Duramaximum
Member
How good is Wolf ammo for just plinking on a scale of 1-10? Everyone seems to "sideways remark" that it isn't very good at all. What do you think? Thanks!
Why does Wolf ammo have a bad rap?
- Thread starter Duramaximum
- Start date
- Status
gulogulo1970
Member
It has worked fine for me. It is a little dirty and some of the old stuff really stinks up the place.
Zach S
Member
Its weak. Its dirty. It stinks. Otherwise I dont have any problems with it.
unspellable
Member
Wolf ammo
Over on the Luger forum we had a couple examples of the 9 mm stuff going over pressure and damaging one gun and locking up another. One blew the extractor out of the Luger. (Contrary to rumours from some quarters, the Luger will take more pressure than most pistols.) The other was a Smith & Wesson and it took three men and a dog to get the action open and clear it.
They also have a reputation for sticking in the chamber.
Over on the Luger forum we had a couple examples of the 9 mm stuff going over pressure and damaging one gun and locking up another. One blew the extractor out of the Luger. (Contrary to rumours from some quarters, the Luger will take more pressure than most pistols.) The other was a Smith & Wesson and it took three men and a dog to get the action open and clear it.
They also have a reputation for sticking in the chamber.
waterhouse
Member
I've fired many thousand rounds of wolf. I shoot it less since I've started reloading, but I never had any problems with it in 9mm, .45, .223, or .22.
eastwood44mag
Member
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2005
- Messages
- 1,027
It's just about as dirty as you can possibly get. I've shot it in .223, 7.62x39, and .45. Cleaning is a beast, and the .45 had some feeding problems. No complaints with the rest.
wally
Member
No problems in any of my .45s. I've shot at least 10 cases of the stuff in the last couple of years. Since I'm finding it hard to make time to reload, I'd be shooting a whole lot less if it weren't for Wolf.
What does "weak" have to do with plinking ammo? The new stuff (polymer coated cases in stead of lacquer coated) doesn't seem any dirter than other low end factory ball and doesn't have that urine-like smell after shooting that some of the older lots did. I doubt you'd win any bullseye matches with the stuff (excepting their .22 match ammo which IMHO is not cheap enough for plinking and gives me dime sized groups at 50 yrds in my 10/22 rifle) but it sure knocks the steel plates down real good!
--wally.
What does "weak" have to do with plinking ammo? The new stuff (polymer coated cases in stead of lacquer coated) doesn't seem any dirter than other low end factory ball and doesn't have that urine-like smell after shooting that some of the older lots did. I doubt you'd win any bullseye matches with the stuff (excepting their .22 match ammo which IMHO is not cheap enough for plinking and gives me dime sized groups at 50 yrds in my 10/22 rifle) but it sure knocks the steel plates down real good!
--wally.
Desk Jockey
Member
I have no experience with it (didn't vote), but...
The owner's manual on my Baby Eagle .45 says "We do not recommend the use of these ammunitions: Wolf (lacquered steel cases, poor QC) and Sellier & Bellot (very "dirty" ammunition)."
The owner's manual on my Baby Eagle .45 says "We do not recommend the use of these ammunitions: Wolf (lacquered steel cases, poor QC) and Sellier & Bellot (very "dirty" ammunition)."
Ivy Mike
Member
Wolf has never been a problem in any of my guns. Dirtier than most, but its cheap. Cleaning supplies are a whole lot cheaper than ammo.
Tigerseye
Member
The laquered steel case Wolf pistol ammo is sometimes difficult to extract. I think it has to do with steel being less "elastic" than brass. I have no experience with polymer coated Wolf.
orangeninja
Member
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2003
- Messages
- 3,117
I've never used poly coated wolf, but the old stuff used to give my Glock 22 and Ruger P94 fits. It would get really gummy in the chamber and you would get FTE every once in a while....it was a real pain to clean and inconsistant loads, some hot, some not. My brother also has a squib every once in a while...at least once while we were shooting it out of his Glock 23.
Not only that, but it's not a whole lot cheaper. www.ammoman.com has 500 rounds for $85.00 in .40 and you can walk into any Academy Sports in Texas and buy 2 boxes of Remington UMC for $42.50 a box, that's 500 rounds for $85.00.
For the quality, I'll spend a couple extra bucks a case, but frequently you don't have to.
Not only that, but it's not a whole lot cheaper. www.ammoman.com has 500 rounds for $85.00 in .40 and you can walk into any Academy Sports in Texas and buy 2 boxes of Remington UMC for $42.50 a box, that's 500 rounds for $85.00.
