Steel-jacketed ammunition

[meathammer]

I couldn't find another thread about this, if there is one, please bear with me.

I recently purchased some Danish .30-06 150gr. FMJ surplus ammo to use with my M1 Garand. The jackets appear to be

steel. They are

magnetic, and more "silver" in color than regular copper or brass

bullets. My concern is what kind of wear and tear will this

cause to my barrel? Is this really any concern? I also shoot

American Eagle, UMC, and others. I bought this Danish stuff

primarily for plinking. My M1 is one of the new Springfield ones

and has a chrome lined barrel. Should I worry at all about this

stuff or just shut up and shoot?

I have fired some of it already, functions fine.

 

[sasnofear]

it wont rip the barrel apart in small doses, however it is a hard metal and to be honest i'd leave it well alone! no point in risking the barrel for dirt cheap ammo that 'may? be ok'


get copper jaket, i wouldn't risk it!

adam

 

[critter]

I'm not sure, but I think the Danish '06 stuff was made especially for the M1 and is steel core not steel jacket. Might check with the US military rifle shooters on CSP or some such place.

 

[Redlg155]

I'm no expert on the effects of steel jacketed bullets and whether or not it cause premature barrel wear, but I would think the steel would be much milder than your barrel steel. The steel would have to be very soft to conform to the rifling in your barrel.

I'm currently shooting some Port Surplus in my FAL and although it doesn't look like it is steel jacketed, it is. So far I haven't seen any visual signs of barrel wear, but I've only shot 500rds through it so far. Considering the 500 I put through it an the rounds while it was in Belgian service ( It is a G1 build), the barrel looks extremely good.

I'm kinda wondering it this is going to be one of the debates much like the steel casing vs brass causing premature wear on your rifle.

Good Shooting
RED

 

[Bottom Gun]

I bought some Swiss .223 from Eric which has a CUPRO-NICKEL Jacket which is also magnetic.
I also have some 7,62X39 Russian made ammo and some Talon 30-06 remanufactured ammo. They both have mild steel jackets.

I haven't shot too much of the Swiss ammo, but I have shot quite a bit of the Talon and the Russian stuff and have not seen any appreciable wear in my Garand or my SKS.

I don't think a mild steel or cupro-nickel jacket is hard enough to cause undue barrel wear. It simply doesn't stand to reason that anyone would produce ammo which would cause barrel wear. After all, a bullet has to seal against the bore when it's fired so it has to be soft enough to do that.
I think you'll get far more barrel wear from shooting dirty or gritty ammo.
Just my opinion. . . . .

 

[meathammer]

Thanks for the information guys. I wasn't sure about this stuff. It was shipped in 5 round stripper clips, so it was obviously designed for some sort of military rifle. It would seem strange if they would produce ammunition that would cause premature barrel wear. It isn't the only ammo I shoot, I plan on mixing it up a little. (Shoot some of the Danish, shoot some copper jacketed.) Thanks again for the comments!

 

[Destructo6]

Are you sure that stuff is Danish?

The Danish 30-06 I bought was in a bandolier, loaded into clips in carboards. The projectiles look very coppery (?), though a magnet will stick. Headstamp is "A M A" over "91".

 

[meathammer]

Hi Destructo6,

The .30-06 I have is Danish according to the advertisement. 1980's manufacture. The headstamp on mine is "AMA" over "62". I think I have seen the stuff you are talking about at a local gun shop. It was copper in color, but also magnetic. I wish I had a digital camera so I could show you what this stuff looks like. The bullet itself is almost silver in color. Did the stuff you got come loaded in Garand En Bloc clips? That's what I was originally going to order, was out of stock when I checked. I bought this stuff instead. Interesting.

 

[igor]

They shoot a lot of steel-jacketed Chinese 7,62x39 here in Chinese, Russian et al. AK's with chrome-lined barrels - that's no problem, no wear & tear. The otherwise lucky guys with Sakos don't, as their barrels aren't hard chromed - they say it'll cut such barrels' mileage considerably.

 

[Destructo6]

Yes, it was loaded into Enbloc clips. Can't believe I left that out in the above post.

Since they're both stamped "A M A", I think they were made by the same company. So, do you suppose the number is the date of manufacture?

 

[meathammer]

Destructo6,

You must have bought some of the ammo I was originally going to buy. Figured I'd get some cheap surplus and the extra clips for my Garand.
The ammo I got was in 5 rd. stripper clips, I'm assuming for a bolt action type military rifle. As far as the number "62" on the head stamp, I haven't a clue. Could be the year of manufacture, but they said the ammo was made in the 80's. Maybe the brass itself was manufactured earlier. I don't know. Maybe another member on this forum could figure out what the head stamp means. I pulled one of the bullets last night and it had a lead core. So the jacket itself is either steel, or another magnetic material. Thanks for the posts!

 

[cheygriz]

The very mild steel used in bullet jackets will not harm your bore in any way. This is an urban legend.

Most of the .30-06 ammo made for the M-1 Garands in WWll and Korea was steel jacketed.