$.17/rd 9mm russian steel at sportsmans guide??

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akarguy

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does anyone have any experience or knowledge of this brand of ammo? haven't seen this price in a while. do we know which plant manufactures it or who might be making it wolf, tulammo/etc.

Reason I ask is because and LGS in my area that also has a shooting range and rental guns has a display in one of its cases with one of their rentals that exploded shooting some obscure cheap Russian ammo. apparently the case blew out the side and exploded the slide and extractor as a result they no longer allow people to use steel ammo in their rentals. I don't plan on shooting this stuff in a rental however I don't want to blow up my pistol either.

Thoughts...? (before you go buy it all on me, LOL)

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/500-rds-9-mm-luger-115-gr-full-metal-jacket-bi-metal-ammo?a=1614649&CJ=1&cjaffilid=4084797&cjaffsite=Slickguns+Inc&cjadv=CJTSGUSA&cjadvid=1522857&utm_source=Slickguns+Inc&utm_medium=CJ&utm_campaign=SPG+Product+Catalog+-+SportsmansGuide.com
 
The "LVE" in the circle is the logo of Novosibirsk Cartridge Plant, formerly the Low Voltage Equipment plant at Novosibirsk, Russia. They've been making ammo for the Russian military for decades. It's typical Russian ammo: It does the job safely and nothing more.
 
Thoughts?

My thoughts are I would buy the 500 round case IF my work computer wasn't blocking the item page! :cuss:

I trust Russian ammo. I have been shooting it for years, all types of steel cased stuff, and have never had a problem. I only shoot steel-cased ammo in guns that will accept it without complaint, like Soviet Bloc milsurp rifles and Glock handguns. If any are left in stock once I get home I'll order a case.
 
I've had no problems out of the steel cased ammo I've shot. I'd buy it and shoot with no reservations at that price in a heartbeat. But no I have not shot that brand specifically.
 
Oh its also bimetal not steel didn't notice that at first. Thats different, I don't have experience with bimetal 9mm though I'd still shoot it without hesitation.
 
Most of the ranges I frequent do not allow any ammo which attracts a magnet (projectile or case). That, combined with the fact that I can load .45acp for .12-13 per round (without casting my own) gives me very little reason to use any Russkie ammo.

I can probably do 9mm for a hair less, just because the cost of the 9mm projectiles is slightly less. Primers and powder are about the same.

I have all the components, the dies, etc... but I almost never shoot 9mm. Maybe one day.
 
"Oh its also bimetal not steel"

'Bimetal' is a steel case with a thin GM, brass, or copper coating. Traditional 'steel' case ammo has a lacquer or polymer coating. Same steel case underneath.
 
My guess is someone reloaded the steel case to some stupid-hot pressures, figuring the steel case could handle the pressure.
They then proceeded to blow the rental up with it and blame it on steel case Russki ammo in order to get out of having to pay to replace the rental.

That, or they reloaded it and accidentally got a double charge.

Or, the factory accidentally loaded a double charge.

I've never had a problem with any steel cased ammo.
I've shot a bunch of it.
Several calibers.
Several makes.
Zero problems.

There's a lot of prejudice and ignorance surrounding steel cased ammo.

Some of it I've shot has been dirty.
I've shot a lot of brass cased ammo that was dirty as all get out.
Dirty ammo is a result of incompletely burned powder.
Incompletely burned powder is a result of loading a cartridge with a powder that is optimized for a higher pressure than what you loaded.
Usually.

I don't worry much about dirty ammo anymore.
Carb cleaner gets the gun nice and clean.
 
Sounds like a range that wants to sell you some expensive brass ammo.

ALL RUSSIAN AMMO IS HORRIBLE AND YOU SHOULD NEVER BUY IT!! :p
I will buy it all and shoot it to do you guys a favor. :)
 
I can't bring myself to shoot steel in my handgun, just makes me nervous. If I was shooting steel out of an AK or SKS that would be different, I figured they were built with that in mind.

For $0.19/rd, you can get factory reman Freedom Munitions, or for $0.20 factory new. All their ammo that I've shot has been pretty darn clean and haven't had a single issue. If it weren't for shipping cost it would be all I'd shoot, but when you count in shipping it's about on par with what the Federal maroon box or Winchester white box sells for around here.
 
Oh its also bimetal not steel
Click to expand...
Bimetal generally refers to the jacket on the bullet. Instead of a copper jacket they use a thin alloy which does contain steel and will attract a magnet. The case is steel and may be copper washed. I have fired a bunch of Russian steel case stuff, Wolf, Tula, Brown Bear, Silver Bear, Pink Pussycat, etc... And some of the Novosibirsk branded 9mm as well.
All shot fine and worked fine out of my guns. About the only issue I've found was with the Novosibirsk brand. They appear weak and would not cycle some of my guns reliably. Also, they have had a higher incidence of duds than any other brand I can remember. I had bought 1K some time ago and have gone through 700 or so rounds.
Would I buy it again? At the right price, maybe... I reload most of my 9 (and everything else) now.
I would not hesitate to buy Wolf, Tula, and all the animals at a very good deal price. Novo -- not so much.
 
