I see some Silver Bear .308 for very cheap price. I am wondering, would anyone suggest that it is as safe to use the Nickel Plated Steel Cased Silver Bear for plinking in a DPMD LR-308 rifle as the more expensive brass ammo? Many told me they like shooting the stuff, but I have talked to many people who say to avoid any steel case ammo like the plague. I would like to keep my LR-308 gun in good order, but I am tempted by the low price of Silver Bear. What are people's thoughts of using Silver Bear in their .308 ARs as compared with other brass ammo like Prvi Partizan? Will Silver Bear gunk up my gun bad like Wolf? What is the accuracy of Silver Bear compared to other low priced brass ammo like PMC , Prvi, Lake City and Military Surplus Ammo, like German and Lithuanian?
Shooting Silver Bear .308 for DPMS LR-308
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anthony-white
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Well everyone always says steel is harder on the extractor. Whats an extractor cost? like 12 bucks....I think you'll save more than that on the first 100 rounds. I shoot a lot of steel case through all my guns...My buddy Wayne puts it through his full auto's a lot too with great results, and no added wear or problems. Its not like were talking heat treated steel here, I say give it a try! I don't really notice a whole lot of difference between cleaning after wolf or anything else....cleaning is cleaning to me whether it is real bad or not so much i clean it to the same standard; not a whole lot of time difference.
SO, if it is so safe to use in my ARs, why do I meet people who look like they ar ready to have a heart attack when I mention steel case ammo and AR together 
. I don't get it. Also, DPMS says it voids your warranty. Will they ever know that I used steel cased ammo in my gun?
. I don't get it. Also, DPMS says it voids your warranty. Will they ever know that I used steel cased ammo in my gun?Bartkowski
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If you want a cheaper blasting ammo get it. I wouldn't expect good accuracy from it though. If you want accuracy and cheap ammo you could start reloading .308...
jpwilly
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You'll void your warranty shooting it BTW. Silver Bear is pretty much same as Wolf IMO. It goes bang and works. Certainly not match grade but good plinking stuff. I've shot lots of it in my SKS's AK's but non of the 308 cal. Personally I just go to WalMart and get 100rnds of Federal Power Shok 308 150gr SP once a month when Grocery Shopping. I reload the brass after I shoot it. My 308 Stash is over 1000rnds new and nearly that in reloads with 168gr and 175gr pills.
My 308 Rifles:
DPMS LR-308 AP4
M1 Garand with 308 bbl:
My 308 Rifles:
DPMS LR-308 AP4
M1 Garand with 308 bbl:
Once again, how will the company know that you shot steel casings through the gun if you clean it? And then, what does a warranty actually do for you? If something goes wrong with my gun, assuming I didn't do something stupid, does DPMS or Rock River actually fix it?
because of the harder casing, it leaves different wear patterns in the barrel when the shell casing loads and unloads. its actually pretty easy to spot if you do it for a living.
yes, RRA and most of the other quality AR companies will take care of a gun that is broken. they will actually fix it.
yes, RRA and most of the other quality AR companies will take care of a gun that is broken. they will actually fix it.
the problem with shooting steel casings is that the casing does not expand quite as well as the brass and some of the gas is allowed to get around the case in the chamber. This leads to fouling up in the chamber and when you go to shoot brass cased ammo, they can sometimes get stuck on extraction. If you are going to shoot steel case, just make sure you clean your rifle good afterwards in the chamber and stuff. As far as the qual of what you are talking about, it is fine to shoot. Do not expect match accuracy from it and you should be ok. Buddy of mine has the DPMS in long range target and we shoot it all the time. The steel casing is much softer than the barrel steel and will not hurt the gun. Companies that will not warranty it do so because they are looking for reasons to avoid cost increases, worn extractors and things like that which they would have to replace off and on.
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