Steel case in a Beretta 92FS?

[crazyivan]

Has anyone tried steel case in it?
Does it ruin the gun realy fast?

 

[postalnut25]

I have a 92fs. It is not my favorite gun. However, it eats everything you feed it and is a very solidly built gun. No matter what you shoot in yours, you would have a hard time ruining the gun.

 

[cougfan]

^What he said, the only trouble I ever had was with really light reloads. But I finally made some ammo I am accurate with using light Unique loads and a .90 gr bullet, just learned not to go too light.

 

[Onward Allusion]

Might ruin you faster. Dirty stuff. I now wear a dust mask when I shoot that stuff indoors.

It's not horrible for your 92FS but it will wear the extractor faster - simple metallurgy - steel is harder than brass. Also, depending on the tightness of your chamber, you may have some FTE's.

crazyivan
Steel case in a Beretta 92FS?
Has anyone tried steel case in it?
Does it ruin the gun realy fast?

 

[nalioth]

but it will wear the extractor faster - simple metallurgy - steel is harder than brass

I love this myth.

Yes, steel is harder than brass, but is the steel alloy used in ammo cases so much harder that it will tear up guns at an increased rate (over brass)? No.

Steel cases are fine for any modern (under 100 years old) firearm.

The myth got started by a group of folks who bought cheap parts for their guns, which would have failed with any ammunition (but they were in denial and blamed the steel cased ammo).

I mean, think about it, what purpose would it serve the steel case ammo makers to ship a product that ruined guns?

 

[Average Joe]

Yes, mine eats all that steel ammo without any problems whatsoever.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

The steel in the case is far softer than the steel of the barrel, slide, extractor and whatever other parts come in contact with it. If it could damage the gun, it would take immense - almost inconceivable - amounts of it.

 

[crazyivan]

Thats nice to hear it can take steel case!
Stuff cost a lot less then price of brass.
Now I can practice a lot with it!

 

[Onward Allusion]

Yes, it's soft steel, but it is steel nevertheless. I have a 5946 that I shoot regularly with Silver Bear. I've put several thousand rounds through it. I have another 5906 with about the same round count that I haven't shot in a while. That one was only fed a diet of brass cased ammo (before the '09 craziness). There is a difference, though not significant. You can tell the difference in wear under a flashlight. The extractor claw from the 5946 is a bit more "polished" at the edges.

There is another reason aside from the hardness of the steel case. Steel cases are harder to extract. Although they expand less than the brass case, they also don't contract as quick. After about 4 or 5 magazines (continuously), I will start experiencing FTE's every few mags. I don't rapid fire, so that might make a difference. Also, it's a S&W so it's probably not meant for steel case.

Overall, does it really make a difference at the range? Probably not. An extractor is what -$10? Does it wear out anything else quicker? Not as far as I can tell. The benefits outweigh the cost if the shooter doesn't reload (and wear breathing protection when shooting crap like Brown Bear).