For the quality, I'll spend a couple extra bucks a case, but frequently you don't have to.
Vitamin G
Member
I think its a good value in plinking ammo... particularly in 7.62x39. My SAR-1 eats it and loves it. Never a problem.
With the price of WWB, i'll stick with brass cased ammo in .223. I tried wolf once and a fired case got caught in the chamber, and i had to pound it out by taking a dowel into the barrel and tapping gently when i got home, ending the session.
S&B and WWB is only a few dollars more in .45acp and 9mm, so i'll stick with the brass since i can reload it.
Wolf doesn't make 10mm... And .22lr is FAR from "plinking" ammo, so its unfair to judge it in that area.
With the price of WWB, i'll stick with brass cased ammo in .223. I tried wolf once and a fired case got caught in the chamber, and i had to pound it out by taking a dowel into the barrel and tapping gently when i got home, ending the session.
S&B and WWB is only a few dollars more in .45acp and 9mm, so i'll stick with the brass since i can reload it.
Wolf doesn't make 10mm... And .22lr is FAR from "plinking" ammo, so its unfair to judge it in that area.
I bought a case of 1000 rounds of .45acp from Cheaper Than Dirt, luckily with a full money back guarantee. Out of the first box, I had 10 misfires (light primer strikes), several stovepipes, and that atrocious ammonia smell in an indoor range was too much. I boxed up the remaining ammo (around 960 rounds) and sent it back. I was shooting this through my Glock 21.
'Card
Member
I like it a lot, and my XD-45ACP seems to like it a lot as well. We've been through about 500 rounds of Wolf ammo together, and haven't had a single problem so far. It may very well smell bad - the range where I shoot is extremely well-ventilated so I wouldn't notice. It is definitely dirty, but I enjoy cleaning my gun (and my gun is easy to clean - which may be a factor) so that hasn't been a problem either.
*shrug*
Some people may turn their nose up at it, but I'm cool with that. Leaves more boxes on the rack for me to save money on.
*shrug*
Some people may turn their nose up at it, but I'm cool with that. Leaves more boxes on the rack for me to save money on.
nyresq
Member
stinky and dirty.... but cheap. as long as you shoot at an outdoor range its not a problem (untill cleaning time). but for cheap plinking it can't be beat.
Seven High
Member
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2004
- Messages
- 755
Examine a Wolf case in the area of the rim. Compare it with a case from another mfg. You should see a significant difference. This difference will cause extraction problems when your weapon is dirty. I have also had cases stuck in the chambers of my G22 and Sig Pro. I will not buy anymore Wolf.
CajunBass
Member
I've never shot it in anything but a Makarov, but it's worked pretty good in that. Reliable, accurate, and doesn't seem to smell or to be any dirtier than other ammo's.
lowracer
Member
My Glock 21 eats it like candy. Smoky, dirty, and loud, with a smell like burning yak hair. Makes me want to clean my guns afterward.
steveracer
Member
I don't reload, so...
....the Wolf stuff is pretty great for plinking. It's important to note that the last two years or so and newer wolf stuff has a polymer coated case, not laquer. The laquer sucked big time, and caused major problems with my Sig 220, and my 1911s. The polymer stuff is actually SMOOTHER than brass in it's finish, and it slides out of the chamber really very well.
I like the .223, and the 9mm, a lot, as I fire those in high volume. I can pick up spent cases with a magnet, so I don't spend all that time bent over grabbing brass. That aspect alone makes me prefer Wolf for range use.
Yes, it's dirty, but like most military men, I'm fanatical about cleaning my guns.
We ran over 2000 rounds of wolf 9mm through my semi-auto Uzi, and it ran perfect. (of course, the Uzi will cycle rocks if you put them in the magazine, but this shows that the wolf being dirty doesn't necessarily much things up.)
....the Wolf stuff is pretty great for plinking. It's important to note that the last two years or so and newer wolf stuff has a polymer coated case, not laquer. The laquer sucked big time, and caused major problems with my Sig 220, and my 1911s. The polymer stuff is actually SMOOTHER than brass in it's finish, and it slides out of the chamber really very well.
I like the .223, and the 9mm, a lot, as I fire those in high volume. I can pick up spent cases with a magnet, so I don't spend all that time bent over grabbing brass. That aspect alone makes me prefer Wolf for range use.
Yes, it's dirty, but like most military men, I'm fanatical about cleaning my guns.
