Steel case vs. brass case.

[stchman]

No gut feelings or any "my buddy says it is" type stuff.

Is there ANY empirical data to support brass case ammo is superior to steel case.

Lets not get into the reloading debate either.

I have shot both and cannot tell a difference other than price.

My milsurp rifles all shoot primarily steel case. I shoot pretty much all steel case .223 in my Mini-14 and I have shot steel case in my 9mm pistols all without a hitch.

I have heard that the Russian made steel case is "dirtier", but since i clean my firearms after I shoot them it is no biggie.

My personal experience is that steel case and brass case are of the same shooting quality.

 

[Mags]

Some steel cased stuff will snag on aluminium feed ramps and mar them up. Also if you reload why buy steel?

 

[CoRoMo]

I have heard that the Russian made steel case is "dirtier"

I thought that referred to the propellants, not the case being made of steel.

 

[bri]

I've never seen any data to support one over the other, besides the fact that steel can't be reloaded.

I've never had a problem with steel 7.62x39 from Wolf, ran 1000's of rounds of it. It is "dirty" but that's never been an issue for me.

 

[theotherwaldo]

Yep, non-reloadability, rust, and lacquer transfer are obvious problems. I've heard that poor obturation may also be a problem, though I've never experienced that.

 

[stchman]

If you look at a good deal of milsurp ammo from Europe it is steel case.

I recently opened a spam can from the 70s and it was all that copper washed steel case. That stuff shoots real good.

 

[mljdeckard]

I've never had any problems. But I shoot it exclusively through Russian guns.

 

[GRIZ22]

Quote:
I have heard that the Russian made steel case is "dirtier"

I thought that referred to the propellants, not the case being made of steel.
__________________


The case itself is "dirtier" as it has a lacquer coating to prevent rust. This coating burns on ignition and leaves deposits in the chamber. How much this interferes with functioning varies.

 

[WinchesterAA]

My 1911 loves brass cased ammo, and mostly likes steel cased ammo. The only errors I have with my 1911 these days is from shooting 5 year old wolf ammo, but then again, it could be because wolf ammo is so dirty, and wwb is less so.

 

[Acera]

I just see it as an irritant to the range owners who want to get some extra income from your used brass, and don't like separating it out. They tend to bad mouth is quite a bit. Of course, I feel the same about the aluminum cases also.

 

[fireman 9731]

Steel doesn't behave like brass. Its much harder and sometimes can lead to problems with not chambering well or expanding enough once fired. It isn't as forgiving as brass I guess would be the best way to put it.

But if your gun was designed for steel cased ammo, or your gun shoots it well then great! You get the benefit of buying cheaper ammo than most people.

I think most of the bad rep comes from poor quality components that are often used in steel cased ammo. Dirtier powders, corrosive primers, cheap FMJ bullets, ect...

But of course there is still plenty of poor quality brass cased ammo out there too.

 

[MachIVshooter]

Steel cased ammo will accelerate wear on every part it touches. To what extent this is problematic or not depends on the gun and the conditions it is used in. Under more ideal conditions, there is not the issue of abrasive debris in the chamber. But since the steel doesn't give as easily as brass, if there is abrasive debris, steel cased ammo is going to make it cause more damage to the chamber.

Steel is also harder on extractors.

 

[Uncle Mike]

Steel cased ammo will accelerate wear on every part it touches.

But since the steel doesn't give as easily as brass

This has been the debate since the first steel jacketed bullet was loosed through someones prized bore...since the first steel case rattled through that same action.

I was tasked with finding information concerning the accelerated wear caused by steel jacketed bullet and steel casings for use here at the shop.

What I found was interesting and contradiction....Wolf says that the steel jackets of the projectiles they use are no harder or tougher than comparable brass jacketing on today's most common bullets.

The cases used by several ammo manufacturers that produce steel cased ammo is supposed to be 'as soft' as brass cased ammo.

Ammo importers I contacted were quick to say the above statements but had NO definitive data supporting their claims.

It is a 50/50 result of yes it is..or no it isn't if you ask various barrel and firearm manufacturers but nearly all of these manufacturers stated that use of such ammo would void their warranties.

This, half assed research was done several years ago when the steel cased ammo craze was just spooling up, so policies and opinions may have changed by now.

The kitchen table research we did showed that BOTH the jackets and the cases of steel jacketed and steel cased ammo where indeed harder, tougher and did not elongate as easily as brass case and copper jacketed ammo that were used by several ammo manufacturers of the date.

Our research was for the customers amusement only and has no estimable worth as being right....or wrong for that fact.

it is my opinion that steel jacketed bullets DO accelerate barrel wear and steel case ammo DOES accelerate wear within the firearm action itself.

 

[cougar1717]

Here's how I think about comparing steel/bi-metal vs. brass cases: What is the purpose of the case? Upon ignition, the case is made to expand to the dimensions of the chamber, creating a seal that forces hot gasses and pressure down the barrel and away from the shooter. If you could find the modulus of elasticity of the bi-metal material, a person could compare it to the modulus of yellow brass. Another way would be to test the RC hardness of different cases. On one hand, brass needs no coating, while the bi-metal cases need it. I really don't think that there is any question concerning the malleability of each of these case materials.

Here is some good information also:
http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/edu18.htm

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

Stinks too

It's cheap though. For accurate shooting or a gun I really care about it would be my last choice but for cheap volume blasting I love it. You could buy a few new extractors for the amount of money you save on your first case of steel case vs. brass.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

It depends more on the gun. With one exception I have personally never had a malfunction that I could directly attribute to the steel case. That exception was a .223 Wolf case that stuck in the chamber of the Ruger Mini-14, but this was the old lacquer coating that they no longer use.

 

[DeepSouth]

I've never had any problems. But I shoot it exclusively through Russian guns.

This is me. I shoot Russian ammo through my AK and have never had a failure, but I did clean it.........once........the day I bought it.

I have also shot a few hundred rounds of WOLF through my 1911 with no problems.