What's the deal with "steel cased ammo"?
- Thread starter mrcpu
- Start date
- Status
Steel, being harder than brass, and with some ammunition the steel cases are actually harder than the steel parts of some guns, this will wear firearm parts much quicker than conventional brass case ammunition and this leads to premature parts failure.
Consequently many manufacturers will void a part replacement warranty if it is determined that the majority of the ammunition used in a firearm utilized steel cases.
Oh, and yes, the manufacturers can tell what types of ammunition the customer has been shooting in the repair weapon.
Manufacturers routinely test weapons to destruction using various ammunition and they keep photo documentation of wear patterns to parts on file for reference in determining warranty eligibility.
Consequently many manufacturers will void a part replacement warranty if it is determined that the majority of the ammunition used in a firearm utilized steel cases.
Oh, and yes, the manufacturers can tell what types of ammunition the customer has been shooting in the repair weapon.
Manufacturers routinely test weapons to destruction using various ammunition and they keep photo documentation of wear patterns to parts on file for reference in determining warranty eligibility.
highlander 5
Member
steel is cheaper than brass
busdriver72
Member
Wolf, for example, uses steel cased ammo. It is less expensive, and functions fine in a 1911, but it does put more stress on the extractor and would wear it out a little faster.
Skywarp
member
That and alot of steel cased ammo is old milsurp or wolf.
Both of which are incredibly dirty
Both of which are incredibly dirty
SoCalShooter
Member
I think also that the steel case stuff is berdand primed.
yongxingfreesty
Member
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2005
- Messages
- 1,396
does the same apply for cci blazer?
rkh
member
Steel is less elastic than brass, so more combustion products travel back into the action when steel cased ammo is fired. Also, a lot of this ammo is lacquer coated. The lacquer melts when it gets hot, and will contribute to chamber fouling.
I've heard reports that mixing lacquered and brass ammo in an AR15 is a recipe for malfunctions. Brass is more sensitive to the lacquer gunk, and may have difficulty ejecting.
I've heard reports that mixing lacquered and brass ammo in an AR15 is a recipe for malfunctions. Brass is more sensitive to the lacquer gunk, and may have difficulty ejecting.
wally
Member
I'm strongly of the opinion that if steel cased ammo breaks a gun it ain't much of a gun! Lots of 1911s were fed steel cased ammo in WWII to save copper for more important uses.
Not all guns work with all ammo and vice-versa so its not hard to find individual gun brand X that won't work with ammo brand Y, but don't extrapolate wildly.
Pick up a Wolf empty next time you are at the range and squeeze it between your fingers, if this soft steel damages your gun, like I said, ain't much of a gun!
Two advantages of steel cased ammo, (1) cheaper and (2) they rust away rather quickly. Aluminum empties you don't pick up will lay there practically forever, brass for a very long time.
Main disadvantage I find is the cases have more friction than brass so they sometimes have problems feeding in double stack magazines (.45 in particular), especially if the mag gets dirty. This can also be a factor in the ejection/extraction problems some guns might have. But my experince has been far more mag friction feeding issues than gun ejection/extraction issues.
I've shot lots of Wolf, but I've pretty much stopped buying it because the price has climbed to the point that I can find brass cased reloadable ammo such that cost of ammo minus the value of once fired brass with uniform headstamps is less than the cost of Wolf.
No matter what ammo you shoot its generally wise to try a few boxes before getting a case or more.
--wally.
Not all guns work with all ammo and vice-versa so its not hard to find individual gun brand X that won't work with ammo brand Y, but don't extrapolate wildly.
Pick up a Wolf empty next time you are at the range and squeeze it between your fingers, if this soft steel damages your gun, like I said, ain't much of a gun!
Two advantages of steel cased ammo, (1) cheaper and (2) they rust away rather quickly. Aluminum empties you don't pick up will lay there practically forever, brass for a very long time.
Main disadvantage I find is the cases have more friction than brass so they sometimes have problems feeding in double stack magazines (.45 in particular), especially if the mag gets dirty. This can also be a factor in the ejection/extraction problems some guns might have. But my experince has been far more mag friction feeding issues than gun ejection/extraction issues.
I've shot lots of Wolf, but I've pretty much stopped buying it because the price has climbed to the point that I can find brass cased reloadable ammo such that cost of ammo minus the value of once fired brass with uniform headstamps is less than the cost of Wolf.
No matter what ammo you shoot its generally wise to try a few boxes before getting a case or more.
--wally.
- Status