We ran over 2000 rounds of wolf 9mm through my semi-auto Uzi, and it ran perfect. (of course, the Uzi will cycle rocks if you put them in the magazine, but this shows that the wolf being dirty doesn't necessarily much things up.)
Mad Magyar
Member
I noticed that Chas. Petty, in Guns, who does a lot of ammo reviews had some kind words for Wolf. Basically, he said they got a bad rap for the "dirty" tag attached to it...To paraphrase, "If you're cleaning your pistol, what difference does it make if its a little dirty or more dirty." He mentioned having some tight shooting groups...
I will admit that I walk right by it at Guns Shows only because of the reputation whether it's a "little or big dirty".
I will admit that I walk right by it at Guns Shows only because of the reputation whether it's a "little or big dirty".
M2 Carbine
member
I've shot thousands of rounds of Wolf but the fact that the question about the quality of Wolf ammo comes up so often is a good indication that there is a big problem with the ammo.
This is another good indication.
New Wolf .223 jamming in the chamber so tight that it takes a good hit from a steel cleaning rod to knock it loose.
I'll use Wolf in my AK but nothing else anymore.
New Wolf in Kel Tec PLR-16.
This is another good indication.
New Wolf .223 jamming in the chamber so tight that it takes a good hit from a steel cleaning rod to knock it loose.
I'll use Wolf in my AK but nothing else anymore.
New Wolf in Kel Tec PLR-16.
Wolf isn't really a manufacturer. They contract the manufacture out to places they find to make it.
When wolf started, they were contracting out to someplace that had pretty poor QA and they specified a laquered steel case. This resulted in poor quality ammo that gunged things up pretty badly.
Fast forward to about the last 1.5 years, and wolf has REALLY pulled themselves together. Switched from laquer to polymer coatings on their cases, and they upped the power on their .223 ammo so taht it makes minor power factor even out of my 16" carbine length AR with a 5.56 chamber. It's even not too terribly dirty.
in the early days, the pistol stuff was inconsistent and sometimes you could push the bullets in with your finger. Which does bad things for pressure. These days the only thing wrong with their pistol ammo is it still smells nastier than most and is DIRTY. To put dirty in perspective, one of the guys from the local USPSA crowd was going about 2000 rounds before having to clean his glock to avoid extraction or feed issues. With the wolf he was running into the same issues at about 1000 rounds. This was .40 S&W ammo, PMC and blazer vs. wolf.
After wolf got their act together on the .223 ammo, it's what I have primarily been putting through my ar. From chatting with people who have burned a lot more than i, the worst thing they ahe run into is their ejector wearing faster. The cost of the rebuild kit was saved multiple times over on the first case of ammo though. Biggest problem I have had is they put a HP round in one of my FMJ boxes.
When wolf started, they were contracting out to someplace that had pretty poor QA and they specified a laquered steel case. This resulted in poor quality ammo that gunged things up pretty badly.
Fast forward to about the last 1.5 years, and wolf has REALLY pulled themselves together. Switched from laquer to polymer coatings on their cases, and they upped the power on their .223 ammo so taht it makes minor power factor even out of my 16" carbine length AR with a 5.56 chamber. It's even not too terribly dirty.
in the early days, the pistol stuff was inconsistent and sometimes you could push the bullets in with your finger. Which does bad things for pressure. These days the only thing wrong with their pistol ammo is it still smells nastier than most and is DIRTY. To put dirty in perspective, one of the guys from the local USPSA crowd was going about 2000 rounds before having to clean his glock to avoid extraction or feed issues. With the wolf he was running into the same issues at about 1000 rounds. This was .40 S&W ammo, PMC and blazer vs. wolf.
After wolf got their act together on the .223 ammo, it's what I have primarily been putting through my ar. From chatting with people who have burned a lot more than i, the worst thing they ahe run into is their ejector wearing faster. The cost of the rebuild kit was saved multiple times over on the first case of ammo though. Biggest problem I have had is they put a HP round in one of my FMJ boxes.
WayneConrad
Member
I was there when a round of Wolf 7.62x39 torched through its primer. The hot gasses leaving the primer bent the firing pin enough to clear the firing pin stop and go flying backwards out of the bolt. The receiver cover intercepted the firing pin before it could contact my nephew's face.
This was about a year ago. It was the polymer coated stuff.
This was about a year ago. It was the polymer coated stuff.
Edgeofthewoods
Member
For plinking and stuff the Wolf does just fine. dirty to the point of Black powder but it works. Now compared to te surplus stuf it is a dream!!
Chuck
Chuck
- Status
