Steel Ammo, So Tempting.

[Ben86]

That new Tulammo that seems to be so prevalent these days has got me rethinking my stance on steel cased ammo. I try not to shoot it in any of my guns because I'm worried the steel cases are bad for my extractor and other parts. But, those prices sure are tempting. It would make some mighty affordable practice ammo for my pistols. Should I just get over myself and enjoy some cheaper ammo, or am I wise to stick with brass cased ammo only?

 

[Roan]

Look at it this way, the cost savings on a case of steel cased ammo is much greater than the cost of an extractor. Get the cheap stuff and have fun.

 

[earlthegoat2]

I dont have a problem running the steel cased stuff in any of my guns. I dont do it exclusively though.

You just have to give your guns a real good cleaning afterwards. Maybe spritz a little laquer thinner in there even.

I would caution against using it in match chambers though. The laquer likes to gum it up in there and it can lead to your pistol or rifle locking up pretty good.

 

[ForumSurfer]

I use it. Several hundred rounds through my 1911's, glocks and my AR. No broken extractors. I bought my guns to shoot and because they are reliable. If they won't hold up to the extremely soft metal used in metal casings, I need something different.

 

[dawico]

The savings over the long run IS more than the price of a new extractor, I totally agree. Get it, shoot it, and don't worry about it. I avoid steel cased ammo because I reload, but that is the only reason if it works in my guns right.

 

[BCRider]

The extractors are hardened and tempered to a springy and tough condition. The steel cases are mild steel. They won't (shouldn't) hurt your extractor anymore than a cutting tool is hurt by drilling or cutting the same sort of mild steel stock. If the stuff gives your guns any issues it'll likely be due more to the other issues mentioned by the folks above.

 

[1KPerDay]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR3fi1wCSmM

thought this was interesting.

 

[cwcoolcow]

Hum...bought some Wolf .40 from Gander Mountain last week because it was on sale Even while waiting in line to pay a guy in front of me saw my ammo and said that a lot of people avoid steel because it may hurt your gun Well, at the range I put the first 14 rounds through my Beretta Px4 full size with no problems. After that I had a ton (okay about 15) of FTFs. The rounds were not chambering. When loading with an UpLula I couldn't put more that 6 rounds into the mag before the ammo would jam. If I only used 5-6 rounds, I had good results. Put a total of 200 round downrange. When I switched back to brass, all of my loading problems and FTFs were gone. Just my experience. For what it worth, I'll be avoiding Wolf/Steel in the foreseeable future.

 

[wally]

If I only used 5-6 rounds, I had good results. Put a total of 200 round downrange. When I switched back to brass, all of my loading problems and FTFs were gone

You likely need to clean your mags. I've found there is a bit more friction with the steel cases than brass and this makes it much more sensitive to fouling in the mag. I consider the steel cased ammo a good test of your gun's operating margins, if it works with brass but not steel, IMHO you've got problems lurking that should be fixed.

My guns are fine with steel cased ammo, a few have needed a bit of tweaking, one AR had an out of spec extractor that was fine with brass but not the steel cases. No issues since I replaced it. A few mags have needed some interior smoothing, again brass ammo hid the issue.

Only my Kel-Tec P3AT have I been unable to make work with steel cased ammo, My Ruger LCP and S&W Bodyguard 380 have no issues with it so they quickly replaced the P3AT as my minimal clothing carry as I feel the P3AT was just too close the edge of not working to really trust it, but when it was all I had it was better than nothing and I only will carry brass cased ammo.

Ain't much of a gun if the steel cased ammo breaks it! Get a brass and a steel empty and crush the case mouths. I think you'll find the steel deforms much easier than the brass.

These days if I'm not shooting my reloads its some brand of steel cased ammo. The price is compelling and its more than accurate enough for the steel plate shooting I usually do where the targets are trivial to hit if you go slow, the challenge is going fast from target to target. In this case "quantity has a quality of its very own"

 

[Average Joe]

If my guns can't handle steel cased ammo, they I don't want them anyway.

 

[outerlimit]

I really can't understand why anyone would willingly purchase steel cased ammo for anything other than a commie block gun. But then I know the mentality of a lot of people, they will buy a piece of junk used gun over a new gun of the same model to save $20! It is funny sometimes just to observe people.

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

Millions of Chinese, Russian, and other com-bloc soldiers can't be wrong. The communist world has been shooting steel cased stuff for many dcades, and the rifles seem to be doing alright (we imported a lot of their used rifle kits and rebuit rifles, etc, and they are still working here). I plan on using Russian made .30 Carbine ammo soon, as it has a pretty good following, and is a lot cheaper and available than anything else. Enjoy!

