Wolf through an AR?

[JonB]

Got a RRA elite CAR A4 on the way. I am curious about Wolf ammo - how's it function in an AR? Dirty? Sticks in chamber? Also, I have read that some AR manufacturers say using Wolf will void the warranty - true for RRA?

 

[Quintin Likely]

It's dirty and smells funny. The steel cases may be harder on the extractor. It works though.

 

[Jackal]

I have heard the stories... And, I have also fired about 750rds of Wolf through my Bushmaster. Never have had 1 single malfunction or problem. Its a little dirty but has been reasonably accurate for me.

 

[DogBonz]

Bad for extractors

I have personally seen two broken extractors in AR's. One was a bushy, and the other a Stag, so we aren't talking cheap crappy AR's.

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

RRA has recommened against Wolf on the industry section on AR15.com, but I don't recall any specifics. I would contact the company if you are worried about it.

 

[10-Ring]

I won't shoot Wolf and wouldn't recommend it through anything non-AK.

 

[RH822]

I shoot wolf in my Colt AR and it eats it up with no problems. I also use it in my Mini-14, same story there.

RH

 

[Frog48]

I have scanned the Ammo Advisory letter that Bushmaster send along with the owners manual/warranty card/various paperwork. Notice, Wolf IS among the brands that Bushmaster has tested and concluded that "will cycle without malfunction and have not caused damage or problems".

So yes, Wolf is OK to use in your AR-15.

 

[applekev]

Re: Wolf Ammo

Yep, my Bushmaster manual says Wolf is OK. I use it in my Glock 17 sometimes also.

 

[MechAg94]

I bought a spare bolt assembly (with extractor) for my Armalite for about the price difference between brass ammo and Wolf steel case. I probably need to get a broken case extractor also. However, I have not had any problems shooting Wolf. A lot of cheap brass ammo is worse than Wolf for failures.

I think the BoxOTruth did a test with Wolf and some other ammo. I think they had more issues with going from steel case to brass in the same session. The Wolf creates more buildup in the chamber that can affect some brass ammo shot right after. I think it was South African .223 they had that trouble with. That may have been more a problem with the SA brass though.

 

[flip180]

Even if wolf does cause a breakage of a part short of a spontaneous dissasembly (aka KABOOM), I doubt the cost of the replacement of that part will cost anything more than what you saved by shooting Wolf though your AR.

Flip.

 

[Plink]

The fact that some makers will void the warantee if you use it should be all the clue you need! Maybe the copper plated kind works better than the old lacquer coated stuff, I don't know. Either way you still have the issue of the steel case causing wear and tear on your extractor and perhaps even breakage. I'll only shoot Wolf in guns designed to use it, like SKSes and AK's. I will use their 9mm ammo in my Ruger but none of my other guns.

 

[Bazooka Joe71]

First of all congrats on your soon-to-be AR. I have an RRA CAR 15 and love it. I don't have much experience with Wolf, since I just got my AR maybe 2 months ago, but in my short experience with it, its been fine. The only thing I don't like about it is how DIRTY it is(and stinky).

I asked this same question a month or so ago, and the general consensus is extractor wear and tear, and thats it. The money you will save buying wolf, will allow you to buy a bucket full of extractors.

Pros:

CHEAP

Con's

Extractor wear
Dirty
Non-reloadable


If you really think about it, if you like cleaning your rifle, and don't plan on reloading, the benefits outweigh the costs.



.02 for ya.

 

[M2 Carbine]

I've fired several thousand old and new coated Wolf .223 in my Colt and Bushmaster AR. I've also shot several hundred through my Kel Tec PLR and Bushmaster pistols.

I finally decided I was being stupid trying to save a few dollars on ammo and subjecting my expensive guns to this kind of abuse.
Kind of like buying a very expensive SUV and running it on the cheapest crap gasoline and oil that you can find.

Besides Wolf is the most inaccurate ammo I've ever seen.


This is typical of how badly Wolf can stick in the chamber. There has got to be a heck of a strain on the action when this happens.




But, you paid for your guns, shoot whatever you want.

I do shoot Wolf in my AK and SKS.

 

[never_summer]

check out www.theboxoftruth.com
he shoots some wolf thru his ar and comments on it

 

[swingset]

For the 20th time this year:

I have shot close to 16,000 rounds of polymer Wolf .223 in 7 different AR's, from a cheapo Del-Ton build to a Colt SP1 to a 11.5" RRA SBR.

I have only experienced 3 problems total. 1 case stuck in a very dirty chamber (around 750 rounds through the gun), one primer that came out and lodged in the disconnector, and 1 failure to extract that resulted in a stuck carrier. All were easily remedied at the range.

I have not broken any extractors, as a matter of fact all show only normal wear. All of my guns shoot it well, it goes bang. It's not accurate, it's kind of dirty, but it's cheap and reliable practice ammo....which is all I use it for.

Over the course of those 16k rounds, I have saved nearly $1500 in ammo prices, giving me the money to replace 2 of my rifles entirely, or enough spare change to buy several hundred extractors.

If you have an AR that will not shoot Wolf .223, there is something not right with your gun, period. A correctly operating AR with a .mil chamber should eat it like candy. If that weren't the case, I wouldn't have 16k through a whole collection of AR's without some more bad stories to tell.

 

[Reginhild]

Wolf Gold ammo is much better than their cheap steel cased stuff.

 

[RH822]

The fact that some makers will void the warantee if you use it should be all the clue you need!

Which manufacturers? I am not aware of any who will void a warranty because you fire a specific brand of ammo.

RH

 

[Frog48]

The fact that some makers will void the warantee if you use it should be all the clue you need!

This is purely an internet myth. See my earlier post, with the Ammo Advisory from Bushmaster. For quite some time people had been saying that Wolf would void a Bushy warranty, but that is clearly disspelled now.

Post up some proof that it voids a manufacturer's warranty, if you're going to make those claims, because there is alot of misleading (or downright wrong) info on the internet.

 

[CDignition]

There will be no hard part wear(Chamber, Receiver wear) by using Wolf..it is good economics to use Wolf and replace worn bolt parts or Extractors.

With each case, you could replace the whole bolt and come out even on price/cost savings over US made brass...the chamber will be unaffected, as will the receiver/fire control parts...

Im with Swingset.. follow his advice

 

[nico]

The fact that some makers will void the warantee if you use it should be all the clue you need!

Assuming that's true, would you not use handloads either? Every owner's manual I've seen (not that I've seen them all) recommends against using handloads and says doing so may void the warranty.

 

[rangerruck]

lets do a little physics shall we? it is steel cased. steel expands and holds heat longer than brass. steel contracts and loses heat slower than brass.
while it is in it's expanded state, is when your extractor will be trying to grab the rim, and yank it out of the chamber. Your weapon, man.

 

[nico]

rangerruck, I don't think anyone has argued that the extractor won't wear more with Wolf than with brass cased stuff. The point is that by the time you wear out your extractor on Wolf, you will have saved enough to buy several new extractors.

 

[Jenrick]

10K+ through one AR, had a handfull of FTE's. Went bang everytime I pulled the trigger. No abnormal wear, no part failures. Now this all through an AR-180, not an AR-15 mind you.

-Jenrick

 

[mc223]

Inaccurate practice ammo would seem to detract from the value of practice. Since constant compensation for a seeminly uncontrollable variance will tend to enhance bad habits.