to fleece cases).
My M&P .40 S&W eats Blazer Aluminum "Seconds" that are 7.99 per 50 at an LGS like candy.
In 9mm I've generally been able to get a decent deal (currently $37.99 per 250) at a big box sports store on Federal Black (Brass) so I haven't been shooting any of the USA Forged that are 75.99 per 500. I know it has a thinner coating than most steel case and causes function issues on some pistols. Others eat it like Candy. All you can do is try it. If it malfunctions in yours just use it as a chance to practice malfunction drills.
In 9mm I've generally been able to get a decent deal (currently $37.99 per 250) at a big box sports store on Federal Black (Brass) so I haven't been shooting any of the USA Forged that are 75.99 per 500. I know it has a thinner coating than most steel case and causes function issues on some pistols. Others eat it like Candy. All you can do is try it. If it malfunctions in yours just use it as a chance to practice malfunction drills.
IIRC a few years ago Peter Kokalis put 170,000 rds through a Glock 17 without cleaning it over several years. He said most of it was inexpensive steel case ammo. I wouldn't worry about using it.
My experience with aluminum case ammo is I had no problems with it in semiautos. Sometimes I'd get tough extraction in revolvers. Nothing you'd need to hammer out just give the extractor rod a firm whack.
My experience with aluminum case ammo is I had no problems with it in semiautos. Sometimes I'd get tough extraction in revolvers. Nothing you'd need to hammer out just give the extractor rod a firm whack.
Potential issues with steel & aluminum cased ammo:
1. Some ranges will not allow it. The nearest range to me just made a rule prohibiting steel-cased ammo because of complaints from their recycler. So far they still allow aluminum cases.
2. Some guns do not like it. I have one gun that is perfectly reliable with brass-cased ammo but that will fail to extract about 5-6% of the time when aluminum-cased ammo us used.
3. Aluminum cased ammo doesn't seem to hold the bullet as tightly as brass does. I had some aluminum-cased ammo at one point that would show significant bullet setback after being chambered only once. I've also seen reports of crimp-jump in revolvers when using aluminum-cased ammo but never experienced that personally.
I've shot a several thousand rounds of aluminum-cased ammo and had very good luck with it other than the one gun I own that doesn't seem to like it and the aforementioned setback potential. I haven't shot as much steel-cased ammo, but what I have shot seems to have worked well--I can't recall any problems with it.
1. Some ranges will not allow it. The nearest range to me just made a rule prohibiting steel-cased ammo because of complaints from their recycler. So far they still allow aluminum cases.
2. Some guns do not like it. I have one gun that is perfectly reliable with brass-cased ammo but that will fail to extract about 5-6% of the time when aluminum-cased ammo us used.
3. Aluminum cased ammo doesn't seem to hold the bullet as tightly as brass does. I had some aluminum-cased ammo at one point that would show significant bullet setback after being chambered only once. I've also seen reports of crimp-jump in revolvers when using aluminum-cased ammo but never experienced that personally.
I've shot a several thousand rounds of aluminum-cased ammo and had very good luck with it other than the one gun I own that doesn't seem to like it and the aforementioned setback potential. I haven't shot as much steel-cased ammo, but what I have shot seems to have worked well--I can't recall any problems with it.
d'zaster
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I'd suggest shooting a couple boxes that steel case ammo and if it cycles reliably and reasonably accurate, then no worries. If it does not cycle and/or you don't like the accuracy maybe trade/sell. I agree with the other comments about modern guns will not have issues.
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lionking
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Here is the target from last Sunday testing it in my SIG 226, actually shot as good and even better than some other brands I tested, all ammo tried shot to right I need to adjust the rear sight, but at 10 yards first 10 shots doing bury or drive the dot center of bulls (sight image 3) it shot high, then the 2nd volley of 10 shots did 6 o clock hold on the orange (sight image 2) and it shoots straight the right of the bulls, but that is the gun. Did it standing two hand hold
But once it's gone gonna stick with brass, brass isn't that much more money to shoot anyway.
illinoisburt
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You do know a lot of the WW2 45acp was steel cased, right? Bunch of old timers used to reload it too. I've tried reloading steel 45 just for giggles - it works fine for 2 or 3 reloads before getting a crack when sizing. Used mid power Unique loads with 230 grain lead swcs.
illinoisburt
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I have found I am not a fan of steel cased revolver ammo like Tula 38 and 357. It sticks in the chambers requiring a bit of tapping on the extractor which never happens with brass.
Sight Image 1 is the traditional 6 o'clock hold; Sight Image 2 is usually referred to as POA/POI
rskent
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Yea, but in the middle of WW2, I would bet that people did a lot of things that they wouldn’t normally do.
I use a lot of Tula, but its all 9mm. I have never had a problem. Tapered case thing, I guess.
What I do not like is that some steel cased ammo also has steel jacketed bullets. Those are a no-no at many indoor ranges (and outdoors at times) and they are documented in causing accelerated barrel wear more than the traditional jacketed types. Not a huge issue when the user can replace the barrel cheaply as in an AR but a consideration for handguns and rifles that involve significant barrel replacement costs. At the current price differential, not really worth it to me. Aluminum cases are fine but there is such a small difference the last time that I checked on price, not worth it either.
illinoisburt
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I cannot think of any common modern pistol barrel thats' been shot out. From what I recall normal service life for a standard 1911 or glock barrel can be 50k-100k or more rounds. I seriously doubt steel jacketed pistol bullets will make a difference in that for most users. Costs to replace a factory barrel in most pistols is minimal and extremely easy. You will have spent significantly more times the price of the gun on ammo by then.
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