 

[chris in va]

IIRC my Kahr manual specifically states not to use steel case ammo.

 

[USAF_Vet]

I bought some steel cased TulAmmo in 9mm Luger for my Hi-Point 995 carbine. If it jerks up the gun in any way, I'll send it back to Hi-point for a tune up and a free mag. I've also used steel cased ammo in my Mosin Nagant M91/30 and M44 with no issues.

 

[Nushif]

IIRC my Kahr manual specifically states not to use steel case ammo.

This may or may not be a legitimate warning.

The problem I have with taking any manual as gospel is that they throw in stuff like "Don't use reloads" as well as "Don't let anyone even take of a grip panel or your warranty is void" or "Don't load your gun unless you plan on shooting it."

It makes the document as a whole a bit hard to distinguish as a real user's manual.

 

[Sebastian the Ibis]

I've put thousands of rounds of steel cased ammo through my glock 19; Brown Bear, Silver Bear, Wolf, Tula and Novisbirsk. I often shoot several mags quickly in a drill over and over again. I have had no problems except when I use cheap KCI mags with the weak springs.

If you have a quality gun you should not have any problems with steel ammo, if you have a picky gun that does not like it its the guns fault.

 

[ForumSurfer]

The problem I have with taking any manual as gospel is that they throw in stuff like "Don't use reloads" as well as "Don't let anyone even take of a grip panel or your warranty is void" or "Don't load your gun unless you plan on shooting it."

It makes the document as a whole a bit hard to distinguish as a real user's manual.

Yep. The majority of manuals say not to use reloads. Yet we have many reloaders here, so I guess no one is reading the manual.

 

[NMGonzo]

whatever ... steel cased ammo is fine

 

[Chopdoktor]

I almost exclusively shoot steel case through my AR, my AK, my M1A, my Glocks, and several more in my collection. The only one I don't shoot steel case in, is my Springfield Lightweight Operator 1911, and that's only because I don't shoot tons of .45, so I can afford to buy more expensive feed. Out of 10+ thousand rounds of ammo, I've experienced a total of about 7 steel-case ammo related issues, and those were all in very tight, newly built, non-chrome-lined AR15's. In those incidences, the lip of the rim was marred by the extractor, and I had to tap the case out with a cleaning rod. In my opinion, that's ok to deal with when you save hundreds (or thousands, at this point) of dollars on ammo for practice. If ever a serious occasion arises, I have "real" ammo for each of my guns, but that's not what gets shot up. It's for times that call for pricey, high-end ammo. Punching paper (or filing cabinets, or refrigerators, in my cases) does not call for super match grade ammo made of the finest metals, unless it's for competition. And that's my two cents. Take it as you will, and happy shooting!

 

[W.E.G.]

That "com bloc" stuff runs just fine through my Glocks.

 

[Ben86]

When reading a manufacturer manual you have to decipher what is said simply for liability reasons, and what is relevant fact.

 

[sansone]

I shoot cheap steel ammo in my cheap guns. My premium guns get brass cases

 

[ForumSurfer]

I shoot cheap steel ammo in my cheap guns. My premium guns get brass cases

I've never understood that. If I have weapons considered premium, IMO they should handle steel cased ammo.

I understand if we're talking about match grade, competition rifles. But for the shooters out there, I've never experienced actual damage due to steel cases. I've had a few rifle rounds that I've had to tap out of the chamber with a cleaning rod due to ammo related failure...but it has happened with brass and steel rounds.

But to each his own.

 

[Ben86]

I emailed Tula Ammo asking if using steel cased ammo causes accelerated wear on guns compared to brass cased ammo. I doubt I'll get a reply LOL!

 

[Dogguy]

I finally got over the steel-cased ammo phobia. I tried some 9mm Brown Bear and liked it. I went ahead and bought a case of it to break in a new SIG. I shot almost the whole case in one session without one single hiccup.

I'm not a metallurgist and my memory is not always perfect so I don't know/recall the specifics but I do remember reading about problems with steel cartridge cases back in the 1970s. The bad reputation originated from the time of WWII. That ammo did have a reputation for wearing or breaking extractors because the steel composition lacked elasticity or was hard or something--anyway it was not very compatible with the steel of the gun's chamber. IIRC, this caused the steel cartridge case to be sticky in the chambers.

Today's steel cartridge cases are different. The Russian ammo I've seen is coated with a lacquer or a polymer that prevents it from sticking in the chambers of firearms. It works extremely well. The steel composition may also be softer or more elastic, I don't know for sure. I do know that I no longer fear using steel-cased ammo in any of my firearms. If it's decent ammo otherwise and costs less to use for practice, I'll happily buy it.