I bought a bunch of it. My 9mm CMMG SBR loves it. My Kahr CM9 loves it. My Kimber custom 1911 9mm loved it, My Glock 17 and 19 love it.

My Kel Tec sub2k has a few issues with it but KT is very upfront about it NOT doing well with this type of ammo.

The only gun I had that would not eat it was my Sig P238. I had some in .380 and the primers were to hard for it. I replaced the springs and firing pin because they were far out of date and still it would not fire MOST rds.

I have decided not to buy ammo that I know ALL of my guns in that caliber won't like but if you can get it cheap enough to save you some $, just remember which guns do and don't like it.

If I remember it runs pretty dirty too. Requires a little extra scrubbing afterwards but no big deal.
 
Reason I ask is because and LGS in my area that also has a shooting range and rental guns has a display in one of its cases with one of their rentals that exploded shooting some obscure cheap Russian ammo. apparently the case blew out the side and exploded the slide and extractor as a result they no longer allow people to use steel ammo in their rentals. I don't plan on shooting this stuff in a rental however I don't want to blow up my pistol either.
Click to expand...

Sounds like someone reloading a steel case or he is just full of it. I guess there could be a problem, but there could have been with the premium nosler rounds too. Things occasionally happen.

My range often quips about steel cased ammo but his gripe is that he does not let you take home even your own brass. Because he sells it. So he doesn't want steel because he can't resell it.

People also complain it shoots dirty... OK? You have to clean it anyway!
Another complaint is its not reliable. Lucky Gunner did a test were American brands like Federal and American Eagle had 10k rds shot thru an AR and literally zero problems.
Tulammo had like 6-7 in 10k rds.
Wolf and bear had like 3-4 in 10,000 rounds.

Think of the amount that 10,000 rds cost for Brass vs Steel. Its hundres of $'s.

Another argument is "Oh but the firing pin might break early". I just bought a pack of 5 MIL-Spec firing pins for $22 for new builds! OR now they have the titanium, guaranteed for life, indestructible firing pins for like $20...Still worth it!

"Oh but you wear out your barrel earlier". A barrel is $99-150, a premium barrel is $200ish...still well worth the savings.

Even if it shot out your barrel earlier, broke your firing pin and got your tennis shoes dirty. You could replace all of those and buy more cleaner, lube, brass brushes and cotton swabs for the whole range and still save a LOT of money.
 
"Most of the ranges I frequent do not allow any ammo which attracts a magnet (projectile or case). That, combined with the fact that I can load .45acp for .12-13 per round (without casting my own) gives me very little reason to use any Russkie ammo."

My range disallows it too, but on occaisions when my CZ-82 and i will be visiting an outdoor range along with a buncha people who will want to spend a lot of quality time with it (they always do), I pack Brown Bear in the range bag instead of more "quality" ammunition. If they are going to blow through my ammo, they are going to blow through cheap ammo.

That being said, the only stovepipe I have ever experienced in my '82 was with Russian ammunition.
 
you play the game you take the chance.
Click to expand...

Chance of what? Wasting .34 cents if one or two rounds don't go off? The chance of the bullet going 1/10" of an inch off of a piece of paper then with brass ammo?

Please elaborate what chance he is taking?
 
i've not shot that brand, but I've shot wolf and brown bear in handguns with no issues (except that i didn't have enough of it!)
 
I've used that brand in 9mm Makarov

It's cheap Russian steel export ammo
It won't be loaded hot, it's export ammo
It will have lower QC than most domestic/premium ammo

If it is a good deal, and you have a robust gun, Russian steel is fine. I rather like the all-copper look, but that's entirely a "looks" thing.

It is plinking/blasting ammo. You will have more failures with it than premium ammo, but the $ savings are worth it. The steel will be soft, nearly as soft as cartridge brass.

If you're unfamiliar with cheap steel ammo, I doubt you'll run enough of it in a decade to notice a difference in wear on your gun, unless you're feeding a tight match gun with it.
 
I bought two boxes of steel cased ammo with copper washed mild steel jackets. It's the one and only time I've ever seen grinder like sparks coming out of the barrels. I finished up the two boxes on a 9mm Chinese Norinco Tokarev clone and will never buy any more. Copper or cast only from now on.
 
That's a very good price for the times and if I didn't reload I would buy plenty and shoot it without fear. (if it weren't already sold out that is)
 
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